Big-hitters Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson lead the way as the Aussie contingent lies poised to mount a charge and some big names struggled to cope with the hard and fast Chambers Bay course on day one.
BY JOHN HUGGAN AT CHAMBERS BAY
It would be wrong to argue that day one of the 115th U.S Open will go down as one of the great days in the history of Australian golf. The top of the leaderboard was dominated by big-hitters like Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson, both of whom shot five-under par 65s. But it wasn’t all bad news for the eight-strong Antipodean contingent, far from it.
Jason Day reacts to missing his putt on the 18th green. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.The opening round at Chambers Bay ended with every Aussie in the 156-man field having at least something on which to build. Two broke the par of 70 – Jason Day on 68, 2006 champion Geoff Ogilvy 69. Marc Leishman was high man on 73 and even he was happy enough with his ball-striking, if not his subsequent fortune on this unpredictable layout.
“Even-par or better at the U.S Open is always good,” said Adam Scott, who shot 70, the same score as Cameron Smith. “Sure, I could have maybe found a couple more but I’m not complaining. I am happy with that, a perfect start to build on even if we did see the easiest set-up today. Although it was great scoring conditions and I had it under-par it wasn’t easy. It is a four-round tournament. I wasn’t going to win it today but I could have lost it so I think I am in good shape.”
Day wasn’t complaining too much either, even if the double-bogey five he made at the short 15th - via a mis-club on the tee that was followed by an awful lie in the front bunker - turned a great round into merely a very good one.
“I felt like I hit a great shot there,” he said. “But as soon as I hit it, I knew it was going to be short. The weird thing is I changed from an 8-iron to a 9- on the tee. So we were two clubs out in the end.
“I would have taken a 68 before I went out though. It was tough, very tough. But overall I felt like I played some solid golf.”
The same was true of Ogilvy in the second-last year of the decade-long exemption he has owned since his famous victory at Winged Foot in ’06. Two dropped shots at the short 15th and 17th outdid earlier good work, but the 38-year old Melburnian finished on a positive note with a comfortable two-putt birdie on the long 18th.
“The course was nicely set up,” he said with a smile. “Some of the tees were a good way forward. The pins seemed reasonable. My guess was that there would be maybe 20-30 guys under par after today and by the end there won’t be any. That’s a sensible strategy for the USGA: keep us all happy on Thursday then gradually wear us all out.
Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)“You can make this course as hard as you want. Over par might win. Or 12-under par. It just depends on what (USGA executive director) Mike Davis wants to do. They always control the scoring and they always seem to make it really, really high.”
As ever with Ogilvy – there’s a reason he writes such insightful columns for Golf Australia – his observational skills were at work as he made his way round the 7,497-yard course. Where many players were bemoaning the inability of spectators to follow groups around all 18-holes, the two-time World Match Play champion picked up on a positive aspect of the former gravel pit’s occasional inaccessibility.
“No, you can’t follow matches,” he acknowledged. “But there is an upside. It had a British Open feel on some of the holes out there. The people who sat in the stands for a while got a feel for what was a good shot and what was not. So they appreciated what they were watching more. There were some really knowledgeable reactions out there.”
And some pretty good play from the Aussies. All will have much to play for on day two.
THEY SAID IT:
"It was frustrating, especially how I felt I hit the ball from tee to green. I felt like I gave myself enough chances out there to convert a few and wasn't able to do that." – Rory McIlroy (72)
“Waiting 30 minutes? I mean, this is pathetic professional golf.” – Bubba Watson (70) had a blow up over the length of the five-hour plus opening round, including a long wait on the 18th hole.
Tiger Woods had a tough day at the office. Here, he plays from one of the huge bunkers on the 4th hole. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)“I fought hard … that was my number; I couldn’t grind it out any harder than that.” – Tiger Woods (80) who is tied for 152nd place in the 156-player field.
"The bright side is I kicked Rickie's butt today." – Tiger jokingly sticking it to playing partner Rickie Fowler, who had 81.
“The USGA can make this place as hard as they want to, especially if you get a bit of wind and start tucking those pins away and play it longer. That could be a real monster. “ – First round co-leader Henrik Stenson.
US OPEN LEADERBOARD
T1. Henrik Stenson (Swe) 65
T1. Dustin Johnson (US) 65
3. Patrick Reed (US) 66
T4. Matt Kuchar (US) 67
T4. Ben Martin (US) 67
T4. Brian Campbell (US) 67
THE AUSTRALIANS
T7. Jason Day (Qld) 68
T14. Geoff Ogilvy (Vic) 69
T26. Cameron Smith (Qld) 70
T26. Adam Scott (Qld) 70
T42. Marcus Fraser (Vic) 71
T52. Kurt Barnes (NSW) 72
T52. John Senden (Qld) 72
T79. Marc Leishman (Vic) 73
- For the full leaderboard, click here
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