Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and the American Patrick Cantlay emerged as joint leaders after the first round of the 124th US Open at Pinehurst, North California, on Thursday (June 13).
McIlroy shot a bogey-free 65 at Pinehurst No. 2 to tie Patrick Cantlay for the lead at five under.
US Open first-timer Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is just one behind them at 66 followed by France’s Matthieu Pavon and the American Bryson DeChambeau, both at 67.
McIlroy full of confidence
Rory McIlroy, chasing his first major victory since his 2014 PGA Championship success, has gained in confidence. He recently said he was “closer than ever” to ending a decade-long major drought.
McIlroy played alongside PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who carded rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.
Defending champion Wyndham Clark finished three-over 73 while Tiger Woods fell nine behind with an opening-round 74.
McIlroy said his patience and discipline helped him shoot a five-under-par 65.
“Certainly the major championships that I’ve won or the ones that I’ve played well at, I’ve always seemed to get off to a good start, and it’s nice to get off to another one.
“My short game was good early on. I chipped in at five and had a really good up and down on six and on eight. But apart from that, I think I hit every other green. It was a really controlled round of golf.”
The American Bryson DeChambeau took a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay going into the final round of the US Open after a thrilling third day at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
One of only a dozen players from the rebel LIV Golf Series in the field, the 2020 US Open champion DeChambeau was paired in the final group with overnight leader Ludvig Aberg but outplayed the Swede, shooting a spectacular three-under-par 67 to improve to seven under.
Despite needing physiotherapy for hip problems, DeChambeau looked relaxed, chatting with fans.
McIlroy, in the hunt for his first major title in a decade, ended the day tied for second place.
The four-time major champion is four under after a patient one-under 69.
The American Cantlay, who led after round one alongside McIlroy, hit a birdie on his penultimate hole to rejoin the Northern Irishman and French debutant Matthieu Pavon at four under par.
DeChambeau thanks fans
Bryson DeChambeau, who finished second at last month’s US PGA Championship, revelled in the cheers and encouragement he received from his fans.
“It was amazing – I can’t thank them enough,” DeCheambeau said. “It was a blessing. Man, they riled me up.
“It just gives me a spike in my adrenaline and allows me to focus more on delivering for the fans, for myself and for my family. It just inspires me.”
McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champion , also had a good day.
“I’m pretty much in the same position that I was last year going into the final day and hopefully I produce the golf that’s needed to go one better,” he added, referring to his US Open runner-up finish in 2023.
In the final round, McIlroy will play with Cantlay.
Several of the overnight contenders dropped back. Xander Schauffle, the new US PGA champion who started the day at one under, opened with back-to-back bogeys.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler ended a career-long streak of 26 holes without a birdie when he picked up a shot on the eighth hole and another on the 11th, but he remained 10 shots off the lead.
“Another frustrating day,” Scheffler said. “The game of golf is a mental torture chamber at times, especially the US Open.”
Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler are some of the pre-tournament favourites aiming for the US Open championship.
The big question is: Who will win?
After defeating Rory Mcllroy by a single stroke in the previous year’s championship, Wyndham Clark is the defending champion.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the pre-tournament favourite due to his spectacular PGA Tour debut.
At the Memorial Tournament, Scheffler defeated Collin Morikawa by a single stroke. With a win in North Carolina, Morikawa could advance three-quarters of the way towards a career Grand Slam. The LIV Golf players Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka also hope to make an impression.
Morikawa keeping up with Scheffler
Despite finishing in the top four in his last six starts, which included both majors this year, Morikawa is still without a victory on the PGA Tour this year after Scheffler held on ahead of him to win the fifth event of the season. Scheffler won the 2024 RBC Heritage, The Players, The Masters, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley expects Morikawa to keep up with his game. “He is in a rich vein of form and pushed Scheffler all the way at The Memorial,” said McGinley. “I think he’s going to carry on that form into a golf course that should suit him. He’s a really good chipper of the ball, which is going to be really important.”
At Pinehurst No. 2, Bryson DeChambeau emerged victorious from the US Open for the second time, extending Rory Mcllroy’s agonizing ten-year wait for a fifth major championship by at least one more round.
One of just twelve players from the rebel LIV Golf series in the 156-player field, the 30-year-old American frittered away a three-shot overnight lead before mounting a dramatic comeback from two strokes behind. He held his composure in a match of intense psychological competition that left McIlroy regretting a string of unforced errors in the closing minutes.
Over the final three holes, McIlroy missed two easy putts from inside three feet, including one from 26 inches for par on the 72nd, which left DeChambeau with just a four-stroke requirement to win the championship.
With his win, DeChambeau declared: “I still can’t believe that up-and-down… Probably the best shot of my life.”
In the history of the US Open, he became the fifth player, aged 30 or under, to win the tournament multiple times. He now stands with Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, and Brooks Koepka as members of these elite athletes.
Highlights of the game
Despite early misfortune and several poor breaks, DeChambeau recovered to save pars from drives that found a fairway divot on the first and a bunker on the second. After a bogey on the fourth, his advantage dropped to one, but McIlroy immediately regained the lead when, in the aftermath of what seemed to be a highlight-reel approach wedge shot that trailed all the way down the hill and into the native sandy region, he was fortunate to save bogey.
The clouds that provided cover from the 90F (32C) temperatures broke by the time McIlroy made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 9th hole, moving him into sole possession of second place at five under and one shot behind DeChambeau’s lead. The leaders continued playing despite the changes in weather conditions.
On the 10th hole, McIlroy eventually tied the score when DeChambeau curled in his biggest putt of the week from 27 feet for a second consecutive birdie, sending the crowd around the green into a commotion. With a well-placed pitch near following a mishit fairway shot and a birdie putt, DeChambeau surged ahead on the tenth hole, On the 11th green, McIlroy lined up a birdie putt and heard the applause from behind him. However, he missed by inches and was still one stroke behind the leader.
Shortly after DeChambeau made a stunning par save on the 11th hole, McIlroy made another difficult putt to reach seven-under and reclaim the lead on the 12th. Mcllroy struck a shot off the 13th tee that sailed into the pine straw to the right of the fairway. On number 13, DeChambeau came dangerously close to missing an eagle putt while taking his time clearing a drive into the natural area. He then cleared for birdie to go within striking distance of the lead. The leaders were tied at seven under par when McIlroy made a stroke on the 16th hole.
On the 72nd hole, McIlroy chipped and ran to within three feet after hitting a driver into the bushes. After that, he had to make a putt from 26 inches to maintain his lead, but he missed two more during the final three holes, thus giving the title to DeChambeau, who had to make a par from a debatable lie to win it all. DeChambeau hit it four yards from the pin.
The entire match was thrilling. At the end, DeChambeau remarked: “Rory is one of the best to ever play. Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special… For him to miss that putt, I’d never wish it on anybody. It just happened to play out that way.”
Tommy Fleetwood of England tied the course record with a 10-under-par 62 to take a one-shot lead during the Abu Dhabi Championship’s first round.
With this, the athlete said: “When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well.”
Second-place finishers Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and American Johannes Veerman are separated by one stroke from Italian Francesco Laporta and the English trio of Tyrell Hatton, Paul Waring, and Laurie Canter.
In addition, Bob MacIntyre of Scotland finished at seven under, Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland finished at five under, and Alex Fitzpatrick, together with Matthew Jordan of England, finished at six under.
Mcllroy aiming for the win
To win a sixth Race to Dubai title, Mcllroy must place in the top two at Yas Links before the World Tour Championship in Dubai next week, which is the last tournament of the European Tour season.
In the third round of the Memorial Tournament, world number one Scottie Scheffler survived a triple bogey in the middle of the round to extend his advantage to four shots. Having led by three shots after eight holes, the athlete lost his lead by three on the par-four ninth hole after hitting his tee shot out of bounds.
With a birdie on the following hole, the American was able to regain his equilibrium, and after two more birdies and a bogey on the 18th, he finished with a one-under-par 71.
Scheffler said: “I feel like I hadn’t hit many shots at all off line and I was all of a sudden one over par… I was definitely frustrated with the break, but overall I was like, I’m still swinging it really good, I didn’t need to change anything, I just need to stay in the right frame of mind.”
What’s next for Scheffler?
Entering the final round at Muirfield Village in Ohio, the two-time Masters champion, who is aiming for his fifth victory of the year, is four shots ahead of Adam Hadwin of Canada, Colin Morikawa of the United States, and Sepp Straka of Austria. He is now 10 under.
On the other hand, Collin Morikawa and Sepp Straka shot bogey-free four-under-par 68s to tie Adam Hadwin, the leader of the first round, in joint second place on six under following his 72. Furthermore, Xander Schauffele, the winner of the US PGA Championship, and Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, are tied for fifth place at four under.
With 73 players vying for a $20 million (£15.6 million) payout, the Memorial Tournament is one of the PGA Tour’s classic events. It precedes the US Open to be held at Pinehurst from June 13 to June 16.
