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Bryson DeChambeau is one in all golf’s nice showmen — and he is within the combine at Pinehurst.
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They are saying you’ll be able to’t win a significant championship on Thursday — however you certain can lose it.
For the needs of this column, you are able to do each!
Listed below are a collection of U.S. Open overreactions primarily based on Day 1 performances at Pinehurst.
I current your Thursday winners and losers.
WINNER: PATRICK CANTLAY’S START
WHY: He shot the bottom rating of the morning wave, which actually qualifies him for this record. Cantlay’s five-under 65 tied the bottom spherical in Pinehurst U.S. Open historical past. It additionally places him in prime place to problem for a significant, one thing he hasn’t carried out as usually as you’d count on when you think about simply how effectively he’s performed the final 5 years.
Cantlay hasn’t performed his finest golf the final month or so, both, however clearly discovered one thing — although he didn’t precisely share his secrets and techniques.
“I’ve been working actually onerous on my sport, and often whenever you make only a couple modifications and also you’re working actually onerous, it’s only a matter of time,” he mentioned.
On Thursday Cantlay was prime 5 within the area in strokes gained on strategy and No. 1 within the area in strokes gained across the greens. Hold that combo happening this golf course? He’ll be there on the finish.
LOSER: MATTEO MANASSERO’S START
WHY: He made 8 within the first group off No. 10 on their very first gap, displaying off Pinehurst’s enamel within the course of…
WINNER: SERGIO GARCIA’S 25TH IN A ROW
WHY: He made it into the sphere, for one factor. He performed nice, for an additional. Garcia entered sectional qualifying and performed effectively however misplaced in a playoff, threatening his streak of consecutive U.S. Opens. No worries: He discovered his manner in as an alternate and took full benefit on Day 1, making 17 pars and a birdie for a spherical of 1-under 69. After the spherical he was all smiles.
“I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in this championship 25 years in a row,” he mentioned. “So, not lots of people get to try this, so I’m very, very glad to be right here, and that’s why I maintain making an attempt to qualify and make it right here.”
LOSER: PHIL MICKELSON, 25 YEARS LATER
WHY: Mickelson almost received the 1999 U.S. Open; he was in the end outdueled by Payne Stewart down the stretch. It’s in fact wildly spectacular that Mickelson continues to be right here all these years later — and on a latest main winner’s exemption, no much less! — however any thought that he may channel a few of his Kiawah magic vanished early. Mickelson bogeyed his first 4 holes of the day and 9 of his first 13. In all he made 9 bogeys and 9 pars for a nine-over 79. This received’t be his 12 months.
WINNER: MARTIN KAYMER’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY
WHY: The final time Pinehurst held a U.S. Open, Martin Kaymer received. By eight photographs. That was wild. Much more wild? That’s the final time he received wherever — until you depend his Cleeks’ staff victory final week at LIV Houston. However Kaymer has been getting more healthy, he mentioned. He’s been taking part in higher. And that confirmed throughout Thursday’s opening-round even-par 70. I feel he’s among the many most fascinating gamers on this event.
WINNER: RORY MCILROY, 10 YEARS LATER
WHY: McIlroy didn’t win the 2014 U.S. Open, however his final main championship win got here in 2014 and we’re now staring down a full decade since. It’s powerful to think about him wanting a lot better than he did on Thursday, the place he shot a bogey-free 65 to tie Cantlay on the prime. They don’t re-pair till Saturday, sadly. However golf followers can dream of a Ryder Cup rivalry rekindled on the weekend…
“I feel simply tremendous conservative with my technique and my sport,” McIlroy mentioned, requested about his strategy. “I feel with my demeanor, simply making an attempt to be tremendous stoic. Simply making an attempt to be as even-keeled as I probably might be. I actually really feel like that’s the factor that has served me effectively in these U.S. Opens over the previous few years. Simply making an attempt to be 100% dedicated to the photographs and 100% dedicated to having angle.”
Similar.
WINNER: LUDVIG ABERG’S KNEE
WHY: There’d been chatter of a knee problem for Ludvig Aberg, however in his first go at golf’s hardest check — critically, he’s by no means performed a U.S. Open earlier than — he was sensational. Second in strokes gained off the tee. Second in strokes gained strategy. Aberg hit each fairway, made six birdies and shot 66. As for that knee?
“No, I’ve completely no points in any way,” he mentioned.
LOSER: VIKTOR HOVLAND’S SHORT GAME
WHY: Maybe we had been a bit too fast to declare Hovland all the way in which again? Although he’d struggled early within the season, in a third-place end on the PGA Championship he regarded like the identical man who’d been the most popular participant on the earth on the finish of 2023. However on Thursday he misplaced almost three photographs to the sphere across the greens and shot 8-over 78, the best rating of his U.S. Open profession.
WINNER: PETTY BROOKS
WHY: First Brooks Koepka received to a few underneath par and took the U.S. Open lead. Then he made three bogeys coming residence and shot even-par 70. Then he declined media. However then he did a textual content interview with Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch, citing quite a lot of components together with golf media’s questions being boring — and he doesn’t suppose anybody would miss him anyway.
“It’s extra I simply don’t care about doing it. Everybody else turns interviews down. I by no means do. Would somewhat come again, relaxation up and spend time chilling. Not indignant in any respect. Hope that’s clear. I declined my press convention too this week.”
You possibly can learn the remaining here. (For the document, I’m at all times inquisitive about what Brooks has to say. Had an absolute blast interviewing him for the piece beneath. Although it’s powerful to argue along with his “boring questions” gripe.)
WINNER: TIGER’S DRIVER
WHY: Tiger Woods regarded fairly good off the tee, which was part of his sport that had him most involved. He missed simply two fairways. He hit it loads far. He completed within the prime 20 % in strokes gained off the tee. That half was encouraging.
“I assumed I did the one factor I wanted to do right this moment, which is drive the ball effectively,” he mentioned. “I did that, I simply didn’t capitalize on any of it.”
LOSER: TIGER’S IRONS
WHY: The best iron participant within the historical past of golf simply hasn’t had his finest stuff of late. His irons let him down throughout a key stretch on the PGA Championship. They usually weren’t good on Thursday, both; he misplaced roughly two photographs to the sphere on strategy. He’ll want that to enhance Friday to have any likelihood at taking part in the weekend after signing for 4-over 74, a rating that left him exterior the highest 80.
“It wasn’t pretty much as good as I’d like. I used to be fairly one-dimensional early within the week, which is fascinating,” Woods mentioned. “I used to be drawing the ball rather a lot. Now I’m slicing the ball rather a lot. Welcome to golf.”
WINNER: THE BRYSON SHOW
WHY: After contending on the Masters and arising only one shot shy of a playoff on the PGA Championship, the crowd-pleasing, fast-swinging, 3D-printing Crushers captain is within the combine on the 12 months’s third main, too. His sport seems good, his golf equipment clearly really feel good and he’ll be a pleasure to look at round this course on the weekend. The world’s biggest YouTube golfer rolls on after an opening-round 3-under 67.
It’s clearly been a wierd 12 months for Rahm, who started 2024 by making official his departure from the PGA Tour to LIV. He’s performed effectively there, ending prime 10 each week, although he hasn’t but received. However Rahm is a man who values his legacy and his spot in golf historical past, so his T45-MC-DNS (foot lesion) document within the 12 months’s first three majors is a large letdown.
WINNER: JON RAHM’S REPLACEMENT
WHY: When Rahm withdrew, Korn Ferry Tour professional Jackson Suber received in off the alternate record. He slid into Rahm’s featured group alongside Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama. After which he shot an opening-round 69, slotting himself inside the highest 10.
LOSER: JUSTIN THOMAS’ MAJOR FORM
WHY: Thomas had some high-profile struggles within the sport’s largest occasions following his 2022 PGA Championship victory — however his eighth-place end at Valhalla final month steered a brand new chapter. On Thursday, although, Thomas struggled along with his irons and he struggled along with his putter en path to 7-over 77. He’ll want a fierce rally to make the reduce.
WINNER: TONY FINAU
WHY: We’ve began to sleep on Tony Finau. Is that the proper time for him to sneak up on everyone? His opening-round 68 has him in prime place.
LOSER: CARNAGE
Not sufficient of it, for those who ask me. With just a few teams remaining there’s just one rating larger than 80. The scoring common is simply 73.1. For Day 1, that’s in all probability okay. However let’s crisp up these greens the remainder of the week to actually see issues get spicy.
A closing observe on the World No. 1: We’re temped to place Scottie Scheffler within the “loser” class, no less than by his personal requirements, after an opening-round 71. However Scheffler has carried out an excessive amount of profitable to be known as any form of loser, even in a discussion board as unserious as this one. He’s solely six photographs again — which suggests no one in entrance of him ought to really feel secure.
Let’s do that once more tomorrow and see how issues have progressed.
Dylan Dethier welcomes your feedback at [email protected].
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