.png)
17 hours ago
3
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
If anyone has the mix of street-fighting savvy and short-game magic to hold Oakmont at arm’s length, it’s surely Jordan Spieth. The 2015 champ has been showing signs of emerging from his recent slump, and shot 70 yesterday, a most acceptable start to his hunt for a second US Open. He’s started today in trademark style: a loose tee shot that ends up in the thick stuff, necessitating the taking of medicine. Once he chips out, he spins his approach from 100 yards to five feet, and tickles in the putt to save his par. If he can get the driver behaving – admittedly a big if for the Seve-esque wild man – he’ll be in with a shout this week.
Conditions are very similar to yesterday. Warm but not oppressive; a little bit of moisture in the air to keep the course responsive; not much in the way of wind. On Sky Sports, David Howell suggests today’s scoring will be very similar too. So don’t expect too many of the lads ripping it up: only one player was bogey-free yesterday, the leader JJ Spaun, and his round was only the second bogey-free card in the last 1,037 US Open rounds at Oakmont.
Scottie Scheffler was uncharacteristically sloppy yesterday. But then Oakmont can do that to a golfer, even the world’s very best. He’s far from out of contention after yesterday’s three-over 73, but he can’t afford the same again. His first shot of the day is a driving iron that splits the 10th fairway. Big couple of hours coming up for the world number one.
The 2017 and 2018 champion Brooks Koepka finished strongly last night with birdies at 17 and 18. He’s not started so well this morning, however. His opening tee shot at 10 drifts into rough down the right. He can’t reach the green with his second, and though he gives himself a chance of redemption by wedging to ten feet, the putt’s missed, and the errant drive has cost him an opening bogey. He’s -1.
Preamble
Day one wasn’t exactly carnage – the course was relatively soft and receptive after rain earlier in the week, while there was little wind – but unless storms come at the weekend, something not yet certain, it’s not going to get any easier. And despite it all, there were only ten players in a field of 156 who finished the first round under par.
-4: JJ Spaun
-3: Thriston Lawrence
-2: Kim Si-woo, Brooks Koepka, Im Sung-jae
-1: Ben Griffin, Thomas Detry, Jon Rahm, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, James Nicholas
However there are very few big-name players not on that list who have played themselves out of it. Not Scottie and Bryson at +3, nor Rory and 54-year-old Phil the Thrill at +4. But the margins for error are smaller now. Should make for a great Moving-into-Moving-Day Day! Actually, let’s not make that a thing. Here are the tee times (USA unless stated, all times BST, (a) denotes amateur). It’s on!
Starting at hole 1
11.45 Will Chandler, Andrea Pavan (Ita), Takumi Kanaya (Jpn)
11.56 (a) Bryan Lee, Guido Migliozzi (Ita), Preston Summerhays
12.07 Max Greyserman, Erik van Rooyen (Rsa), Matt Wallace (Eng)
12.18 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Russell Henley, Nick Taylor (Can)
12.29 Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm (Spa), Jordan Spieth
12.40 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Sepp Straka (Aut)
12.51 Tom Hoge, J. T. Poston, Cameron Young
13.02 Michael Kim, Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
13.13 Nick Dunlap, Marc Leishman (Aus), Aaron Rai (Eng)
13.24 Matthew Jordan (Eng), Carlos Ortiz (Mex), Yuta Sugiura (Jpn)
13.35 Trevor Cone, Ryan McCormick, (a) Zachery Pollo
13.46 James Nicholas, (a) Tyler Weaver (Eng), Riki Kawamoto (Jpn)
13.57 George Duangmanee, Harrison Ott, Austen Truslow
17.30 Zachary Blair, Alistair Docherty, Scott Vincent (Zim)
17.41 Jacques Kruyswijk (Rsa), Jordan Smith (Eng), Eric Cole
17.52 Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Taylor Pendrith (Can), J. J. Spaun
18.03 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Adam Scott (Aus)
18.14 Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak
18.25 Shane Lowry (Irl), Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Justin Rose (Eng)
18.36 Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Si-Woo Kim (Kor)
18.47 Brian Harman, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith (Aus)
18.58 Brian Campbell, Justin Lower, Niklas Noergaard (Den)
19.09 Johnny Keefer, (a) Jackson Koivun, Davis Riley
19.20 James Hahn, Mark Hubbard, (a) Michael La Sasso
19.31 Chris Gotterup, (a) Mason Howell, Joakim Lagergren (Swe)
19.42 Zachary Bauchou, Jackson Buchanan, (a) Lance Simpson
Starting at hole 10
11.45 Sam Bairstow (Eng), Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Frederic Lacroix (Fra)
11.56 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Joe Highsmith, Ryan Fox (Nzl)
12.07 Jacob Bridgeman, Victor Perez (Fra), Adam Schenk
12.18 Brooks Koepka, Min-Woo Lee (Aus), Justin Thomas
12.29 Sam Burns, Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Denny McCarthy
12.40 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler
12.51 Corey Conners (Can), Jason Day (Aus), Patrick Reed
13.02 Daniel Berger, Bud Cauley, Joaquin Niemann (Chi)
13.13 Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Chris Kirk
13.24 Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Stephan Jaeger (Ger), (a) Benjamin James
13.35 Laurie Canter (Eng), (a) Justin Hastings (Cay), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Den)
13.46 Roberto Diaz (Mex), Emilio Gonzalez (Mex), (a) Frankie Harris
13.57 Joey Herrera, George Kneiser, Grant Haefner
17.30 Trent Phillips, Kevin Velo, (a) Matt Vogt
17.41 Chandler Blanchet, Alvaro Ortiz (Mex), Doug Ghim
17.52 (a) Evan Beck, Justin B. Hicks, Maxwell Moldovan
18.03 Keegan Bradley, Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
18.14 Jose Luis Ballester (Spa), Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele
18.25 Wyndham Clark, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Gary Woodland
18.36 Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Matt McCarty
18.47 Cameron Davis (Aus), Thomas Detry (Bel), Davis Thompson
18.58 Richard Bland (Eng), Lanto Griffin, (a) Trevor Gutschewski
19.09 Ryan Gerard, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Sam Stevens
19.20 (a) Noah Kent, Thriston Lawrence (Rsa), Thorbjoern Olesen (Den)
19.31 Jinichiro Kozuma (Jpn), (a) Cameron Tankersley, Chase Johnson
19.42 Philip Barbaree, Brady Calkins, Riley Lewis
