PINEHURST, N.C. – Rory McIlroy thought he left his birdie putt on 18 short and started stalking toward it in frustration. Then the ball continued to streak past Pinehurst’s slick green and fell squarely into the cup, giving McIlroy a share of the lead on Day 1 at the US Open.
Yes, it was one of those days for Rory, and quite a few other players too.
McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay both tied the record for the low round at a Pinehurst US Open by dueling 5-under 65s, and they weren’t the only ones who made the poor greens and challenging wiregrass of No. 2 look manageable. Ludvig Åberg finished one stroke back, and Matthieu Pavon and Bryson DeChambeau carded rounds of 3 under.
“Nice to start low and feel like you’re right in the tournament from day one,” McIlroy said in an understatement. After all, this is year 10 of his quest to win major No. 5. start, and it’s fun to move on to the next one.
For a while, the morning wave seemed to have a clear advantage. Cantlay, who teed off at 7:40 a.m. on Thursday, planted the -5 flag. Åberg, who started his day 11 minutes later, put in a stable performance, as did Pavon (start at 8.13 am) and Tony Finau (-2, in Åberg’s group).
“I knew the 7:40 a.m. departure might be the easiest of the entire week,” Cantlay said, “with the lack of wind and probably the mildest we will see.”
But apparently the flip side was also true.
“I think we were lucky,” said McIlroy, who teed off at 1:14 p.m. “There was a lot of humidity early in the day, and then there was quite a bit of cloud cover all day, so it continued to keep the golf course from getting too fiery.”
The season’s two reigning major champions, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, could not keep pace with McIlroy, their playing group partner. Schauffele struggled early, at one point bogeying three of four holes, but steadied himself to finish level. Scheffler, meanwhile, never looked comfortable all day long. Maybe it was his new sleek haircut, but the world number 1 finished with three bogeys against two birdies to end the day at +1.
Cantlay is best known at this point for his behind-the-scenes role in the ongoing PGA Tour-LIV Golf negotiations, and for being the target of the hat-related ire of Europe’s Ryder Cup fans last fall. His record in the majors is not exactly spectacular: only one top-5 in his entire twelve-year professional career. But on Thursday he used his short game to perfection, making six birdies – including four on his second nine – to take a lead on a tricky course.
Many of his more accomplished colleagues were not so lucky. Justin Thomas and Sahith Theegala both finished at +7, buried deep among the amateurs. Viktor Hovland and Will Zalatoris were only two strokes better at +5. Tiger Woods finished at +4. Everyone will need help to make the decision, help that may not come.
“If the weather cooperates and it’s warm, I imagine they can make the golf course as difficult as they want, with the Bermuda greens and no rain in the forecast,” Cantlay said. “I expect the golf course to be very difficult in the coming days.”
“Selfishly for me, if I get out there again tomorrow morning (on Friday), it will be fun,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully the clouds will clear and it will be a nice clear day for the boys in the afternoon.”
The key to Pinehurst, Åberg says, is playing smart rather than playing on goals. “I don’t think we’re necessarily trying to chase a number. I think we’re just trying to find our way around the golf course,” he said after his round. “Pinehurst is as hard as it is. It will be hard, it will be difficult. … All we’re trying to do is get as many good shots as we can in the areas we’re playing for and see where that adds up.” (Keep in mind that this is literally the first US Open round the 24-year-old Åberg has ever played, but he seemed to do well enough.)
You had your chance to go low, everyone. Strap in. Pinehurst only gets tougher from here.
