- Live updates from day two of the US Open at Winged Foot
- ‘A good start’: McIlroy happy with 67 behind Thomas
- And feel free to email Dave or tweet him @DaveTindallgolf
Lee Westwood was the highest-placed Englishman on the leaderboard after an opening 67 yesterday, a round which put him in the top five. Could this be the week when he finally lands that elusive first major? He’s heading to the 1st tee now.
In other Westwood news…
Scratched an itch this morning. Badly Drawn Boy reminds me of Lee Westwood in disguise. Something about their eyes, the way they talk & their facial expressions.https://t.co/DaDamiO07t
This was Thomas Pieters speaking after his opening 66…
“I’ve made my comeback, so to say, in Wales five weeks ago, and didn’t really have any expectations, kind of was expecting it to take a couple weeks before I get into like competition mode. And did well there, finished third. So I kind of knocked the rust off and came here with, yeah, a bit of confidence because I’m hitting it well. And just got to put down a good score, and I did today.”
Tee No. 1
0650 Richy Werenski, Taylor Pendrith, Renato Paratore
0701 Jim Herman, John Pak (a), Thomas Pieters
0712 Michael Thompson, Andrew Putnam, Chesson Hadley
0723 Bernd Wiesberger, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
0734 Lee Westwood, James Sugrue (a), Bubba Watson
0745 Matt Fitzpatrick, Daniel Berger, Branden Grace
0756 Tommy Fleetwood, Kevin Kisner, Abraham Ancer
0807 Louis Oosthuizen, Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley
0818 Billy Horschel, Xander Schauffele, Brandt Snedeker
0829 Shugo Imahira, Byeong Hun An, Takumi Kanaya (a)
0840 Danny Lee, Mark Hubbard, Lanto Griffin
0851 Stephan Jaeger, Lee Hodges, Adrian Otaegui
1210 Daniel Balin, Greyson Sigg, J.C. Ritchie
1221 Ricky Castillo (a), Brian Harman, Andy Sullivan
1232 Tom Lewis, Preston Summerhays (a), Jason Kokrak
1243 Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker, John Augenstein (a)
1254 Tyler Duncan, Thomas Detry, Erik van Rooyen
1305 Tyrrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett
1316 Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day
1327 Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Justin Rose
1338 Ian Poulter, Patrick Cantlay, Steve Stricker
1349 Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners
1400 Sebastian Munoz, Chun An Yu (a), Justin Harding
1411 Scott Hend, Dan McCarthy, Ryan Vermeer
It appears day one at Winged Foot was an opinion divider. With four major champions and two other Ryder Cuppers in the top seven, it suggests the course identified the best players. So far, so good. But, hey, this is a US Open at Winged Foot. We were sold the idea that it would be brutal, just like the 1974 and 2006 editions when, across those two events, only one player broke par in the first round (Monty in 2006). Instead, 21 players ended yesterday in red numbers. And while Geoff Ogilvy managed just nine birdies during his 2006 win, Rory Sabbatini racked up seven of the rascals in his first 18 holes. It’s not cricket as we know it Jim. Or something.
Anyway, there are plenty urging us not to panic. Winged Foot will do its thing over the next few days they tell us and scores will be kept firmly in check. Yesterday was the day to cash in; from here, it’s three days of grind. So, will Winged Foot fight back? Stay tuned to find out.
But not everyone is caving in. Thomas Pieters shot an excellent 4-under 66 on day one and a birdie at the opening hole means the big Belgian is now tied for the lead at -5 with Justin Thomas (an afternoon starter).
And that, adds the par 70, now getting bolshie and flicking the V’s like a golf course version of Liam Gallagher. Five of the first six players on the course have started with bogey.
Have some of that, says Winged Foot in a wispy, magical voice… Shaun Norris and Rory Sabbatini, who both shot under par on day one, both bogey their opening hole (10).
Potential good news for those who want to see these guys suffer.
The weather forecast at Winged Foot today shows a mix of sun and cloud but, and here’s the good bit, NNE winds of 14mph all day. That’s a contrast to all those limp flags yesterday.
Only one player failed to shoot in the 60s or 70s yesterday. And that’s with 13 amateurs in the field. Come on Winged Foot, time to pull your finger out and show us your teeth – to paraphrase a Tom Watson quote about Turnberry.
Let’s go!
At the 1st, it’s Richy Werensky (+3), Taylor Pendrith (+1) and young Italian Renato Paratore (+1).
