Schauffele clacks his tee shot at 9 to 10 feet. Can he join Rickie Fowler, who finished his round over seven hours ago, at the top of the US Open leader board? No, not quite. But he’s played his second nine in 32 strokes, and signs for a superb 66. Tomorrow promises to be an exciting day. As does the rest of the week, with a few of the game’s leading lights - Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day - already out of it! Nighty night!
-7: Fowler
-6: Casey, Schauffele
-5: Harman, Fleetwood, Koepka
-4: Reed, Na, Leishman, Hadwin
First up, Bernd Weisberger birdies 9, a welcome end to a round that was beginning to fray around the edges. He was -4 after 2, but bogeys at 4 and 8 had dropped him down the leader board. That’s a 69, though, and he’s just outside the top ten at -3.
Roberto Diaz bumps a chip to a couple of feet on 18, and that’s a birdie for a level-par 72. Well worth waiting to see what Phil Mickelson was or wasn’t up to, yes. Back on 8, Schauffele plays a fuss-free hole down the middle, but fails to hit a makeable straight uphill putt from 15 feet. Just the par. He’s got the short 9th coming up. Can he make birdie and snatch a share of the lead?
A highly decent birdie-birdie finish by Matt Fitzpatrick. It’s especially impressive given the awful balls he made of 7, flying through the green, nearly chipping back off the front, and leaving a long putt way short. But the double bogey was negated by two great mid-range putts on 8 and 9. He’ll sleep a lot better tonight after that. He’s -2, and right in this tournament.
Xander Schauffele makes his fourth birdie in six holes, and he joins Paul Casey in a share of second at -6. Jason Day tickles in a birdie putt on 18 to avoid an 80. He’s +7. Rory McIlroy signs for a 78. Back in 42 strokes! He’s +6. And finally Justin Rose captures the mood of that group by missing a six-foot birdie putt, then failing to get the tiddler coming back. A closing bogey that drops him back to level par. An altogether happier vibe on 9, where Shane Lowry birdies to move to -2, a shot behind the 2003 champion Jim Furyk, who also finishes with a bird to sign for a 69.
Paul Casey lays up at 18. Can he get up and down from 50-odd yards to finish a marvellous round with another birdie? Well, he sends his wedge screeching to a halt, four feet from the flag! He’ll have that for a 66. And in it goes! He’s right on Rickie Fowler’s shoulder! As, very soon, might be Xander Schauffele, who has just wedged to three feet on 7.
-7: Fowler (F)
-6: Casey (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F), Schauffele (15*)
Adam Hadwin clips a gorgeous tee shot at the short par-three 9th to six feet, but for once can’t make the birdie putt. That’s still a very eventful 68. Meanwhile some mixed news from the amateurs: Cameron Champ bogyes 5 and 6 to drop back to -2, but Scottie Scheffler comes back in 33 to card a 69. And better news for Roberto Diaz, who rakes in a monster on 16 to make up for the egregious nonsense with the flat stick on the previous hole. He’s back to +1!
Roberto Diaz has a three-foot putt for birdie on 15. He pushes it right and leaves himself a six-footer, which is missed. Miserable. Instead of rising to level par, he drops back to +2. Diaz putts like the man he replaced sometimes drives. Meanwhile another birdie for Adam Hadwin, this time at 8. He’s back to -4. And on 17, Rory McIlroy is in waist-high fescue. And he can’t get out. Two wild hacks lead to another double bogey, his second in three holes: he’s +6 now. He was level par at the turn! Solid par for Justin Rose, though, and he remains at -1.
Updated
Here’s our man in Wisconsin, Ewan Murray, on Rickie Fowler’s brilliant 65!
From the fringe at the back of 5, Xander Schauffele curls in a left-to-right 12-footer for another birdie. He joins the group tied for second at -5! Paul Casey nearly moves on up to -6, an inch away from sinking a 40-footer for birdie on 17. Back down the hole, McIlroy finds more of the tall stuff. He was saying earlier in the week that, unlike some of the other players who had been moaning a bit, he doesn’t mind the long rough. Just as well, huh.
McIlroy pars 16 and stays at +4. It’s looking like a very bad day for Rory, and an even worse one for his playing partner Jason Day. Yet another dropped shot, at 15, clanks the former world number one down to +8. (The third member of the group, Justin Rose, pars 15 and 16, continuing to go along very nicely indeed at -1. He’s not on top of his talent today, but what a competitor! The sort of grinding brilliance that wins US Opens, in fact.) Incidentally, while we’re on the subject of abject nightmares, the 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett continues his precipitous decline: a nine-over 81 today.
McIlroy ends up with a double at 15, unable to scramble an unlikely par with a rake across the green, then pulling the short putt left. He’s +4, and wearing a slightly embarrassed grin. He knows the jig is already up. No second US Open title for him quite yet. Meanwhile up on 18, Sergio gets up and down for his birdie and a very acceptable two-under 70; Bubba Watson signs for a miserable 75; and Adam Scott rolls in a 30-footer for an eagle! Scott was +4 after 14, but has finished very strongly and at level par isn’t out of this yet! What a magnificent recovery by one of the pre-tournament favourites!
Sergio is coming up 18. Having let his fast eagle start slip, he’s done well to battle back under par, with birdie at 15. Now he’s chasing a last birdie to turn a merely acceptable round into a quietly promising one. But his lash with a fairway wood finds sand at the front of the green. Still, an up and down will give him that closing prize. Casey meanwhile leaves a 25-foot birdie effort five feet short on 16. In goes the par putt, and he stays at -5. But that was a fairly straight putt, and a chance to seriously bother leader Rickie Fowler spurned.
... Paul Casey sends his approach pretty much dead at 15. He taps in from a couple of feet for another birdie, and he’s back to -5. Meanwhile the 23-year-old US debutant Xander Schauffele has birdied 2 and 4 to move to -4, a trick matched by his playing partner, the 22-year-old amateur Cameron Champ! This is a quite astonishing leader board! Meanwhile Dustin Johnson shot 75, Jason Day is +7, and Rory McIlroy is hacking from fescue to bunker down 15.
-7: Fowler (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F), Casey (15)
-4: Reed (F), Na (F), Leishman (F), Schauffele (13*), Champ -a- (13*)
Another bogey for McIlroy, this time at 13, and the man really needs to play some more golf. Once again he’s half-cooked going into a major. He’s currently +2 through 14. Bernd Weisberger drops a shot at 4 to drop back to -3. And the Players champion Si Woo Kim rolls in a tidy birdie putt on 18 to sign for a 69. He’s right in the mix for this, and events at Sawgrass prove the young man’s got the moxie to deliver on the big stage. A multiple major winner in waiting? He’s only 21! His playing partner Marc Leishman tidies up for par and a 68. And over on 9, Kevin Na birdies to sign for a 68 of his own. Time for an updated leader board? Well, yes, but let’s leave it a minute, because...
So here’s a stat: only three players have made six consecutive birdies in a round at a US Open. George Burns did it in 1982, Andy Dillard repeated the feat ten years later, and now there’s Adam Hadwin. Can he make it seven in a row? Nope, not quite, as he’s got to play the preposterously difficult long par-three 6th next: just four birdies in 139 attempts so far today! He finds the green, though he’s left with the best part of 100 feet to the hole. He damn well nearly makes it, though! But the ball skitters ten feet past the hole, and he can’t make the return. And so his record-equalling run ends in bogey. He’s still -3, though.
A fine two putts from the back of 18 by Mr Andrew Johnston. Par, and the man’s signing for a magnificent opening 69. Beeeeeeeeeeef! The crowd love him. A serious golfer, don’t let anyone forget it. He couldn’t, could he? Just imagine. It’d be like Beatlemania all over again.
As Niall departs the scene, who’s this heaving into view? Why, it’s Adam Hadwin! The 29-year-old Canadian won his first Tour title three months ago at the Valspar, and now he’s looking to make a serious mark on a major tournament. Well, six birdies in a row should just about do it! He’s just birdied 18 through 5. The latest birdie was very nearly an eagle, but his full wedge into the par five stopped a couple of inches shy of the hole. He’s -4! Also on a roll, and boy did he need it: Adam Scott, with birdies at 15 and now 16. He’s +2 and fighting to stay in this tournament after an awful front nine.
With that, I’ll hand you back to Scott who will guide you to the end of the opening day. Here’s the latest leaderboard:
-7: Fowler (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F)
-4: Leishman (17), Reed (F), Na (16*), Casey (12), Weisberger (11*)
Florida’s Jack Maguire is the first afternoon starter to finish – and what a finish, as he drains a long eagle putt to end the first round two under par! Back on 15, Sergio has another birdie chance – and he takes this one – he’s one-under par. Leishman has a huge putt to save par at the 17th – and it drifts just wide!
Leishman takes on a monster putt down the middle of the green at 16, for birdie. It wobbles and weaves to within a foot, but just comes up short. He’ll stay on five under. Birdie chance for Day at the 12th hole, but his forceful effort is a few inches short. McIlroy is in a tougher spot, playing down the hill, left-to-right to save par – but he gets it! Rose picks up a birdie, and he’s one-under-par now.
Updated
Another one to watch out for on the course is Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, who has birdied four in a row (17, 18, 1 and 2) to scurry up the leaderboard at -4 – alongside Paul Casey, who has picked up a birdie himself!
Updated
The penultimate group to tee off from the 10th – Trey Mullinax, Xander Schaufelle and amateur Cameron Champ – have made a start as dazzling as their names. Mullinax and Champ are three under after nine holes, with Schaufelle just one back.
Day two-putts for a bogey, and is now 14 (FOURTEEN) shots behind Fowler. McIlroy catches the bug, missing his par putt to slip one over par. Here’s the current leaderboard:
-7: Fowler (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F), Leishman (15)
-4: Reed (F), Na (14*)
Updated
Day, who has notched two triple bogeys for the first time in his Tour career, does at least rescue things from the bunker – producing a dazzling escape to set up a par chance. Two players in fine fettle – Kim and Beef – both have chances at birdies. Kim takes his to move up to -3. Beef’s long-range effort is just short, and he stays on -2.
Rose has to chip out onto the fairway, but recovers things with an excellent drive onto the green. McIlroy edges up the fairway, while Day goes for broke – and plonks it straight in the bunker! He can at least see the funny side. We’re now being treated to a collection of greats – Johnson, Spieth, García and more – getting trapped in the rough today. Rickie Fowler, who got round without a bogey, must be very happy with his lot.
Leishman, just two off Rickie Fowler’s scorching clubhouse pace, has a tricky second shot at the 15th, playing uphill and finding the back of the green. Sergio immediately drops that birdie – his return to total inconsistency is almost reassuring. Justin Rose, currently on level par, gets an awful lie just off the fairway down 11. While Rose was wide right, Day and McIlroy are rooting through the rough down the left. This little dream team are verging on a collective meltdown.
Thanks, Scott. At the 12th, Sergio tucks away a birdie putt to move back up to one under, but flays his approach shot wide right on the third. Players’ Champion Kim Si-Woo does likewise at the 14th, and he’s down to -2. Over on the 11th, McIlroy sends his tee shot into the long grass down the left. Jason Day, fresh from a triple bogey at the 10th, does likewise. He’s six over, and struggling badly.
Updated
Bogey for Paul Casey at 10, pushing a short par putt wide right; he drops back to -3. Meanwhile back down the hole, Jason Day has just Seve’d a drive into the wilds down the right of 10. He’ll do well to find that. Beef meantime lands a careful approach into the par-five 14th, using the camber of the green to gather his ball towards the hole. The crowd go wild as a shot that lands 50 feet from the flag ends up four feet away. In goes the birdie putt, and he’s back to -2. And with that, I’m off for a little break. Niall McVeigh will be your host now. I’ll see you again soon enough!
The Open champion Henrik Stenson had a torrid time over the front nine. Five bogeys and just the one birdie, out in 40 strokes. But he’s just slam-dunked his second at 11 straight into the cup from 152 yards! An astonishing eagle and he rises to +2. He really needed something ... he’s really got it.
More sandy shenanigans for Jason Day, who sends his tee shot at 9 into a bunker at the back of the green. He’s left with an awkward downhill stance, but splashes out to six feet. However the left-to-right par curler is too much for him, and yet another bogey means he reaches the turn in 39. McIlroy meanwhile can’t convert a half-decent birdie chance from the fringe, 12 feet from the flag. He remains at level par. No mention of the third man in the group, Justin Rose, for a while. And there’s good reason: he’s been ambling along at level par since his bogey at 6.
Updated
That leader board is out of date already! Marc Leishman tickles in a 20-foot left-to-right curler on 12, and he’s up to -5! Since finishing in a tie for second at the 2015 Open, the Aussie has been impressively steady, if not spectacular, at the majors, and he recently won his second PGA Tour event at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him seriously in the mix this coming weekend.
Beef escapes 12 with just a bogey, smashing out of the fescue at the second attempt and taking two putts; he’s back to -1. And there’s another bogey for Garcia, this time at 10 after a poor approach, and he’s back to level par. That opening eagle seems a long time ago now. But here’s some better news: a birdie for Paul Casey at the short 9th, and he’s reached the turn in 32! He’s -4, three off Rickie Fowler’s lead!
-7: Fowler (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F)
-4: Reed (F), Na (12*), Leishman (11), Casey (9)
McIlroy fights his way out of the long stuff at 8, finding sand at the front of the green. But he leaves his splash well short of the hole. The 12-foot par putt stays high on the left, and he’s back to level. Meanwhile his partner Day’s second plugs up against the lip of a bunker. He gets it out, but only by bashing the ball into the face, sending it spinning backwards and into another trap! He allows himself a wry smile. He knocks this bunker shot to six feet, and taps in for bogey. He’s +2.
McIlroy drives into deep filth down the left of 8. Par already looks a pipe dream from there. Beef is also in the thick stuff, on 12; he’s not escaped it with a single hack either. He’ll definitely be going backwards soon. But some positive action on the leader board as Na birdies 2 and Leishman birdies 10; they’re both at -4.
McIlroy leaves a straight 20-foot birdie putt on 7 one turn short. Unlucky, though the approach from a good position on the par-five wasn’t up to much. Birdie for Day, though, who has stopped his boat rocking and is up to +1. Beef meanwhile rattles a three-foot par putt twice the distance past the hole on 11. He does well to knock in the return to limit the damage; he’s back to -2.
So much for Steve Stricker’s fast start. The shots he picked up at 1 and 2 have been handed back at 3 and 4. As for his playing partners? The 2009 Open champion
Tom Watson
Stewart Cink parred the opening hole, but since then has gone birdie-bogey-birdie-birdie-bogey. He’s -1. And the third member of the group,
Phil Mickelson
Roberto Diaz, has birdied 4, the debutant stopping the slide of bogeys at 1 and 3.
A brilliant scramble for par on 8 by Sergio. He was snookered at the front of the green by sand, and short-sided, so looped his wedge to the far end of the putting surface, using the bank to gather his ball back towards the pin. Clever, though he still faced a 20-foot putt. He strokes it firm and true, and it’s never missing. He was threatening to go backwards at speed, after fescue-induced bogey on the previous hole. But that’s arrested that destructive momentum.
A third birdie in four hole for Andrew Johnston! He bumps his second into the 10th off the banking at the right of the green, the ball curling round to six feet, soundtracked by meaty bellows of that nickname. The galleries love this man. He knocks in his putt, and he joins that group at -3. What a way to bounce back after starting out with a six. Rory McIlroy does well to lag a 70-foot putt close at the par-three 6th, saving his par and staying at -1. But it’s a dropped shot for Justin Rose, who’s back to level par.
Updated
Shane Lowry, last year’s 54-hole leader, is looking good for another tilt at this title right now. Early birdie at 11 has just been followed up with another at 15. He’s -2. Kevin Na has birdied another, this time the 18th, and that’s the back nine - effectively his front nine today - traversed in 33 strokes. His playing partner William McGirt turns in 33 too, having birdied 14, 17 and 18. Meanwhile Marc Leishman very nearly aces the short 9th, but the short putt for birdie makes him happy enough. He’s reached the turn in 33. All three become members of a growing group at -3.
-7: Fowler (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F)
-4: Reed (F)
-3: Lovemark (F), Holmes (F), Westwood (F), McGirt (9*), Na (8), Leishman (9), Casey (6)
Bogey for Sergio on 7, then. But he’s this close to escaping with an unlikely par. Having only just blasted his ball out of the long grass, he wedges his fourth shot pin high from the first cut to 20 feet, then watches in anguish as a fine putt stops half-a dimple short. Meanwhile Beef has to settle for par at 9, reaching the turn in 34. Birdie for Rose at 5: he’s -1 again. Birdies for Matt Fitzpatrick at 12 and 14: he’s -2. And a birdie for Paul Casey at 6, fine reward for the only tee shot inside 23 feet today! His spectacular effort at the long par-three ended up eight feet away, and in went the putt that takes him to -3.
Another birdie for Beef! This one at 8 takes him to -2. And he’s just clacked his wedge at the short par-three 9th pin high to ten feet. Don’t be fooled by the light-hearted facade: this guy’s got game. Meanwhile Sergio is knee-deep in the fescue down the left of the par-five 7th. One of the strongest swingers in the game - the Masters champion for goodness sake - can only slash it ten feet forward. Dustin Johnson struggled to get out of that stuff earlier too. That’s Dustin, the big man. The US Open, ladies and gentlemen! Good old US Open.
Some clever course management by Rory McIlroy on 4. He’s driven into the first cut, and though he was obviously looking to punch the ball up onto the green with his second, he knew the miss would find the bunker guarding the front. Unlike just about every hacker who plays at the weekend, professionals love sand. He splashes out to a couple of feet and escapes with his par. Justin Rose, by contrast, flies an aggressive second through the back, then trundles his third off the front. Up and down for bogey, and he’s level par again. But there’s even more suffering for Jason Day, whose second goes through the back too. Perhaps spooked by what happened to Rose, he fluffs two chips up the bank and back towards his feet, before sending a third - his fifth shot on the par-four - 20 feet past the hole. The double bogey putt is raced six feet past, and though he knocks in the return that’s an ugly seven. He’s +2, and so much for that US Open low scoring we were considering back there.
A fair bit of low scoring today. Most unlike a US Open. Here’s a stat that illustrates the point. The three US Opens with most players under par after the first round are, in reverse order: the 2015 event at Chambers Bay (25); the 1992 staging at Pebble Beach (29) and the 1990 championship at Medinah (39). There are currently 41 players under par. Adam Scott is not one of those: one of the pre-tournament favourites, he’s bogeyed 1, 3 and 4 and has just done very well to scramble par from off the front of 6. He’s +3.
Beef has bounced back after starting out with bogey at 1. Birdies at 5 and 7 have brought the immensely likeable force of nature otherwise known as Andrew Johnston up to -1. Another English star doing extremely well is Eddie Pepperell: back-to-back birdies at 8 and 9 have seen him reach the turn in 34; he’s -2. But Paul Casey drives into deep oomska down the right of 4. He lashes a fine effort onto the front of the green, and is very unfortunate to witness his ball toppling back down onto the fairway. He can’t get up and down, and he’s down to -2.
Pars at 3 for Rose and Day. But McIlroy bogeys after misjudging his approach, half a club short. He fails to get up and down from the front, though the chip was decent enough: he misses a three-footer on the high side. Back he goes to -1. A daft shot to drop. Meanwhile there’s three birdies on the bounce for Kevin Na, at 14, 15 and 16. He rises to -2.
The number-one amateur in the world has started as a number-one professional might. The splendidly monickered 21-year-old Maverick McNealy has birdied 10 and 11 to move to -2. Another fast starter: the 50-year-old putting machine Steve Stricker, with birdies at 1 and 2. The super-promising Justin Thomas is also in the mood: birdies at 1 and 2 and he’s motoring at speed as well.
Marc Leishman makes like Hideki Matsuyama, holing out from 100 yards down the fairway! Matsuyama made an eagle earlier at 15; Leishman’s shot at 5 is only for a birdie that takes him to -2. But still. And we’ve got a big eagle anyway, as McIlroy rakes in from the front of 2 to leap to -2! Rose gets up and down from the bunker to rise to -1. Day has to settle for par. And on 4, Garcia plays the hole perfectly, only to let a short birdie putt dribble to the right, a dreadful stroke. He stays at -2.
McIlroy, Rose and Day need to simmer down a wee bit. Big hitters all, they launch drives towards the green at 2. Rose finds a greenside bunker; McIlroy’s just on the fringe! Problem is, Paul Casey in the group ahead is busy lining up a putt. He’s forced to step away and restart his routine. Someone in a blazer should probably advise. Ah well, it wouldn’t be the US Open without some sort of farce, minor or major. But never mind! Casey makes his putt, and that’s an eagle-birdie start! He’s -3 already, the fastest start imaginable! He’s been sniffing around the majors quite a lot since his renaissance in 2015. Could this be his time? Only 70 holes to go.
McIlroy takes his medicine at 1, finds the heart of the green, then races a 15-foot birdie putt a couple of feet past the hole. He very nearly misses the one coming back, Adam Scott style, but though the ball horseshoes and considers staying up awkwardly, it finally drops. Par for Justin Rose too, but birdie for Jason Day. And as they move on to 2, a little admin from that hole from earlier: Bubba bounced back from his opening-hole bogey with birdie.
You’ll have noticed that the name of Ernie Els was not quite as far up the leader board as you expected. That’s because, after 16 holes without fault, he bogeyed 17 and 18, a sad denouement to an otherwise fine round. Still, there are plenty back in the clubhouse who would swap for his two-under 70. An up-and-down start for the reigning Open champion Henrik Stenson, meanwhile, with bogey at 1 and birdie at 2. And back on 1, Roberto Diaz, the first alternate and Phil Mickelson’s late replacement, makes his major debut. The 30-year-old Mexican flays his drive into deep trouble down the right. After being left hanging on for so long, you can forgive him his nerves.
The 2011 champion Rory McIlroy is out and about! And he wangs his opening drive into the long stuff down the right of the 1st. That’s not particularly ideal. He’ll probably have to take his medicine and chip out. The drive of Justin Rose, the 2013 winner, sneaks into the first cut down the right. And the third member of this star-studded group, Jason Day, splits the fairway. A fast start, incidentally, up ahead for Paul Casey, who makes like Sergio by making eagle! He cracks two big hits to the front of the green, then bumps a soft-handed chip into the cup! A reminder of the leader board, then!
-7: Fowler (F)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (F)
-4: Reed (F)
-3: Lovemark (F), Holmes (F), Westwood (F)
-2: Hoffman (F), Snedeker (F), Els (F), Garcia (2), Casey (1)
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Sergio whipcracks a tee shot at 2, nearly driving the green. Thing is, he’s left with an awkward chip, not much green to play with. He can only bump his ball up to ten feet, and lets the birdie putt drift off to the right. He lets his head drop a little. Par! Old Sergio is back! The man we’ve always loved. In some ways the best Sergio. Classic Sergio. Our Sergio. I’m still not sure how to process the wondrous events of April in Augusta. “Perhaps Mr Cabrera (7.41pm) was distracted by the smell of kidneys being barbecued by a fan at the back of the 6th green,” suggests
Leopold Bloom
Robin Durie. And who could blame him? That uric tang brings all the boys to the yard.
Oh Sergio!!! His first hole in a major as a major champion? An eagle! He guides a perfectly weighted left-to-right putt in from the fringe, and he’s -2 after 1. Scott however misses his short birdie putt, then yips the tiddler for par; he’s +1. And it’s an opening bogey for Bubba, too. Up on 9, the 2014 champ Martin Kaymer, No1 at Pinehurst No2, signs for a level-par 72. The 2015 winner Jordan Spieth cards a one-over 73; he’s not broken par in an opening round of a major since last year’s Masters. And the reigning champ Dustin Johnson puts his name on the bottom of a miserable 75. The last man to retain the US Open was Curtis Strange in 1989. That particular line in the record book already looks safe for another year.
Different approaches at 1. Sergio creams a fairway wood just over the back of the long par-five. He’s in the fringe, 15 feet from the hole, with half a chance of eagle and a great one for birdie. Scott lays up and clips his third to eight feet. Bubba’s second hits some poor punter, watching from the gallery down the left, upside the head. Golf’s a broad church.
Patrick Reed curls in a right-to-left 12-footer for birdie at 9, and he’s signing for a 68. He’s tucked in, three off Rickie Fowler’s lead, at -4. The young US pair will be dreaming of that elusive first major. Speaking of which, Sergio Garcia hits his first shot in a major championship as the winner of a major championship. And it’s a pearler, straight down the middle of 1. The Masters champion’s playing partners Bubba Watson and Adam Scott whistle similar efforts down the track. Some group, huh.
Stately, plump Angel Cabrera was going along very well for a while. Back-to-back birdies at 4 and 5 saw him rise up the leader board to -3. But he came unstuck at the hellishly difficult long par-three 6th - 252 yards with a hysterically sloping green! - and a double dropped him back to -1. Still, he’s in with a 71, and the 2007 winner at Oakmont, 47 now, would have taken that at the start of the day. He’s there in the clubhouse alongside the two-time major winner Zach Johnson and Davis Love IV, son of ... I’ll not insult your intelligence, you know whose son he is.
Some news regarding the blimp crash. The pilot has suffered burns. His employers say he is “expected to be OK”, though the police add that the injuries are “serious”. More information here.
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Lee Westwood pars 9 to sign for a 69. That’s a fine round, albeit one which would have been even finer without a double at 12. It was the only blemish on his card. Ernie Els remains bogey free, meanwhile, despite a suspicion of hosel on the par-three 16th. He chipped up close from an awful position to the right of the hole, and tidied up for par. The 2015 champion Jordan Spieth meanwhile is struggling a wee bit. After back-to-back bogeys on 4 and 5, he’s just done very well to scramble par on the par-five 7th after visiting a fairway bunker. At +1, he doesn’t look particularly pleased with life right now. Then again, he also knows what it takes to win this tournament, and that there’s an awfully long way to go.
Brooks Koepka is in the clubhouse with a 67. That’s a share of second spot at -5 right now with the aforementioned Brian Harman and Tommy Fleetwood. Good to see there’s more than one way to skin a cat on a track expected to favour the big hitters. Fleetwood is certainly one of those: playing recently at home-town Birkdale, he effortlessly drove a 430-yard green with a fairway wood. Harman isn’t such a boom-boom merchant, but there they both are. Both hot in form, too. Fleetwood won in Abu Dhabi in January, while Harman recently held off reigning US Open champ Dustin Johnson to win the Wells Fargo.
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Ernie Els has suffered some putting meltdowns in the majors in the last few years. His three-putt from one foot at Hoylake in 2014; those six putts on the opening hole at Augusta a couple of years later. But his flat stick is doing its work well today. Out in 32, Els hasn’t let a thing slip on the back nine, having holed a couple of very missable par savers, the latest from 15 feet at 15. The 1994 and 1997 champion stays at -4.
Thanks to Gregg. So with the minimum of fuss, the leader Rickie Fowler pars his final hole of the day, the 9th, and he’s signing for a fault-free 65. That’s tied the lowest first round to par in a US Open; Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf both shot seven-under 63s at Baltusrol in 1980. Some company to keep. And the gauntlet’s thrown down, right there. What a round! So let’s have a look at the latest leader board.
-7: Fowler (17*)
-5: Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (17)
-4: Reed (15*), Els (14)
-3: Lovemark (F), Westwood (16*), Light (13*)
This is the US Open, right? [Squints at article headline, checks date, checks sporting calendar, measures width of fairways, double-checks headline, shakes head.] But the greens are expected to firm up in the afternoon, with the wind getting up a little. And then there’s that rough. Don’t go in it, or you’re toast. The US Open, ladies and gentlemen!
Right, that’s all from me. I’m handing coverage over to Scott Murray. Enjoy the golf.
Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood has had a fine round and is the joint clubhouse leader on -5. He can drive a fair distance, which explains why he has taken to the challenge of Erin Hills today. Mind you, his par on the 9th is all down to his accuracy with a short iron off the tee. It’s a 150-yard par three, a speck of a hole, in among the monsters surrounding it. His tee shot lands with a dull thud around 20 feet from the pin. A beauty. He strides up to his birdie putt, long hair spilling out from under his cap, and takes a look at it. Dink! It’s a tricky left-to-right downhiller that doesn’t turn. It leaves him four feet for par. another dink! And there it is. Brian Harman holds his nerve to make par from 10 feet too. He can be happy with his day’s work. Off he goes with a spring in his step and a 67 to match Fleetwood.
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The clubhouse leader is the world No96 Jamie Lovemark. He’s had an action-packed first round; six birdies and three bogeys to finish with a superb 69. He birdied the 18th to finish off, that’s the 632-yard 18th.
Another birdie for Rickie Fowler! And a two-shot lead! This is some signal of intent from a player who is yet to win a major. His putter is singing. This time on the 7th, where he reads a 15-footer perfectly. Cue huge cheers from the swelling galleries. He’s a popular lad.
Angel Cabrera has tamed two monster putts on the 4th and 5th to record back-to-back birdies. He’s up to -3 and chugging along nicely. One player who has stalled somewhat is Spieth, who has bogeyed the 4th to drop back to evens.
Here’s our video report of the blimp crashing earlier. I’ll shift focus back to the golf now but I will keep you up to speed on the condition of the injured pilot, who is being treated for burns, should there be an update.
Having landed his tee shot within striking distance of the pin on the 16th, Brooks Koepka has just rattled home a 12-footer to within a shot of the lead. The old statesman Ernie Els makes par on the difficult 13th to stay firmly in the chasing pack back on -4.
Fowler is coming towards the end of his first round. He’s just rattled a three wood off the tee at the 7th and landed it in perfect position on the fairway. His game today has been instructional. He’s played it safe when the fairways have been narrower and unleashed the driver when there has been more margin for error. He’s still at -6 for the day and out on his own in the lead.
Our golf correspondent Ewan Murray, who is at Erin Hills, reports that the pilot of the blimp is being treated for burns.
Pilot injured in blimp crash
The US Open’s Twitter account has confirmed that the pilot of the blimp has been injured and that the blimp was unaffiliated, which means it was a sponsor’s blimp and not a TV one.
A blimp unaffiliated with the #USOpen or @FOXSports has crashed near Erin Hills. Pilot was injured and first responders are on the scene.
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 15, 2017
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I’ve obviously had my eye off the golf for a few minutes but here’s an updated leaderboard:
-6: R Fowler (14)
-5: B Harman, (14), T Fleetwood (14), P Reed (12),
-4: B Koepka (14), E Els (11)
-3: L Westwood (13)
-2: C Hoffman (16), B Grace (12), A Cabrera (13)
I will keep you updated on the situation with the blimp as more news emerges. The Journal Sentinel is reporting that the blimp came down in flames near Highway 83 and Highway 167. And TMZ.com show a picture showing the charred remains of the blimp in a field. “It started deflating, and then it started going down,” an eyewitness named Bryan Rosine told the Journal Sentinel. “They were trying to give it some throttle and it didn’t go up. Then there was a bunch of kabooms and smoke clouds.”
Pretty sure I just watched the blimp crash at the #USOPEN! Hope everybody is ok! pic.twitter.com/OSOCSBF46p
— Adam Johnson (@Coach_Guy_AJ) June 15, 2017
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A blimp has crashed over Erin Hills
In concerning news, a blimp at the US Open has caught fire and crashed near to the course. Witnesses have said they saw crew parachuting out before it started to go down.
Here's another fan video of the blimp going down on fire #USOpen https://t.co/rc6VHOK5my
— Stephen Watson (@WISN_Watson) June 15, 2017
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Rahm, having finally carded a birdie, on the 3rd, immediately drops a shot on the 4th. Ah well. At least he’s not Danny Willett. Fowler, meanwhile, rescues a par having given himself a testing 10-footer. He’s still out there on his own at -6. Patrick Reed has suddenly appeared in Fowler’s rear view mirror. His putter is on fire. He’s draining 10- to 15-footers for fun. Five birdies through 10 holes.
But it’s not all plain sailing out there. Erin Hills is baring its teeth in places. Danny Willett is dropping shots like a flustered shop-keeper whose hands are smothered in butter trying to gather up a jar of spilled ball bearings. His card is pockmarked with five bogeys and a double bogey through 11 holes. The 2016 Masters champion is unraveling.
There are some low scores out there on day one so far, which belies the pre-tournament concern that many golfers would be eaten up in the rough. The wind hasn’t been too much of a problem this morning so perhaps that is one explanation. The other is that for all the talk of the wild and wispy fescue causing havoc, many fairways are reasonably wide and give players a considerable margin of error.
It’s a birdie on 18 for Kaymer, who shows wonderful judgment with a pitching wedge to land his third shot within five feet. He holes a downhiller nervelessly. Spieth, gives his long-range putt a lot of gas to park his third in the suburbs of Birdie Town. But from three feet, he misses! He misread the slope and the pace. He has to settle for par after holding his nerve back uphill from a greater distance. Johnson makes par having taken detour and having to play around in the sand pit. He came within inches of a birdie, mind.
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Spieth gets a break on the 18th. He clatters a fairway wood at the green and watches his ball dip short and look destined to land in a bunker only for it to catch the lip and shoot over the sand and end up 30 yards right of the green. Johnson has no such luck. His four iron is short and his ball meets sand in that very same bunker. Kaymer’s fairway wood bounces off a greenside bank and rolls way, way, way down a slope and about 30 yards from the pin. Just shows you how good Fowler’s two shots were earlier.
Spieth, Johnson and Kaymer are making their way up the monstrous 18th at the moment. They’re all big-hitters and as Fowler showed earlier, it’s possible to find the middle of the green in two providing you avoid the rough. Ahead of them on the 3rd, his 12th hole of the day, Rahm has hooked his drive into some bushes. His lid is rattling. He might want to make other plans this weekend.
Rahm goes within inches of birdying the 2nd but nothing has gone his way today, the ball steers right just before dropping, as though taunting the young Spaniard. He stays at +4. Matsuyama follows the same line with the same result. He’s evens today. Both those players almost drove the green. Pars will feel like bogeys. Fowler shows them how it is done. Drive. Chip. Putt. Plop. Birdie! That’s him up to -6. Over to you Tommy Fleetwood …
Tommy Fleetwood sounds like a cartoon hero. And he’s certainly bringing the heroics today. Another birdie, on the 2nd, takes him back up to the top of the leaderboard alongside Fowler.
JB Holmes has moved up to -4 with a birdie on the 8th but he won’t share the lead because Fowler continues to tear up Erin Hills. He’s birdied the 1st, his 10th of the day.
-5: R Fowler (10)
-4: B Harman, (10), T Fleetwood (10), JB Holmes (9),
-3: C Hoffman (12), M Putnam (11), L Westwood (9), P Reed (8)
-2: W Kim (14), Y Miyazato (13), T Aiken (12), J Lovemark (11), B Snedeker (10), B Koepkas (10), B Grace (8), E Els (7).
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A bit of news for you here. The 2018 Ryder Cup could be in jeopardy, according to Tony Jacklin.
Johnson makes the most of his sumptuous tee shot on 16 to make birdie. He’s back up to +2 for the day. Spieth makes par and Kaymer is this close to a birdie but the ball just won’t drop. It seemed to defy gravity there, hovering above the gap and glancing down at it but refusing to drop. Very weird. Not as weird as the new series of Twin Peaks though, which I’m thoroughly enjoying so far despite not having the foggiest clue what’s going on.
Tommy Fleetwood is having a ball! He’s birdied the 1st, his 10th hole of the day, to join Fowler and Harman at the top of the leaderboard on -4.
Spieth and Kaymer have been economical so far this morning. They reach the 179-yard par-3 16th having made a birdie apiece and five pars to sit together on -1. Both land their tee shots within 15 feet of the pin on 16 but Johnson, who could do with a birdie right now after following a nature trail on 14 and posting a seven and bogeying 15, sends a beautiful tee shot to within five feet of the pin, landing the ball on the green and making it stay put like a loyal dog.
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Fowler gives Harman very little time on his own at the top of the leaderboard. He made the 632-yard 18th in two shots! Two! He drains his drive and clatters his three-wood to the green. His 30ft putt downhiller from left to right gives him a tiddler … and plop! Birdie! Out in 32. Matsuyama makes a par to stay at evens. Rahm also makes par, which will probably feel like a birdie given his troublesome opening nine.
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Brian Harman has taken the overall lead after draining a long-range putt on the 18th up ahead of Rahm, Fowler and Matsuyama to make birdie. That’s how you do it fellas. He’s -4 and on his own after a scorching opening nine in 32.
Rahm screams into the Wisconsin air as he watches another tee shot veer off and land in the semi rough just shy of a mid-course sand trap on the 18th. He needs to take a leaf out of The Somnambulist’s book and get in touch with his inner zen. The 18th is playing at 632 yards today. The rough, even the semi rough, can equal Big Trouble.
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Spieth has made a mess of his pitch and putt for birdie on 14. He was loose on both. He was up and out of his birdie putt pretty much mid-stroke. He makes par, but it is an opportunity missed. Johnson gives himself a decent chance of saving par after digging out his pitch from down near the jaws of a greenside bunker. But two confusing putts later he’s posted a double-bogey seven. Deary me. That’s him up to +2.
Rahm has just stormed away from the 17th with a raging funk on having missed another par putt. His mood is far from mellow. Matsuyama makes par and stays at -1 while Fowler makes a seven-foot knee-trembler to save par and keep his share of the lead.
Lee Westwood has had an eventful morning. He’s made four birdies but, crucially, a double bogey on the 12th. He’s -2. And Johnson has just sent a bundle of hayfever into the air having scooped up the fescue with his third on the 14th and sent his ball hurtling into the rough on the opposite side of the fairway a yard or two shy of a bunker guarding the green. He’ll have an awkward stance for that one. Kaymer is on the green safely, though.
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Uh oh! Johnson has clattered his second on the 14th into pure filth. It’s a beast of a hole, 599 yards, so you can ill afford to take a detour to go on safari. He looks at the ground for answers. Nope. Nothing doing. Kaymer, meanwhile, uses a 5 iron, landing it a little short but still within a pitching wedge of the green. Spieth dithers over what club to use, eventually plucking a 5-wood from the bag. He’s having a go at the green. Crack! He’s just shy, the ball rolling over the hill and up to the fringe. A great birdie chance, though.
Brian Harman has joined Fowler at the top of the leaderboard. He’s followed his birdie at the 15th by nicking one at the par-3 16th. He’s -3 and motoring. At the 16th, Matsuyama, Fowler and Rahm have all posted regulation par. Here are the standings:
-3: B Harman, (7), R Fowler (7).
-2: T Gooch (10), C Hoffman (9), W Kim (11), T Aiken (8), T Fleetwood (7), B Koepka (6), JB Holmes (5).
-1: 10 players
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Our 1980s expert writes:
@GreggBakowski I've backed Spieth and Koepka to win. So, with my track record, if you back one of the other 154 players you should be ok.
— Steve Pye (@1980sSportsBlog) June 15, 2017
In case you haven’t read Steven’s blog on Denis Watson, perhaps the unluckiest golfer in US Open history, you can do so here.
Kaymer has just reinvented the wheel – in the eyes of American golfers – by using a long iron to shunt the ball up to within 10 feet of the pin on the par-3 13th – a shot as rare as it was impressive. Spieth and Johnson both misread their par putts. Johnson’s vexed expression after his putt gives up and drifts left a foot from the hole sums up his frustration. Kaymer rescues par.
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An eagle two for Matsuyama at the 15th having bogeyed the 14th! His second, a short iron, is lifted beautifully into the clear sky of Erin, landing 20 feet past the cup before moonwalking its way back into the hole as though it was preordained. An eagle on a par 4! Wonderful stuff in Wisconsin.
Kaymer goes within inches of making birdie on the 12th. His 20-footer up a tricky ridge just fades at the end of its journey. Par. Spieth attacks his left-to-right birdie putt like he wants to do harm to the cup. As a result it races past by three feet. A grimace tells the story of that one. He had the line but was overexuberant in his execution. Johnson saves par having missed the green. No sweat for the defending champion. Spieth makes his par having held his nerve on his three-footer.
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Talor Gooch will be delighted with his first nine. He’s made the turn in -2. Given that he played off the 10th and the back nine is considered more demanding than the first nine, he may well improve on that.
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Ahead of them Matsuyama has been for a walk in the wilds on the 14th, having driven into the fescue and then found the long stuff again he dug the ball out from a position just off the green only to watch it race past the pin and into a bunker at the back. He shows feather-fingered brilliance to waft the ball out of the sand and to within inches to make bogey but poor old Rahm is up at +3 now. He’s been studying the rough all morning. He chops his way to the green and misses a 15-footer to bogey again. Fowler? No sweat. Another great read and another fine birdie, his third in five holes. He’s the outright leader on -3.
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Spieth shows that he’s one of the best in the game at 20-footers, birdying the 11th with a two-cup left-to-righter. He’s -1 and on his way.
“I know I probably could have used an internet to find out the answer to this but I was looking for confirmation that D Love IV is in fact next in the lineage of Davis Loves who have graced the game for most of the last century,” writes Jimmy Smith. “If that is indeed the case, with a suffix like IV, is not about time the Davis Loves started employing a subtitle to differentiate themselves; I’m thinking “Davis Love IV - A New Hope”. Well, the D stands for Dru, so at least there is some variation there. As for the New Hope – well let’s see. He’s had a decent start hasn’t he. His dad’s doing a fine job on the bag.
Here’s something to take note of. Matsuyama played driver off the tee on the 14th and found the rough. Rahm played a fairway wood and found the rough. Fowler used a long iron and landed his tee-shot on the fairway. Perhaps this tournament will not be defined by muscular drives, as Rory McIlroy said it might be.
Hello Martin Laird! The world No114 has got off to a roaring start. He’s birdied the 1st and 2nd to take a share of the lead. Steady now Martin, you might want to spread those birdies around this weekend. England’s Tommy Fleetwood is having an enjoyable morning too. He’s -2 having birdied 10 and 13. He’s been sneaking up the world rankings. He’s No33 and enjoyed a second-placed finish at the Mexico Championships. He’s from Southport, the home of Birkdale. He wouldn’t mind maintaining that form going into The Open.
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Kaymer shows great nerve to make birdie on the 10th by rolling a 12-footer home and Spieth makes par. It seems the further you drive on the 10th, the more unsighted you are on your approach. Johnson makes a routine par, in case you’re wondering. He looks like he’s been on holiday such is his relaxed demeanour. And as any new father knows, it’s no holiday.
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Rickie Fowler has birdied the 12th! That’s a fine start. Rahm stopped the rot with a par to stay +2 and Matsuyama made yet another par. The 2016 Masters champion, Danny Willett, has bogeyed his opening hole, the 10th. Not to be outdone, Graeme McDowell, who went out in the round before Willett, has also dropped a shot, at the 11th. And what of the early leader Gooch? The 604-yard par-5 7th has taken a bite out of him. He’s dropped a shot at falls back to -2.
OK, let’s put the focus on the early supergroup of Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson. They’re going off the 10th. Ping! Kaymer lands his drive on the little hill that suited Fowler so well earlier on. Spieth absolutely drains his drive way past the German’s ball and down the hill. A couple of whoops greet that beefy effort. It could leave him a little unsighted though. While Johnson, who gets a healthy round of applause from the early-risers at Erin Hills, lands his ball between his two playing partners and slightly further to the left. In case you’re interested. He called his second child River Jones Johnson – who is surely a child actor of the future with that name.
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How’s Jason The Somnambulist Dufner doing then? He’s evens of course. He wouldn’t want to get the pulses racing through five holes now would he?
Talor Gooch does it again! He’s birdied the 252-yard par-3 6th. He’s going to make Erin Hills angry at this rate.
-3: T Gooch (6)
-2: C Hoffman (4)
-1: D Love IV (5), A Rai (4), P Dunne (3) and 13 others.
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Fowler reads his birdie putt to perfection. Plop! Matsuyama keeps his cool to make a slightly more adventurous par then he would like having landed his second well off the green. But it’s bogey again for Rahm. The Spaniard putts aggressively to cut out the left-to-right curve but gives it too much juice, sending the ball rattling round the cup and back out.
“Hi Gregg, glad you called Erin Hills a public access course,” writes Ross Bremner, seemingly building up to something. “US commentators are calling it a public course, which brings to mind your affordable local municipal. At $280 for a green fee ($140 for juniors), no wonder golf is losing players … though you could argue you get your more like your money’s worth if you play off the back tees.”
Fowler’s approach shot on the 11th is superb, the ball landing within 12 feet and putting the brakes on as though under remote control. He looks to be in the mood today. Matsuyama has it to do to make par having sent his second off the green to the right, where he’ll have to chip uphill. Rahm does what he can to get to the green in three. He’ll have a 12- to 15-footer for par.
Thwack! Rahm has juiced his drive on the 11th into the filth on the left. Matsuyama and Fowler have taken the less adventurous route and landed their tee shots on the fairway. It’s probably the hardest tee shot on the course this. It’s blind because of a right-to-left diagonal.
Gooch has made another birdie and joins Hoffman at the top of the leaderboard! The world No544 is having a tremendous morning. Making three on the 514-yard par-4 5th is not to be sniffed at.
Fowler tickles a 15-ft putt downhill that just drifts to the right as it reached the end of its journey. It’s an easy par, though. Matsuyama makes par after giving himself a testing seven-footer. And having played a brilliant third out of the greenside rough to within 10 feet, Rahm’s squirts his par-putt wide. Bogey. But plenty of time in the day yet. There’s loads of time to get in the groove.
What has Charley Hoffman had for his breakfast? What a start he has had! He’s birdied the 10th and 12th to top the leaderboard. Erin Hills? Pah!
Fowler has given himself a chance of birdie after sending his approach hurtling through the air to the back of the green, where it lands and spins back to within 15 feet on the 10th. Matsuyama overshoots his second and lands it just behind the green while poor old Rahm will get an early look at the fearsome fescue. His ball is in the horrid stuff 20 yards past the pin and off the green. Maybe he misjudged the wind or perhaps his juices were flowing just a little too enthusiastically.
Hidecki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm have all pinged their opening drives down the 10th. Fowler struggled to get a run on his so he’s about 40 yards back from his playing partners, who got favourable bounce and carry. All three landed smack, bang in the middle of a forgiving fairway. It’s very wide. And what a trio this is! These three are all top-10 players.
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Phil Mickelson has officially withdrawn from the US Open!
It appears he decided he just couldn’t make it from his daughter’s graduation in California this morning. Well, some one has to pick up all those hats. It’s good news for Roberto Diaz though. The Mexican replaces him and will tee off at 2:20pm (8.20pm UK time). As I said earlier, this is the first major for 23 years that has not featured Mickelson or Tiger Woods.
Here’s a very early leaderboard … and Talor Gooch, world No544, will like the look of it. He recovered from a slice off the tee on the 1st to make par, birdie the 2nd and play three to par. By the way, the D Love below is Dru Love, Davis Love’s son. His dad is carrying his bag. Poor fella.
-1: T Gooch (3), D Love IV (2), A Rai (1), C Hoffman (2), T Aiken (1)
And there are loads on even. It’s early days.
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What groups should we be looking out for among the early starters then? I’m keen to keep an eye on the world No4, Hideki Matsuyama, who is playing alongside Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm, who many are tipping to be a contender here. They go out at 7.51am (1.51pm UK) – very soon indeed. There will also be plenty of stardust on display at 8.13am (2.13pm UK time) when Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth and defending champion Dustin Johnson clatter their drives down the 10th to get their challenges under way.
Of the first groups out, no one posted a birdie and only Sweden’s Daniel Chopra posted a bogey. A steady start. Erin Hills is yet to bite – but she will. Be sure of that.
Imagine this happening this year? Also, check out the picture of fans using actual periscopes to take in the drama back in 1985.
Those of you who regularly follow Scott Murray’s coverage will know all about Jason “The Somnambulist” Dufner and his resting heartbeat of 12, or thereabouts. The 2013 PGA Championship winner has just got his attempt at winning another major under way at the 10th alongside Charley Hoffman and Hideo Tanihara.
Will an underdog emerge from the pack this year? Cast your mind back 12 months and Andrew Landry, who was ranked 624 in the world, led at Oakmont for two rounds and went into the final day still in contention. Where is he this year? He’s not qualified. So it won’t be Landry looking to upset the odds. Maybe a lower-ranked player with local knowledge of the course will have to step up. Niebrugge, who is out on the 1st, is from just down the road. He’s ranked 970 in the world. So, yeah, if he bothered the top-end of the leaderboard that would be a fair old surprise – and one the Wisconsin locals would enjoy immensely.
Hello again. Play is under way at Erin Hills, where both the 1st and the 10th are being used to get two groups off simultaneously. Jordan Niebrugge, Talor Gooch and Kevin Dougherty have cracked drives down the 608-yard par-5 1st. And Ted Potter Jr, Daniel Chopra and Meen Whee Kim have sent their tee shots sailing down the 504-yard par-4 10th. Of the group out on 1st, only Gooch appears to have landed in the thick stuff.
Welcome to Erin Hills!
Hello readers. It’s the 117th US Open, the second major of the year, and probably the most demanding. In the buildup to the tournament the general chatter has been centred on the difficulty of Erin Hills, a public access course in Wisconsin that is not only incredibly long but features rough so high that finding a child in it could be problematic never mind a golf ball. Here’s Kevin Na with a demonstration. In fact, this fledgling course – which is making its debut as a major venue – is being billed as possibly the toughest in the competition’s history. At almost 8,000 yards, it’s certainly the longest with the par-five 18th measuring up to 675 yards! Yes, you read that right.
So who will that suit? Big-hitters would be the obvious answer. Dustin Johnson, the defending champion, comes into that bracket but having missed the Masters after slipping on some steps and injuring his back – and having recently become a father – his preparation has been far from ideal. Not that he sounds unprepared. “I like really tough golf courses. I tend to focus more and play better. It’s just a very, very difficult tournament to win.” The world No1 won it by three shots in a highly entertaining four days at Oakmont last year. Should he successfully defend his title he would be the first player to win back-to-back US Opens since Curtis Strange 28 years ago.
Rory McIlroy, the world No2, has been laid low for the past month with a recurring rib injury but he’s keen to tear into Erin Hills. “I don’t think it’s a secret that I feel like my driver is one of the biggest weapons in my bag. If I can get that in my hands more regularly, and I think if the field has to hit driver more, that plays into my hands too.” He had a grumble after the rough on four of the holes was cut on Wednesday. It’s his belief that the fairways are wide enough that getting stuck in a jungle would have been a fair penalty for those missing the target. “If we can’t hit within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home,” he said.
And what of Sergio García, who finally ended his major duck at the Masters? Well, he’s played at three tournaments since, finishing 30th, 20th and 12th. Oh Sergio! Only kidding. One imagines he’s been on cruise control since Augusta. His game could suit the challenge here. Keep an eye on the unshakeable Open winner, Henrik Stenson, too and don’t forget Jordan Spieth. He’s one of the few players at Erin Hills who has experience of having played the course, as an amateur, not that he can recall much about reaching the quarter-finals here six years ago. “I don’t remember much from 2011. I remember the closing four holes, and then each hole starts to reappear when I go out and play it [this week],” Spieth said. “That was six years ago and I didn’t do the same kind of homework that I do these days with golf courses.”
And we may or may not see Phil Mickelson at this tournament, the only major he has not won. He’s attending his daughter’s graduation ceremony this morning in California and, depending on the weather, he may or may not make it to the tee for his 2.20pm (8.20pm UK) start. Roberto Diaz is on standby should Lefty not turn up in time. If Diaz does take the tee instead of Mickelson it will be the first time in 23 years that one of Tiger Woods or Mickelson has not been present at a major.
I’m just keeping this hole-by-hole report warm until Scott Murray picks it up later on. He’s been on other golf-related business at Birkdale but he’ll be back. Dr Golf rarely misses a major.
Here are today’s tee times, local then UK in brackets. Players from US unless stated otherwise. See you soon!
Starting at hole 1
6.45am (12.45pm): Jordan Niebrugge, Talor Gooch, Kevin Dougherty
6.56am (12.56pm): Andres Romero (Arg), Brice Garnett, Davis Love IV
7.07am (1.07pm): Yusaku Miyazato (Jpn), JT Poston, Aaron Rai (Eng)
7.18am (1.18pm): David Lingmerth (Swe), Haotong Li (Chn), Paul Dunne (Ire)
7.29am (1.29pm): Chez Reavie, Stewart Hagestad (a), Gene Sauers
7.40am (1.40pm: Brandt Snedeker, Alex Noren (Swe), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)
7.51am (1.51pm): Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spa), Brooks Koepka, Thomas Pieters (Bel)
8.02am (2.02pm): JB Holmes, Gary Woodland, Jason Kokrak
8.13am (2.13pm): Russell Knox (Sco), Scott Gregory (a) (Eng), Martin Laird (Sco)
8.24am (2.24pm): Kevin Kisner, Billy Horschel, Branden Grace (SA)
8.35am (2.35pm): Ernie Els (SA), Webb Simpson, Lucas Glover
8.46am (2.46pm): Tyson Alexander, Christopher Crawford (a), Max Greyserman
8.57am (2.57pm): Matthew Campbell, Garrett Osborn, Lee Walker (a)
12.30pm (6.30pm): Jack Maguire, Ben Kohles, Corey Conners (Can)
12.41pm (6.41pm): Eddie Pepperell (Eng), Chan Kim, Gregory Bourdy (Fra)
12.52pm (6.52pm): Jhonattan Vegas (Ven), Yuta Ikeda (Jpn), Sean O’Hair
1.03pm (7.03pm): Andrew Johnston (Eng), Brian Stuard, George Coetzee (SA)
1.14pm (7.14pm): Marc Leishman (Aus), Si Woo Kim (Kor), Pat Perez
1.25pm (7.25pm): Scottie Scheffler (a), Russell Henley, Harris English
1.36pm (7.36pm): Bubba Watson, Adam Scott (Aus), Sergio Garcia (Spa)
1.47pm (7.47pm): Henrik Stenson (Swe), Louis Oosthuizen (SA), Charl Schwartzel (SA)
1.58pm (7.58pm): Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker, Paul Casey (Eng)
2.09pm (8.09pm): Jason Day (Aus), Justin Rose (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI)
1.20pm (8.20pm): Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Phil Mickelson
2.31pm (8.31pm): John Oda (a), Ryan Brehm, Jonathan Randolph
2.42pm (8.42pm): Mason Andersen (a), Derek Barron, Roman Robledo
Starting at hole 10
6.45am (12.45pm): Ted Potter Jr, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Meen Whee Kim (Kor)
6.56am (12.56pm): Shugo Imahira (Jpn), Matt Wallace (Eng), Ryan Palmer
7.07am (1.07pm): Charley Hoffman, Jason Dufner, Hideto Tanihara (Jpn)
7.18am (1.18pm): Jeunghun Wang (Kor), Bradley Dredge (Wal), Thomas Aiken (SA)
7.29am (1.29pm): Jamie Lovemark, Scott Harvey (a), Michael Putnam
7.40am (1.40pm): Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Bud Cauley
7.51am (1.51pm): Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm (Spa)
8.02am (2.02pm): Ross Fisher (Eng), Lee Westwood (Eng), Graeme McDowell (NI)
8.13am (2.13pm): Danny Willett (Eng), Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera (Arg)
8.24am (2.24pm): Francesco Molinari (Ita), Matt Kuchar, Patrick Reed
8.35am (2.35pm): Martin Kaymer (Ger), Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson
8.46am (2.46pm): Joaquin Niemann (a) (Chi), Joel Stalter (Fra), Stephan Jaeger (Ger)
8.57am (2.57pm): Daniel Miernicki, Sahith Theegala (a), Tyler Light
12.30pm (6.30pm): Wade Ormsby (Aus), Oliver Bekker (SA), Kyle Thompson
12.41pm (6.41pm): Brandon Stone (SA), Troy Merritt, Chris Wood (Eng)
12.52pm (6.52pm): Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn), Daniel Summerhays, Alexander Levy (Fra)
1.03pm (7.03pm): William McGirt, Keegan Bradley, Kevin Na
1.14pm (7.14pm): Brad Dalke (a), Brendan Steele, Wesley Bryan
1.25pm (7.25pm): Richie Ramsay (Sco), Nick Flanagan (Aus), Bryson De Chambeau
1.36pm (7.36pm): Daniel Berger, Roberto Castro, Bill Haas
1.47pm (7.47pm): Adam Hadwin (Can), Cheng-Tsung Pan (Chn), Emiliano Grillo (Arg)
1.58pm (7.58pm): Shane Lowry (Ire), Scott Piercy, Jim Furyk
2.09pm (8.09pm): Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Peter Uihlein, Byeong-Hun An (Kor)
2.20pm (8.20pm): Kevin Chappell, Maverick McNealy (a), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)
2.31pm (8.31pm): Trey Mullinax, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Champ (a)
2.42pm (8.42pm): Sam Ryder, Alex Smalley (a), Andy Pope
Updated
