US Open first round – Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry prepare to get underway at Oakmont
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The US Open first round begins today at the unforgiving Oakmont course in Pennsylvania.
Irish hopefuls Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have been paired together for the first two rounds as McIlroy seeks to add a sixth major to his tally, while Offaly native Lowry bids to bridge a six-year gap to his one and only major win so far, the 2019 Open Championship.
Follow all the action as it happens here.
2 minutes ago
After riding the ecstatic highs of Masters glory and Grand Slam immortality, Rory McIlroy senses he must knuckle down again for a challenging US Open tournament:
Rory McIlroy admits he must forget Masters elation as he faces US Open 'brute'
Rory McIlroy believes he was entitled to a "grace period" after completing the career Grand Slam but admits he must develop temporary Masters 'amnesia' if he's to complete "unfinished business" at the US Open.
www.independent.ie
7 minutes ago
In terms of the weather outlook at Pennsylvania, it is expected to be mostly sunny and warm with mild gusts around 8km/h across the day. No doubt that'll come as welcome news to all 156 golfers as Oakmont is regarded as one of the US Open's toughest courses.
The 7,372-yard, par-70 layout is expected to challenge the best in the business over the coming days!
12 minutes ago
In case you missed it – Joe Molloy is joined by Conor McKeon and Brian Keogh in the Indo Sport Podcast studio where they preview the US Open, Scottie Scheffler's hot streak, Rory McIlroy's post-Masters struggles and Shane Lowry's previous Oakmont experiences:
17 minutes ago
Hello and welcome to another Independent.ie live blog covering the 2025 US Open from Oakmont, Pennsylvania. My name us Ultán Corcoran and I will be keeping you up to date with events as they unfold.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy tees off alongside his pal Shane Lowry and Justin Rose today. The trio will start round one from the 10th hole at 12:40 (Irish time). This is the 125th-edition of this major so buckle up and prepare for a thrilling few days of golfing action!
U.S. Open on Twitter / X
It's time to make history. pic.twitter.com/JQwu7IGuv7— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 12, 2025
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an hour ago
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The flag – Old Glory – lay against the flagpole close to the regal Oakmont Country Club clubhouse, barely moving, with just the occasional fluttering to indicate the sort of pet day faced by those 156 players who set out in search of their own glory in this 125th US Open. Yet, true to form, even with only a light breeze, the majority of players struggled to combat a course that asked one tough question after another from start-to-finish so that many players looked drained, physically and mentally, when their day's work was done. JJ Spaun was one of the exceptions. 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Bit odd, that, because I don't like missing events when I get opportunities, but that's the unfortunate thing of having a South African passport,' he explained. Clearly, the disruption didn't linger as he produced a strong first round 67 to move into early contention. Koepka, for his part, recounted how a stern talking-to from his coach Pete Cowen was partly responsible for a change of attitude. 'It was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time. It's not the first time he's done it. I don't like having yes people around me. I just want somebody to tell me the truth, tell me what's going on, what they see. If I start swaying from being Brooks Koepka, then I want someone to call me out on it, and he did a helluva job on it,' said Koepka of the talking-to earlier in the week from coach Cowen.
