Rahm is able to sink to the top shelf of the green at 17 years old. It almost drains the birdie putt, too, which would have been absolutely outrageous considering how wild his impulse was. He’s a little disappointed when his ball stubbornly stops in a timid pit of the cup, but he would have grabbed your hand by that pair when his starting shot was sailing into the woods. The defending champion remains on par.
Birds attached to Will Zalatoris at 13 and 14, and the PGA runner-up suddenly returns to parity after a slow start. Also on par, though going in the wrong direction, is amateur Stewart Hagestad, who doubles 13, the result of a captivating starting shot, after an unambiguous stem.
Buckley came out first this morning, and has been circling with Callum Tarren. The surprise package from England is the latest, and is home in 67 strokes. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm made a great save, though. on the track. thick rough, yes, but that’s much better than in the jungle. A bounce of luck for the reigning champion.
-3: Tarren (F), Lingmerth (16 *) – 2: Buckley (F), NeSmith (F), Morikawa (16), McIlroy (15 *), Niemann (13), Wise (14 *)
Hayden Buckley has only played once at the US Open. Last year, in fact, when Torrey Pines lost the cut. He wants to do something a little better this time. Birds at 5 and 8, then a fine up and down from the front of the green at 9 to save their pair, and the resident of Tupelo, Elvis’s birthplace, signs for a fine of 68. A special comeback .
Callum Tarren advances! He crashes his second in the par-five from eight to three feet, and calmly secures his eagle. Darlo’s 31-year-old unannounced has just picked up four shots in the last four holes! He shares the lead with David Lingmerth, but not with Stewart Hagestad, who follows his bird at 11 giving the shot straight at 12.
-3: Tarren (17 *), Lingmerth (15 *) – 2: Buckley (17 *), NeSmith (17), Morikawa (16), McIlroy (14 *), Niemann (13), Hagestad -a- (12 ))
Take your hat off to McIlroy. It calms down quickly and splashes up to ten feet, before rolling to parity savings. Having saved the situation and maintained his momentum, he has the grace to come out of the green looking a little shy. It stays at -2.
The low red fog over Brookline! McIlroy, in the 5th par-quat, sends his starting shot to the thick oomska on the right. His ball is nailed to a thick ball just to the right of a deep bunker, in which McIlroy has to stand up and attack his second with an almost horizontal stick. He can only throw his ball into another bunker, a few yards later, at which point he dramatically beats the sand with a killer down ax, then once again with feeling! We’ve all been there. Meanwhile, on the 15th, Rahm’s misalignment leads to a bogey and a booming, theatrical delivery of the word eff. He is level pair. No one likes to see or hear any of this except us. They all salute the comic qualities of the rage that undresses dignity!
Updated at 16:47 BST
David Lingmerth joins Stewart Hagestad in the lead with -3. Birdie at 5, after hitting his second four-footer. There are now only 17 players below par. The wind, which rises, does not help. Meanwhile, on the 15th, the cover of defending champion Jon Rahm begins to shake. He pushes his approach from the center of the street to the deep dirt on the green side, and explodes. “I don’t know what’s going on, man!” he rants against his cart, before turning to shoot daggers at the camera following him down the street. His eyes, lingering with an awkward threat, say: One step closer and you’ll see what’s what. A hard look that Paddington would be proud of.
Callum Tarren is only making his second outing at a US Open this week. The 31-year-old Darlington player, who arrived in Brookline through the playoffs, missed the cut at Pebble Beach in 2019, but is planning to do something more important this time around. He had just followed a rather sensational pair fight at par-tres 6, where he fell short on the high pistachio on the right front of the green, only to magically throw up to six feet when simply holding the green was a task in itself. – with birdie at 7. He has -1.
You may have noticed that McIlroy stays at -2. He had to put his first putt at 4 almost 20 feet wide to the left of the hole. He judged it well, tickling his ball through the slippery green and turning it to three feet. He tidied up for his parity.
Amateur Stewart Hagestad recovers with birdie at eleven! He throws a wedge of wolf over the flag at five feet, then rolls to the putt. Meanwhile, bogey at 15 for Matthew NeSmith, and an amateur owns the exclusive lead of the U.S. Open in Brookline. Party like in 1913! It is true that Hagestad hit the striker at 11, because the hole has not been used in a US Open here since Francis Ouimet won that year … and it was in that hole (then playing like 10) where Ouimet took control. his playoff with a pair, while Harry Vardon and Ted Ray were scared. Some things are just meant to be.
-3: Hagestad -a- (11) -2: NeSmith (15), Morikawa (14), Lingmerth (13 *), McIlroy (13 *), Niemann (12), Schenk (11)
A great break for McIlroy on the 4th. But he has stretched it to such an extent that the ball whistles in the gallery and ends up in a piece of trampled grass. This allows you to draw one in the heart of green without too much drama. He still has a tricky 30-foot descent for the bird, and he would catch up with both hands, but ultimately he’ll be pretty happy with his situation considering how wild his impulse was.
Updated at 16.14 BST
Only 18 players below par at the moment. There are not many birds to report. As the USGA likes.
Branden Grace of South Africa has four to nine. Photo: Jared C Tilton / Getty Images
Updated at 16.14 BST
Another pair for McIlroy, this time at 3 p.m. Collin Morikawa, meanwhile, made a 13-yard touchdown pass after pushing his approach to the right, then missed a five-footer to save the pair. That means Matthew NeSmith is in the lead on his own, though he retains his lead through the skin of his teeth, running frantically with a long putt of birds six feet beyond 14, but making the very detourable come back.
-3: NeSmith (14) -2: Morikawa (13), Lingmerth (13 *), McIlroy (12 *), Niemann (11), Hagestad -a- (9)
A three-putt bogey for amateur Stewart Hagestad at 9, and it was fun to think of a 1913 replay while it lasted. Return to -2. Here’s the legendary David Davies about Francis Ouimet’s famous smash and grab.
Another sensational Rory McIlroy fight! Push your starting shot to 2 well to the right of the green, towards the tall, thick pistachio. He does well when moving up to 12 feet, roughly the best he could do. But he is left with a downhill putt that swings gently to save his pair. He strokes her confidently and makes a couple of small fist bombs, aware of how big these types of momentum savings can be at a US Open. Speaking of which, Collin Morikawa misinterprets the breaking of a 20-foot-by-12-foot bird putt, leaving a six-foot nervous one. No problem! He goes there, and maintains the lead at -3 with Matthew NeSmith and today’s Ouimet, Stewart Hagestad.
Stewart Hagestad was an amateur bassist in the 2017 Masters. Financial analyst, currently studying for his MBA, is looking to achieve something similar this week. He has followed the birds at 5 and 7 years old with another at 8, the last one a reward for a nice splash of bunker long distance up to three feet, and he joins the leading group! Francis Ouimet, the famous winner here in 1913, was an amateur. Just saying ‘.
-3: NeSmith (12), Morikawa (11), Hagestad -a- (8) -2: Lingmerth (11 *), McIlroy (10 *), Niemann (9)
Joaquin Niemann was horrified in the Southern Hills last month, as his friend and compatriot Mito Pereira missed his chance to win the PGA Championship with that silly and overly aggressive play from the tee at 18 years old. Niemann has always been the player most likely to beat Chile. first major title, however. Having started with bogey on the 1st today, he has recovered with some style, following the birdie at 6 with an impressive eagle at 8, hitting his 210-yard second at four feet and making no mistake with the short putt. He joins the group at -2.
The wind is blowing a little. Nothing too serious, but it is expected to become even cooler for the second wave this afternoon, reaching 20 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 25. On Sky, the 2002 PGA champion Rich Beem suggests that this should not be too much. a change of game, as long as the greens don’t assert themselves dramatically.
Rory McIlroy turns 33 years old. He enters a smooth 20 feet from left to right at 18, and the Canadian Open-shaped champion is looking for his first major since 2014. So how many times have we said that since 2014, so let’s not pile up still no unnecessary expectations. The first days, all that. He has -2, however, at a single pace from that scored by Matthew NeSmith and Collin Morikawa.
Jordan Spieth is trending in the right direction. Birdie at 9, and after dropping three shots in the first four holes, will make the turn in 36 shots. The 2015 champion is +1, and one way or another, it’s never more than entertaining.
A slow start for PGA runner-up Will Zalatoris. The 25-year-old Californian has a mixed record at the U.S. Open: he lost cuts in 2018 and last year, but was in the top six at Winged Foot in 2020, when he made an ace in the first round and almost six others. holes later. Bogeys at 1 and 4, though he just repaired some of the damage with birdie at 7. He has +1.
They haven’t been in the lead group for a long time. Collin Morikawa scores 15 feet …