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.”
Sources: Sky Sports,