Solid enough: Ryan Fox has mixed opening round at US Open

RNZ News

21 hours ago

Ryan Fox plays a shot from the bunker on the third hole during the first round of the US Open at Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania, on June 12, 2025.
Photo:
AFP
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has had a mixed opening round at the US Open in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, sitting six strokes off the clubhouse lead.
Fox, who won his way into a place in the field with
his heart-stopping Canadian Open play-off victory on Monday
, played a mostly steady round to finish 2-over par, with one major hiccup, a double bogey on the 14th hole.
He started well with a birdie on the par-4 second hole, but immediately negated that with a bogey on the third.
He nailed a long putt to birdie the par-3 sixth and then had a run of four pars before striking trouble with a bogey on the 11th.
Worse was to come with the double bogey on the par-4 14th, which dropped him back to 2-over.
He recovered to par the final four places on the challenging Oakmont Country Club course that caused problems for most players, including Masters champion Rory McIlroy and tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler.
With plenty of players still to finish their round, Fox was tied for 38th, six strokes behind JJ Spaun, who was the early clubhouse leader and hadn't been overtaken by the time Fox finished.
McIlroy was eight shots back after a challenging 4-over round, while Scheffler finished 3-over.
Fox had predicted before the tournament it would be tough going on the fickle course.
"I've seen enough stuff on social media and talked to a couple of guys that went early this week and it sounds like it's going to be a beat-up, which will be fun,'' he said.
"It's going to be a little different from [the Canadian Open]. I don't think 18-under is going to be needed. I like that style of golf, maybe not every week, but it is fun to play every now and again and you know that par is a good score."
Spaun, who lost to McIlroy in a playoff at The Players Championship in March, fired a 4-under-par 66 in stifling conditions that marked his lowest round in a major, Reuters reported.
"I hit a lot of good shots and tried to capitalise on any birdie opportunities, which aren't very many out here," said Spaun. "But I scrambled really well, too, which is a huge component to playing well at a US Open, let alone shoot a bogey-free round.
"I'm just overly pleased with how I started the tournament."
South African Thriston Lawrence birdied the penultimate hole and got to the clubhouse one shot back of Spaun.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field this week and looking to become the first repeat US Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, spent too much time in Oakmont's penal rough and opened with a 73.
"It was a brutal test of golf. But one that I'm excited for tomorrow," said DeChambeau. "If I just tidy up a couple of things and get some momentum going my way, we'll see where it goes."
McIlroy, still looking to regain the form that helped him complete the career Grand Slam in April, started from the 10th hole and made two early birdies and reached the turn two shots back of Spaun before a wayward second nine.
World No.2 Mcllroy made four bogeys over a seven-hole stretch out of the turn followed by a double-bogey at the par-3 eighth where he left his tee shot in the thick rough and failed to get out on his first attempt. He signed for a 74.
Red-hot world No.1 Scheffler, who counts the PGA Championship among his three wins in his last four starts, went out with the late starters and reached the turn at two over after mixing four bogeys with two birdies. He had one birdie and two bogeys on his closing nine to finish 3-over.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who also went out late, made the fourth albatross in recorded US Open history when his second shot at the 621-yard par-five fourth landed on the green and trickled in to move into the mix.
- RNZ Sport/Reuters