Great breakthrough for McIlroy at 4. He throws his shot at the thick stuff down the left. But he pulled it so hard that the ball whistled in the gallery and landed on a patch of trampled grass. This allows him to draw one into the heart of the green without too much drama. He still has a difficult 30-foot descent for a birdie and he would catch up with both hands, but overall he will be quite happy with his situation, given how wild his driving was.
Updated at 16.14 BST
Only 18 players below face value at the moment. Not many birds to report. Just like the USGA likes it.
Brandon Grace from South Africa is four to nine. Photo: Jared C Tilton / Getty Images
Updated at 16.14 BST
Another face value for McIlroy, this time at 3. He’s a little excited to see his slider from right to left 15 feet out. Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa bogeys 13, after pushing his approach wide to the right, then missed five feet to save steam. This means that Matthew NeSmith is ahead alone, although he retains the lead with the skin of his teeth, frantically racing a long birdie putt six feet later at 14, but makes a very missed one returns.
-3: NeSmith (14) -2: Morikawa (13), Lingmert (13 *), McIlroy (12 *), Neiman (11), Hagestad -a- (9)
A three-stroke hit for amateur Stuart Hagestad at 9 and it was fun to think of a repeat of 1913 as it continued. It returns to -2. Here is the legendary David Davis for the famous punch and catch of Francis Wimet.
Another sensational fight by Rory McIlroy! He spends his shot in 2 well to the right of the green, in the tall, thick fescue. He does well when he rises to 12 feet, the best he can do. But he remains with a slightly oscillating blow down to save his money. He hits it confidently and performs a few small fist presses, realizing how big this kind of momentum can save the US Open. Speaking of which, Colin Morikawa misinterpreted the interruption of a 20-foot birdie putt at 12, leaving himself tingling nerves. No problem! He continued in it and he maintained the lead at -3 with Matthew NeSmith and Ouimet de nos jours, Stuart Hagestad.
Stuart Hagestad was a low-level amateur at Masters 2017. A financial analyst who is currently studying for an MBA, he wants to achieve something similar here this week. He followed the birds at 5 and 7 with another at 8 – the last prize for a wonderful long-distance bunker up to three feet – and joined the lead group! Francis Wimet, known as the winner here in 1913, was an amateur. Just saying’.
-3: NeSmith (12), Morikawa (11), Hagestad -a- (8) -2: Lingmert (11 *), McIlroy (10 *), Neiman (9)
Joaquin Neiman watched in horror at Southern Hills last month as his friend and compatriot Mito Pereira squandered his chance to win the PGA Championship with this silly, overly aggressive game from a teenager of 18. Neiman has always been the player most likely to win. the title of Chile’s first major title, however. After starting with bogey at 1 today, he returned in style, followed by a birdie at 6 with a stunning eagle at 8, hitting his second from 210 yards on four feet and making no mistake with the short shot. Joins the group of -2.
The wind is getting stronger. Nothing too serious, but it’s expected to get even fresher for the second wave this afternoon, reaching 20 mph, with gusts up to 25. In 2002, Sky PGA champion Rich Beam suggested that shouldn’t be too much change in the game, provided the greens don’t tighten drastically.
Rory McIlroy turns 33. He walks in a gentle 20-foot from left to right at 18, and the Canadian Open champion looks in the mood for his first major since 2014. And again, how many times have we said that since, uh, 2014, so let’s not create unnecessary expectations for him yet. Early days, all this. However, he is -2, only one above the speed set by Matthew NeSmith and Colin Morikawa.
Jordan Spieth is moving in the right direction. Birdie is 9 and after firing three shots in the first four holes, he will be insane in the turn for 36 shots. The 2015 champion is +1 and in one way or another is never anything but fun.
Slow start for PGA runner-up Will Zalaris. The 25-year-old Californian has a mixed record at the US Open: missed cuts in 2018 and last year, but finished in the top six of the Winged Foot in 2020, when he made one ace in the first round and almost six more holes more. late. Bogeys at 1 and 4, although he just repaired some of the damage with a birdie at 7. He’s +1.
They are not in the leading group for a long time. Colin Morikawa made 15-feet on 9, then Matthew NeSmith scored a 20-foot on the thin 122-yard pair-three-11th. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm is moving in the other direction after bogey at 9, the penalty for sending his approach into the sand on the right. The great Spaniard slipped to -1.
-3: NeSmith (11), Morikawa (9) -2: Lingmert (9 *), Homa (8), Munoz (7)
Colin Morikawa is making good progress in the beginning. Photo: Erik S Lesser / EPA
Updated at 14.57 BST
Several new members join the lead group. Max Homa, after starting his round with bogey, makes three birds on four holes at 5, 6 and now 8. He will probably feel that he must have the lead entirely for himself after missing a curling iron from right to left of ten feet for an eagle, but this is the US Open, let’s not get too greedy. Meanwhile, David Lingmert recalls the hectic days of 2015, when he started the PGA with 67, releasing his second bird of the day from a distance of 18.
Rory McIlroy tells his first bird of the day. He sends his blow with the tee in pairs of 17 to 20 feet. His shot seems to be on the high side, but he turns sharply to the right just before he reaches the hole and falls. The 2011 champion is -1 after completing the most difficult section of the track. Meanwhile, a double hit with three strokes for Russell Henley at 15 and he returns to the pair-level package.
If Chilean Mito Pereira had not been blown up in the 72nd hole of the PGA last month, South America would have had its third major champion after Argentina’s Roberto De Vicenza and Angel Cabrera. Maybe Sebastian Munoz can do it instead? The 29-year-old Colombian followed the bird at 3 with a tram at 6 to join the leading group in the -2 … group, which now includes defending champion John Ram, who is almost ahead of the 8th pair-five with a long tramp right to left, but content with his bird.
-2: NeSmith (9), Morikawa (8), Ram (8), Munoz (6), Henley (5 *)
Jordan Spieth continues to fight and have fun to the same extent. After missing the green field on par-three 6th a few miles to the right for his fourth mascot of the day, he twisted his approach 7 to 5 feet and rolled into a birdie putt. Only one face value for Spieth during his first seven holes and he is +2.
One of the aforementioned 15 birdie-pars for Rory McIlroy. He scores his shot with a tee at 15 in a thick oomska on the right. Forced to pull it out, he leaves himself with a 15-foot kick down to save his money … and rolls it confidently in the center of the bowl. This is his second good fight: he got into trouble on the right at 13, but found the front of the two-stage green and made a lot of test steam with two strokes. McIlroy is currently playing with the confidence of a man who came out of the final round of 62 and won the Canadian Open last week.
Abraham Anser finished in the top ten at the PGA last month. The 31-year-old Mexican will not repeat his heroism from Southern Hills this week. He is forced to retire after falling ill, and Patton Kizir will take his place. Ricky Fowler is the next taxi in the rank if anyone else retires.
Matthew NeSmith has no record in specialties. Well, that’s not quite true: the missed game of the 2015 US Open in Chambers Bay and that’s all for the 28-year-old South Carolina. But now he is the joint leader of this one. Part of the second group came out early this morning, he followed the bird at 5 with another on par-pet 8th. Meanwhile, on the other nominal fifth in Brooklyn, 14th, Xander Schaufele spins in a ten-footer to go -1.
-2: NeSmith (8), Morikawa (7), Henley (4 *)
It was a solid start for Rory McIlroy. Four parts, 10 to 13, for what some claim is the most challenging part of the course. McIlroy is paired with Xander Schaufele and Hideki Matsuyama. Schaufele – who has never finished lower than seventh in his five US Open appearances – has so far equaled Rory’s shot. Not so for the 2021 Masters champion Matsuyama, who followed the birdie at 11 with a double strike with three strokes at 12. He is +1.
Rory McIlroy starts on the 12th. Photo: Charlie Riedel / AP
Updated at 14.11 BST
Jon Rahm warmed the launcher. Back to back birds at 5 and 6, and he is in red figures for a short time. He is -1. The defending champion travels with Colin Morikawa today; the Open champion leaves his take-shot in par-three, 6th short and right, but slips out of the thick cabbage four feet away and mixes up his pair. This is the US Open and more often these babies feel like birds. He remains in the lead with Russell Henley at -2.
2015 champion Jordan Spiet is currently demonstrating the benefits of finding the fairway. He has never been the most accurate of these, he has not hit one yet and as a result he has missed shots at 1, 3 and 4. This week he will need all his climbing genius and he also demonstrates this by becoming up and down from the sand at the short pair-four 5th to go back to +2. Spieth’s combined score for the last four opening rounds of the US Open is +18. He will have to walk a bit to break this surprisingly terrible record today.
Colin Morikawa quickly joins Henley at the top. The reigning Open champion could be very dangerous here this week, with play in the approach coming first compared to Brooklyn’s often small and heavily guarded greens. The best iron player in the world …
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