Two shared the lead at 5 under and 15 players broke par, but nobody is expecting Pinehurst No. 2 to play easier as the week goes on.
PINEHURST, N.C. — The golf course delivered, as advertised. Pinehurst No. 2 rarely disappoints, and Thursday saw the usual bevy of bemusement as the U.S. Open got underway.
“I think we got lucky,” McIlroy said of the conditions. “There was a lot of humidity early in the day, and then there was quite a lot of cloud cover the whole way through the day so it kept the golf course from getting too fiery. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who finished second to Scheffler at the Masters but is still playing in just his third major championship, shot 66 to trail the leaders by a stroke. France’s Matthieu Pavon parlayed two eagles into a 67, a score later tied by Bryson DeChambeau—who finished second to Schauffele last month at the PGA Championship.
“I got the ball up and down on 7, made a bunch of putts inside 8 feet,” Cantlay said. “I think around this golf course, you're going to leave yourself putts inside 8 feet, that 4- to 8-foot range. It's important that you hole out. I did that well today.” For the second year in a row, McIlroy opened the U.S. Open with a 65, eventually finishing second to Wyndham Clark at Los Angeles Country Club. This is also the fourth time he has opened a major championship with a bogey-free round, the other three leading to victories at the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 PGA and the 2014 British Open.A good bit has changed since then, including McIlroy’s attitude toward playing in the championship.
“Just becoming more of a student of the game again, and I think because of that I've started to embrace golf courses like this and setups like this.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay share the lead at U.S. OpenRory McIlroy records his first bogey-free round in a major since winning one 10 years ago, taking a share of the early lead at the U.S. Open.
Read more »
2024 U.S. Open Day 1 Winners and Losers: Rory McIlroy Fires 65 to Share LeadRory McIlroy shares the lead with Patrick Cantlay, but they weren't the only players who should feel great (or not-so-great) after the opening round at the 2024 U.S. Open.
Read more »
Rory McIlroy Gets Back to Golf After Calling Off Divorce — but Still Without His Wedding BandRory McIlroy was back golfing after calling off his divorce from wife Erica Stoll, but was still without his wedding band as he practiced ahead of the U.S. Open
Read more »
Rory McIlroy Not Wearing Wedding Ring at U.S. Open 2024Despite calling off his divorce from wife Erica Stoll earlier this week, Rory McIlroy was not wearing his wedding ring when he teed off at the U.S. Open on Thursday
Read more »
2024 U.S. Open Live Bet: How to Bet Rory McIlroy vs. Xander Schauffele in Round 1Breaking down the odds and prediction for the head-to-head matchup between Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele at this week's U.S. Open.
Read more »
Rory McIlroy, wife Erica Stoll call off divorce a month after pro golfer filed for splitRory McIlroy and Erica Stoll file for voluntary dismissal of their Florida divorce case less than a month after their split was announced. They married in 2017.
Read more »