Stenson, Johnson start fast with 65s
Woods does opposite and scuffles to an 80
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — So much for Chambers Bay being the star of this U.S. Open. Thursday turned into another horror show for Tiger Woods.
Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson set the tone on the wild terrain of Chambers Bay, which made a relatively gentle debut. Both shot 5-under 65 and shared the lead. And then came Woods. He made bogey after bogey, from the bunkers and tall grass, until he ended this not-forprime-time performance by topping a 3-wood from the 18th fairway that bounced over one bunker and disappeared into another. He wound up with an 80, his worst at the U.S. Open.
“I fought. I fought hard. And that was my number,” Woods said.
It was the third time this year he has shot in the 80s, only this time he had some company. Rickie Fowler played alongside him and shot 81.
Their scores were not a reflection of the conditions at Chambers Bay, the 8-year-old course on the edge of Puget Sound that was a mystery to so many players going into this U.S. Open unlike any other.
Johnson was flawless and powerful. His only mistake came on his final hole when he pulled a 6-iron on the par-3 ninth over the green and made his only bogey. Stenson, among the cynical of Chambers Bay when he first saw it, birdied
four of his final five holes. He poured in a 25-footer on the 18th for his 65.
They had a one-shot lead over Patrick Reed.
A little more than two dozen players managed to break par in the U.S. Open, the major where anything around par is considered a hard day of work. Masters champion Jordan Spieth was among those at 68. Phil Mickelson, going for the one major keeping him from a career Grand Slam, started strong and settled for a 69.
Rory McIlroy had a rough day. He was frustrated with the bumpy greens and shot 72.
Several tees were moved forward. Several pins were in spots where the slopes could be used to get the ball close. Complaints — except for the greens — were at a minimum.
“My guess was there would be 20 to 30 guys under par after [Thursday], and by the end there will be barely any,” Geoff Ogilvy said after his 69. “With a course like this, I would have thought that would be a sensible strategy to keep us all happy on Thursday and then gradually wear us down.”
Woods wasn’t happy, though he managed a few laughs.
“The bright side is at least I kicked Rickie’s butt,” he said.
Woods said he was on the right path with his new swing, but it was taking time and he was trying his hardest. That’s the message he gave at Memorial after his 85, yet his struggles were never more exposed than at the toughest test in golf, a major he had won three times.
From the side of a hill in deep, yellow grass, he hit one shot in which the club came out of his hand and landed about 15 feet behind him. That would have been an image that defined this day at Chambers Bay — until he got to No. 18 and hit a shot with which millions of hackers could identify.
Leave it to Woods to steal the show at the U.S. Open, even if he wanted to hide.
“It’s only going to get tougher and tougher as the week goes on and everyone knows that,” said Jason Day, who managed to finish with a 68.
“It’s all about the attitude. You have to have a good attitude in U.S. Opens. It’s easy to play yourself out of the tournament real quick here.”