I hit the ball well, a lot of fairways, a lot of greens.
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England’s Lee Westwood is one shot behind surprise leader Andrew Landry after a storm-delayed first round of the US Open at Oakmont Country Club.
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2011 champion Rory McIlroy bogeyed his last three holes on his way to a seven-over 77 and world No 1 Jason Day only managed one stroke better, while defending champion Jordan Spieth sits six shots off the pace having missed a couple of chances along the closing stretch.
While scoring was much better than expected, numerous best players in the world were not among those taking advantage. Although he didn’t have the lowest opening-round score-that honor goes to Andrew Landry with his 66-Johnson was the only player not to post at least a bogey. But he struggled on the back and shot 74.
“I was trying to get it in”, Landry said.
Landry rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at his final hole, the par-four ninth, in his only shot of the day. The VR package also includes video-on-demand features, including players teeing off on the practice range each morning, a history of Oakmont and golf tips.
Those who had to return to finish the first round initially were given tee times deep into the evening until the USGA decided it best that everyone from that half of the field – including Spieth at 2 over – start Saturday morning.
Garcia was two-over through three holes, but picked up five birdies the rest of the way. It was the lowest opening round in 10 majors at Oakmont, breaking the mark of Ben Hogan in the 1953 U.S. Open and Tom Watson in the 1978 PGA Championship.
“It was tough, starting and stopping and conditions changing from when we started to when we finished, but it is what it is”, Spieth told reporters after carding two birdies and four bogeys in a round interrupted three times on Thursday by thunderstorms.
“It was hard getting into any kind of rhythm”, said the 27-year-old, who last missed the cut in a major at the 2013 Open.
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Weather-permitting, the reigning Philippine Open champion will also be among the 78 players who will have to complete two rounds in one day, including world No. 1 Fil-Aussie Jason Day, many-time major victor Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott. “It’s just there’s so much golf left, and there’s people who can blow it up and say, ‘You’re doing great.’ Yes, I am doing great, but there’s 54 more holes left”. Mickelson, a six-time Open runner-up, would complete a career Grand Slam with an Open title. Rory McIlroy, who matched his worst score in a U.S. Open with a 77, came back to work on his swing. I know I’m capable of that. When golfers returned to the course at 7:30 a.m. Friday, US Golf Association officials kept the gates closed to spectators until 8 a.m.to allow the course to drain.
