Johnson shares lead after Round 1
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Shinnecock Hills humbled many of the world’s top golfers on the first day of the U.S. Open, but Dustin Johnson remained steady throughout the majority of his opening round to finish with a share of the lead.
The No. 1 player in the official World Golf Rankings had four birdies and saved par on the 491yard par-4 18th to card a 1-under 69, landing him in a four-way tie for first. Also at 1 under were fellow Americans Scott Piercy and Russell Henley as well as Englishman Ian Poulter.
Jason Duffner was one stroke back as the only other player in the field of 156 who did not shoot above par. Included in a crowded group at 1 over were major champions Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
Johnson played in the featured afternoon threesome with Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, who ended within striking distance of the lead after shooting a 74 amid conditions more benign than the windy morning rounds.
Woods, meanwhile, carded a pair of double bogeys and one triple for an 8-over round of 78, which puts him in a tie for 101st place. Despite crisp ball-striking over a lengthy stretch, the 14-time major champion ran into trouble on the green at the par-4 13th, where he four-putted to drop to 6 over.
His first putt from 41 feet settled some six feet from the cup, and his next ran four feet past the hole. Woods missed the next putt for bogey, clutching his putter face immediately afterward while visibly agitated.
Circumstances worsened at next hole for the three-time U.S. Open champion playing in the final year of a 10-year exemption.
Woods drove into the second cut of rough on the right side of the fairway at the par-4 14th and sent his next shot into even thicker fescue, leaving him little choice but to punch out. His approach stopped within 12 feet, and Woods two-putted for a second consecutive double bogey.
At the par-4 12th hole, Thomas nearly holed out for eagle as his approach grazed the edge of the cup. A tap-in birdie left Thomas at 2 over, helping to salvage the early stages of the No. 2-ranked golfer’s back nine after a doublebogey 6 at No. 10.
Johnson made bogey at No. 12 to relinquish the lead he had by himself for several holes, and Woods had a lengthy putt for birdie, but his ball bounced several
The Washington Post Dustin Johnson, left, shot a 69 to find himself in a four-way tie for the lead after the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, while Tiger Woods carded an 8-over round of 78 and is in a tie for 101st.
times on the way to the hole and came to rest less than inch from the cup.
The morning’s featured pairing – where they might as well have worn shackles and been lashed as they walked – included Rory Mcilroy (80), Phil Mickelson
(77) and Jordan Spieth (78). Combined, they shot 25 over par. Mcilroy’s 80 beat 11 players and tied four more during one of the hardest scoring days in the history of major championship golf with a field stroke average of slightly over 76.