‘ Supergroups’ manufactured mostly misses

“I shot 80. I’m disappointed. The conditions, they were tough.”

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Rory McIlroy was saying the other day how putting together “supergroups” wasn’t exactly to his liking. Pairing the superstars of the game, he pointed out, produced super expectations but seldom produced super rounds.

That viewpoint was oh so prophetic on Thursday.

McIlroy was paired with Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth in the first round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and as a group they were 25 over par. McIlroy, the 2011 Open champion, had three double bogeys in a round of 10-over-par 80, his worst score in 10 U.S. Opens.

His partners struggled right alongside him as they started on the back nine.

Spieth, the 2015 Open champ, shot 78, his worst round ever in a major championship. Mickelson, six times a runner-up in the Open — including the last one at Shinnecock in 2004 — had a 77.

“I shot 80. I’m disappointed,” McIllroy said after declining a request for interviews. “The conditions, they were tough.”

Spieth had a horrible start, bogeying the 10th hole and triplebogeying the devilish par-3 11th hole, where he missed the green with his tee shot, and the next three shots, before one-putting for his triple.

“I couldn’t get it close,” Spieth said. “If you played the right shots, you could hit to the right spots and make pars. All in all it was more just very difficult to control the ball off the tee and get it where you wanted to in this wind.”

Mickelson had an uncharacteristically good driving round, Rory McIlroy

but his short irons were poor and his putting was mediocre. He made eight bogeys and only one birdie.

The supergroup of defending champion Brooks Koepka (75), Jason Day (79) and Bubba Watson (77) had their struggles, as well, and were collectively 21 over par. If there’s any solace for Koepka, it was that Ray Floyd opened with a 75 in 1986 at Shinnecock and still won.

“You know, it’s a U.S. Open,” Koepka said. “You can shoot, whatever, 5 over today and shoot 1 under tomorrow and be just fine going into the weekend. So I’m not too concerned.”

Ohio State seniorto-be Will Grimmer posted a strong first round, shooting a 3-over 73 and ending up in a tie for 19th, four shots off the lead.

Grimmer had four bogeys and a biridie on the front nine for a 38, then played the back nine at even-par 35, with two birdies and two bogeys. He tied Luis Gagne for best score by an amateur.

“I really like this golf course and I had a really good feeling … that I could play well,” Grimmer said. “To finish with a 73 and to be just four shots off the lead after the first round of the U.S. Open, I really like my position.”

After one round, at least, Grimmer is faring much better in his second try at the Open. In 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2, he shot 77-80 and missed the cut.