It was an abnormal first day at Oakmont with three historic shots by Shane Lowry, Maxwell Moldovan and Patrick Reed, but even more abnormal than the insane approach shots are the names that are not atop the leaderboard and in jeopardy of getting cut. 

After the first round, Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau are both 3-under-par and one stroke above the cut line. Rory McIlroy is below the cut line at 4-under-par and in jeopardy of missing the weekend for the second consecutive Major Championship after winning the Masters in dramatic fashion earlier this year.

Can the three make it to Saturday and Sunday and contend for another Major Championship on the belt, or will they have a short weekend in the suburbs of the Steel City? Only time will tell.

Here’s what went wrong for them and what the future might hold:

Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler’s 3-over-par was the worst round he has had in a Major Championship this season by far. Today was the first time Scheffler shot over par in a Major Championship in 2025. 

On Thursday, Scheffler most notably struggled with putting and hitting fairways throughout the course. He ranked No. 82 in strokes gained putting with +0.11 and No. 79 in strokes gained off the tee with +0.07.

Oakmont got the best of the best player in the game, according to the Official World Golf Rankings. However, all hope is not lost for Scheffler — he’s a three-time Major Champion and is no stranger to adversity. 

“I just need to give myself some more looks at birdie. That’s really all it came down to,” Scheffler said. “I’ll clean up some of those mistakes, a couple [of] three-putts and stuff like that, and I think tomorrow will be a better day.”

All water finds its level, and Scheffler knows that. He ranks No. 1 in strokes gained off the tee on the PGA Tour and No. 25 in strokes gained putting. Scheffler should improve and make the cut with ease, but there are no guarantees in the game of golf. 

Bryson DeChambeau 

DeChambeau is known for his long drive ability, and that helps at Oakmont, giving him closer shots than everyone else besides maybe Rory McIlroy. But on Thursday, that driver didn’t matter, because he was god-awful on and around the greens. 

He didn’t make a single putt that was outside of 6’6”, and he struggled inside 6’6” — which is almost always made by professionals — by missing two important putts, which would have made his round look a lot better. His putting and around the green play ranked No. 127 and No. 119, respectively. 

“Just got to get the putting a little bit more dialed, and I’ll be right there,” DeChambeau said. “Because 3-over could have easily been 2-under today.”

On the LIV Tour, DeChambeau ranks No. 8 in putting with 1.58 putts per hole, and in the first round, he averaged two putts per hole. If his putter returns to form, he will make the cut and possibly contend to win the tournament. If not, he may miss his first cut in a Major Championship this season.
Rory McIlroy

At the start of the first round, it looked as if McIlroy was back to the same McIlroy we saw in The Masters by firing a 2-under-par 33 in the first nine holes. But once he made his way back across the PA Turnpike, everything he built up was gone.
After the first round, McIlroy sits outside the cutline at 4-over-par. His biggest issue on Thursday was with his iron and wedge game from distance, ranking No. 133 with -1.75 strokes gained on approach.
If McIlroy had his best nine as his second nine, there’s legit reason to say everything is fine with McIlroy, and he figured it out late in the day. But the opposite happened — he shot a 6-over-par 41 on his back nine, and no one can say they have confidence in McIlroy to make the cut after what they saw in the late morning and early afternoon.

However, the beauty of sports is that anything can happen. Oakmont isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s scorable, and each of these three stars of the game — who were the top-three betting favorites coming into Thursday — can easily win another Major Championship at Oakmont on Sunday

“Look at the U.S. Open. Especially, you look at a tournament they had at Shinnecock where guys are barely making the cut and all of a sudden they have one good round and they’re back in the tournament,” Scheffler said. “When you’re playing these types of tests that are this challenging, there’s usually still a way to score.”