Oakmont flexes its muscles against the world's best in opening round of the U.S. Open
The opening round of the 125th U.S. Open is in the books and Oakmont Country Club, as expected, flexed its muscles against some of the best golfers in the world.
Only 10 players out of the 156 in the field finished their first round under par as hot and dry conditions helped fuel the firm and fast fairways and greens at Oakmont, combined with the thick rough and deep bunkers.
J.J. Spaun recorded the lowest opening score round at -4 while Thriston Lawrence, Sungjae Im, Brooks Koepka, Si Woo Kim, James Nicholas, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Jon Rahm, Thomas Detry, and Ben Griffin rounded out the list of players to finish their day below par.
An additional nine players shot even par on the day where the scoring average across the field was 74.63, the highest first-round average at the U.S. Open since 2018.
Defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau shot a +3 score of 73 with three bogeys on the back nine after making the turn at even par.
DeChambeau said he wasn't fully on his game and was "pretty disappointed" with how he played.
J.J. Spaun fires bogey-free 66 to set early tone
For just the second time in the history of the U.S. Open at Oakmont, a player finished their opening round with a score of 66.
J.J. Spaun got off to a good start immediately Thursday, chipping in for birdie on the 10th hole.
The birdie kickstarted Spaun's round and sent him onto a front nine where he shot 31, the lowest opening nine holes played in Oakmont's ten U.S. Opens.
Spaun made four birdies in his first eight holes before making 10 consecutive pars to finish the day at -4.
"It kind of set the tone for how the day was going to go," Spaun said. "You're not really expecting to chip it in."
Spaun said the chip-in birdie was a nice way to start the day and he rode the momentum from the shot the rest of his way in for the bogey-free round.
In 2016, the only bogey-free round across the entirety of the U.S. Open at Oakmont was carded by Dustin Johnson in the opening round en route to his winning the tournament for his first major championship.
A couple of first-ever occasions at Oakmont
While bogey-free rounds have been recorded before at Oakmont, a few things happened out on the course that had never been done before in the ten U.S. Opens the fabled cathedral of the game has hosted.
Maxwell Moldovan had the crowds roaring early in the morning when his approach shot on his opening hole rolled into the cup for an eagle, the first time anyone ever made a two on the 1st hole in the history of the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
"It was a cool feeling," Moldovan said. "You never really draw up your first hole that way. You kind of try to go fairway, green, two-putt and get out of there."
Moldovan struggled following the opening hole eagle, shooting a +6 score of 76.
Shane Lowry matched that long distance energy later in the morning, holing out from the fairway on the 3rd hole, another feat that hadn't ever been achieved at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.
Lowry's eagle was the lone hole he played under par Thursday as he struggled to make his way around the course, carding a +9 score of 79 for the day.
Patrick Reed's double eagle on #4
Birdies and eagles can be very hard to come by at Oakmont, so you can imagine how rare it is for double eagles to be made, especially during the tough test of the U.S. Open.
Patrick Reed brought the crowds to their feet Thursday when he dunked his second shot on the Par 5 4th hole with a 3-wood from 287 yards in the fairway.
When the ball dropped into the cup, Reed didn't see it, throwing his hands in the air asking if it went in.
"I'd love to see it go in," Reed said after his round. "It's always fun watching the ball disappear. But hey, as long as it disappears, that's all that matters. I don't care if you see it or not. As long as it goes in the hole, that's all I really care about."
Reed's double eagle is just the fourth since the U.S. Open began recording stats in 1983 and the first at the U.S. Open since 2012.
A homecoming for Matt Vogt with a disappointing U.S. Open debut
Matt Vogt had the hometown crowds pulling for him in his opening round of the tournament, but had a forgettable day on the course.
Vogt, who is originally from the Pittsburgh area and a dentist by trade, carded an 82 with six bogeys and three double bogeys, shooting +12 on the day.
"I made some really bad mental errors early on," Vogt said. "It's hard out here because you can't make physical and mental mistakes. You can sometimes get away with one or the other, but you can't get away with both. You just get behind the eight ball out here and your head starts spinning. It's honestly what it feels like."
Vogt said that being back in his hometown with the crowd pulling for him has been incredible and he hopes to bring a lot of joy to Pittsburgh.
"I hope that I represented the city, Oakmont with pride today," Vogt said.
COMPLETE U.S. OPEN COVERAGE:
- PHOTOS: The opening round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club
- Phil Mickelson is playing in what could be his final U.S. Open this week
- PHOTOS: Practice rounds from the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club
- Oakmont's "magnificent" and "relentless" traits define why it's meant to host the U.S. Open
- It's going to be hot and sunny for the start of the U.S. Open
- The U.S. Open at Oakmont is going to be really hard. Here's what the players think about the course.
- Matt Vogt is embracing his emotions and chasing his dream of playing in the U.S. Open
- Here's some of the U.S. Open food and drink menu items at Oakmont Country Club
- From U.S. Open merchandise to concessions, here's what fans can expect at Oakmont
- Here's who has qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club
- Oakmont Country Club hoping for firm and fast conditions for the U.S. Open
- Oakmont Country Club "ready to rock" for U.S. Open after extensive course renovations
