LOS ANGELES – The leaderboard at the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club looks more as if it was the Bob Hope Desert Classic down the road in Palm Springs.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set the pace, each shooting record-breaking 8-under 62s to share the first-round lead.
The only other PGA Tour event with multiple 62s this season? The Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
“Seeing Rickie and Xander take it deep out there, it’s like, well, this isn’t your typical U.S. Open mindset of like I’m just playing for par,” said Harris English, who shot 67. “I mean, you got to make some birdie to keep in line with those guys.”
Typically, 2-under 68 might lead the opening round but at the 123rd U.S. Open it is six back and isn’t even in the top 10 (T-13). The six scores of 65 or lower Thursday were the most in a single round in U.S. Open history.
It wasn’t just the leaders who went low. This marks the first time in U.S. Open history that no player shot 80 or higher in the first round. It was the lowest first-round scoring average (71.38) by a U.S. Open field all-time – by nearly a full shot, shattering the record of 72.29 at Baltusrol in 1993.
“This is probably the easiest that it could have played today,” English said. “I’m sure when we see those scores, a couple 8 unders, they’re not going to like it too much. But, yeah, it was probably the shortest it could play today. No crazy, crazy pins. So I think it can only get harder from here.”
DJ goes low in the afternoon
Dustin Johnson, the winner of the 2016 U.S. Open, made bogey at the last, his only dropped shot, and posted 6-under 64, his lowest round at the U.S. Open. He matched Tiger Woods for the most rounds of 65 or better in a major championship all time, surpassing Jack Nicklaus, who had nine.
“I think he’s probably the most dangerous player on the board,” said NBC’s Paul Azinger.
Wearing his LIV Golf 4 Aces logo on his shirt, Johnson did his damage with strong iron play. He lead the field in Strokes Gained Approach-the-Green (+4.085). Consider that he ranked 111th in that category at the PGA Championship last month (-.814 per round), where he finished T-55.
“You just have to drive it well here or you have no chance,” Johnson said. “If you play well and hit it in the right spots and you can be aggressive, you get a few wedges in your hand, but you’ve still got to hit a really good golf shot if you want to get it close to the hole.”
Clark sets a high bar
Ever since Wyndham Clark won the Wells Fargo Championship in May, he’s been on a roll. He contended at the Memorial and is in the hunt again this week at LACC after opening with 6-under 64.
“If you hit it in the fairway you had a good chance to make birdies on most of the holes,” he said. “If you missed fairways it was still challenging, but I thought it was very gettable today.”
Clark credited a strong putting day and being mentally tough for his hot start.
“I didn’t hit it all that great, you know. In the fairway my iron game was a little suspect, but I putted great,” he explained. “I had some bogeys out there and I followed every bogey up with birdie so I thought mentally I was great.”
Rory's rocking start
It’s been 12 years since Rory McIlroy won his first major championship at the 2011 U.S. Open, and nine since his last major win at the 2014 PGA Championship. The 34-year-old is in prime position to end both droughts this week after a solid opening round of the 2023 U.S. Open.
Starting in the afternoon alongside Brooks Koepka and Hideki Matsuyama, McIlroy made quick and easy work of the front nine at Los Angeles Country Club and made the turn at 5-under 30 thanks to birdies on his opening two holes, as well as Nos. 5, 7 and 8.
He cooled off after the turn and made just one birdie on his way home at the short par-3 15th before he made his first and only bogey of the day on No. 18. McIlroy’s approach to the green found the thick rough left of the green and it took him two swings to reach the green. A nifty up-and-down saved what could’ve been a disastrous double bogey to end the round, and instead McIlroy was able to sign for a 5-under 65 to sit T-5 alongside Brian Harman, three shots behind co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.
McIlroy canceled his pre-championship news conference that was scheduled for Tuesday morning after a busy week at the RBC Canadian Open where he was peppered with questions regarding the partnership between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a new global golf entity. The four-time major winner said the media session in Canada was the most uncomfortable he’s been in the last 12 months.
After his round Thursday he signed his scorecard and immediately went into the clubhouse and never returned despite a request to speak to the media.
— Adam Woodard
Scheffler and big names have mixed results
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler overcame a sluggish start – he made bogey at the first hole and on a day when birdies were plentiful, he didn’t make his first until the par-3 ninth hole.
Scheffler made bogeys at the first and last hole but carded five birdie in between en route to shooting 3-under 67 on Thursday.
“Had a little hiccup there at the last but can’t complain,” Scheffler said. “Hit a lot of good shots today and I did a good job of staying patient out there and posted a good number on a day in which I got off to a pretty slow start.”
Scheffler also elected to change putters, using a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Plus and the early returns were positive.
“Pretty good. I mean, I rolled it nice, saw some putts go in,” he said.
John Rahm, the world No. 2, struggled to find fairways but eked out a 1-under 69. No. 3 Rory McIlroy birdied five of his first eight holes but whiffed on a pitch from the rough at the last. He made his lone bogey to post 5-under 65. No. 4 Patrick Cantlay rallied late to shoot 1-over 71. No. 5 Viktor Hovland bounced back after making a double-bogey on the par-5 14th hole today – his fifth hole of the day. He is just the third player over the last 10 years to bounce back from 3 over or worse, to finish under par during his first round of a U.S. Open (Edoardo Molinari did that in 2021 at Torrey Pines, as did John Pak in 2020 at Winged Foot).
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick shot 1-over 71. The 2015 U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth shot 2-over 72 while two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and former Masters champion Adam Scott signed for 73s.
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