Fast-paced afternoon fuels excellent first round at U.S. Open

The U.S. Open at Oakmont was hyped up as one of, if not the, hardest tournaments in the history of professional golf. With almost half-foot deep roughs and fairways shorter than ever, the U.S. Open presented itself as the premier competition in golf history.

And it delivered — sort of. 

The U.S Open certainly was tough for many golfers, including some premier players like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, who scored 4-over-par and 3-over-par, respectively. Former U.S. Open winner Justin Rose finished 7-over-par while Official World Golf Ranking’s No. 12-ranked player Shane Lowry carded a 9-over-par round. 

It did, however, offer more positive scores than expected. With some guessing that the winner would finish with a score above par, J.J. Spaun holds the lead at 4-under-par. The winning score will likely be close to above par. 

Shot of the afternoon, but was it a good thing?

The decision to choose Patrick Reed’s albatross on the 621-foot fourth hole was the easiest decision I have made all weekend. Despite his lack of recent success, Reed used his 3 wood and found the hole from 286 yards out. 

Reed had no idea he had made the shot, pointing down at the crowd to ask if the ball had gone in after hearing their cheers. He became the fourth person in U.S. Open history to make a double — the first since Nick Watney in 2012 — and first to make a double-eagle in the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Reed would end up struggling for the rest of the round, beginning with a bogey on the hole after his impressive shot. He amassed four bogeys through his round up until the 18th hole, entering at even par, then triple bogeying to finish 3-over-par.

Momentum up into tomorrow

There are only two golfers within the top 11 and ties after the first round who finished with back-to-back birdies — Denny McCarthy and Brooks Koepka.

Koepka will go into the second round two-under-par, while McCarthy, who dug himself out of a bad spot, finished his round at even par. Both golfers handled the tough conditions well, and due to their late start today, they hope to start the morning off strong. 

Best shot around the greens

Despite having quite a roller coaster of a round, J. T. Poston finished with an incredible shot to card a birdie. After a drive down the middle of the fairway, Poston’s second shot found the greenside bunker on the short-left side. He then chipped it in off one bounce and a quick roll into the hole, carding a 4-over-par on the round. 

Key Stat

Each of the last four U.S. Open champions finished in the top seven after the first round, which would notably include golfers such as J.J. Spaun, Thirston Lawrence, Brooks Koepka and Si Woo Kim at this year’s tournament.

Quotable

Koepka had time to reflect after his round on any missteps that kept him outside the top spot on the leaderboard. While he mentioned his own misfortune, he mostly focused on the first-round leader J.J. Spaun, who finished just two strokes above Koepka.

“I definitely think it was gettable. I think, if I don’t miss the three-footer, I’m at 3. And maybe [if I] put the ball in the fairway off 10, probably have a chance to shoot 4. I think I played pretty solid. So, yeah, I definitely can see 4. Listen, that’s a hell of a round; 4-under in a U.S. Open is pretty good.” – Brooks Koepka on J.J. Spaun