America’s national golf championship is – by definition – its most important major.
However, it was a familiar Englishman who slipped off Pebble Beach Golf Links early Thursday evening with the 18-hole lead in the U.S. Open.
Justin Rose, playing with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, birdied 18 to break a five-player logjam atop the leaderboard. He closed with three-straight birdies and a 65 to stand alone at 6-under par.
Rose was one of 156 players who are vying for the Open trophy and a winner’s check of $2.25 million out of the $12.5 million purse.
The cut will consist of the top 60 players and ties.
Among the players tied for second at 5-under par: PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Aaron Rise, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.
Brooks Koepka is the two-time defending champion is T16 at 2-under.
Woods finished with a 1-under 70.
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Woods, now ranked No. 5 in the world, is playing for his 16th major championship and his 82 professional victory. He will tie Sam Snead for first atop the all-time list with his next victory.
He teed off Thursday at 5:09 p.m. ET with Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose from the first tee.
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Updates
All times are in Eastern
8:35 p.m.: PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Aaron Wise has a share of the Round 1 lead in the U.S. Open at 5-under after shooting a 66 Thursday. He missed the cut in his past two starts: the Memorial and the RBC Canadian Open.
8:17 p.m.: Brooks Koepka promptly gives one back on 13 and is now 2 shots off the lead.
8:02 p.m.: Brooks Koepka is on the move again and sits one shot back from the lead at 4-under through 12.
7:15 p.m.: Aaron Wise pulls into a four-way tie for the lead at 5-under after 13 holes. He joins Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Louis Oosthuizen from morning play.
6:40 p.m.: Rory Sabbatini sinks an ace on the par-3, No. 12 hole from 202 yards out.
6:20 p.m.: Viktor Hovland leaves his eagle putt about 3 inches short. It would have given him a share of the lead at No. 6.
6:01 p.m.: Brooks Koepka is 3-under par after 5 holes and is T-5 in his quest for an Open three-peat.
5:27 p.m.: Viktor Hovland recorded a birdie on the second hole and is T-20 at 1 under.
5:15 p.m.: Brooks Kopeka missed out on a birdie on the par-4 second hole after his third stroke from 3 feet, 9 inches failed to reach the hole. Koepka is 1 under through two holes.
4:25 p.m.: Xander Schauffele eagled the 18th hole to finish the first round tied for the lead with Rickie Fowler at 5 under. Schauffele finished the first round with a 66 after recording five birdies, two bogeys and an eagle.
4:03 p.m.: Rickie Fowler finished the first round with the lead at 5 under after shooting a 66.
3:52 p.m: Rory McIlroy finishes his round with six straight pars to shoot a 68 and sit T-4.
3:36 p.m.: Xander Schauffele made birdies on four of his last five holes to rise to T-2 at 4 under. Schauffele is 4 under through 15 holes.
3:16 p.m.: Justin Thomas eagled the sixth hole to rise to T-43 at 1 over. Thomas’ second shot landed on the right green 27 feet, 5 inches from hole. Thomas sank his putt with his third stroke on the par-5 hole. Thomas tumbled down the leaderboard after recording bogeys on holes 17, 18 and 1.
3:11 p.m.: Rickie Fowler takes the lead at 5 under after recording his second straight birdie— sixth total— on the 15th hole.
3 p.m.: Just after Scott Piercy finished his first round with the lead, Rickie Fowler birdied the 14th hole to tie Piercy at 4 under for the lead. Fowler is 4 under through 14 holes.
2:45 p.m.: Scott Piercy bogeyed his final hole and finished the first round 4-under 67 with the lead.
2:35 p.m.: Sepp Straka finished T-3 at 3-under 68. Straka recorded four birdies and a bogey.
1:48 p.m.: Scott Piercy leads at 5 under after a birdie on the 14th hole. He is two strokes ahead of Sepp Straka and Jon Rahm in second place.
1:40 p.m.: Gary Woodland finished his first nine with a bogey and falls to T-2 at 3 under with Jon Rahm.
1:30 p.m.: Gary Woodland tied Scott Piercy for the lead at 4 under after a birdie on the par-4 eighth hole. The birdie was Woodland’s fourth of the day.
1:07 p.m.: After going 3 under on the front nine, Scott Piercy takes the lead once again at 4 under with a birdie on the par-3 12th hole.
12:49 p.m.: Rickie Fowler, Thorbjorn Olesen and Gary Woodland tied Scott Piercy and Jon Rahm for first place at 3 under.
12:40 p.m.: Phil Mickelson is T-10 at 1 under after recording a birdie on No. 14. Take a look at the approach shot that set up his first birdie of the day.
12:30 p.m.: Justin Thomas is T-9 at 1 under after recording his second birdie of the day on No. 14. Thomas recorded another birdie on No. 11 after bogeying No. 10, his first hole of the day.
12:02 p.m.: After going 5 under through his first six holes, Scott Piercy slipped on the par-4 eighth hole, recording a double bogey. He is now T-1 with Jon Rahm at 3 under.
11:38 a.m.: Jon Rahm begins the first round with three straight birdies. He is in solo second, two strokes behind Scott Piercy.
11:37 a.m.: After a birdie on No. 2, Rickie Fowler is 1 under and T-3.
11:32 a.m.: Add an eagle to Scott Piercy’s morning. In addition to Piercy’s three birdies, Piercy recorded an eagle on No. 6 to lead at 5 under. Piercy has a three stroke lead over Jon Rahm at 2 under.
11:24 a.m.: Jon Rahm birdies No. 11 to jump to solo second at 2 under. Rahm is 2 under through two holes.
11:12 a.m.: Rory McIlroy bogeyed the 10th hole, his first hole of the day, and is T-14 at 1 over.
11:10 a.m.: Scott Piercy is on a roll. He recorded his third birdie and leads at 3 under through five holes. Piercy is two strokes ahead of Luis Gagne, Emiliano Grillo and Jon Rahm T-2 at 1 under.
11 a.m.: Scott Piercy recorded another birdie on the fourth hole and leads by two strokes at 2 under.
10:30 a.m.: Scott Piercy records he first birdie of the U.S. Open on the second hole. Piercy leads at 1 under through two holes.
9:45 a.m.: Round 1 play begins.
Hole locations
U.S. Open TV/Streaming Info
Round 1
Morning Drive, 7-9 a.m., Golf Channel
First round, 12:30-7:30 p.m., FS1
First round, 7:30-10:30 p.m., Fox
Featured Groups, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Featured Groups 1 and 2 and Featured Holes, 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., usopen.com and the U.S. Open app
Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Golf Channel
