Oakmont (United States) (AFP) – Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg began with back-to-back birdies to grab the early lead at the 125th US Open on Thursday while Rory McIlroy started with a par and Bryson DeChambeau opened with a bogey. The first round teed off at intimidating Oakmont with good scores and nightmares both on offer at the iconic layout. Aberg, last year’s Masters runner-up in his major debut, birdied 10 from six feet and 11 from just inside three feet to leap to the lead quickly.
Champion DeChambeau sent his tee shot on the first hole left into fan-trampled rough, landed his approach 18 feet from the hole, ran his birdie putt nine feet past the hole, and missed the comeback to open with a bogey. World number two McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in April, went off the 10th tee with major winners Shane Lowry of Ireland and Justin Rose of England. McIlroy found the fairway, dropped his approach just outside nine feet, and two-putted for par. The five-time major winner from Northern Ireland could become only the seventh player to win the Masters and US Open in the same year.
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Oakmont was surrendering birdies and even an eagle in the early going. American Maxwell Moldovan eagled the par-four first, holing out from the fairway from 189 yards, then looking to the heavens as he smiled, but followed with a bogey at the second. Zac Blair sank a birdie putt from just beyond 43 feet at the 10th hole to launch his round, while fellow American J.J. Spaun sank a 20-footer for birdie at 10. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open winner, birdied the first hole from just outside 24 feet.
There was misery on offer too as American Alistair Docherty opened at 10 with a double bogey and American Trent Phillips had bogeys on the first three holes. World number one Scottie Scheffler launches his bid for back-to-back major titles in the afternoon alongside US countryman Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner ranked fourth in the world, and Norway’s 14th-ranked Viktor Hovland. The world’s top golfers face an ultimate challenge at Oakmont, where dense rough, sloped fast greens, and tricky bunkers have DeChambeau and Scheffler among many calling it the hardest course they might ever play. “This is probably the toughest golf course in the world right now,” DeChambeau said.
Scheffler, whose nine wins last year included Paris Olympic gold, has won three of his past four starts. After capturing last month’s PGA Championship for his third major crown, Scheffler is trying to become the first man to win consecutive majors since Jordan Spieth in 2015 by taking his first US Open title. Other afternoon starters include two-time major winners Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
Matt Vogt, a dentist from Indianapolis and former Oakmont caddie who qualified as an amateur, struck the opening shot of the tournament at 6:45 a.m. (1045 GMT). Oakmont has 168 bunkers scattered across its 7,372 yards, including Big Mouth at the 17th green and the Church Pews between the third and fourth fairways. A pedestrian bridge is in place for players and fans to cross over the Pennsylvania Turnpike in order to reach the second through eighth holes. The USGA plans to play the par-3 eighth hole at 301 yards at least once this week, making it the longest par-3 in major golf history. The ninth green shares part of its surface area with a putting green.
© 2024 AFP
