SANDWICH, England - He wanted no tears from anyone, though on this day of success, minimal as it might prove to be, Thomas Bjorn understandably shed a few of his own.

There he was, tied for the lead Thursday after one round of the British Open. It was the result of good karma, great golf and a story fit for a Hollywood script.

Except this was played out on the moonscape links of Royal St. George's instead of a soundstage at MGM,

Bjorn, hardly the melancholy Dane, wasn't even in the 140th Open Championship as of Sunday evening. But by Thursday evening he was tied for first place.

Where he had been with three holes to play in 2003, the last time the oldest tournament in golf was played at St. George's.

But his tee shot that fateful day on the par-3 16th plopped into the soft sand of a bunker. And his next shot, after landing on the green, rolled back into the sand. And his third shot did the same. The lead was gone. The dream was buried.

Bjorn is not. Out of nowhere, out of everywhere, Bjorn, in the Open as first alternate because Vijay Singh withdrew, produced a 5-under-par 65 on a course some think is the most difficult of the seven in the Open rotation. He made seven birdies, one of those at 16.

When his 9-iron came down softly some 8 feet from the cup, a smile spread across Bjorn's face.

"That,'' he explained, "was just a smile of knowing that things were going my way today."

For the first time in a while.

"I've always promised myself I'll keep going and keep going,'' Bjorn said. "I always look ahead. I'm 40 years old, and there might be just a little bit more in me."

There is more than a little bit of emotion. Bjorn's father, Ole, died in May after a long illness. Bjorn's game went to pieces. And Thursday, after his renaissance - don't call it revenge - so did Thomas.

Someone wondered how proud father would have been of son for the brilliant golf in the steady wind and occasional rain off the English Channel.

"Well, he meant a lot to me,'' Bjorn said of his father. Then he choked up, stopped and wiped his eyes. The memories flooded like the tears.

"He would have been very proud. That's all I have to say."

That was enough. On this morning - Bjorn started at 7:25 a.m. British time, which is 2:25 am. EDT - his clubs spoke eloquently.
Misery haunts Bjorn's past. Most of all there was the double-bogey 5 at 16.

"That was my biggest chance to win a major,'' he said.

Then, the next year, he walked off the course during the Smurfit European Open in Dublin, saying he "was fighting with demons in the head.'' A year later, 2005, Bjorn was in front by four entering the final round but dropped 10 shots the last four holes, hitting three straight tee shots into the River Liffey on the 17th, and ended up with an 86.

He's had his moments - a tie for second in the 2000 Open at St. Andrews, another tie for second in the 2003 Open after his saga in the sand, a tie for second in the 2005. Yet there's been more agony than ecstasy.

So his play Thursday was particularly reassuring.

"I don't at the moment play golf the way I used to,'' Born said. "But I did today."

There always are withdrawals. And alternates. Bjorn dropped out of Open qualifying in June because of a bad back and the death of his father. But the R&A, which runs the Open, asked if he would agree to be a reserve, and Bjorn said only if he were first in the symbolic line.

"I never really expected to play,'' he said, "so there's no reason to get too uptight."

No reason to dwell on what was.

"A lot of people have asked me what I feel about the 2003 Open,'' he said. "I mean, it's in the past. People can write you off ... but when you live in a career that's ahead of you, you try and make the best of every single day. And that's what I've done."

Bjorn has an older brother, Soren, who played the European Tour, then moved to Northern California, residing now near Pebble Beach. "If he's playing golf,'' said Thomas, "I don't know. I hope not. He's got a family to look after."

Bjorn has a golf game to look after, which, despite the failings of other days, he continues to do with persistence.

"I've been very uncomfortable on the golf course for a long time,'' he said. "I'm not knowing where the ball starts, and I'm not striking the ball the way I wanted to. Today was one of those days where I saw the shots I needed to play, saw the golf course how I wanted to play it.

"I'm proud of how I carried it to the end. ... When I know what I'm doing, then I can stay mentally strong. I was very pleased with that."