Rory McIlroy, seeking to snap a 10-year main drought, has capped a flawless outing with a birdie to affix Patrick Cantlay on high of the first-round US Open leaderboard at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
However the Australian contingent struggled to make an impression, with solely Adam Scott taking pictures par with a spherical of 70.
Scott’s countrymen Jason Day and Cameron Smith completed 1-over-par.
Two photographs additional behind was Min Woo Lee, whose 3-over 73 included a double-bogey on the par-four eighth gap.
World quantity three McIlroy, in scorching pursuit of an elusive fifth main title, closed his bogey-free spherical with a 19-foot birdie putt for a 5-under 65 that left him and American Cantlay one shot away from Swedish sensation Ludvig Åberg.
Bryson DeChambeau, who was one shot shy of forcing a play-off with Xander Schauffele eventually month’s PGA Championship, was an extra shot again with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, who turned the primary participant with two eagles in a US Open spherical at Pinehurst.
McIlroy showcased unimaginable distance management and a silky contact together with his quick recreation and took benefit of each par-fives, together with on the fifth gap the place he chipped in from 66 toes together with his third shot.
The Northern Irishman obtained to inside a shot of Cantlay with a birdie from 11 toes on the par-four sixteenth gap, almost drew degree on the seventeenth (par-three) the place his birdie putt stopped simply in need of the opening, earlier than cashing in on the 18th (par-four).
“I felt like I managed most points of my recreation rather well,” mentioned McIlroy, whose final main triumph got here on the PGA Championship in 2014.
“I managed myself, my thoughts and was very disciplined after I wanted to be.”
Defending champion Wyndham Clark, desirous to jump-start a season through which he has missed the reduce on the first two majors, went out late and opened with a 3-over 73.
Tiger Woods, competing in solely his fourth occasion of the yr and who accepted a particular exemption to play within the US Open, loved an encouraging begin however his putter deserted him because the spherical wore on and he completed with a 4-over 74.
The opening spherical of the US Open was performed underneath sunny skies and on a format that can take a look at the psychological self-discipline of the gamers all week, given its difficult greens and fairways that bleed into sandy waste areas stuffed with wire grass.
Reuters/AAP
