La Jolla, CA (Best E Casino) - When you see the three best players in the world together, isn't it fair to expect more than a collective three-over par?

Maybe not at a U.S. Open, but that's what you got on Thursday.

Tiger Woods, the world No. 1 who returned to competitive golf after knee surgery two days after the Masters, shot a one-over 72.

Phil Mickelson, the local hero and pre-tournament favorite, won the round-one competition with an even-par 71.

Adam Scott, the third Tenor behind Pavarotti and Domingo, came in at 73.

That's the best they could do?

"We're all going to make mistakes out here," apologized Woods.

"It was not the best round," acknowledged Mickelson.

"If I could get a few putts I would have been really happy with the round," rationalized Scott.

All three are right, of course, and considering this is a Torrey Pines venue measuring over 7,600 yards, there's no reason to panic. But the people who got there very early to see this elite group probably expected a little more.

"It was pretty interesting to tee off at 8:00 (a.m. local time) and have this many people out here. I was pretty impressed," said Mickelson.

There weren't many fireworks in this trio. Woods opened with a double-bogey at one. Mickelson rattled off three straight bogeys on the front side and Scott plodded along with his broken hand. (Yes, he is playing the U.S. Open with a broken hand.)

Scott chipped in for a birdie at eight, then Mickelson birdied 10. But Woods might have stolen the show with par putts. He made three over 10 feet on the back nine.

The top-ranked trio delighted the gallery with par putts.

Perhaps this is unfair. Torrey Pines is the longest U.S. Open setup in history. The rough, always the demonic element that separates the U.S. Open from all else, forced Mickelson to advance his approach at 12 about three feet.

Woods is competing for the first time in two months and admitted after the round that his knee is hurting. Scott's hand was broken by a friend in a door during a soccer game. Mickelson ... well he has no excuses. Perhaps that's why he scored the best.

This may all be too harsh but when news broke that the top-three players in the world were paired together, most believed this to be a thrilling opportunity.

Bad legs, broken hands, and all, I expected more.