Please enable JavaScript in order to view key events. This stretch is proving to be a challenge for leader Clark, but he manages to make par at the 5th hole thanks to a great save from eight feet. He still has a chance to become the first player to reach double digits under par with a couple of birdie holes coming up at the 6th and 8th.
While Clark is grinding, Harris English is on fire with birdies at 1, 3, and 5, including a monster putt from nearly 80 feet at the 5th hole. He’s looking strong as his three wood shot at the short par-4 6th lands on the front of the green, setting up an eagle putt.
Rory seems puzzled as his birdie putt at the 11th hole never threatens the hole. He remains at -4. Matt Fitzpatrick is struggling to defend his title from last year, currently at even par after 27 holes. However, he has still made an impact this week with a hole-in-one celebration that mimicked Rickie Fowler.
Rory hits a beautiful shot off the 2nd tee, leaving him with a wedge for his approach. It’s worth noting that McIlroy and Min Woo Lee are the only non-Americans in the top 10. Dustin Johnson, one of the eight players with the US flag next to their name, sinks a nine-foot putt at the 12th hole to reach 4-under. Despite a disastrous 8 at the 2nd hole, he’s now 2-under for the day. This puts him two shots ahead of Clark, who drops back into a three-way tie for the lead at -8 after giving a stroke back at the 3rd hole.
Rory McIlroy needs to keep Clark in his sights, which means making a birdie at the easy 1st hole. He delivers, sinking a putt from just inside five feet to move back to -4 overall, five shots off the lead. A quick look at Rory’s stats so far shows that he ranks well in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and Putting, but his approach and short game could use some improvement.
The last Australian winner of the US Open was Geoff Ogilvy in 2006. The tournament will always haunt Colin Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson, who both made double bogey at the 72nd hole when a par would have been enough to win.
The Australian contingent has had a mixed week so far, but Open champion Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee are making their presence known on the leaderboard at -3 overall. On the other hand, Adam Scott and Jason Day have a lot of work to do after shooting 3-over 73s on the first day. Cam Davis, who impressed with a tied fourth finish in last month’s US PGA, is struggling with a score of +8 overall.
Charley Hoffman currently holds the low round of the day with a score of -4 after 14 holes and -3 overall. Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala, and Padraig Harrington are all -3 for their rounds. Finau has climbed to -5, Harrington is at Even par, while Theegala is +1. It’s time for a leaderboard update.
The course is quiet, not completely devoid of noise but definitely laid back. Some fireworks from Rory would help liven things up, but his putter is not cooperating, as his nine-foot birdie putt at 18 catches the lip and stays out. He finishes the front nine at -3 and now moves on to the easier back nine.
Clark impresses at the 2nd hole with a great chip that goes nine feet past the flag, but he sinks the putt to maintain his lead at 9-under. He has the opportunity to extend his lead even further on the easier back nine.
Brooks Koepka is struggling to gain momentum after an opening birdie at the 10th hole. He has six pars and a bogey over his next seven holes, stuck at +1 and ten shots behind the leader. This is not where we expect to see the five-time major winner.
Dustin Johnson had a strong start in the US PGA Championship but faltered with a trio of 74s after an opening round of 67. He hopes to avoid a similar pattern here after a disastrous 8 on the par-4 2nd hole. After a solid 64 on the first day, he finishes the front nine in 38 strokes, currently tied for seventh at -3.
McIlroy settles for a bogey on the 17th hole, joining Johnson at -3, six shots behind Clark. Clark’s approach shot at the 2nd hole falls short of the green but luckily doesn’t roll back into trouble, giving him a chance to save par.
Clark starts his back nine with a par at the 1st hole, missing out on a birdie opportunity. He’s using a thick putter grip, reminiscent of KJ Choi, and it seems to be working for him. Clark ranks highly in Strokes Gained: Putting and is currently 2nd for the round and 7th overall in the tournament.
McIlroy faces a tough shot from the rough at the challenging 17th hole but ends up hitting it too far. He only manages to reach the apron and will most likely make a bogey, which isn’t a disaster on such a tough hole.
Sam Bennett is also making moves, now at -4 for the week. After contending as an amateur at the Masters in April, this is his third professional start and he’s on track to make the cut for the third time. He started with six pars, showed some signs of nerves, but just birdied the difficult 555-yard par-4 16th hole.
Big Tony Finau is also making a move, opening with a birdie at…
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