Fowler gets jump with 7-under 65

“There are a lot of really good players out here that haven’t won a major,” Fowler said. After a long pause, he added, “But it would be nice to get rid of that at some point.”

Fowler put himself in position to do just that with a brilliant 7-under-par 65 that included birdies on the four par-5s at Erin Hills in Thursday’s first round of the U.S. Open. Never looking out of sorts in the game’s toughest test and never penciling in a bogey, Fowler finished the day with a oneshot lead.

“It was nice. You don’t get many rounds at the U.S. Open that are stress-free,” said Fowler, who hit 12 of 14 fairways in regulation and 15 of 18 greens.

Fowler wasn’t the only one to assault par. With showers this week taking the fire out of Erin Hills and gentle breezes flowing over the course, players had an easier time handling the rugged layout stretched out to 7,845 yards, the longest course in major championship history.

Paul Casey, also looking for his first major, was one stroke back at 6 under, tied with Xander Schauffele, 23, who carded a bogey-free round. Schauffele, a U.S. Open first-timer and former San Diego State golfer, qualified through a playoff in the Memphis sectional.

Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood — all looking for their first major triumph — signed for 67s. Ryder Cup hero Patrick Reed was in a foursome at 68. Seven players were at 69, including Lee Westwood, who has long been in the conversation of best player never to win a major.

In all, a record 44 players finished under par. The record for subpar rounds in the first round of the tournament had been 39, set in 1990 at Medinah Country Club.

Adam Hadwin, who shot 59 this year in the CareerBuilder Challenge, joined George Burns (1982 at Pebble Beach) and Andy Dillard (1992 at Pebble Beach) as the only players in tournament history to make six birdies in a row. Hadwin, starting on the 10th, birdied the 18th and then the first five holes on the front side en route to a 68.

“It feels like a PGA Tour event right now where you are trying to make birdies instead of making pars,” Brandt Snedeker said after shooting 70.

The top six players in the world, however, did not take advantage of the calm conditions.

World No. 1 and defending champion Dustin Johnson never got going during his round of 75. No. 2 Rory McIlroy shot 78, No. 3 Jason Day shot 79, No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama shot 74, No. 5 Jordan Spieth shot 73 and No. 6 Henrik Stenson shot 74.

“I’m a little frustrated. I didn’t play that bad,” Johnson said. “I just didn’t putt very good. I’m swinging good. Everything feels good. I just need to make more putts here.”

Don’t expect the red numbers to keep dominating the white scoreboards. Fowler and others said the course will toughen up and likely force players to start thinking pars instead of birdies as they annually do in a U.S. Open.

And if that does happen, Erin Hills will become a beast and demand all players to call on all of their mental and physical talents.

Fowler would welcome the challenge. He doesn’t shy from the game’s biggest stages and counts among his four PGA Tour titles The Players Championship in 2015. In 2014, Fowler finished in the top five in every major; the only other players to do so in a season are Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Spieth.

Fowler’s victory in the Honda Classic in February boosted his confidence. Recent history is on his side, too, as there have been six consecutive first-time major winners — Day, Danny Willett, Johnson, Stenson, Jimmy Walker and Garcia.

And Fowler said he’s ready to join what he calls the elite — players who have won a major championship.

“The first thing is getting off to a good start Thursday, keeping that rolling and getting ourselves in contention Sunday,” said Fowler, who was one shot out of the lead heading into the final round of the Masters before falling back with a 76. “There’s a lot of golf to be played. But, yeah, I’m ready to be out there. ... I like the way this course suits my game.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself, but if I keep knocking on the door, putting myself in position, I can win a major.”