J.J. Spaun leads U.S. Open at Oakmont on a wild day of great shots and shockers

National Post

20 hours ago

OAKMONT, Pa. — J.J. Spaun played a surprisingly steady hand Thursday among a wild mix of rare shots and some shockers at Oakmont, playing bogey-free on America's toughest course for a 4-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the U.S. Open.
Article content
Patrick Reed made an albatross — only the fourth in the U.S. Open since it starting tracking such records in 1983 — by holing out from 286 yards on the par-5 fourth. He finished with a triple bogey. Shane Lowry made the first eagle on the par-4 third hole at Oakmont. He shot a 79.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Scottie Scheffler made more bogeys in one round (5) than he usually makes in a tournament and had his highest start (73) at a U.S. Open.
Article content
Through all that high entertainment, Spaun went out in the morning with hardly a fuss and nary a bogey.
Article content
He matched the low opening round in U.S. Opens at Oakmont _ Andrew Landry also shot 66 the last time here in 2016 — and it was no mystery. Good putting never fails at any U.S. Open, and Spaun holed five par putts ranging from 7 feet to 16 feet to go along with four birdies.
Article content
'I didn't really feel like I'm going to show a bogey-free round 4 under. I didn't really know what to expect especially since I've never played here,' said Spaun, playing in only his second U.S. Open. 'But yeah, maybe sometimes not having expectations is the best thing, so I'll take it.'
Article content
Oakmont lived up to its reputation with a scoring average of about 74.6 despite a course still relatively soft from rain and moderate wind that didn't stick around for long.
Article content
And oh, that rough.
Article content
Just ask Rory McIlroy, although he chose not to speak for the fifth straight competitive round at a major since his Masters victory. He had to hack out three times on the fourth hole to get it back to the fairway, and then he holed a 30-foot putt for a most unlikely bogey. He shot 74.
Article content
'Even for a guy like me, I can't get out of it some of the times, depending on the lie,' Bryson DeChambeau said after a 73. 'It was tough. It was a brutal test of golf.'
Article content
The start of the round included Maxwell Moldovan holing out for eagle on the 484-yard opening hole. Toward the end, Tony Finau hit an approach just over the green, off a sprinkler head and into the grandstand, his Titleist marked by green paint of the sprinkler. He saved par.
Article content
Article content
As the first round was headed for a conclusion — more than 13 hours of golf — only 10 players managed to break par. That's one fewer than the opening round in 2016.
Article content
Scheffler, the heavy favorite as the No. 1 player in the world who had won three of his last four tournaments by a combined 17 shots, made a 6-foot birdie putt on his second hole. Then he found the Church Pew bunkers on the third and fourth holes, made bogey on both and was never under the rest of the day.