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June 16 (UPI) — Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele posted record-setting performances at the U.S. Open, each carding a remarkable 8-under-par 62 to lead the tournament after the first round in Los Angeles.
Fowler, ranked No. 45 in the Official World Golf Ranking, recorded 10 birdies on the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club, while Schauffele (No. 6) joined him as the co-leader after carding eight birdies in a bogey-free first round.
“I’m off to a good start, but there is still plenty of golf to be played,” Fowler told reporters. “It’s going to be tough in the afternoon on Friday. At least we got off to a good start.”
Fowler and Schauffele’s 62s tied Branden Grace’s record for the lowest score at a major championship, set during the 2017 U.S. Open. Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson are tied for third place at 6-under, while Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman are tied for fifth place with scores of 65.
Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, and five other players are tied for seventh at 3-under.
Fowler started his round with a birdie but made a bogey on his second hole. He rebounded with three birdies in his next five holes and finished with a birdie on the 18th hole for a 3-under 32 on the front nine. Fowler continued his strong play on the back nine, adding three more birdies to finish the round.
“It was a great day,” Fowler told reporters. “I got off to a nice start with a birdie on No. 10. I never really thought about the score or what I was trying to do out there.”
Schauffele also started his round with a birdie and added three more birdies in his first five holes. He made par on the remaining holes on the front nine, finishing with a 3-under 32 at the turn. Schauffele continued his impressive play on the back nine, carding five birdies and making par on the last hole.
“It’s not really what you expect at a U.S. Open,” Schauffele said. “I was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard.”
The second round will feature tee times for Ross Fisher, Nico Echavarria, and Paul Haley II at 9:45 a.m. EDT, while Fowler, Justin Rose, and Jason Day will tee off at 4:32 p.m. from the first hole. Schauffele, Jon Rahm, and Viktor Hovland will tee off at 4:54 p.m. from the first hole.
The top 60 players and ties will advance to the third round of the major championship. Coverage of the second round will be available for streaming on Peacock and will air on USA Network and NBC.
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