HENLEY SHARES LEAD AFTER FOG DELAY
Canadian Hadwin in the hunt after firing a 1-under 70
The opening round of the U.S. Open started in fog and ended in fog on Thursday at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California.
After a 90-minute weather delay to begin the season's third major, Russell Henley shared the lead with Louis Oosthuizen when play was suspended. Henley finished his round at four-under par, shooting a 67, while Oosthuizen was on the 17th hole when the horn to halt play was sounded.
Rafa Cabrera-bello and Francesco Molinari are tied for third at three-under.
“I feel like the last year I've been playing golf that I feel like I'm a top-50 player in the world,” Henley said after his round. “I've had a ton of top 10s. I've been in contention. I've been really consistent.”
Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews and has had five runner-up finishes at majors since, including last month when he and Brooks Koepka finished two strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship.
Koepka began his hunt for a third U.S. Open title with a 69, and is part of a star-studded group at two under that includes Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, pre-tournament betting favourite Jon Rahm, and California kid Xander Schauffele.
“I've just got a good game plan, focused, I know what I'm doing, and I don't try to do anything I can't,” Koepka said. “It's just all about discipline in a U.S. Open.”
Koepka came into the week wrapped up in a soap opera-style plot with defending champion Bryson Dechambeau. The pair have been feuding since 2019 and the situation was taken up a notch when a leaked Golf Channel video showed Koepka's visible disdain for golf's biggest hitter. Koepka missed last year's U.S. Open with injury and after his round he was asked how much of his chief rival's victory he saw.
“I didn't watch a shot,” he said. “I was actually out here in San Diego just doing rehab. I was right up here in La Jolla, rented a house for two and a half months, something like that. But yeah, I didn't watch any of it, but I don't watch too much golf in the off time.”
Dechambeau made six bogeys on Thursday but managed to get in the clubhouse at two-over par, and will head to the second round with hopes of defending his title still alive.
Canada's Adam Hadwin shot a one-under 70 and is tied for 11th.
Jordan Spieth missed several short putts, and the comeback golfer of 2021 is still looking to get back his major championship mojo, shooting a six-over 77.
Mickelson shot a four-over 75.
`KIND OF A GRIND'
We've been getting used to seeing the Canadian flag on leaderboards at majors, and Hadwin did his part to continue the trend on Thursday at the U.S. Open.
At a tournament where any number in the red is impressive, Hadwin's opening round one-under-par 70 certainly qualifies.
“It's kind of a grind through every round, and to be under par for the first one is a great start,” Hadwin said after his round. “I did a lot of good things, and yeah, some momentum to build on for the next three.”
The Abbotsford, B.C. native gained more than two strokes against the field on the greens, including a 68-foot birdie bomb at the fifth hole. He finished the day with three birdies against two bogeys.
“I had three good days of practice here, I was hitting it well, been rolling it well, and I'm comfortable on the West Coast with poa annua greens,” he said. “I feel like I see them very well, I read them well. It was just a matter of staying patient and treating every hole and every shot for what it's worth and what it is, and I did a really good job of that today.”
Hadwin is looking to get some momentum on his side in a year that has been inconsistent for the two-time International Presidents Cup team member. Since the Players Championship in March, Hadwin has missed four of eight cuts but also had two eighth-place finishes at
PGA National's difficult Champion course and iconic Colonial Country Club. Aside from the Presidents Cup resume, Hadwin won the 2017 Valspar Championship, shot a tournament 59 that same year, and has earned more than US$12 million on the PGA Tour. The only thing missing for the 33-year-old is success at majors, where in 16 starts his best finish is a tie for 24th at the 2018 Masters.
Known for his ball-striking and solid putting, rather than bombing drives, major championship setups can be a handful. This week, though, Hadwin is feeling comfortable.
“I thought the course was set up well,” he said. “I don't think the rough is maybe as penal as you've seen at other U.S. Opens. I think it's just a little dry. It's been dried out, so it's a little bit easier to get through . ... But the greens are firming up. The wind has been up most of the day. Still a challenge. You have to hit good golf shots.”
Mackenzie Hughes had an adventurous round with one eagle, one birdie, three bogeys, and a double bogey to shoot a two-over 73. Canada's topranked player, Corey Conners, hit just nine of 18 greens in regulation and shot a four-over 75. Taylor Pendrith also shot a 75.