Spanish delight for young rookie Martin

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 15 (Reuters) Pablo Martin, relishing the company of fellow Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia, surged into contention with a one-over-par 71 in the US Open first round.

The 21-year-old from Malaga, making his major championship debut in his second event as a professional, carded four bogeys and three birdies for a share of fifth place, three shots off the lead, yesterday.

''I was really happy they got me with Jose and Sergio,'' Martin told reporters at a rain-softened Oakmont Country Club.

''It was great playing with them and it made it a lot easier.

''I had a couple of lucky breaks and I missed a couple of putts but overall I'm pretty happy.'' Martin, who turned professional before competing in last week's St Jude Championship in Memphis, has been grouped with Olazabal and Garcia for the first two rounds here.

Although playing with two of his childhood heroes on one of the world's toughest courses was a near-perfect combination, the young Spaniard conceded there was one disadvantage.

''I just didn't know what to expect,'' he said. ''Playing with Sergio and Jose, there were way too many things going on in my head so I just tried to enjoy myself and have fun out there.

''It worked, so I'm really lucky. It was pretty hard but the greens were soft today and not as difficult as they can be. But I'm sure it's going to get worse and worse.'' Martin became the first amateur to win on the European Tour since its opening season in 1972 with a one-shot victory at the Portuguese Open two months ago.

He missed the cut on his PGA Tour debut last week where he played on a sponsor's exemption.

REUTERS BJR RK1011