Adam Hadwin leads the U.S. Open after the first round-4 A Hadwin (Can); -3 R McIlroy (NI), C Tarren (Eng), D Lingmerth (Swe), J Dahmen (USA), MJ Daffue (SA); -2 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), D Johnson (USA), J Rose (Eng), A Wise (USA), B Harman (USA), H Buckley (USA) Others selected: -1 C Morikawa (USA), J Rahm (Spa), J Thomas (USA), W Zalatoris (USA), G Woodland; ES Scheffler (USA) +2 J Spieth; +8 P Mickelson (USA)
Rory McIlroy and England world number 445 Callum Tarren are in a one-off group behind the leader of the first round of the U.S. Open, Adam Hadwin, at Brookline in Boston.
Canadian Hadwin pinned six birdies to lead after a 66 of four below.
McIlroy got the last one, while Tarren got the eighth when he finished three below, alongside David Lingmerth, Joel Dahmen and MJ Daffue.
Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose are two below, one ahead of last year’s winner Jon Rahm who shot a 69.
The benign morning conditions at Brookline saw 16 of the initial wave below parity, and that total rose to 25 with some good performances from the afternoon headlines in windier conditions.
Only four times cover the top 41 players in a congested standings, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, who finished with two birdies to sign for a level 70 pair.
Dustin Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champion shot a 68, but his fellow LIV Golf competitor Phil Mickelson also had a day to forget after falling to an 8 out of 78.
Both players have been suspended from the PGA Tour for joining the new LIV Golf series, although the U.S. Golf Association, which runs the U.S. Open, has allowed them to compete this week.
Mickelson, a six-time U.S. Open runner-up, suffered a miserable round on his 52nd birthday. He only had one bird against five bogeys and two double bogeys to make him fight to get the cut to the only major who has yet to win.
Hadwin’s 66 is his lowest score in a major in 63 rounds, and the first time the 34-year-old has led after any round in any of the four major men’s golf tournaments.
A burst of five birds in six holes on the new striker saw Hadwin hit the right turn in the 31st, and he held on to the new hardest rear nine with just one bird and a bogey that saw him finish the day at the top. of the classification.
“He was comfortable, which is a good feeling at the U.S. Open, as it doesn’t happen very often,” Hadwin told Sky Sports after his round.
“I had a good run there with the nine strikers, but I knew they would come home with some tough holes, so it was just a matter of holding on.”
McIlroy sets the starting pace as Fitzpatrick’s form continues
Rory McIlroy got off to a good start in his U.S. Open campaign
McIlroy arrived in Massachusetts full of confidence after winning a second consecutive Canadian Open on Sunday in the PGA Tour, and kept his form with a solid round.
The Northern Irishman led four under after 17 holes, but missed the ninth green, his last hole of the day, and failed to get up and down from the greenside rough to save his pair.
It still represents a strong second straight start in a major for McIlroy, who shot 65 in the first round to lead the U.S. PGA Championship last month before finishing eighth behind winner Justin Thomas.
“I feel comfortable with my game,” the 33-year-old said. “I’m mentally in a good place, which I think I proved with some of the stops I made.”
Sheffield’s Fitzpatrick continued his good fifth position in the US PGA Championship with a steady round of 68, but was disappointed after dropping a shot into his last hole as well.
The highlight of Fitzpatrick’s round was a chipped birdie in par-quatre 12, one of five birds in his round.
“I have fond memories of the place, and all the time I’ve been away, I see shots I hit and I see the places where I was,” said the 27-year-old who won the U.S. amateur title in Brookline in 2013.
“I think that’s why I’m a little more comfortable. I’m just trying not to put any pressure on myself. It’s a golf course that I know I can do well, and I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
Matt Fitzpatrick celebrates it with caddy Billy Foster
Rose recreates the moment of the Ryder Cup
Englishwoman Rose won the 2013 U.S. Open on a course type similar to the Merrion Golf Club, and is back in the mix after her 68th finals.
Rose had only a pair in her nine forwards, with three bogeys and five birdies, including one on the 17th that was similar to the famous putt of the American Justin Leonard in the 1999 Ryder Cup.
Leonard made a 40-foot hole that regained the trophy, but the stifled celebrations were widely repressed in both the U.S. and European media after the players and their wives crossed the Jose Maria Olazabal putt line. .
Once the problem was extinguished, Olazabal missed his putt, which guaranteed the U.S. the half point they needed to win. Many European players were abused that day and the bad feeling was such that the event was dubbed the “Battle of Brookline”.
Rose admitted that her celebration was “100% Justin Leonard atmosphere.”
He added: “I was reading the putt, and I was like, this is the putt that Justin Leonard had. He came in with the speed of Justin Leonard. I don’t know if the camera stayed long enough, but I had my hands in the air.
“I was going to run a little more like he did. It’s a little nod to Justin, but yeah, I was just trying to kick out some European memories.”
Darlington’s Tarren begins by surprise
Englishman Callum Tarren is in his first season on the PGA Tour
One of the first players to finish was Tarren, who surprised everyone with a good back again that pushed him to a 67.
From hole 10, he played his first nine holes in one over parity, but made birds first, fifth and seventh before an eagle in the eighth sent him ahead.
Tarren is playing his first season on the PGA Tour and only appears in his second US Open after also playing at Pebble Beach in 2019.
The Darlington golfer qualified at Rattlesnake Point GC in Ontario, Canada, to take his place on the 156-person Boston course.
After also playing in the Canadian Open, their clubs were unable to make the same flight to Massachusetts, but finally arrived just before the event, which Tarren, 32, says he is fully enjoying.
“Every hole catches your eye. I love being here this week,” he added.
“I’m excited about this start and we’ll see what we can do with the rest of the week.”
Patience is worth it for defending champion Rahm
Jon Rahm had a mixed first round at the U.S. Open
The Spaniard Rahm had to be patient in a hectic first lap that had a bit of everything and almost got away with it after a good start.
Rahm had three birds in four holes in the front nine, but he fought in the back nine and when one of the various shots fired iron cost him a bogey on the 15th, his frustration was evident.
However, the 27-year-old, who defeated Torrey Pines 12 months ago, kept his focus on the last two holes and fell into a 21-foot bird putt on the 18th to make sure ends below par.
“That bird of 18 would always change the energy of the round,” Rahm said. “I played really well the first seven holes, then when the wind went up to nine behind me, I struggled a bit.
“Doing this bird on the 18th was nice because I hit a lot of bad iron shots in the last 10 holes.”