OAKMONT, Pennsylvania Defending champion Jordan Spieth was happy to be “still in it” as a contender for the U.S. Open, despite not getting the score he felt he deserved on Friday after a marathon first round.
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RORY MCILROY’S HOPES of winning a second US Open were sent reeling at rain-hit Oakmont on Friday when a disastrous three-bogey finish to his first round saw him limp off the course with a seven-over 77. Even for those who’ve made all the other adjustments required to contend, the impromptu schedule here has messed with their dining and sleeping routines.
Like he even had to ask.
Third-ranked Rory McIlroy topped that with a 77, dropping shots at his last three holes on Friday, and the 2011 U.S. Open champion’s playing partners fared little better. “That being said, I had a couple of good saves in there”. “He’s going to be tough to beat, but I’ll give it a shot”.
For all of Johnson’s chances in the majors – four of them and counting – he has the remarkable capacity to move on. Lee Westwood finished his first round at 3-under.
Johnson, who had a 12-foot putt to win the championship past year only to three putt to miss a playoff, shot 67 in the morning.
McIlroy appeared to be turning the corner last month when he rallied with two fairway metals that led to birdie and eagle over the final three holes to win the Irish Open. He still hasn’t made a birdie on a par 5.
Andrew Landry spent only a few minutes on the course.
Landry’s name already has been written in the history books, as his score of 66 was the lowest first round score in the history of the U.S. Open, and the lowest at Oakmont in competitive play.
He may have another one this weekend at the U.S. Open, where he’s earned five Top 10s since making his debut in 1997 at Congressional.
Summerhays is the nephew of former PGA Tour player Bruce Summerhays.
Thursday’s opening round had been destined to spill over into Friday after a weather delay in mid-morning of just over an hour and a quarter while a line of storms passed through the area.
After rain stopped play on Thursday, all Landry had left was a birdie putt on his 18th hole to finish the round.
Sergio Garcia, who also knows his share of heartache in the majors, stayed with Johnson as best he could.
Johnson once again finds himself in position to capture his first major title, and he feels good about the way he played on Friday.
Johnson thought he played the birdie putt perfectly, but he watched it shoot 6 feet past the hole.
Garcia was at 2-under 138, along with Scott Piercy, who also went 68-70.
“I’ve got to be careful here because a lot of my mom’s family are Welsh”, Westwood said. I hit irons off the tee on the first three holes and missed three fairways. “It’s a US Open”.
“It has just been a really, really long day on a really tough golf course”, said Lee Slattery, even after two rounds, speaking for most of the players in the field. Felt like I rolled the putter really nicely too.
More than just his long ball, one of Johnson’s greatest assets is a short memory.
On the course, other stars were struggling. Phil Mickelson was in danger of missing the cut for the second straight time at Oakmont. He honed his game along the Texas coast, once shooting a 58 while doing two loops around a nine-hole track not far from his childhood home affectionately known by the locals as “the Pea Patch”.
“We work really closely with both Fox and the USGA to determine the most strategic angles for the broadcast while not trying to impede the play”, Allen said.
I think the U.S. Open just suits my game so well that I’m just able to manage these things because I’m not a guy that’s going to go out and shoot 60 and 61 and 62, Landry said.
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What do you do when your dad is playing 36 holes of golf in one day? He went his first 27 holes without a bogey, and hit 31 of 36 greens.
