Editor’s Note: Now, all our premium tools for Fantasy, DFS and Betting are included in one subscription at one low price. Customers can subscribe to NBC Sports EDGE+ monthly for $9.99. Click here to learn more!
BROOKLINE, Mass. - The U.S. Open is officially off and running, as a full field of 156 players took on The Country Club for the first time since 1988. The morning featured an 11th-hour withdrawal from Abraham Ancer, giving Patton Kizzire the last spot in the field, but when no other players pulled out by lunchtime it meant that Rickie Fowler had been left alone on the range as the first alternate.
Winds were calm early in the day, when defending champ Jon Rahm believed the field might “blow the roof off” the Brookline venue, but Mother Nature started to balance things out by mid-morning. The early wave could muster no better than a group of 67s to set the initial pace, with notables like Joaquin Niemann (+1), Jordan Spieth (+2), Patrick Cantlay (+2) and Billy Horschel (+3) all on the wrong side of par.
Here’s a look at some of the sights and sounds from notable players in Round 1, with updates coming after the late wave completes play:
McIlroy uses on-course outbursts to fuel opening 67
Rory McIlroy got a little feisty during the opening round, and according to the Ulsterman there’s nothing wrong with that.
McIlroy made his only bogey of the day on his final hole of the day, dropping back to 3 under while grabbing a share of the early lead. The bogey on No. 9 came after he tossed his club in frustration following his approach, and McIlroy lashed out angrily in a bunker on the short fifth hole after getting caught up in some thick grass.
“It’s almost a way to remind yourself sometimes how much it means to you,” he said. “The margins are so fine in this tournament, and I think you can sort of see that out there with some of the reactions.”
McIlroy won this event 11 years ago at Congressional, and coming off his rousing win at last week’s Canadian Open he teed off as the outright betting favorite at +1000. Those odds were trimmed significantly after his solid opener, as McIlroy got as low as +350 while wrapping up his opener.
It’s the second straight major where he has gotten off to a strong start, and he’ll hope to improve upon last month at Southern Hills when he held the outright first round lead only to stall out and finish solo eighth.
“It’s been eight years since I won a major,” McIlroy said, “and I just want to get my hands on one again.”
Rahm avoids catastrophe on closing holes
The defending champ was stuck in neutral for much of the day while becoming visibly frustrated before he narrowly averted disaster on his final two holes. Rahm’s drive on the famed 17th hole was pulled left, and from behind the tee box appeared to potentially be out of bounds. He opted to re-tee and hit a provisional, but that one hooked left as well. His caddie Adam Hayes reached for a third ball and began to unfurl the 3-wood from its head cover, with Rahm potentially hitting 5 off the tee, before the group received word that Rahm’s original drive was still in play. He ended up pitching onto the green from the thick rough and nearly making birdie.
The next hole he hit another drive left, this one bounding for the TV tower. After the ball was spotted, two young kids managed to grab it and run off.
“I’m pretty sure I know who it was,” Rahm said. “I recognized the two kids that were running the opposite way with a smile on their face. I am 100 percent sure I saw the two kids that stole it.”
Rahm turned that good break into a free drop and eventually a closing birdie. It meant that on a day where he fought his swing and could have easily drifted a few shots over par, he’s right in the mix after turning in a 1-under 69 as he looks to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles.
“I feel like I played pretty good golf all day. I just saw a lot of (putts) get close and not go in,” he said. “To hit two wayward drives in the last two holes and somehow end up with two birdie putts, and making the last one - it’s more the fact of making a putt to break par in the first round of the U.S. Open. It’s quite a big deal.”
Editor’s Note: Tune in to live U.S. Open coverage all week long across NBC, USA Network and Peacock. Click here for more details and a breakdown of daily coverage windows showcasing the action from The Country Club.
Morikawa still leaning on the draw
Playing alongside Rahm was the reigning Open champ, as Collin Morikawa joined him with a 1-under 69. But one of his typical strong suits remains a struggle as Morikawa’s reliable cut shot is nowhere to be seen.
Rahm noted that Morikawa’s ball-striking was “not the best I’ve ever seen him have,” as Morikawa actually lost ground to the field with his irons. But his short game bailed him out just enough, and Morikawa continues to rely on what he has described as a “two-yard draw” in lieu of his more preferred left-to-right ball flight.
“Didn’t really have to hit too many cuts. When I did, I didn’t really pull them off,” he said. “It’s really hard. I played a lot of golf last week and a lot of holes to try to be able to trust it.”
Morikawa revealed that his pre-tournament prep included a few 27-hole days at The Summit Club in Las Vegas and hitting “more balls than I ever have in the hot Vegas heat.” He shared that last Thursday was when he made the switch from trying to re-discover the cut to honing a reliable draw that he could trust under pressure.
But through the one round he’s done enough to remain in the mix, two shots off the early lead. Morikawa’s 69 is noteworthy in that he has started a major with a round in the 60s on two prior occasions: the 2020 PGA and the 2021 Open, both of which he went on to win.
Co-leader Dahmen heading to...a concert?
Joel Dahmen has never shied away from offering a candid answer, even when he finds himself in the unexpected position of leading a major.
Dahmen told The Athletic that he doubted his chances to contend in the U.S. Open so much, he considered skipping the sectional qualifier to instead rest up for upcoming PGA Tour events like the John Deere Classic. Instead he gave qualifying a shot, earned his spot in this week’s field and then surprised by matching McIlroy, David Lingmerth and Callum Tarren with a 67 to lead the way.
Facing a late second-round tee time, he plans to pass some time by attending a Ben Rector concert Thursday night with family friends as he mulls his newfound place on the leaderboard.
“I got to meet him in Pebble this year, and he is in town tonight,” Dahmen said. “It will be difficult to go to that one and not have 100 beers like we typically do at the concerts.”
Dahmen has missed the cut at his two prior U.S. Open appearances in 2019 and 2020, and his lone top-40 finish in eight major starts came at the 2020 PGA when he finished T-10.
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links. NJ, IA, IN, IL, CO, MI, VA, WV only. 21+. T&C apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.