Thursday, June 18, 2015

U.S. Open: Dustin Johnson good, Tiger not so much

Dustin Johnson hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open. (AP)Going into Day 1 of the 2015 U.S. Open, there was some debate as to whether or not prodigious length off the tee would be an edge. That question won't be answered fully until the last putt drops on Sunday, but a couple of bombers took the early lead through the morning wave at Chambers Bay.
Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson shot 5-under 65s on Thursday to hold a one-stroke edge over Patrick Reed. Matt Kuchar is another shot behind, in with 67.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods got off to a rough start, bogeying four of the first six holes. He's still on the course, but quickly playing himself out of contention already.
Johnson, who started on No. 10, had an opportunity on the final hole to shoot 63, which would match the lowest score ever recorded in a men's major championship. However, a poor tee shot to the difficult par-3 ninth left him bunkered and unable to save par, leading to that final tally of 65.
Stenson finished with a flurry, making birdies on four of his final five holes to surge into a share of the lead.
Reed, who also began on the 10th, got off to a hot start, too. He turned in 4 under par and seemed in control of his game. However, he sputtered on the second nine, matching a pair of birdies with a pair of bogeys to come in with 66.
While the good scoring was a surprise, an even bigger surprise is that a pair of 50-somethings turned in under-par rounds. Both U.S. Senior Open champion Colin Montgomerie and the seemingly ageless Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 1-under 69, matching Phil Mickelson's morning score.
The USGA doesn't like red numbers. So after scores of 5-under, expect executive director Mike Davis to tighten the screws on Chambers Bay ... which might actually mean doing absolutely nothing to the course.

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