Three weather delays postponed what could have been the moment of truth for the young Filipino golfer who was scheduled to play his first major championship at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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The second round of the U.S. Open has begun, even before the first one was officially in the books.
Landry warmed up by hitting about 50 putts, then finished his round with a 10-foot birdie for a 4-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Lee Westwood and Dustin Johnson.
And the world number 624 calmly holed out from 10 feet when play resumed yesterday to complete a four-under-par 66, the lowest first-round score in nine US Opens at Oakmont. Johnson, the heartbreak runner-up a year ago at Chambers Bay, didn’t make a bogey.
That seven-over par equals his worst ever opening round at this event, bringing back bad memories of 2012 when he missed the cut.
The 624th-ranked player in the world takes a one-shot lead into the second round, becoming the first player in 30 years to be the outright leader in his Open debut.
Even so, there was a clear advantage for those who first faced Oakmont on Friday morning when the rain was gone – there were no interruptions and the course remained soft by Oakmont standards.
Tied with Johnson for second place at 3 under par was Lee Westwood. Defending champion Jordan Spieth couldn’t break par either, shooting a 72.
Rory McIlroy had a 77, while Rickie Fowler shot 76.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth was one over after 11, with third-ranked 2011 victor Rory McIlroy four over alongside Masters champion Danny Willett. But the horn never blew, and his approach flew just high enough on a slope to zip back off the green, into a bunker. He came to Oakmont early to prepare.And then he started the U.S. Open by hitting only five fairways and eight greens.I think for me, the toughest thing is just trying to stay positive and not get too down on myself, McIlroy said.
“I didn’t shoot myself out of it”, Spieth said.
No. 1 Jason Day also had a bunker-to-bunker fiasco, at the 7th hole, leading to a double-bogey 6.
The only good news for the 27-year-old was that Thursday’s early starters would not start their second rounds until Saturday morning, after initially being given a start time of 8:54pm on Friday night – two minutes after sunset.
Rory McIlroy’s quest for a second U.S. Open title is off to a bumpy start. “I’ve had more chances (to win a major) at the Masters and the Open, but if look at my game, the US Open should suit me more than the others”.
The previous record for the opening round of the U.S. Open was 67, which was held by both Ben Hogan and Gary Player, according to an Arkansas Razorback press release.
“Being on top of the leaderboard is fine, ” he said.
Play was halted three times by storms Thursday before eventually being suspended.
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The surprise was Landry, who had to go through 18 holes of local qualifying and 36 holes of sectional qualifying to get into his first U.S. Open.
