Advertisement

5 Things to Watch for on Friday at the U.S. Open

Ryan Ballengee
Amateur Brian Campbell watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open. (AP)
Amateur Brian Campbell watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open. (AP)

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Well, that was quite a day. The opening round of the 2015 U.S. Open had a little bit of everything: highs and lows, thrills and spills, and Tiger Woods shooting yet another round in the 80s. 

Now that Day 1 is in the books, here are five things we're watching for on Friday:

1. Can the amateurs continue to impress? Brian Campbell – no relation to now-retired U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell – is in contention after a stunning 3-under 67. He'll have a chance to earn a late-weekend tee time by going out early on Friday, when Chambers Bay will play easier. In addition to Campbell, Georgia Tech product Ollie Schniederjans is 1-under par, Nick Hardy shot 70 and former World Amateur Team Championship teammates Denny McCarthy and Beau Hossler (remember him from The Olympic Club in 2012?) shot 71.

2. Will the good scoring continue? The USGA took a conservative approach in setting up Chambers Bay for its U.S. Open debut. The result? Twenty-five players broke par on Thursday. That's the third-highest number for Round 1 in U.S. Open history, just ahead of the 24 players who broke par on a substandard Olympia Fields track in 2003.

3. What will Tiger Woods do next? Fresh off an embarrassing 80 that left him three shots behind 15-year-old Cole Hammer, Tiger will take a largely ceremonial stroll around Chambers Bay on Friday. What we don't know is how well, or poorly, Woods will play. By all accounts, Woods stripes the ball on the range and is in total control, but once he gets on the first tee, it all goes to hell. That mental block is what Woods will need to solve moving forward.

4. Can the U.S. take back the Open? Of the 13 players that shot 2-under 68 or better on Thursday, eight are Americans. However, Americans have struggled to seal the deal in the U.S. Open in the last five years, with Webb Simpson (2012) as the lone U.S.-born winner in that stretch. Among those Americans? Masters champion Jordan Spieth, who is three behind co-leaders (American) Dustin Johnson and (Swede) Henrik Stenson.

5. Will the complaining continue? Sergio Garcia took to Twitter after his opening-round 70 to complain about the quality of the putting surfaces. The Spaniard likely isn't the only player displeased with Chambers Bay and it's, shall we say, raw nature. Players who cannot embrace the one-off nature of this links-ish track will be heading home.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.