Journeyman leads as many of golf's best struggle in first round of US Open

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16 hours ago

OAKMONT, Pa. — Raise your hand if you predicted that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, winner of three of his last four starts, including the PGA and Memorial, would make six bogeys and shoot 3-over par in the opening round of the U.S. Open on Thursday at Oakmont.
Raise it again if you figured Rory McIlroy, fresh off his Masters victory to complete the career Grand Slam, for a 4-over 76 after shooting 41 on his back nine.
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Raise it again if you thought defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who's seemingly found the answer at major championships, would struggle to a 3-over 73.
And again if you predicted a 9-over 79 for Shane Lowry, who not only entered the week in good form but finished runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
And yet again if you saw Dustin Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open winner at Oakmont, for a 5-over 75.
Surely, you picked J.J. Spaun, whose best finish in the eight major championships he's played was a tie for 23rd three years ago at the PGA, to be the first-round leader he is after shooting a 4-under 66.
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Right?
All kidding aside, don't sleep on the 34-year-old, late-bloomer Spaun, who's having the year of his career, having finished runner-up to McIlroy at The Players and raising his ranking and profile in the process.
Spaun leads South African Thriston Lawrence (3-under 67) by one shot and two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im (2-under 68) by two shots.
Scottie Scheffler, hitting out of the bunker, shot a 3-over 73 in the first round of the U.S. Open on June 12, 2025. Getty Images
Behind them are five players at 1-under, including former U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm and Ben Griffin.
Sure, Oakmont didn't produce a stacked, star-studded leaderboard at the top through 18 holes, but then, we're only 18 holes in. Long way to go.
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And, it should be noted that some superstars lurk at even par, including major winners Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott.
As for Spaun, he found his game (and guile) at The Players Championship in March — even in losing to McIlroy in a playoff.
Rory McIlroy, wearing a disappointed expression on the 11th green, shot a 4-over 74 in the first round of the U.S. Open. Getty Images
'I don't know why this is happening at this point in my career, but I guess being kind of put in that spot at The Players, I was leading going into the final round of the Sony Open, I finished second at Cognizant … I've been consistently right there,'' Spaun said. 'The Players was sort of a spring into the self-belief because it wasn't like I faked it. You can maybe fake it at the Sony and Cognizant or whatever, but you can't do that at The Players, a course where I'd never done well historically.
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'And to go head-to-head with Rory on Sunday and then the playoff was great for my confidence. Unfortunately, I didn't win, but it was great for me to lean back on that experience and know that I can perform on the biggest of stages and handle the pressure.''
Spaun pointed to The Players as the line of demarcation for his performance and confidence surge.
'I used to be kind of scared to want the ball or have the lead or be the one that everyone is chasing,'' he said. 'I always was comfortable kind of being a chaser than the one being chased.''
J.J. Spaun, hitting a shot into the 16th green, shot a 4-under 66 to grab the first-round lead at the U.S. Open. Getty Images
He referenced 'a really rough Sunday at Memphis like three years ago that kind of gave me some scar tissue.''
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'I was like, 'You need to embrace this, stop being scared,' '' he said. 'That's what all the great players want.''
If Spaun is going to carry this through the finish line, at least 54 holes from now, he's going to have to overcome some great players.
He's trying to duplicate his 'mantra'' at The Players, saying, 'I'm trying to feel like I have nothing to lose. That's the way I felt at The Players, so I'm going to roll with that again this week. And hopefully it'll turn out more in my favor.''
Jordan Spieth, playing a shot on the seventh tee, shot even-par in the first round of the U.S. Open. Getty Images
If there's a textbook U.S. Open round to be played, Spaun executed it to perfection. Of the 156 players in the field, he was the only one to submit a clean scorecard.
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For proper context on how difficult Oakmont has been and still is, Spaun's round was only the eighth bogey-free round ever in a U.S. Open at Oakmont — and this is the 10th of those.
The last player to play a round bogey-free at a U.S. Open at Oakmont?
Bryson DeChambeau, looking down after missing a putt on the 16th hole, shot 3-over 73 in the first round of the U.S. Open. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Johnson in the first round in 2016 before he went on to win it.
A good omen.
'All you've been hearing is how hard this place is,'' Spaun said. 'It's hard to not hear the noise and see what's on social media. So, I was actually pretty nervous. But I actually tried to harness that, the nerves, the anxiety, because it kind of heightens my focus, makes me swing better.
'I came out here with no prior history at Oakmont, not really knowing what to expect even U.S. Open-wise.''
Sometimes, what you don't know won't hurt you.