The 124th U.S. Open is underway at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, with Scottie Scheffler leading the field. Despite opening with two early bogeys, Scheffler managed to birdie the seventh hole to get back to 1-over. Rory McIlroy also made an early push by reaching 2-under, while Brooks Koepka briefly held a share of the lead before dropping back to even par. Patrick Cantlay took the lead in the early wave by finishing with a 5-under 65, giving him a brief two-shot lead over the field. Ludvig Åberg closed the gap with a 4-under 66 in his first U.S. Open round.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods struggled during his round, finishing with a 4-over 74 after making five birdies in seven holes around the turn. He will need a strong performance on Friday to make the cut, something he failed to do last month at the PGA Championship. The difficulty of Pinehurst No. 2 is expected to increase over the weekend, making it challenging for players to score low. The previous U.S. Opens held at Pinehurst saw a decrease in the percentage of rounds in the 60s as the tournament progressed.
As the second wave of players approached the turn, Patrick Cantlay’s lead appeared safe with his 5-under 65 still leading the field. Rory McIlroy remained in contention at 2-under, while Scottie Scheffler managed to stay at 1-over despite struggling with his shots. Only 19 out of 156 players were under par, highlighting the tough conditions of the course. Brooks Koepka, who had a strong start, finished even par after making three bogeys down the stretch.
The featured group of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy started their round with all three players carding pars on the first hole. Scheffler struggled early with missed fairways and a bogey, while McIlroy made back-to-back birdies to get under par. Patrick Cantlay finished his round with a two-shot lead over the field after making three birdies in his final five holes. Ludvig Åberg impressed with a 4-under 66 in his first U.S. Open round, putting him in contention.
The leaderboard saw Patrick Cantlay holding the top spot with a 5-under 65, while Ludvig Åberg moved into second place with a 4-under 66. Matthieu Pavon and Tony Finau were tied for third at 3-under, with several players at 2-under or 1-under. The difficulty of the course is expected to increase over the weekend, making low scores challenging to achieve. Players like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler remained in contention, while Tiger Woods and others faced an uphill battle to make the cut.
