BLOOMFIELD HILLS (Michigan), Aug 8: Andres Romero of Argentina bogeyed the 18th hole early on Friday to slip out of a share of the lead at the PGA Championship, completing a one-under-par 69 at Oakland Hills Country Club.

The 27-year-old Romero was in a group of five players bunched one stroke behind co-leaders Robert Karlsson of Sweden and Jeev Milkha Singh of India after the first round was completed.

Sergio Garcia of Spain and Americans Billy Mayfair, Sean O’Hair and Ken Duke were the others who posted 69s.

Romero was one of 18 players who had to finish rounds interrupted by failing light after Thursday’s 85-minute weather delay.

The Argentine got into trouble on the difficult, 498-yard 18th when his four-iron approach fell in the rough short of the right front bunker. He pitched up about 10 feet past the hole and took two putts for bogey.

The seven top players were the only ones to better par on the sloping, 7,395-yard Oakland Hills course outside Detroit.

The average first-round score was 74.85, nearly five over par.

Karlsson was scheduled to tee off for the second round at 1250 (1650 GMT) from the 10th tee, one group ahead of Singh.

Garcia, the world number six, was teeing off at 1335 from number one, two groups ahead of three-times major winner Phil Mickelson, who stood at even par.

The top seven on the leaderboard were all gunning for their first victory in a major championship in what looms as a wide-open shootout in the absence of injured world No 1 Tiger Woods, winner of the last two PGA Championships.

Leading first-round scores:

68 – Robert Karlsson (Sweden), Jeev Milkha Singh (India).

69 – Ken Duke (US), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Billy Mayfair (US), Sean O’Hair (US), Andres Romero (Argentina).

70 – Anthony Kim (US), Ryan Moore (US), Phil Mickelson (US), Rod Pampling (Australia), Charlie Wi (South Korea), Brian Gay (US), Michael Allen (US), Angel Cabrera (Argentina).

71 – Briny Baird (US), Frank Esposito Jr (US), Carl Pettersson (Sweden), Jim Furyk (US), Aaron Baddeley (Australia), Steve Stricker (US), Richard Green (Australia), Peter Hanson (Sweden), Nicholas Thompson (US), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Brandt Snedeker (US), Ernie Els (South Africa), Steve Elkington (Australia), Mark Calcavecchia (US), J.B. Holmes (US).

72 – John Mallinger (US), D.J. Trahan (US), Boo Weekley (US), Paul Casey (Britain), David Toms (US), Paul Azinger (US), Charles Howell III (US), Retief

Goosen (South Africa), Rory Sabbatini (South Africa), James Kingston (South Africa).

73 – Alastair Forsyth (Britain), Steve Marino (US), Pat Perez, Simon Dyson (Britain), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), Rich Beem (US), Niclas Fasth (Sweden), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Steve Flesch (US), Rocco Mediate (US), Ben Curtis (US), Jay Haas (US), Michael Campbell (New Zealand), Justin Rose (Britain), John Merrick (US), Mike Weir (Canada), Dean Wilson (US), Scott Strange (Australia).

74 – Paul Goydos (US), Daniel Chopra (Sweden), Camilo Villegas

(Colombia), Peter Lonard (Australia), Graeme McDowell (Britain),

Justin Leonard (US), Nick O’Hern (Australia), Steve Lowery (US), Tim Weinhart (US), Tom Lehman (US), Heath Slocum (US), John Daly (US), Mark Brooks (US), Ian Poulter (Britain).

75 – Don Yrene (US), Corey Pavin (US), Richard S. Johnson (Sweden), Stewart Cink (US), Darren Clarke (Britain), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), Bubba Watson (US), Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark), Bob Tway (US), Anders Hansen (Denmark), Chris DiMarco (US), Tom Pernice Jr (US), Ben Crane (US), Jonathan Byrd (US).—Reuters