Golf-Spaun grabs U.S. Open clubhouse lead as McIlroy, DeChambeau struggle

The Star

21 hours ago

FILE PHOTO: Jun 11, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Scottie Scheffler chips on the tenth fairway during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images/File Photo
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -J.J. Spaun grabbed the first-round clubhouse lead at the U.S. Open on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club where Masters champion Rory McIlroy was eight shots back and tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler reached the turn six back.
Much of the talk this week has been how the notoriously challenging course would keep scores in check and, while the layout did bare its teeth, Spaun somehow managed to produce only the eighth bogey-free round in a U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Spaun, who lost to McIlroy in a playoff at The Players Championship in March, fired a four-under-par 66 in stifling conditions that marked his lowest round in a major.
"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 U.S. 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 while South Korean Kim Si-woo, whose birdie attempt at his final hole just missed the cup, was two shots off the pace.
Spaun, who started on the back nine, made his move early and reached the turn with four birdies on his card to become the first player ever to play his first nine holes in the opening round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont at 31 strokes or fewer.
From there, Spaun, whose best leaderboard rank after a major championship round is a share of 16th (2022 Masters), drained a number of big putts while stringing together nine consecutive pars to reach the clubhouse in control.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field this week and looking to become the first repeat U.S. 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 number two McIlroy made four bogeys over a seven-hole stretch out of the turn followed by a double-bogey at the par-three 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 number one 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.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who also went out late, made the fourth albatross in recorded U.S. 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.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)