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Canadian left-hander Mike Weir produced eight birdies in a stunning opening round of 64 at Bethpage Black to take the lead after the first round of the US Open, leaving world number one Tiger Woods stranded 10 shots back.

Weir, the 2004 Masters champion, peppered the flag with approach shots and consistently rolled in his putts in a superb performance under clear, sunny skies that seemed almost surreal after Thursday's deluge and Friday morning's gloom.

A double-bogey six on the tough par-4 sixth was the sole blemish on his scorecard in which he average just 1.39 putts per hole - and he cancelled out that double with bogeys on the eighth and ninth, his final two holes, to finish the round with a flourish.

Just behind Weir was the unlikely name of Peter Hanson, the Swedish journeyman who qualified for the US Open with a hole-in-one during a play-off at the US Open qualifying tournament at Walton Heath.

Yet that wasn't his only stroke of luck: the European Tour stalwart hurt his neck so badly on Wednesday that he would not have been able to play on Thursday - but by the time his rain-delayed tee time came around on Friday he was restored to full health following some frantic physio treatment.

And the Swede took full advantage with his superb round of 66 that saw him score six birdies - including a brace on the eighth and ninth, his final two holes, shortly after he had recorded his only two bogeys of the day.

If the name of Hanson was a surprise on the leaderboard then no less so were the names of David Duval and Todd Hamilton, respectively the 2001 and 2003 Open champions, who have both suffered critical slumps in their careers since lifting the Claret Jug.

Both Duval and Hamilton came back in 32 shots in rounds of 67 apiece that left them sharing third place, just ahead of 2008 US Open runner-up Rocco Mediate and former US Amateur champion Ricky Barnes.

Behind Mediate and Barnes there was a seven-way tie for seventh place that included three-times Major champion Phil Mickelson, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and American amateur Drew Weaver, with McDowell and Weaver's rounds all the more impressive for having been recorded in the worst of the weather on Thursday and Friday mornings.

Mickelson had got to three under par with five holes of his round left and looked like challenging for the first-round lead until bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes - his 15th and 16th - pegged him back.

Woods, meanwhile, had played good golf to pull himself back to level par, but two bogeys and a double bogey in his final four holes sent him crashing back to four over par - and with the later starters enjoying much the best of the conditions, possibly out of contention for the championship.

Toby Keel / Eurosport