W.Inged Foot wasn’t the fearsome monster we all expected yesterday. More than 20 players were below average thanks to relatively receptive greens and favorable pin positions.
Justin Thomas looked extremely handsome en route to a five-under-65-year-old, showing the usual power of the tee coupled with impeccable distance control on his approaches. Rory McIlroy is a similar style of player, and his accurate driving prepared him for a straight three-under-67 player.
McIlroy could benefit from the so-called “diaper factor” as a new dad, and the same goes for Thomas Pieters, who enjoyed a much-needed return to shape with a four-under-66 year old.
“In the first round of a major, you always strive to play well and I may have thought about it sometimes,” said McIlroy. “I just went out and took what I was given a little more relaxed and played really well.
“I think if you can get off to a good start at a US Open, you don’t hunt as much. And when you hunt on US Open golf courses, you can start making mistakes and exacerbating your mistakes.”
The north winds are expected to pick up today and the USGA has the option to turn on the under-air system to pull the moisture from the greens.
McIlroy and Tiger Woods will get a lot of attention among the later starters, but big hitters Matt Wolff, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson, as well as Pieters, are already on the court.
Woods had a mixed round yesterday, carding only six pars, five birdies, six bogeys and one double bogey in an upside-down round. Woods hasn’t done well in a long time on a long course defended by thick rough, and New York’s cool September conditions aren’t ideal for his stiff back either. He has to find a way to keep it on the short lawn to make sure he makes the weekend.
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