US Open First Round Live Updates, Leaderboard: Patrick Cantlay Takes Lead; Rory McIlroy on the prowl
The 124th US Open is taking place at Pinehurst No. 2, well, Pinehurst, North Carolina.
From the start, the field is chasing top-ranked Scottie Scheffler – who is on a heat not seen since Tiger Woods’ heyday. Scheffler teed off the afternoon wave along with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. Scheffler opened with two bogeys through six holes, but birdied the seventh to get back to 1-over. Instead, it was McIlroy who advanced early in that group. He made back-to-back birdies early to jump to 2 under.
Brooks Koepka, who has won this tournament twice, initially appeared to be racing for third. After briefly holding the lead, Koepka made three bogeys down the stretch to get back to where he was on the day.
Instead, it was Patrick Cantlay who took the lead in the opening wave. He made three birdies on his last five holes of the day to shoot his 5-under 65. That gave him a brief two-stroke lead over the field entering the clubhouse. Ludvig Åberg closed the gap slightly with a 4-under 66 in what was his first round at the US Open.
Woods, on the other hand, struggled. After a birdie to open the day, he made five birdies in seven holes at the turn before finishing with a 4-over 74. He will need a big outing on Friday to make the cut, something he failed to do last month. at the PGA Championship.
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Live59 updates
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Scheffler’s struggles and still…
Scottie Scheffler is 1-over, still very much in contention. It feels like he should be 10 behind.
Here are some statistics:
– Fairways reached: 5/12 (146th)
– Putts: 24 to 12 holes (98º)
– Greens in regulation: 9 out of 14 (36th)
We could go into the strokes gained statistics, but you get the idea.
He’s spreading the ball all over the place, he’s not taking any shots… and yet he’s just 1 over par, just six behind club leader Patrick Cantlay.
It looks a lot like a team going 3 of 20 from 3-point land and still winning.
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Brooks Koepka’s hilarious “text” interview
Brooks Koepka declined to speak to reporters after his uneven start at the US Open. Then Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch messaged him.
The results were hilarious.
“Thanks Dad.” 🤣
Click on the photo to read Brooks Koepka’s text interview with Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch. (David Cannon/Getty Images) -
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Afternoon reset: Cantlay’s lead appears secure
With the second wave approaching the bend, this is where we are:
– Patrick Cantlay’s 5 under 65s are still on the field.
– Rory McIlroy didn’t beat himself in the first round. He’s 2 under eight. If anyone is going to challenge Cantlay’s 65 years, Rory is the most likely candidate.
– Scottie Scheffler is shooting all over the place but has managed to stay at 1-over.
– Only 19 of the 156 players are below par.
– Brooks Koepka left without speaking to the media, which is understandable. He went 3 under only to bogey three of his final six holes and finish in a tie.
– And, looking to the future, tomorrow’s cut could be very interesting. The rule is top 60 and a draw. Right now, that would be +1, which would include 80 players. That’s how tight things are right now.
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Scheffler birds
It took seven holes, but Scottie Scheffler finally looks like Scottie Scheffler. He drained a 12-foot curler for birdie at the 7th, his first birdie of the day, to get back to 1-over.
Plus, we can talk about your white walls…
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) -
Another bogeyman for Scheffler
Scheffler missed a putt from 62 feet by 18 feet! This led to a bogey, pushing the world number 1 to 2 for six. This was the hardest round in… over a year, maybe.
