Spaun grabs early U.S. Open lead, McIlroy two back
Jun 12, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Matt Vogt plays his shot from the first tee during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images REUTERS
Jun 12, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Bryson DeChambeau plays his shot from the tenth tee during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images REUTERS
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania - J.J. Spaun emerged as the surprise early first-round U.S. Open leader on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club where Rory McIlroy was two shots back, defending champion Bryson DeChambeau opened with a bogey and Scottie Scheffler had yet to start.
Spaun, who started on the back nine and completed 11 holes on the notoriously challenging Oakmont layout, was four under on the day without a bogey on his card and sat one shot clear of 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland (through eight holes).
McIlroy reached the turn bogey-free at two under and was part of a five-player group who were in a share of third place while DeChambeau was a further two shots adrift.
Much of the talk ahead of the U.S. Open was how Oakmont, with penal rough framing narrow fairways that lead to slick greens, would keep scores in check, and while many players struggled there was more red on the leaderboard than expected.
McIlroy picked up his first stroke at his second hole, the par-four 11th, where he walked in a 27-foot birdie moments after getting a good read on the putt from playing partner Justin Rose, who missed his attempt to the left.
The Northern Irishman followed that with his longest drive of the season, a monstrous 392-yard strike down the 12th fairway that got a helping hand by a generous bounce en route to a birdie that gave him a share of the early lead.
McIlroy followed that with a string of six pars.
DeChambeau got his title defence off to a shaky start with a bogey, got back to even par with a birdie at the fifth, moved into red figures with a birdie at the seventh where his approach shot settled six feet from the cup and then bogeyed the ninth.
Australian Adam Scott, whose 96th consecutive major start this week is the longest streak among active players, was two under through his first 10 holes and part of the group in a share of third place.
Tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler, who counts the PGA Championship among his three wins in his last four starts, will head out at 1:25 p.m. ET alongside two-times major winner Collin Morikawa and world number 14 Viktor Hovland. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Errani, Vavassori hope mixed doubles win earns respect for overlooked event
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 21, 2025 Italy's Sara Errani and Italy's Andrea Vavassori lift the trophy after winning the mixed doubles final match against Poland's Iga Swiatek and Norway's Casper Ruud REUTERS/Kylie Cooper NEW YORK - U.S. Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori hope they have earned respect for their event after overcoming a field packed with singles stars to successfully defend their title. The Italians held off six-times Grand Slam singles winner Iga Swiatek and three-times major finalist Casper Ruud 6-3 5-7 10-6 in the final in front of a raucous crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday. It was hardly the scene fans have come to expect of the event, which is often lost in a schedule dominated by singles action, as organisers moved the competition to its own place on the calendar during the week before the singles main draw. "These two days will be really important for doubles in the future," said Vavassori. "We showed that doubles players are great players and this product can grow." Organisers overhauled the format to feature eight entries based on combined singles rankings and eight wildcards, a move that produced a star-studded lineup and sent attendances surging but prompted an outcry from several top doubles players. Errani and Vavassori, who needed a wildcard entry despite being the defending champions, were among the critics and said they had been sceptical over whether organisers would extend an invite to them. The pair, who walked away with a hefty $1 million prize, have said repeatedly that they were playing for their fellow doubles players who did not get a place in the draw. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore Parliament releases seating plan for 15th term: Find out who is sitting where Singapore 3 people taken to hospital after fire at Bukit Purmei flat Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying classmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Police looking for car driver after hit-and-run incident with lorry in Kallang Singapore Alleged vape seller faces new charge after he was found with more than 190 Kpods Singapore Continuing to ensure credibility non-negotiable for Straits Times: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore There's no 'I' in team: What PM Wong's National Day Rally message means for Singapore Life Why should we bear the burden of budget meals and app discounts, some hawkers ask "We were the team that could lose everything," said Vavassori. "If we lose against (Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina in the first round), would not have been good a spot for doubles. I think everyone was thinking we would have lost against them. "So to prove they were wrong, it's something that was important for us." REUTERS
Business Times
3 minutes ago
- Business Times
No plans to bring Formula 1 GP back to Malaysia, sports minister says
[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia has no plans to bring back the annual Formula One (F1) race due to high sponsorship costs and a tight racing calendar, its sports minister Hannah Yeoh told parliament on Thursday (Aug 21). Malaysia previously hosted a leg of the F1 world championship at its Sepang International Circuit (SIC) between 1999 and 2017. Yeoh said the event would require a commitment of around RM300 million (S$91 million) annually for between three to five years, an amount that is more than double the government's development costs for 20 national sports programmes. Malaysia would also have to compete with other hosting countries in South-east Asia, such as neighbouring Singapore and Thailand, for a spot on the tournament calendar, Yeoh said. The Thai government in June approved a US$1.2 billion bid to host a F1 race in Bangkok in 2028. Malaysia, however, remains open to hosting the event if any private companies are willing to bear the costs, Yeoh said, adding that interested parties can get in touch with the SIC for further discussions. 'The Formula 1 is a prestigious sports event that is followed by fans around the world. So if we could afford it, it would be good to have it in Malaysia,' she said. State energy firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad, or Petronas, which is wholly-owned by the government, holds the naming rights to the SIC, which continues to host MotoGP races and other motorsports events. Reuters reported last year that Petronas was planning to bring F1 back to Malaysia in 2026, citing sources, though the company said that it had not held discussions to bring the race back to the SIC. REUTERS
Straits Times
33 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Sara Errani, Andrea Vavassori retain US Open mixed doubles title in revamped event
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani of Italy celebrate with their trophy after defeating Iga Swiatek of Poland and Casper Ruud of Norway during the US Open mixed doubles final. NEW YORK – In the end, it was experience and chemistry that won the day and not the star names. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori retained their US Open mixed doubles title on Wednesday, beating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud to claim the US$1 million top prize in the new-look competition that kicked off action at the last Grand Slam of the year. The Italians capped two days of intense work in the 16-team event with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 victory over Swiatek and Ruud – who were among a slew of singles stars drawn not only by the big purse but also by the chance to contest mixed doubles before singles action begins on Sunday. Poland's Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion ranked second in the world, battled through a two-hour tussle with Jasmine Paolini to win the Cincinnati Open on Monday then hot-footed it to New York to team up with Norway's Ruud in the revamped competition. Carlos Alcaraz, men's champion in Cincinnati, also turned out but he and British playing partner Emma Raducanu were eliminated, as was superstar Novak Djokovic, who teamed with fellow Serb Olga Danilovic. The star names drew big crowds but the chemistry between Italians Errani and Vavassori, cultivated over a two-year on-court partnership that also saw them win the French Open title this year, proved decisive. Errani hoped it showed that committed doubles teams – many of whom were shut out of the field – have plenty to offer. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore Parliament releases seating plan for 15th term: Find out who is sitting where Singapore 3 people taken to hospital after fire at Bukit Purmei flat Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying classmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Life Why should we bear the burden of budget meals and app discounts, some hawkers ask Singapore Continuing to ensure credibility non-negotiable for ST: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore There's no 'I' in team: What PM Wong's National Day Rally message means for Singapore Singapore Alleged vape seller faces new charge after he was found with more than 190 Kpods Business Great Eastern shares open at $13.50 after year-long suspension, bonus issue 'I think this one is also for all the doubles players that couldn't play this tournament,' she said as she and Vavassori accepted the trophy. 'I think this one is also for them.' Errani and Vavassori roared to a 4-1 lead in the opening set of the championship match and after Swiatek and Ruud regained one break, closed it on a confident hold from Vavassori. Down a break at 4-5 in the second, Swiatek and Ruud won three straight games to force the 10-point match tiebreaker. The Italians grabbed a 4-0 lead in the tiebreaker and held on. 'Congratulations,' Swiatek said at the trophy presentation. 'You proved that, I guess, mixed doubles players are smarter tactically than singles players. 'But we pushed until the end. We tried to make it competitive.' Ruud added: 'Congrats to Sara and Andrea. I guess there was some pressure on you guys when you came in being somewhat the favourites. You delivered. You played amazing. You fully deserve it.' The first three rounds – including the semi-finals on Wednesday night – were played with short sets with no-advantage scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set, before the final reverted to traditional sets with a 10-point match tiebreak. Swiatek and Ruud had clawed their way past top seeds Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper with a 3-5, 5-3, 10-8 semi-final victory, winning the last six points to advance. Errani and Vavassori romped past the American duo Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2 to reach the final. Vavassori admitted that he and Errani were on a 'mission' to prove themselves against the singles stars. But both relished the electric atmosphere under the lights on the jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium Court. 'It's the court where I feel goosebumps every time here,' Errani said. Vavassori also enjoyed the 'amazing atmosphere' and thanked organisers for putting mixed doubles in the spotlight. 'I have to say that we showed today that doubles is a great product,' he said. 'We are doing something in these two years... amazing. I think it was amazing to play on this court with so many people and I have to say thanks from the bottom of my heart for the atmosphere.' AFP, REUTERS
