Fair test leaderboard flush with former champs
Clark leads stacked late charge as USGA gets reasonable with U.S. Open setup
The Daily Drive has coverage of the U.S. Open from veteran golf insider Bob Harig and others all week from Shinnecock Hills. Today’s first-round report is free. To support our work as independent golf journalists, please consider subscribing for what amounts to little more than $1 a week.
Former champs Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson had it rolling late at Shinnecock (Logan Whitton/USGA)
Are you not entertained?
Remember last month when folks were complaining about the lack of star power on the leaderboard at Aronimink for the PGA Championship?
How do you like it so far at Shinnecock Hills?
When play in the 126th U.S. Open was suspended by darkness at 8:25 p.m. before the first round was completed due to a two-hour fog delay in the morning, seven former U.S. Open champions and one former Open winner sat among the 17 players at T9 or better with under-par rounds completed or still in progress.
Wyndham Clark, the 2023 winner at Los Angeles Country Club, continued riding his hot recent form to a four-shot lead over seven players for the moment with two holes still to finish on Friday morning. Clark walked off the seventh green at 6-under par after a sand save par on the Redan hole.
Dustin Johnson, the 2016 champion playing on his final exemption for that win at Oakmont, decided to sleep on a 3-footer for birdie on the seventh green that can move him to 3-under. Playing in the same marquee threesome, Gary Woodland, the 2019 champion at Pebble Beach, also elected to wait until the morning to putt his 30-footer for birdie that can also push him to 3-under.
Also among the seven-man crowd at 2-under are 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm and 2023 winner Matthew Fitzpatrick. Both of them will wake up to birdie opportunites — Rahm with a third-shot wedge from 74 yards on the par-5 fifth hole and Fitzpatrick looking at an 11-foot putt for birdie on the eighth.
In the clubhouse at 2-under 68 were early-morning leader Sam Stevens, amateur Ryder Cowan and Max McGreevy. None of them has ever won on the PGA Tour much less contended in a major.
In the group at 1-under are 2020 winner Bryson DeChambeau (through 16 holes), 2011 champion Rory McIlroy (69) and 2023 Open champion Brian Harman (69).
Phew … it’s only getting started. Round 1 will resume at 6:35 a.m. and originally posted round 2 tee times will be delayed 15 minutes.
In today’s DD …
Bob Harig writes USGA scores points with players for reasonable setup
Rory McIlroy poised in red despite giving back two strokes late
Alex Miceli on Alex Fitzpatrick trying to keep pace with his brother
First-round notes with a hat tip to Elias Sports Bureau
USGA had crews syringing greens even during fog delay to avoid issues with windy forecast (Warren Little/Getty Images)
‘Tough test but very, very fair’
By Bob Harig
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Making friends among professional golfers has proven a tough task for the United States Golf Association over the years.
They’ve banned anchored putting grips, changed rules terminology, worked on reigning in how far the golf ball goes and set up U.S. Open courses in a sometimes draconian manner.
And in an oft-repeated phrase that is actually unfair, they’ve been accused of being “amateurs running a pro event.”
But give the USGA credit. The governing body in charge of putting on the U.S. Open was faced with the prosect of a weather forecast that could see playing conditions get out of hand on Thursday. And considering its history here at Shinnecock in both 2004 and 2018 — and at various other championships over the years — that scenario was not ideal.
But by all accounts, the team led by chief championships officer John Bodenhamer did a fine job. The course was set up in a way that was tough, but fair given a brutal forecast for high winds through the middle of the day. And while the winds were not as bad as expected and laid down late, they were strong enough to cause fits.
As the first-round continued on Thursday evening due to a two-hour fog delay in the morning, scoring got easier. 2023 champion Wyndham Clark got to 6-under par when he eagled the fifth hole, his 14th, and 2016 champion Dustin Johnson got to 4-under before a double on the sixth hole.
Clark and Johnson were playing in the same group along with Gary Woodland and all three were making their move just before play was suspended at 8:25 p.m.
“Everything was kind of clicking. We were definitely fortunate with the wind laying down,” said Clark.
“I would say when I got my tee times on Tuesday, I was like, oh, could be a tough draw. That two-hour fog delay was very helpful, and it was really nice it laid down. So it definitely helped those last six, seven holes we played.”
Click here for the full U.S. Open leaderboard
Before the late lull, the USGA’s prudence paid off.
“It was tough around here without wind, and then it was blowing pretty hard, really hard,” said Keegan Bradley, who shot 70 early. “Tough conditions. The USGA did a great job setting the course up because, if the greens were any faster or firmer, we might not be playing right now. So they did a great job.
“The greens were softer than I expected but thank goodness they were. There was a few times where my ball was, like, wiggling, like oscillating a little bit. They did what they had to do to play today. They did a great job. They should be commended for that.
“It’s often where we’ve had instances where it’s gone the other way, and they did a good job of that today.”
Bradley typically throws compliments toward the USGA like bowling balls. He remains miffed at the anchored putter ban — one he never saw coming when he adopted it in college — a decade ago.
But he gave credit where it was due on Thursday. So did Pádraig Harrington, the three-time major champion, who suggested the pin placements were as easy as the players will see.
“Obviously it got quite windy, but you couldn’t have asked for a better setup,” said Harrington, who at age 54 shot 77 playing with 17-year-old Miles Russell who shot 72. “There obviously was a couple of tough holes, but all the tees were up. The pins were as easy as can be. Greens were soft. So it was a tough test but very, very fair.
“I think they’ll be happy with where the scoring is at. It seems to be a few guys under par. It’s very, very playable. …
“You couldn’t have really asked for much more. Clearly there’s no doubt there will be players who come in and feel they got a bad break here or there, they got a slight misjudgment and the wind caught it. That happens sometimes with the wind. …
“It’s a bit like that. You’re going to get some good breaks as well as bad breaks, but those bad breaks do hurt on a day like today, and players will magnify the ‘why me?’ sort of thing. To be honest, it certainly was very, very playable, especially when it warmed up. The wind isn’t anywhere near as — I’m sure it’s the same strength, but it doesn’t play as strong. With the heat, it’s very playable.”
Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach who qualified his way in for the first time since 2020, made eight bogeys after a quick start and shot 76. “I can’t believe I’m saying, but I mean, it was maybe too soft,” McDowell said.
Stevens, 29, a non-winner on the PGA Tour whose lone professional victory came in 2021 on the PGA Tour Americas, overcame a double bogey at the par-4 10 hole to take the early clubhouse lead.
Rory McIlroy headed a list of five players who finished at 69. McIlroy eagled the fifth hole — hitting a pitching wedge for his second shot from 192 yards downwind — to get to 3-under par and in the lead before late bogeys at the eighth and ninth hole dropped him to 1-under-par 69.
The others at 69 were Ludvig Åberg, Max Greyserman, Brian Harman and newly minted professional Ben James.
“The greens are pretty slow and quite receptive,” McIlroy said. “I think they need to be at this point. It’s a challenging golf course already, and you put 30-mile-an-hour winds on top of it, it tests the best players in the world pretty well.
“Yeah, I think they were prudent with the course setup, and they made sure to — I think especially with starting with 156 the first two days, you just want to get everyone around without too much issue. They’ve set the course up for that, at least today.”
Rory McIlroy hit 10 of 14 fairways in the first round of the U.S. Open (Dustin Satloff/USGA)
McIlroy puts on another 60s show at U.S. Open
Two late bogeys were a disappointment, but Rory McIlroy was not about to fret too much about posting a red number during the first round of the U.S. Open.
After a long morning made longer by a two-hour fog delay at Shinnecock following by blustery winds, McIlroy rode a back-nine eagle at the par-5 fifth hole (his 14th on the day) to claim the solo lead before bogeys at the eighth and ninth holes knocked him a stroke back of early clubhouse leader Sam Stevens.
McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, shot 1-under 69 and will likely have a long wait before his second round begins on Friday as the first round was not completed before darkness.
“I think with the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” McIlroy said before calmer late conditions help the afternoon wave shoot lower scores. “It was a day to really just keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here.
“So sort of went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good, and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that’s always a bonus. But really just minimizing the mistakes. I did that for the most part today.
“It’s so tough. It’s so difficult. I didn’t feel like I hit two bad iron shots on the last two holes and put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn’t able to get it up-and-down, but overall a really good day.”
With his opening 1-under 69, McIlroy’s 23rd U.S. Open round in the 60s tied six-time U.S. Open runner-up Phil Mickelson at second on the all-time list. The GOAT remains four-time U.S. Open champion Jack Nicklaus with 29. Rounding out the top five (and ties) are Tiger Woods (21), Tom Watson (19) and Brooks Koepka (19).
McIlroy hit 10 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens on a day when the course set-up was likely as easy as the players will see all week. As it played out, McIlroy might have gotten a bad break as conditions appear to calm down as the afternoon moved into evening.
Graeme McDowell, who plays for LIV Golf, was impressed seeing McIlory’s name near the top of the board again.
“You run out of superlatives to describe Rory McIlroy,” he said. “It’s amazing. You know, 15 years ago, I would have said, essentially, these aren’t his type of conditions. But he’s an experienced, intelligent player and he knows how to get it done anywhere.”
Alex Fitzpatrick reacts to missed birdie chance on the ninth hole at Shinnecock (Chris Keane/USGA)
Younger Fitz happy to survive U.S. Open debut
By Alex Miceli
Alex Fitzpatrick played in his first round of a U.S. Open on Thursday and survived to tell the tale.
A 1-over-par 71 had a lot of positives in a round that was delayed two hours due to fog, and then, as the fog lifted, the wind began its assault on the hills of Shinnecock.
“It was all just very hard, I can’t lie,” Fitzpatrick said of a round that included one birdie and two bogeys. “I said before, but I think the seventh green is one of the craziest holes I think I’ve ever played.”
The seventh, a par 3 Redan hole that played to 180 yards in the first round, has always been a difficult task for every player in the field. But for the 27-year-old, it was a hole where — in his mind — a par seems impossible. He was happy to take a bogey four and move on.
“It doesn’t feel like there’s anywhere to hit the ball on the green that stays, so I might get in trouble for saying that, but it’s just I don’t know where you hit it,” he said.
What has been a whirlwind for the younger Fitzpatrick since winning the team competition with his brother, Matt, at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is finally settling down as he starts to feel comfortable playing on the PGA Tour after taking up membership following his win in April.
“I definitely pinch myself now and then,” Fitzpatrick said. “I will admit the excitement for the British Open I had, because it was so new to me, and I was playing suddenly like all the best players were around me, was really surreal, and this one felt a lot more like a tournament.”
Yet, when asked if he had a game plan, Fitzpatrick said: “Hope”.
“It ways trying to hit the fairways and trying to hit the greens,” he said, elaborating on his hope comment. “And that’s really, really hard to do.”
Unfortunately, Alex received no assistance from his brother, who has won both a U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur title.
“He’s won one of these,” Fitzpatrick said. “I was hoping he might give me some snippets, but no, now I’m a competitor. I don’t think he’s giving me anything.”
The dapper Keith Mitchell posted the untidiest round of par in U.S. Open history (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
First round notes …
Routine par? Keith Mitchell (70, T21) is the first player in U.S. Open history to play one nine in the 20s (29 on front side) and one nine in the 40s (41 on the back) in the same round. He is the second player to shoot 29 on one side during a U.S. Open at Shinnecock. Neal Lancaster shot 29 on the back nine in the final round in 1995 en route to a 65 and T4 finish.
DJ turns back the clock: Making the most of the final year of his 10-year exemption for winning the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, Dustin Johnson went out late Thursday and was 2-under through 15 holes when play was suspended by darkness. It’s not entirely out of the blue. In 2018 at Shinnecock Hills, Johnson was tied for the lead after the first round, held the outright lead after the second round and was still tied for the lead after 54 holes. He ended up finishing in third place behind Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood.
J-Day WDs: Jason day, the 2015 PGA champion, withdrew after 10 holes citing a back injury. Day, competing in his 14th U.S. Open, made seven bogeys on the back nine to go out in 42. He walked off after a par on the first hole.
Elusive par-breaker: With an opening 2-over 72, Scottie Scheffler has failed to break par in any of his last 10 U.S. Open rounds dating back to the final round of the 2023 championship at Los Angeles CC. He is 14-over-par during this stretch.
Historic birthday? Scheffler has work to do to complete his career slam on his 30th birthday Sunday. No player has ever won a major championship on his birthday. A couple of players came close recently: Russell Henley finished T3 on his 37th birthday at this year’s Masters and Chris Gotterup finished third on his 26th birthday at last year’s Open Championship. Phil Mickelson finished runner-up twice on his birthday at the U.S. Open (2002 and 2013).
Exclusive company: Already one of six to complete the career slam and four to win consecutive Masters, McIlroy is off to a strong start to try to become the seventh golfer to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year. That list includes Craig Wood (1941), Ben Hogan (1951 and 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2000) and Jordan Spieth (2015).
Hulk smash: Using his new prototype TaylorMade Qi4D 200+ driver and strong wind at his back, Bryson DeChambeau ripped his tee shot 427 yards down the 472-yard par-4 12th hole, bounding across the road and to within 45 yards of the hole. That led to an easy bump to 6 feet and his first birdie of the championship.
Eagle rare: After hitting a wedge from 192 yards to 11 feet on the downwind par-5 fifth hole, Rory McIlroy buried the putt for eagle that made him the first in the field to reach 3-under. It was the fourth eagle of McIlroy’s U.S. Open career, but the first one in 140 career par-5s played in the championship. His first three were all on par-4s.
Unhappy return: J.J. Spaun (7-over 77) shot the highest opening round at a U.S. Open by a defending champion since 2011 winner Rory McIlroy opened with a 7-over 77 in 2012 at The Olympic Club.
Drive, Chip & Putt: Ryder Cowan finished runner-up at Augusta National seven years ago — no not at the Masters but at the 2019 DC&P National Finals. The Oklahoma Sooner is now the fourth amateur since 2000 to shoot 32 or lower on their opening 9 holes at the U.S. Open (round 1), joining Omar Morales (2023, 32-39), Davis Thompson (2020, 32-37), and Brian Campbell (2015, 31-36).