The U.S. Open is off and running at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, and we've already got a tight battle at the top of the leaderboard.
Coming into the week, it seemed as if everyone was going to be chasing Scottie Scheffler — who is on a heater not seen since Tiger Woods' heyday. Scheffler, however, had a very average round. The top-ranked golfer in the world finished with a 1-over 71, which had him six shots off the lead.
Instead, it was Patrick Cantlay who took advantage in the early wave. He made three birdies in his final five holes of the day to card his 5-under 65. That briefly gave him a two-shot lead over the field when he entered the clubhouse. Cantlay needed just 23 putts in his round, which marked a career-low for him at a major. Ludvig Åberg finished at 4-under in his first ever round at the U.S. Open, which has him alone in third.
McIlroy hasn't won a major championship in a decade now, but he's started the last six U.S. Opens with a round in the red. He finished in second in Los Angeles last summer, too.
Bryson DeChambeau was right with McIlroy briefly, too. He dropped back to 3-under after a late bogey down the stretch, which has him in a tie with Matthieu Pavon in fourth. Tony Finau and Tyrrell Hatton are alone in sixth at 2-under. Brooks Koepka, who finished at even par, left the course without speaking to the media on Thursday — and his explanation was incredible.
Woods, on the other hand, struggled. After a birdie to open his day, he made five birdies in seven holes around the turn before finishing with a 4-over 74. He'll need a big outing on Friday in order to make the cut, something he failed to do last month at the PGA Championship.
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Ryan Young
Leaderboard Update after Round 1
Here’s a look at the leaderboard after Round 1 at Pinehurst No. 2:
Leaderboard Update
T1. Patrick Cantlay (-5)
T1. Rory McIlroy
3. Ludvig Åberg (-4)
T4. Matthieu Pavon (-3)
T4. Bryson DeChambeau
T6. Tyrrell Hatton (-2)
T6. Tony Finau
Other Notables
T17. Brooks Koepka (E)
T17. Collin Morikawa
T17. Neal 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)
Ryan Young
Bryson finishes T4
Despite the late bogey down the stretch, Bryson DeChambeau is once again right in the mix. He finished with a 3-under 67, which has him two back and in a tie for fourth with Matthieu Pavon.
Brooks Koepka left Pinehurst on Thursday without speaking to the media — other than texting with Eamon Lynch. That exchange was, of course, incredible.
Since Koepka thinks the media needs to be more creative, here are a few of Jay Busbee's hypothetical semi-golf-related questions for him:
Do you think prime Brooks can take prime Tiger?
You have to play a round drinking one beer a hole. How many holes do you make it, and what do you shoot?
You're going to rob a bank. Which three players are you taking in your crew?
Ryan Young
Walk it in, Rory
Rory didn't hesitate on the 18th green. What a final putt.
Rory McIlroy walks in a huge birdie at the 18th! He'll card a bogey-free 65 to kick off the U.S. Open, which brings him into a tie with Patrick Cantlay in the lead.
It's his sixth straight U.S. Open with an opening round under par.
Bryson's bogey-free stretch has come to an end. He just bogeyed the seventh and dropped back to 3-under for the day. He's now two off the lead with two holes to go.
Ryan Young
Rory joins Bryson at 4-under
Rory McIlroy isn't going away, either. He just picked up his fourth birdie of the day at the 16th to join DeChambeau and Åberg at 4-under.
Either one of them can reach Patrick Cantlay before we're done here.
Rory McIlroy climbs to T-2 (-4) with a nice birdie putt on 16. 📈
Bryson DeChambeau isn't slowing down. He just carded his fourth birdie of the day — even after a rough shot off the tee — at the 5th to move into second with Ludvig Åberg.
He's now one off the lead with four holes left.
Step 1: Reach the green in 2, even after a wayward drive.
Brooks Koepka didn't want to talk to reporters after his even-par start at the U.S. Open. So, Golfweek's Eamon Lynch texted with him instead.
The results were hilarious.
"Thanks, Dad." 🤣
Ryan Young
J.T. Poston's brutal double bogey
J.T. Poston went up-and-down out of the bunker at the third, which was solid. But that only came after he went bunker-to-bunker-to the original bunker.
That landed him with a double bogey, and dropped him to 3-over on the day. Not great.
Ryan Young
Bryson joins Rory at 3-under
Bryson DeChambeau, who is also running a bogey-free card, is keeping pace with Rory McIlroy perfectly. He just picked up his third birdie of the day to get to 3-under.
Bryson DeChambeau just chipped-in at the 18th to make perhaps the most improbable birdie of the day. He's now at 2-under as he makes the turn, and is suddenly right in the mix.
Spain's David Puig went 6-over today in his opening round. He's going to need a great day tomorrow in order to make the weekend and keep his Paris hopes alive.
Tough circumstances for David Puig: Make the cut for a shot at Olympics. Miss it and the spot goes to Campillo. He opens with a 76.
With the second wave approaching the turn, here's where we're at:
- Patrick Cantlay's 5-under 65 still paces the field.
- Rory McIlroy hasn't played himself out of it in Round 1. He's 2-under through eight. If anyone is going to challenge Cantlay's 65, Rory is the most likely candidate.
- Scottie Scheffler is spraying shots everywhere, but has managed to keep himself at 1-over.
- Just 19 of 156 players are under par.
- Brooks Koepka left without talking to media, which is understandable. He had it to 3-under only to bogey three of his final six holes to finish at even.
- And, looking ahead, tomorrow's cutline could prove very interesting. The rule is top 60 and ties. Right now, that would be +1, which would include a 80 players. That's how tight things are right now.
Scheffler birdies
It took seven holes, but Scottie Scheffler finally looks like Scottie Scheffler. He drained a curling 12-footer for birdie at No. 7, his first birdie of the day, to get back to 1-over.
Scheffler missed a 62-foot putt by 18 FEET! That led to a bogey, pushing the world No. 1 to 2-over through six. This has been his rockiest round in ... over a year maybe.
Ryan Young
Schauffele's back-to-back bogeys
Xander Schauffele is struggling early at Pinehurst. He just missed a very straightforward par putt at the 5th for his second straight bogey. He's at 2-over now early
Ryan Young
Rory does it again
That's back-to-back birdies from Rory McIlroy now after an easy chip-in at the 5th! He's 2-under now, just three shots back from Patrick Cantlay.
We've gotten so used to seeing near perfection from Scottie Scheffler as of late that it's glaring when he's anything but. But ... that's what we're seeing thus far through four holes. He's missed fairways both left and right, having to scramble a bit just to make par.
At the third, he put his tee shot into a leftside bunker, then found a greenside bunker, had a lengthy putt for par and came up short. It's a bogey for the World No. 1.
Xander gets in red numbers
Xander Schauffele takes the early lead ... in the battle of the big dogs. He birdies the second to get to 1-under. Scheffler and McIlroy are still at even.
The featured group is underway
The three top-ranked players in the world just happen to be paired together. Go figure.
Anyway, Scottie Scheffler (1), Xander Schauffele (2) and Rory McIlroy are off and running. All three carded pars on the first.
Ryan Young
Leaderboard Reset
With the early wave (mostly) finished, here's a look at where things stand at Pinehurst.
Leaderboard Update
1. Patrick Cantlay -5
2. Ludvig Åberg -4
3. Matthieu Pavon -3
4. Tony Finau -2
T5. S.H. Kim -1
T5. Sergio Garcia -1
T5. Corey Conners -1
T5. (12 others)
Other Notable Finishes
T19. Brooks Koepka E
T19. Collin Morikawa E
T71. Tiger Woods +4
T87. Justin Thomas +7
T97. Phil Mickelson +9
Still To Come
Rory McIlroy
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Bryson DeChambeau
Jordan Spieth
Ryan Young
Ludvig Åberg takes solo second
Ludvig Åberg just crushed his first ever round at the U.S. Open. He's alone in second now at 4-under, which is just a shot back from Patrick Cantlay.
What a finish from Patrick Cantlay. He made three birdies in his final five holes to jump ahead with a 5-under 65 to kick off the U.S. Open. He needed just 23 putts today, which is a career-low for him at a major, and his 65 is the lowest opening-round score ever carded at a U.S. Open at Pinehurst outside of Martin Kaymer.
That gives Cantlay a two-shot lead over Finau, Åberg and Pavon as he enters the clubhouse.
THISCLOSE to the lowest round in U.S. Open history at Pinehurst. 😮
What a perfect finish for Collin Morikawa. He carded back-to-back birdies to finish with an even-par 70, thanks to a huge putt at the 18th. He's sitting at T15 now.
Tiger Woods' day is done. He posted a 4-over 74 to kick off the U.S. Open, but he pulled off several huge par saves to limit the damage.
Still, Woods is nine shots back of the leaders entering the clubhouse. He'll need a good outing tomorrow if he's going to make the cut.
Click the photo to read more about Woods' start from Jay Busbee on the ground at Pinehurst:
Ryan Young
Åberg drops back
Ludvig Åberg's time at the top didn't last long. Åberg just bogeyed the par-3 6th, which dropped him back to 3-under on the day. He's alone in third now, just a shot back from Cantlay and Pavon.
Ryan Young
Åberg, Cantlay join Pavon at the top
Matthieu Pavon's lead is now gone. Ludvig Åberg just tapped in for birdie to get to 4-under, and Patrick Cantlay made his second straight birdie to join them in the lead.
Perhaps the easiest birdie Ludvig Åberg 🇸🇪 will make all week.
Matthieu Pavon bogeyed, so his lead is down to just a single stroke. But so did Brooks Koepka, who is once again two back.
Here's a look at where things stand at the top of the leaderboard in the early wave:
1. Pavon -4 (11)
T2. Henley -3 (13*)
T2. Aberg -3 (12*)
T4. Koepka -2 (13)
T4. Cantlay -2 (13*)
T4. Molinari -2 (10*)
Ryan Young
Tiger keeps stumbling
What a rough stretch for Tiger Woods. He's made five bogeys now in his last seven holes to drop to 4-over. It's been pretty much straight downhill since he opened his day with a birdie.
Ryan Young
Matthieu Pavon jumps ahead
We've got a new solo leader in the early wave. Matthieu Pavon just jumped up by two after a huge eagle at the 10th pushed him to 5-under. That's his second of the day.
Another miss on the approach for Tiger leads to another bogey. He drove the ball in the fairway at No. 2, only to need four shots to get down from 187 yards out. After a great start, his round is slipping away.
Brooks ... again
There was a traffic jam at 2-under, then Brooks Koepka did Brooks Koepka things — in this case, draining a 30-footer for birdie — to get to 3-under through 10.
A very familiar face at the top of the U.S. Open leader board.
The day started with Scottie Scheffler as the favorite. Who would you take now?
Another (not good) one for Tiger
Two three puts in a three-hole span has Tiger now at +2. He had a look for birdie at No. 1 (his 10th), but left it 10 feet short. Yes, 10 feet short. He missed that for bogey, his third in four holes.
First nine update
As players begin to make their turns, here's where we're at:
- Just 14 of the 78 players on the course are under par; 47 are over par
- Brooks Koepka looks dialed in early, something we've seen before.
- Tiger Woods has his putter working. His issue the last few holes has been getting on the green in regulation and giving himself decent opportunities for birdie.
- Not going to happen for Phil Mickelson, again. He's already 5-over after just seven holes.
- Par is a good score.
Back-to-back bogeys for Tiger
Facing a 57-footer for birdie, Tiger ran it nine feet by the hole. He burned the edge on his par putt and that's back-to-back bogeys to move him to 1-over through eight holes.
Here comes Brooks
Brooks Koepka loves majors. Heard that before? And now he's atop the leaderboard thanks to a birdie at No. 7. He and Logan McAllister are at 2-under.
Of course, on the week of the craziest college football game slate ever, the pod is filled with its own craziness. Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger, and SI's Pat Forde preview key matchups for the week, pitching the most intriguing games to know. All while this is happening, Dellenger is forced to evade the the staff of the hotel that is hosting the SEC and Big Ten's mega important meeting. They additionally predict what will happen in Ohio State vs. Oregon and Colorado vs. Kansas State.
SEC heavyweights are going at each other full tilt now, and pretty much every single week from here on out has major conference-title and playoff implications … starting down on the bayou Saturday evening.