Ironically, the U.S. Open is the only major to retain an 18-hole Monday playoff, so further lengthy delays could extend play into Tuesday.
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He admitted the Oakmont course was made easier by the more than 2 inches of rain that kept him from playing on Thursday.
Unsurprisingly McIlroy opted for a driver off the tee on the 609-yard fourth hole and split the fairway before finding the green with a fairway wood to set up his first birdie of the day.
Play resumes after a weather delay of nearly two-and-a-half hours at Oakmont, with the opening round now set to spill over into Friday.
Andrew Landry started off hot but cooled down in a hurry after returning from the second rain delay of Round 1.
The world No.624 from Texas who is playing in his first major championship sits at three under, with a birdie putt upcoming on his final hole, to be one clear.
However, he is hopeful of a better result than that on a notoriously hard course at a tournament known for its testing layouts.
“Completely different golf course than we played in the practice round”, he said.”I mean, night and day”.
The 26-year-old was also 13-under par in winning the 2012 PGA Championship, 17-under in the 2014 Open at Hoylake and 16-under when claiming a second PGA title a month later at Valhalla.
“It’s obviously a frustrating day having to keep coming off, but there’s nothing you can do about the weather”, Westwood said after mixing an eagle two at the par-four 14th with two birdies and three bogeys.
This week’s US Open marks Landry first appearance in a major tournament.
Hall said it wouldn’t have been fair to let players that sought shelter in the clubhouse near the range to warm up when so many others were scattered about the course, some of them on the other side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. “He feels like he can win any tournament he gets into”.
Andrew Landry watches his tee shot on the seventh hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf championship at Oakmont Country Club on Thursday, June 16, 2016, in Oakmont, Pa. Mickelson would become only the sixth player in history to complete golf’s Grand Slam if he could win the U.S. Open. “So I’m looking forward to getting this U.S. Open under way”.
The American carded 78, with one triple bogey and another double.
“That was a bad one”, said Willett, who is seeking to emulate Jordan Spieth’s achievement a year ago by winning the first two majors of the season. Watson had three bogeys and five birdies through his first 10 holes – including a 49-foot birdie putt at the 10th – before parring his next four. I only played two rounds here, unfortunately, that year, and I played poorly. “I started from the 10th and played 10, 11, 12 and felt like I was eight over par already”.
Landry, playing in the second group to tee off at the 10th, made steady progress, moving to five-under through 13 holes. That left a big disparity in how many holes golfers in the 156-man field had to play Friday.
Offaly ace Lowry was on level par after 11 holes, and that’s where his day ended.
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In other notable groupings, former world number ones Lee Westwood and Luke Donald of England and Germany’s Martin Kaymer have been put together, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama will play with Spaniard Sergio Garcia and long-hitting American Dustin Johnson.
