Golf
U.S. Open Golf
Championship
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Updated 17m ago
The 125th U.S. Open's first round is rolling along at Oakmont Country Club.
J.J. Spaun (-4) has the lead after he finished off a bogey-free 66. Two-time champion Brooks Koepka finished birdie-birdie for a 68, while overwhelming favorite Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (both 73s) and and Masters champion Rory McIlroy (74) had frustrating rounds.
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Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen drove the green on the par-4 17th but had to settle for a par. He missed the birdie putt and will remain at 1 under. He had a real chance to get one back there.
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How many players will finish under par today after the first round? We're currently at 10 with two still on the course: James Nicholas and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
They are both at 1 under.
Only one player (Ryan McCormick) is at even par and still on the course.
I spoke too soon. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen finally fell victim to these brutal Oakmont greens as his par attempt on No. 15 went wide. It's his first dropped stroke since his bogey on No. 8, and he falls back to 2-under on the day.
Things are only getting more difficult for Neergaard-Petersen, who then hit his tee shot on 16 into some trecharous rough right of the fairway.
Rasmus Højgaard is back down to even-par after a birdie on No. 16. One of many familiar faces staying within striking distance of the top of the leaderboard as Round 1 enters its home stretch.
Patrick Reed is unable to capitalize on his double eagle on No. 4.
In fact, he completely undoes it with a triple bogey on No. 18. He finishes at 3-over-par today and his early contention hopes are suddenly on life support.
… is Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who's having a stellar opening round. He hit a stellar curling putt on No. 14 to remain one stroke off J.J. Spaun's lead.
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No added late twist for Sungjae Im, who finishes with a par at No. 9 to wrap up a Round 1 score of 68 that once looked a lot more promising. Im is two strokes back of J.J. Spaun's lead.
That's a 73 today for Scottie Scheffler, who will be 7 back if J.J. Spaun's lead of 4-under holds.
Nobody has won the U.S. Open when 7+ back after Round 1 since Lee Janzen in 1998. Only three instances in the last 60 years.
A much-needed boost for Collin Morkiawa as he also birdies No. 18 to finish his first round at even-par. The World No. 4 very much in the mix of things, just four strokes off the lead heading ito Round 2.
It would be difficult to overstate just how shocked I am that Brooks Koepka is two off the lead at the U.S. Open. I did not vote for him as part of our Big Board project and didn't even really consider him. While he's a five-time major champion who won a PGA just two years ago, the 35-year-old Koepka has been a total nonfactor in majors since. He missed the cut at the first two majors this year, went T33 at last week's LIV event and has not had a top 10 on that tour since March. Nothing about his data profile said, "In form." But he had a couple of birdies, eagled No. 4 and stacked up the pars. He's suddenly a very real factor here.
Scottie Scheffler settles for a par on No. 18 and finishes with a 3-over 73. It was a soppy, frustrating day from start to finish for Scheffler, who had three birdies and six bogeys. He was off on the tee, and that started most of his problems in the round.
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WOW. That might be the best putt of the day, and it belongs to Viktor Hovland on No. 18. A 35-foot putt over a hill with a large rightward break falls into the hole. Hovland finishes his rollercoaster day at 1-over.
No late twists for Jordan Spieth's playing partner Jon Rahm, who sinks a short par putt to end his first round at one-under, just three back of the lead.
Wow. Jordan Spieth thought he had saved par to finish off his day.
Instead, his putt catches the lip of the hole and rims out.
Spieth still had a solid day at finishes at even-par, but that miss could come back to bite him later on.
Sungjae Im had sole possession of the lead through his first 11 holes today. That feels like a lifetime ago.
Im has bogeyed No. 8, meaning he's now bogeyed three of his last six holes after momentarily vaulting J.J. Spaun. Im is at 2-under on the day entering his final hole.
Scottie Scheffler drove one of the greenside bunkers on No. 17 but didn’t get the ball up and down for the birdie. Scheffler remains 3 over after another par, and he has one hole left to play in this frustrating round.
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Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen had a difficult but definitely makeable birdie putt on No. 12 for a co-lead with J.J. Spaun.
But his attempt rolled wide left of the hole.
Spaun remains the sole leader for Round 1 with Neergaard-Petersen in a three-way tie for second.
Brooks Koepka is… back?!?
After winning his fifth major at the 2023 PGA Championship, Koepka finished tied for 17th at the 2023 U.S. Open in Los Angeles.
Since then, Koepka has failed to finish in the top 25 of a major championship and missed the cut at this year's Masters and PGA Championship. Yet here he is, finishing his day at 2-under-part and just two strokes back of clubhouse leader J.J. Spaun.
Welcome back to major championship contention, Brooks Koepka!
He follows up his birdie on No. 17 by sinking a much more impressive long birdie put on No. 18 to end his day at 2-under-par, and the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open champion is suddenly right back in the hunt, two strokes off the lead.
