Rory McIlroy made a dream start to his bid to win a fifth major title by grabbing a share of the lead in the first round of the 124th US Open.
McIlroy, seeking a first major victory since his success at the 2014 PGA Championship, made five birdies in a bogey-free 65 at Pinehurst No. 2 to meet the clubhouse’s initial goal set by Patrick Cantlay.
The Northern Irishman said earlier this week he was “closer than ever” to ending a decade-long major drought, and McIlroy – who has already claimed three world victories this season – backed him up with his first flawless start in a championship. US Open since his wire-to-wire victory in 2011.
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McIlroy shot an impressive under-par 65 to tie the clubhouse lead at No. 2 Pinehurst at the U.S. Open
Cantlay made three birdies on his final five holes to also get to five under, with debutant Ludvig Åberg in third ahead of 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon.
McIlroy was playing alongside PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who shot rounds of 70 and 71, respectively, while defending champion Wyndham Clark struggled to a three-over 73 and Tiger Woods fell nine behind with an opening round of 74.
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Tiger Woods carded a disappointing four-over-par 74 in the first round of the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2
How McIlroy made a major decision
McIlroy opened with three straight pars and followed a seven-foot birdie at the fourth by scoring another at the par five next, the 35-year-old reaching the turn at 33 and then taking advantage of the par-five 10th. .
The former world number 1 ended a streak of two putts by converting a 10-foot birdie at the par-four 16th, before a 20-foot birdie at the last saw him complete his first bogey-free start at a major since his victory in 2014 at the Open.
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McIlroy birdied the final hole at Pinehurst No. 2 to tie the lead with Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay mixed six birdies with a solitary bogey in an impressive start, while DeChambeau – who impressed from the start on the opening day – threatened to take the lead late when he carded an opening nine 33 and added more birdies at the third and fifth. .
The American, however, missed from eight feet to save par at the seventh and fell to three under alongside Pavon, who held a two-shot lead earlier in the day after two eagles in the space of six holes.
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Bryson DeChambeau chipped in on the par-four 18th hole to reach the turn in 33 at the U.S. Open at No. 2 Pinehurst
England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Tony Finau started with 68s and Sergio Garcia took advantage of a late entry into the event to post a bogey-free 69, while Collin Morikawa recorded a birdie-birdie to salvage a level par 70 and move on. find five behind. Schauffele and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
Schauffele – looking for back-to-back major victories after last month’s at Valhalla – mixed four birdies with as many bogeys during an inconsistent open day, as Scheffler struggled off the tee and took six delays in his bid for a sixth PGA Tour title in nine starts.
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Open champion Brian Harman opened with a one-over 71 and Clark made just one birdie in his title defense, recording four bogeys along the way as Woods cited a lack of sharpness and a poor performance on the greens after being unable to build on his strong start.
Woods held a share of the lead after playing the first six holes in one under, but then fell back with five bogeys over a seven-hole stretch, although he was later seen on the range offering support to Justin Thomas after the double major. the champion collapsed to seven over 77.
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Woods began his US Open campaign with a birdie on his first hole, the par-five 10th at Pinehurst No. 2
McIlroy leads after a ‘controlled start’
McIlroy, who started with a bogey-free round in three of his four major victories, said: “I had a run there for a while where my starts in major championships weren’t very good. I probably got a little too excited at the start of the week.
“But back to the PGA (Championship), I opened with a five-under at Valhalla. Even going back to this tournament last year, I opened with a low. It wasn’t as low as Rickie (Fowler ) and Xander (Schauffele), but it was nice to start weak and feel like we were in the tournament from day one.
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McIlroy says remaining patient and disciplined throughout his first round at Pinehurst No. 2 was the key to shooting a five-under-par 65.
“Certainly the major championships that I’ve won or the ones that I’ve played well in, I’ve always seemed to get off to a good start, and it’s nice to go back to another one.
“My short game was good at the start. I managed to play five and had some really good ups and downs on six and eight. But other than that I think I hit all the other greens .It was a really controlled round of golf.”
Who will win the third major men’s tournament of the year? Watch the US Open live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the second round begins on Friday from 12:30 p.m. on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the US Open and more with NOW.
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