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U.S. Open Round 1 live updates, leaderboard: Rory McIlroy joins Patrick Cantlay in the early lead after bogey-free start

Bryson DeChambeau is two shots off the leaders after Thursday's opening round in North Carolina

yahoo sports staff

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.

It was Rory McIlroy who dominated the late wave on Thursday afternoon. McIlroy carded a bogey-free 65 to match Cantlay in the lead, thanks to a huge walk-in birdie at the 18th to end his round.

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.

If you're looking for tee times, we have them right here.

If you're looking for how to watch, we've got that covered, too.

If you want to check out the leaderboard, click here.

And if you want some help following along with the action, follow along below:

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER62 updates
  • 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.

  • Ryan Young

    Brooks Koepka's media criticism

    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?

    Brooks Koepka waves after making a putt on the second hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
    Click the photo to read more about Brooks Koepka's text exchange after Round 1 at the U.S. Open. (AP/George Walker IV)
  • Ryan Young

    Walk it in, Rory

    Rory didn't hesitate on the 18th green. What a final putt.

  • Ryan Young

    Rory McIlroy's bogey-free start

    Here's a closer look at Rory McIlroy's bogey-free start at the U.S. Open:

  • Ryan Young

    Rory McIlroy tied for the lead

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Bryson drops back to 3-under

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Bryson DeChambeau just one off the lead

    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.

  • Scheffler's struggles and yet ...

    Scottie Scheffler is 1-over, still very much in contention. It feels like he should be 10 back.

    Here are a few stats:

    - Fairways hit: 5/12 (146th)

    - Putts: 24 through 12 holes (98th)

    - Greens in regulation: 9 of 14 (36th)

    We could get into the strokes gained stats, but you get the point.

    He's spraying the ball everywhere, isn't making any putts ... and yet he's just 1-over par, only six back of clubhouse leader Patrick Cantlay.

    This very much feels like a team going 3-for-20 from 3-point land and still winning.

  • Ryan Young

    Hideki from the beach

    Hideki Matsuyama with an absolute perfect chip to card his third birdie of the day.

  • Ryan Young

    Brooks Koepka's hilarious "text" interview

    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." 🤣

    PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 13: Brooks Koepka of The United States plays his tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open on The No.2 Course at The Pinehurst Resort on June 13, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
    Click the photo to read Brooks Koepka's text interview with Golfweek's Eamon Lynch. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
  • 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.

  • Ryan Young

    Adam Scott throwing darts

    Adam Scott snuck into the U.S. Open this week in what was his 92nd straight major championship appearance.

  • Ryan Young

    This is the easy version of Pinehurst No. 2

    It's only going to get harder this weekend...

  • Ryan Young

    Rory is just 2 back

    Rory McIlroy's bogey-free round continues. He just birdied the par-5 10th, which drops him to 3-under on the day and into T3.

  • Ryan Young

    Here comes Bryson

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Olympics berth on the line

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Scottie's double take

    Scottie Scheffler owes his caddie big time here for braving whatever was lurking in that cup...

  • Afternoon reset: Cantlay's lead appears safe

    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.

    Also, can we talk about his whitewalls ...

    (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
    (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Another bogey for Scheffler

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Rory McIlroy gets under par

    After three straight pars to open his round, Rory McIlroy is finally in the red.

  • Ryan Young

    Patrick Cantlay after his opening round

    More from Patrick Cantlay after his opening-round 65:

  • Scheffler out of sorts early on

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Patrick Cantlay takes two shot lead

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Tiger Woods' 4-over 74

    A closer look at Tiger Woods' opening round at Pinehurst:

  • Ryan Young

    Morikawa rallies to get to E

    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.

  • Ryan Young

    Tiger Woods finishes at 4-over

    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:

    Click the photo to read more about Tiger Woods' opening round at the U.S. Open.
    Click the photo to read more about Tiger Woods' opening round at the U.S. Open. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
  • 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.

  • Ryan Young

    Neal Shipley jumps to 2-under

    Neal Shipley from deep! The amateur is just two back now after a quick stretch of birdies at the turn.

  • Ryan Young

    Another Tiger Woods birdie

    Finally, after a bad stretch from Tiger Woods, we have another birdie.

    Woods stuck his approach onto the green from about 260 yards out on the par-5 5th, which set him up for an easy two-putt birdie. He's at 3-over now.

  • Ryan Young

    Leaderboard update

    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.

  • Brooks has company

    Ludvig Aberg and France's Matthieu Pavon have joined Koepka at 3-under. There aren't a lot of birdies out there, but there are a few.

  • Tiger wrongway

    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.

    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.