The U.S. Open has begun at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, and the battle for the top spots in the rankings is already fierce.
Everyone seemed to be chasing Scottie Scheffler this week, as he is playing better than he has since Tiger Woods was in his prime. But Scheffler had a very average round. The No. 1 golfer in the world finished with a 1-over 71, six strokes behind the leader.
Instead, it was Patrick Cantlay who took the early lead. He made three birdies in the final five holes of the day for a five-under 65, which temporarily put him in the lead by two strokes as he entered the clubhouse. Cantlay needed just 23 putts for the round, his career-lowest in a major championship. Ludvig Oberg is in sole third place after shooting four under in his first round of the U.S. Open.
Rory McIlroy dominated the late waves on Thursday afternoon, closing out his round with a huge birdie on the 18th hole and a bogey-free 65 to move him into a tie for the lead with Cantlay.
McIlroy hasn’t won a major tournament in a decade, but he has started the past six U.S. Opens in the red, including finishing second last summer in Los Angeles.
Bryson DeChambeau was close at one point, but a bogey late in the round dropped him to three under par and tied for fourth with Mathieu Pavon. Tony Finau and Tyrrell Hatton were tied for sixth at two under par. Brooks Koepka, who finished at even par, left the course on Thursday without speaking to the media, but his explanation was hard to believe.
Woods, meanwhile, struggled. After a birdie on the first day, he reeled off five birdies in the next seven holes around the turn to finish with a 4-over 74. He’ll need a big performance on Friday to make the cut, something he didn’t get at last month’s PGA Championship.
If you are looking for tea times you can find them here.
If you’re looking for ways to watch, check this out too.
If you want to check out the leaderboard, click here.
If you need help following the action, follow the steps below.
live62 updates
Leaderboard Update After Round 1
Here is the leaderboard after the first round of the Pinehurst 2nd round:
Leaderboard Updates
T1. Patrick Cantlay (-5)
T1. Rory McIlroy
3. Ludvig Auberg (-4)
T4. Mathieu Pavón (-3)
T4. Bryson DeChambeau
T6. Tyrrell Hatton (-2)
T6. Tony Finau
Other notable people
T17. Brooks Koepka (E)
T17. Collin Morikawa
T17. Neil Shipley (a)
T17. Xander Schauffele
T39. Scottie Scheffler (+1)
T69. Wyndham Clark (+3)
T92. Tiger Woods (+4)
T92. Dustin Johnson
T133. Justin Thomas (+7)
T149. Phil Mickelson (+9)
Bryson finishes in T4
Despite a late bogey, Bryson DeChambeau was back in contention for the win, finishing with a 3-under 67 to move into a tie for fourth place, two strokes behind Mathieu Pavon.
Brooks Koepka criticizes the media
Brooks Koepka left Pinehurst on Thursday without speaking to the media other than a text message with Eamon Lynch, which, of course, was unbelievable.
Koepka thinks the media needs to get more creative, so here are some hypothetical semi-golf-related questions posed to him by Jay Busby:
Do you think Brooks in his prime could beat Tiger in his prime?
You have to play a round with one beer per hole. How many holes will you play and what shots will you take?
You’re going to rob a bank. Which three players will you add to your team?
Click on the photo to read more of Brooks Koepka’s text exchange after the first round of the U.S. Open. (AP/George Walker IV)
Walk away, Rory.
Rory didn’t hesitate on the 18th green, what a great final putt.
Rory McIlroy’s bogey-free start
A closer look at Rory McIlroy’s bogey-free start to the U.S. Open.
Rory McIlroy tied for the lead
Rory McIlroy Huge Birdie on the 18th hole! He opened the U.S. Open with a bogey-free 65, putting him in a tie for the lead with Patrick Cantlay.
It was his sixth consecutive U.S. Open opening round under par.
Bryson falls to 3 under
Bryson’s bogey-free streak came to an end when he bogeyed the seventh hole, dropping him to 3 under par for the day and two strokes behind the leader with two holes to go.
Rory is tied with Bryson at 4 under
Not to be outdone, Rory McIlroy made his fourth birdie of the day on the 16th hole to move him to four under par with DeChambeau and Oberg.
Chances are, one of them will get in touch with Patrick Cantlay before we finish here.
Bryson DeChambeau is one point behind the leader
Bryson DeChambeau is showing no signs of slowing down, and despite a poor tee shot, he made his fourth birdie of the day on the fifth hole to move into a tie for second place with Ludvig Oberg.
He is one stroke behind the leader with four holes to go.
Schaeffler’s struggles, and yet…
Scottie Scheffler is 1 over par but still well in the running to win, looking like he’s about 10 strokes back.
Here are some statistics:
– Fairways hit: 5/12 (146th)
– Putts: 24 in 12 holes (98th)
– Greens in regulation: 9 out of 14 (36th)
I could explain the strokes gained statistics, but you get the point.
He’s scattering the ball all over the place and not making any putts… and yet he’s just one over par, just six strokes behind clubhouse leader Patrick Cantlay.
This feels like a team can go 3 of 20 from the 3-point line and still win.
Hideki on the Beach
Hideki Matsuyama earned his third birdie of the day with a perfect chip shot.
Brooks Koepka’s funny ‘text’ interview
Brooks Koepka didn’t want to talk to reporters after his par-12 start at the U.S. Open, so Golfweek’s Eamonn Lynch sent him a text instead.
The results were interesting.
“Thank you, Dad”🤣
Click on the photo to read a text interview with Brooks Koepka and Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
JT Poston’s disastrous double bogey
JT Poston was up and down out of a bunker on the third hole and it was solid, but that was after he went from bunker to bunker and back to the original bunker.
That resulted in a double bogey that dropped him to 3 over par for the day. Not great.
Bryson is tied with Rory at 3 under
Bryson DeChambeau, also bogey-free, is neck and neck with Rory McIlroy, who picked up his third birdie of the day to move to three under.
Adam Scott throwing darts
Adam Scott slipped into the U.S. Open this week, earning his 92nd consecutive major tournament appearance.
This is a simplified version of Pinehurst No. 2
This weekend is going to be even tougher…
The past three U.S. Opens at Pinehurst have added an extra level of difficulty over the weekend.
Percentage of rounds in the 60s – Round 1 – 10.0% Round 2 – 8.2% Rounds 3 and 4 – 5.0%
Rory McIlroy’s bogey-free round continued with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole to drop to 3-under for the day and move into a tie for third place.
Bryson is here
Bryson DeChambeau chipped in for perhaps the most unlikely birdie of the day on the 18th hole, turning at 2 under and instantly in contention for the win.
With Olympic qualification at stake
Spain’s David Puig was six over par after today’s opening round and will need a great day tomorrow to make it through the weekend and keep his Paris hopes alive.
Tough situation for David Puig: He has a chance to qualify for the Olympics. If he misses it, it goes to Campillo. He starts with a 76.
