Tom Kim provided a strong indication of what was to come as records continued to tumble in the 123rd US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Kim equalled the tournament record when he raced to the turn in just 29 shots on Saturday, the 20-year-old from South Korea making birdies on the first, third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth.
Another birdie on the 10th took Kim to seven under for the day and four off the lead, but the back nine continued to provide a stiffer test and Kim dropped three shots in the space of four holes before eventually signing for a 66.
One of Kim’s dropped shots came at the par-three 15th, which had become the shortest hole in modern US Open history at just 80 yards.
The previous shortest hole in the US Open was the famous seventh at Pebble Beach – 92 yards in the final round in 2010 – but anyone expecting a fourth hole-in-one of the week on the 15th could be disappointed.
Two-time major winner Thomas wrote on Twitter: “Fifteen is interesting…guys playing early have a chance to hold that section I think. But this afternoon (dominantly downwind), I don’t see a ball holding at it.
“Watch for many guys to one hop it over the back. I think the play is to hit a big cut spinner off that middle slope.
“With how fast the greens will play, it has a chance to get down within 5-10 feet. Will be a spicy one for sure!”
Thomas missed the cut on Friday after rounds of 73 and 81 left him 152nd in the 156-man field and admitted his performance was “humiliating and embarrassing”.
“I was playing the best I’ve played in a really long time this week, so (it’s a) funny game, man,” Thomas told the Golf Channel.
“It can leave you speechless, both good and bad, and right now it’s unfortunate. But once I’m able to reflect and figure out what I can learn and get better from, it’ll end up good. But it sucks right now.”
Thomas won his second US PGA Championship 13 months ago at Southern Hills, but has not tasted victory since and the former world number one has slipped to 16th in the rankings.
“I’ll figure it out,” he added. “I have another major left (this season).
“If I go win the British Open, nobody even remembers that I’ve missed the cut by a zillion here, so I’ve just got to find a way to get better and learn from this and if I can, I don’t have to look at this week as a total failure.”
Next month’s Open Championship will be staged at Royal Liverpool and Rory McIlroy revealed watching the highlights of his victory there in 2014 had influenced his approach this week.
“For whatever reason I went on to YouTube a few weeks ago and was looking back at Hoylake 2014 and I could not believe how many irons and three woods I was hitting off the tee and it set something off in my mind,” said McIlroy, who headed into the third round two shots behind leader Rickie Fowler.
“You know how to do this, you know how to play smart. You don’t have to take driver all the time – yes it’s a big weapon but I feel like I have more weapons in my arsenal than I did then so I may as well use them.”
Asked how much he wanted to win another major after a drought of almost nine years, McIlroy added: “I started thinking about winning this thing on Monday and no one wants me to win another major more than I do.
“The desire is obviously there. I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years and I keep coming back.
“I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, whether I get rewarded or punched in the gut, I’ll always keep coming back.”
Coincidentally, Fowler was joint second behind McIlroy at Hoylake in a year in which he finished in the top five in all four majors, and was also third behind McIlroy in the following month’s US PGA.
Justin Thomas predicted that the shortest hole in modern US Open history would prove “spicy” as records continued to tumble at Los Angeles Country Club.
Two days after Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele both shot 62 to record the lowest score in championship history, the par-three 15th was set to play to just 80 yards during Saturday’s third round.
The previous shortest hole in the US Open was the famous seventh at Pebble Beach – 92 yards in the final round in 2010 – but anyone expecting a fourth hole-in-one of the week on the 15th could be disappointed.
Two-time major winner Thomas wrote on Twitter: “Fifteen is interesting…guys playing early have a chance to hold that section I think. But this afternoon (dominantly downwind), I don’t see a ball holding at it.
“Watch for many guys to one hop it over the back. I think the play is to hit a big cut spinner off that middle slope.
“With how fast the greens will play, it has a chance to get down within 5-10 feet. Will be a spicy one for sure!”
Thomas missed the cut on Friday after rounds of 73 and 81 left him 152nd in the 156-man field and admitted his performance was “humiliating and embarrassing”.
“I was playing the best I’ve played in a really long time this week, so (it’s a) funny game, man,” Thomas told the Golf Channel.
“It can leave you speechless, both good and bad, and right now it’s unfortunate. But once I’m able to reflect and figure out what I can learn and get better from, it’ll end up good. But it sucks right now.”
Thomas won his second US PGA Championship 13 months ago at Southern Hills, but has not tasted victory since and the former world number one has slipped to 16th in the rankings.
“I’ll figure it out,” he added. “I have another major left (this season).
“If I go win the British Open, nobody even remembers that I’ve missed the cut by a zillion here, so I’ve just got to find a way to get better and learn from this and if I can, I don’t have to look at this week as a total failure.”
Next month’s Open Championship will be staged at Royal Liverpool and Rory McIlroy revealed watching the highlights of his victory there in 2014 had influenced his approach this week.
“For whatever reason I went on to YouTube a few weeks ago and was looking back at Hoylake 2014 and I could not believe how many irons and three woods I was hitting off the tee and it set something off in my mind,” said McIlroy, who headed into the third round two shots behind leader Rickie Fowler.
“You know how to do this, you know how to play smart. You don’t have to take driver all the time – yes it’s a big weapon but I feel like I have more weapons in my arsenal than I did then so I may as well use them.”
Asked how much he wanted to win another major after a drought of almost nine years, McIlroy added: “I started thinking about winning this thing on Monday and no one wants me to win another major more than I do.
“The desire is obviously there. I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years and I keep coming back.
“I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, whether I get rewarded or punched in the gut, I’ll always keep coming back.”
Coincidentally, Fowler was joint second behind McIlroy at Hoylake in a year in which he finished in the top five in all four majors, and was also third behind McIlroy in the following month’s US PGA.
Rory McIlroy vowed he would never give up seeking more major titles after heading into the third round of the 123rd US Open just two shots off the lead.
McIlroy covered his last nine holes in five under par to card a second round of 67 at Los Angeles Country Club, where Rickie Fowler set the pace after a rollercoaster 68.
Fowler, whose opening 62 equalled the lowest score in any men’s major, made eight birdies, six bogeys and just four pars to post a 10-under-par halfway total of 130, equalling the lowest in a US Open set by Martin Kaymer in 2014.
Fowler’s 18 birdies over the first two days are also the most in championship history and kept the 34-year-old in pole position to claim a first major title.
McIlroy, who is seeking his fifth and a first since the US PGA Championship in August 2014, said: “No-one wants me to win another major more than I do.
“The desire is obviously there. I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years and I keep coming back.
“I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, whether I get rewarded or punched in the gut I’ll always keep coming back.”
Quote of the day
Rickie Fowler responds to a fan’s query of ‘What are you doing?’ with a shrug, despite three-putting the seventh.
Shot of the day
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick did not see it go one, but definitely DID make the third hole-in-one of the week on the short 15th.
Round of the day
Australia’s Min Woo Lee carded six birdies and a solitary bogey in a second round of 65.
Statistic of the day
Halfway leader Rickie Fowler’s mistakes have been offset by a record 18 birdies over the first 36 holes.
Easiest hole
The reachable par-four sixth hole played to an average of 3.670 as 68 of the 156-man field made birdie, although evidence suggested it was better to play the hole conventionally rather than attempt to drive the green.
Hardest hole
The easiest hole was immediately followed by the hardest as the 299-yard, par-three seventh played to an average of 3.510. Just seven players made birdie and 13 made a double bogey.
Weather forecast
Fog could greet the early starters on Saturday, but mostly sunny skies should take over before lunchtime with temperatures climbing well into the 70s. That will cause southwest winds to pick up to possible highs of 18mph.
Key tee times (all BST)
2307 Sam Bennett, Min Woo Lee
2318 Dustin Johnson, Harrish English
2329 Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy
2340 Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler
Rory McIlroy vowed he would never give up seeking more major titles after a flying finish left him just two shots off the halfway lead in the 123rd US Open.
McIlroy covered his last nine holes in five under par to card a second round of 67 at Los Angeles Country Club, where Rickie Fowler set the pace after a rollercoaster 68.
Fowler, whose opening 62 equalled the lowest score in any men’s major, made eight birdies, six bogeys and just four pars to post a 10-under-par halfway total of 130, equalling the lowest in a US Open set by Martin Kaymer in 2014.
Fowler’s 18 birdies over the first two days are also the most in championship history and kept the 34-year-old in pole position to claim a first major title.
McIlroy is seeking his fifth and a first since the US PGA Championship in August 2014, a month after he had won the Open at Royal Liverpool with a performance which has inspired this week’s approach.
“For whatever reason I went on to YouTube a few weeks ago and was looking back at Hoylake 2014 and I could not believe how many irons and three woods I was hitting off the tee and it set something off in my mind,” McIlroy said.
“You know how to do this, you know how to play smart. You don’t have to take driver – yes it’s a big weapon but I feel like I have more weapons in my arsenal than I did then so I may as well use them.”
Asked how much he wanted to win another major after a drought of almost nine years, McIlroy added: “I started thinking about winning this thing on Monday and no-one wants me to win another major more than I do.
“The desire is obviously there. I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years and I keep coming back.
“I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, whether I get rewarded or punched in the gut I’ll always keep coming back.”
Fowler had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
“I sure hope everyone can relate to struggles because everyone deals with them. No one’s perfect,” the Californian said.
“I think you’d be lying if you haven’t been through a tough time, especially if you play golf.
“I’m looking forward to the weekend. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good in a tournament, let alone a major. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
American Wyndham Clark was a shot behind Fowler following a 67, with Xander Schauffele alongside McIlroy on eight under after only managing to add a 70 to his opening 62.
Harris English held outright fifth place on seven under with Dustin Johnson recovering from a quadruple-bogey eight on the second to remain six under, a total matched by Australia’s Min Woo Lee thanks to a superb 65.
Tournament officials had earlier insisted they would not respond harshly to the record low scores on day one, although the par-three 11th measured 297 yards and water had only been applied to “isolated spots on the greens for turf health”.
John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA, told NBC: “(On Friday), as planned, we will play the golf course longer. We could do things that could make it stupid hard. We’re not going to do that.”
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick made a hole-in-one on the 15th as he carded a 70 to lie one over par and make the halfway cut with a shot to spare.
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick had more than one reason to celebrate after making his first hole-in-one as a professional in the 123rd US Open.
Fitzpatrick aced the 115-yard 15th hole at Los Angeles Country Club on his way to a second round of 70 which looked set to secure his place in the final two rounds on one over par.
“As soon as I hit it I thought that it had a good chance of going close,” said Fitzpatrick, who was looking down at his club when the ball went in.
“The rough’s covering the hole so you couldn’t see it going in any way. My hand was a bit sore afterwards, I’ll be honest, after all the high-fiving. But, yeah, it was good.
“I wish it [the roar] would have been louder. I wish it was a few more people. But, yeah, I’m surprised there’s not been as many people out as I thought this week.
“But it was so exciting to see it and first ever professional hole-in-one. Without that I probably wouldn’t be here for the weekend. It was needed.”
Fitzpatrick gave back the two shots he gained on the 15th with a double bogey on the 17th and although he birdied the difficult 18th, the 28-year-old from Sheffield could only post eight pars and a bogey on the front nine.
“I’m third last in driving this week, so I feel very lucky to be here,” the world number eight added.
“I feel like every other aspect of my game is pretty decent, just can’t get the driver going. I feel like if I get the driver going I can shoot a really good score.
“I think the big issue around this place is you miss the fairway by a yard and you’ve got to chip out. I think it’s very poor when golf courses are set up like that. You can hit it 40 yards off line and you’ve got a lie.
“So I think there needs to be more done to sort of help more accurate players off the tee. By missing the fairway by a yard you shouldn’t have to be chipping it out. If you miss it by 40 you should be having to chip it out.”
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed another magical moment in the US Open as Rory McIlroy’s fast finish kept him firmly in contention to end his major drought.
Fitzpatrick recorded the third hole-in-one of the week on the 115-yard 15th at Los Angeles Country Club, his tee shot spinning back into the hole just as those of Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns had done in round one.
However, Fitzpatrick could not see where the ball had landed and was walking off the tee before the roar from the crowd sparked enthusiastic, if somewhat belated, celebrations.
The eagle briefly lifted Fitzpatrick into red figures, but he eventually slipped back to where he started the day on one over to trail early clubhouse leader Wyndham Clark by 10 shots.
Clark carded four birdies and a solitary bogey as he added a 67 to his opening 64 to reach nine under par, a shot ahead of four-time major winner McIlroy.
McIlroy looked set for a frustrating day as he covered the back nine in 37, but then birdied the first, third, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth to storm home in 30 – as far as it is possible to ‘storm’ in a round which took five hours, 39 minutes to complete.
McIlroy revealed he had been inspired to take a somewhat more cautious approach this week after watching the highlights of his 2014 Open victory at Royal Liverpool, which will host the year’s final major again next month.
“For whatever reason I went on to YouTube a few weeks ago and was looking back at Hoylake 2014 and I could not believe how many irons and three woods I was hitting off the tee and it set something off in my mind,” McIlroy said.
“You know how to do this, you know how to play smart. You don’t have to take driver – yes it’s a big weapon but I feel like I have more weapons in my arsenal than I did then so I may as well use them.”
Asked how much he wanted to win another major after a drought of almost nine years, McIlroy added: “I started thinking about winning this thing on Monday and no-one wants me to win another major more than I do.
“The desire is obviously there. I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years and I keep coming back.
“I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, whether I get rewarded or punched in the gut I’ll always keep coming back.”
Dustin Johnson had recovered from a quadruple-bogey eight on the second to add a 70 to his opening 64 and remain six under par, a total matched by Australia’s Min Woo Lee thanks to a superb 65.
Overnight leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele were among the later starters, Fowler starting brilliantly with three straight birdies to improve to 11 under.
Fowler and Schauffele had both shot 62 in the first round to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major, while the scoring average of 71.38 was another tournament record.
Tournament officials insisted they would not respond by making conditions “stupid hard”, although the par-three 11th was playing 297 yards and water had only been applied to “isolated spots on the greens for turf health”.
John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA, told NBC: “[On Friday], as planned, we will play the golf course longer.
“We’re not going to force anything. We could do things that could make it stupid hard. We’re not going to do that.”
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed another memorable moment in the US Open as Rory McIlroy remained in touch with the leaders at Los Angeles Country Club.
Fitzpatrick recorded the third hole-in-one of the week on the 115-yard 15th in the second round, his tee shot spinning back into the hole just as those of Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns had done on Thursday.
However, Fitzpatrick could not see where the ball had landed and was walking off the tee before the roar from the crowd sparked some enthusiastic, if rather belated, celebrations.
The eagle lifted Fitzpatrick from one over par to one under, but he had slipped back to one over by the time American Wyndham Clark set the early clubhouse target on nine under.
Clark added a 67 to his opening 64 to take over at the top of the leaderboard from Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who were among the later starters.
Fowler and Schauffele had both shot 62 in the first round to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major, while the scoring average of 71.38 was another tournament record.
Tournament officials insisted they would not respond by making conditions “stupid hard”, although the par-three 11th was playing 297 yards on Friday and water had only been applied to “isolated spots on the putting greens for turf health”.
John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA, told NBC: “[On Friday], as planned, we will play the golf course longer.
“We’re not going to force anything. We could do things that could make it stupid hard. We’re not going to do that.”
Dustin Johnson found the going hard enough on his own early on, the 2016 champion running up an eight on the second after tangling with a fairway bunker, thick rough and the barranca which runs down the left of the hole.
McIlroy was also among the early starters and dropped a shot on the 11th, but bounced back in style by holing a 32ft birdie putt on the 12th which had several feet of break from left to right.
Dropped shots on the 13th and 17th took McIlroy to the turn in 37, but the four-time major winner covered the first six holes of the front nine in three under to improve to six under overall.
It had, however, taken McIlroy’s group four hours to complete 13 holes as the pace of play began to prove the problem which had been feared.
A group representing victims’ families and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States has welcomed the news that golf’s controversial peace deal will be investigated.
The PGA Tour announced last week it was creating a new commercial entity with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.
The United States Senate has already opened an investigation into the shock agreement, with Senator Richard Blumenthal writing to PGA Tour chief executive Jay Monahan to say that the PGA Tour’s “sudden and drastic reversal of position concerning LIV Golf” raised “serious questions”.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, a PGA Tour official informed employees that the US Justice Department also plans to review the agreement for antitrust concerns.
Terry Strada, the national chair of 9/11 Families United, said: “We are pleased to see and welcome these investigations into the circumstances surrounding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s attempted acquisition of one of America’s cherished institutions – the PGA Tour.
“9/11 Families United has long called into question the Saudi’s use of sportswashing with the LIV Golf Tour and this announcement proves that we are not alone in our fight for truth and accountability with the Kingdom, which has relied on an ‘army’ of paid consultants and lobbyists spanning several years to evade any responsibility for the brutal attack on our country and murder of our loved ones.
“As previous court documents made clear, LIV Golf was never about economics for the Saudis and there has never been a rational economic reason for spending billions on golf.
“As even the PGA Tour’s commissioner agreed only months ago, the Kingdom is using LIV Golf to improve the Kingdom’s standing in the world, and now the the Kingdom is leveraging LIV to take over the PGA Tour, giving it an even larger sportswashing enterprise.”
It is understood that the PGA Tour views the Justice Department’s reported investigation as an extension of the existing probe prompted by the litigation with LIV, litigation which was ended by the proposed deal.
Tiger Woods will not contest next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool as he continues to recovery from surgery.
Woods pulled out of the Masters during the third round in April, saying at the time it was due to plantar fasciitis.
However, the 47-year-old then had a subtalar fusion procedure in New York to address the problem caused by a previous fracture of his talus, a bone in the ankle joint.
The 15-time major winner did not contest May’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill or this week’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Woods had hoped to defy the odds to compete at Hoylake, where he won a third Open title in 2006 in his first tournament since the death of his father Earl two months earlier.
However, an R&A spokesman told the PA news agency: “We have been advised that Tiger won’t be playing at Royal Liverpool.
“We wish him all the best with his recovery.”
Woods feared his leg would have to be amputated due to the serious injuries he suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021.
He made a remarkable return to action 14 months later and finished 47th in the Masters, but withdrew from the US PGA following a third-round 79 and skipped the US Open before missing the cut in the 150th Open at St Andrews.
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed another memorable moment in the US Open as he recorded the third hole-in-one of the week at Los Angeles Country Club.
Fitzpatrick’s tee shot on the 115-yard 15th pitched beyond the flag and span back into the hole, although he could not see where the ball had landed and was walking off the tee before the crowd’s roar sparked wild celebrations.
The eagle lifted Fitzpatrick from one over par to one under, eight shots behind the lead held by American Wyndham Clark, who had covered his first seven holes in three under to overhaul Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.
Fowler and Schauffele had both shot 62 in the first round to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major, while the scoring average of 71.38 was another tournament record.
Tournament officials insisted they would not respond by making conditions “stupid hard”, although the par-three 11th was playing 297 yards on Friday and water had only been applied to “isolated spots on the putting greens for turf health”.
John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA, told NBC: “[On Friday], as planned, we will play the golf course longer.
“We’re not going to force anything. We could do things that could make it stupid hard. We’re not going to do that.”
Dustin Johnson found the going hard enough on his own early on, the 2016 champion running up an eight on the second after tangling with a fairway bunker, thick rough and the barranca which runs down the left of the hole.
Rory McIlroy was also among the early starters and had dropped a shot on the 11th, but bounced back in style by holing a 32ft birdie putt on the 12th which had several feet of break from left to right.
McIlroy bogeyed the 13th after a pulled drive finished underneath the branches of a tree and failed to birdie the par-five 14th to remain four under.
Tiger Woods won the US Open when he defeated Rocco Mediate at the first hole of sudden death after the pair could not be separated over an 18-hole play-off, on this day in 2008.
Woods forced the play-off at Torrey Pines when he converted a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 which saw the pair tied on one under after four rounds in California.
Mediate, who was bidding to become the oldest US Open winner at 45, led by one on the final tee but Woods drew level when he produced a birdie for the tie to be decided by sudden death.
Mediate missed a putt to save par and bogeyed the first hole which saw Woods take advantage and seal his 14th major victory on the same day he celebrated 500 weeks as world number one.
Woods admitted the 2008 US Open was his greatest victory to date having recovered from knee surgery two months prior and suffering with pain throughout the tournament.
“I don’t know how it even got this far but I’m very, very fortunate to have played 91 holes and come out on top,” Wood said.
“I think this is the best, just because of all the things I had to deal with.
“It’s a close one with the first (major) that I won (at the 1997 Masters).
“I dealt with a few things this week and just had to keep plugging along.
“I wasn’t feeling my best, I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and when I finally got off to a good start (in the play-off), I screwed that up by finding the bunker on three.”
Xander Schauffele predicted the US Open could turn “nasty” after an historic day of scoring on the opening day at Los Angeles Country Club.
Schauffele matched Ryder Cup team-mate Rickie Fowler’s eight-under-par 62 to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major championship, set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open.
The duo led by five shots after the morning wave was completed on Thursday, but by the end of the day were only two in front of Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark, with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman another stroke back.
“It’s not really what you expect playing a US Open, but monkey see, monkey do,” Olympic champion Schauffele said.
“I was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front of me. [But] it’s just Thursday. It’s literally just the first day of a tournament. It’s a good start. You just wait until this place firms up. It’s going to be nasty.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were five shots off the pace after rounds of 67, while a frustrated Jon Rahm threatened to break a club over his knee as he struggled off the tee, but still managed to post a 69.
Playing alongside McIlroy, US PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka carded a 71 which was matched by defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Quote of the day
Former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn reacts to the amazing scoring from Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele on day one.
Shot of the day
Sam Burns also recorded a hole-in-one on the 15th, but Pavon got there first.
Round of the day
Rounds of the day in this case as Fowler and Schauffele posted matching 62s.
Statistic of the day
While Fowler and Schauffele understandably grabbed the headlines with their 62s, world number one Scottie Scheffler continued to post some impressive numbers of his own.
Easiest hole
The par-five eighth hole gave up three eagles and 77 birdies, leading to an average of 4.610, although there were still three double bogeys.
Hardest hole
One of a trio of tough closing holes, the 17th played to average of 4.530 with just nine players making birdie and the same number making a double bogey.
Weather forecast
Friday is expected to have more sunshine and warmth than Thursday, which should dry the course out and lead to tougher scoring conditions. Winds remain light with a maximum strength of 15mph possible in late afternoon.
Key tee times (all BST)
1602 Dustin Johnson, Sam Burns, Keith Mitchell
1624 Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama
2132 Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day
2154 Xander Schaufferle, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with stunning rounds of 62 on the opening day of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler exploited ideal, overcast conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It was also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
Yet Fowler amazingly held that distinction on his own for less than 30 minutes as Schauffele, playing two groups behind, carded eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 of his own.
At eight under par the American duo led by two shots from compatriot Wyndham Clark and former US Open champion Dustin Johnson, with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman on five under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were two strokes further back, while a frustrated Jon Rahm threatened to break a club over his knee as he struggled off the tee, but still managed to post a 69.
Playing alongside McIlroy, US PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka carded a 71 which was matched by defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Fowler has recorded eight top-five finishes in the majors, including in all four 2014, and was runner-up to Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters following weekend rounds of 65 and 67 at Augusta National.
The native Californian had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but he came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
“It’s definitely been long and tough,” Fowler said of his road back to the game’s upper echelons.
“A lot longer being in that situation than you’d ever want. But it makes it so worth it having gone through that and being back where we are now. I would say we’re starting to get maybe as close as we’ve ever been to where I was through 2014, 2015.
“It was a great day out there. The first few days this week I was not feeling very comfortable or making many putts but I kept working on the range and finally a couple of things clicked a bit yesterday (Wednesday).
“Then it was just a case of going out there and trusting it and letting things happen.”
Like Fowler, Schauffele started on the back nine and picked up shots on the 10th, 12th and 14th before storming home in 30, aided by a birdie from 60 feet on the fifth.
“It’s not really what you expect playing a US Open, but monkey see, monkey do,” said the Olympic champion, who has never finished worse than 14th in six previous US Open starts.
“I was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front of me [But] it’s just Thursday. It’s literally just the first day of a tournament. It’s a good start. You just wait until this place firms up. It’s going to be nasty.
“I’m going to take what the course can give me, and today it gave me a low one, and we’re going to have to assess it as we go on.”
McIlroy raced to the turn in 30 with five birdies in his first eight holes before following a run of six pars with a birdie on the 124-yard 15th, where Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns both made a hole-in-one.
However, the four-time major winner then dropped his only shot of the day on the 18th and did not speak to waiting reporters after being required to undertake a drug test.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele both equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with stunning rounds of 62 on the opening day of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler took advantage of ideal conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It is also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
But remarkably Fowler held that distinction on his own for just 30 minutes as Schauffele, playing two groups behind, carded eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 of his own.
Starting on the back nine of the North Course, Fowler carded five birdies, two bogeys and just two pars to reach the turn in 32, before picking up another shot on the par-five first.
The 34-year-old also birdied the second and third and was agonisingly close to a fifth birdie in a row as a superb recovery from a greenside bunker on the fourth stopped millimetres short of the hole.
Birdies on the sixth and eighth – the latter despite having driven into the barranca to the right of the fairway – took Fowler to eight under par and he safely two-putted the ninth from long range to secure his place in the record books
The California native has recorded eight top-five finishes in the majors, including in all four 2014, and was runner-up to Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters following weekend rounds of 65 and 67 at Augusta National.
He had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but he came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
“It was a great day,” Fowler said. “I got off to a nice start making a three on 10, but never really thought about a score out there.
“The first few days this week I was not feeling very comfortable or making many putts but I kept working on the range and finally a couple of things clicked a bit yesterday (Wednesday).
“Then it was just a case of going out there and trusting it and letting things happen.”
Schauffele, who has never finished worse than 14th in six previous US Open appearances, also started on the back nine and picked up shots on the 10th, 12th and 14th before storming home in 30, aided by a birdie from 60 feet on the fifth.
Rickie Fowler equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with a stunning 62 in the first round of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler took advantage of ideal conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It is also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
Starting on the back nine of the North Course, Fowler carded five birdies, two bogeys and just two pars to reach the turn in 32, before picking up another shot on the par-five first.
The 34-year-old also birdied the second and third and was agonisingly close to a fifth birdie in a row as a superb recovery from a greenside bunker on the fourth stopped millimetres short of the hole.
Birdies on the sixth and eighth – the latter despite having driven into the barranca to the right of the fairway – took Fowler to eight under par and he safely two-putted the ninth from long range to secure his place in the record books.
The California native has recorded eight top-five finishes in the majors, including in all four 2014, and was runner-up to Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters following weekend rounds of 65 and 67 at Augusta National.
He had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but he came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
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