McIlroy, Cantlay share Round 1 lead at U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay each registered a 5-under 65 on Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2 to share the opening-round lead at the U.S. Open.
While the world's third- and ninth-ranked golfers lead the pack, a star-studded group of players remains firmly in the hunt.
| Position | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Rory McIlroy | -5 |
| T1 | Patrick Cantlay | -5 |
| 3 | Ludvig Aberg | -4 |
| T4 | Bryson DeChambeau | -3 |
| T4 | Matthieu Pavon | -3 |
| T6 | Tony Finau | -2 |
| T6 | Tyrrell Hatton | -2 |
| T8 | S.H. Kim | -1 |
| T8 | Corey Conners | -1 |
| T8 | Sergio Garcia | -1 |
| T8 | Sam Bennett | -1 |
| T8 | Aaron Rai | -1 |
| T8 | Adam Scott | -1 |
| T8 | Jackson Suber | -1 |
| T8 | Akshay Bhatia | -1 |
| T8 | Frankie Capan III | -1 |
Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, and Max Homa are among a variety of contenders in the mix at even par. Tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler finished his day 1-over.
McIlroy had no blemishes on his scorecard, joining Sergio Garcia as the only two players to go bogey-free on the day. McIlroy won each of the last three majors in which he opened without a bogey, doing so at the 2014 Open Championship, the 2012 PGA Championship, and the 2011 U.S. Open. The Northern Irishman walked in a lengthy birdie putt on 18 to cap his impressive round Thursday.
Cantlay carded six birdies, three of which came in his final five holes, for his strongest-ever start at a U.S. Open. His and McIlroy's scores matched Martin Kaymer's tournament record at the iconic venue.
Aberg also stood out Thursday. He picked apart a difficult course layout in his tournament debut, hitting all 14 fairways and 16-of-18 greens in regulation. A rookie hasn't won the U.S. Open since Francis Ouimet in 1913.
Morikawa, who fought his way to a 70 despite a pair of double-bogeys, said course conditions were appropriate.
"Tough, very tough, but fair," he told GOLF.com. "With some of the down-grain areas, I don't know what the hell to do on two. On 15, I don't know what to do. It's tough."
Tiger Woods opened his tournament with a birdie, but promise quickly faded as unforced errors approaching the green led to a 4-over 74. Dustin Johnson (+4), Shane Lowry (+4), Justin Thomas (+7), and Viktor Hovland (+8) are among the other notable players who'll need to improve Friday in order to make the weekend.