The front nine at Winged Foot was a cinch for Daniel Berger in Round 2 of the U.S. Open, but the back nine drew some blood.
The front nine was a cinch for Daniel Berger, but the back nine drew some blood.
Coming off a 3-over 73 in an opening round where Winged Foot seemed gettable for many players (21 players managed to finish under par), Berger went bogey-free for his first nine Friday, going 4 under on the front nine with birdies on Nos. 4, 6, 8 and 9.
The back nine was a different story — proving Winged Foot isn’t going to play nice.
The World No. 13 carded his first bogey of the day on No. 10 after narrowly missing an 11-foot, 10-inch putt on the par-3 hole. He added two more bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 due to putting struggles. He regained some lost ground with his fifth birdie of the day on the par-4 17th, but 18 leveled the playing field. Berger carded a double-bogey 6 on his final hole of the day to bring him to even par on the round and keep him at 3 over through 36 holes.
Berger, who did not speak to media after Friday’s round, walked off the course tied for 44th with Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood.
The 18th also tripped up Bubba Watson, who was 3 under for the day when he stepped up to the tee box. He double-bogeyed the par-4 hole about 10 minutes before Berger to finish with 1-under 69, 1 over through 36 holes.
Berger, 27, is projected to make the cut, which was hovering at 6 over after the morning wave.
Berger is coming off an impressive 2019-20 season in which he played 17 times and recorded a top-25 finish in 13 of those events. He totaled seven top-10s, including winning the Charles Schwab Challenge in a playoff with Collin Morikawa, the first event back on the Tour schedule after a 13-week hiatus due to COVID-19, and a T-2 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
The three-time Tour winner ended his season admirably in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, finishing third at the Northern Trust, T-25 at the BMW Championship and T-15 at the Tour Championship after a final-round 73.
The last time the U.S. Open was held at Winged Foot in 2006, Woods missed the cut at a major for the first time in his career after a pair of 76s. The 15-time major champion signed for a 3-over 73 on Thursday after playing his final six holes at 4 over.
Woods tees off at 1:27 p.m. ET Friday afternoon alongside PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa and world No. 3 Justin Thomas. Follow along for shot-by-shot updates of his second round.
Scarsdale residents Muhammad and Asma Naaem are watching the 2020 U.S. Open with family and friends on a scaffold behind the fourth green.
[jwplayer 7NBaZ2A0-9JtFt04J]
SCARSDALE, N.Y. — When Phil Mickelson putted out on the fourth hole at Winged Foot on Thursday, a roar went up from the crowd.
Golfers are used to that. Just not so used to looking up into the trees to find those cheering.
Well, among the trees, anyway.
But this week’s U.S. Open is like no other. Fans are not allowed. At least not allowed on the grounds of the historic golf course.
But there’s nothing wrong with off-site cheering, including from a seven-foot-high, roughly 20-foot-long scaffold erected behind the fourth green.
[jwplayer PQXheUyc-9JtFt04J]
That’s where Mickelson threw his ball in appreciation after feeling the love from about 10 fans perched there in the backyard of Drs. Muhammad and Asma Naeem.
For the Naeems, the scaffold wasn’t something hastily thought of.
Muhammad, a golfer and huge golf fan, knew the U.S. Open was coming to Winged Foot three years ago when he took a stroll in his neighborhood. That’s where he spotted a realty sign on a house bordering the fourth green.
Phil Mickelson throws his ball to a group of friends gathered on a scaffolding in the backyard of Saadia Naeen’s Scarsdale, New York, home during first round action in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. (Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News)
He had no plans to move. Until then.
Hurrying the two blocks home, he excitedly told his wife and kids about the house, suggesting a move.
“My family said, ‘You’re crazy,’ ” he recalled. “They were just totally against it.”
Then they took a look for themselves.
Their response? Well, eldest child Saadia, who played four years of girls golf in high school and two years with the men in college before the formation of a women’s team, started issuing scaffold invitations long ago.
Saadia Naeen and her friends cheer for Phil Mickelson after his putt on the 4th green during first round action in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Photo by Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News
“I got my invite in 2017,” Elliot Witdorchic said.
Saadia, who has a spreadsheet with times the family’s golf-fan guests are slated to arrive and leave through Sunday, figures about 30 people will climb the scaffold before the championship trophy is awarded.
“We’re not at a loss for people,” she noted, but also lamented that more would be there were it not for the pandemic. That has kept some out-of-staters home, including her college freshman and sophomore year golf captain, who lives in Colorado.
Saadia temporarily left the mid-afternoon crowd that included high school and college friends, friends’ parents and two golf pros from the The St. Andrew’s Golf Club in Hastings, where her family are members, to retrieve the Mickelson ball. It had sailed over the scaffold and into the yard.
The scaffold is self-policed, but a sign near the ladders leading up to it make it clear that, while fun is allowed, golf etiquette is required. Spectators are told to keep quiet during putts, that they must wear masks, and to be mindful of the time they’re up there and space they’re taking up.
Lastly, it notes, “We all want to see Tiger.”
Iona College head men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino watches from a gallery in his back yard on the 3rd green during the first round of the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Photo by Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
Her dad, an internist, was at work in Yonkers by the time Mickelson threw his ball. But he’d had a good morning, in part because he got to see Tiger.
He lives and breathes Tiger Woods and had gotten a “Thank you” from Tiger after displaying a large sign reading, “WHEN WE STAND WE STAND W/ TIGER.”
While jumping the fence that separates his yard from the fourth green might be tempting, Dr. Naeem has played the hole the legitimate way as a guest.
And, as he explained, he knows all about the fourth green, which proved troublesome for golfer after golfer on Thursday, particularly those with putts of 10-plus feet.
“I know where the break is,” he said, then grinned when responding, “Of course,” when asked whether he would have more success holing out than the pros he’d watched.
He noted he has no patients scheduled the next few days, so he’ll be a steady presence on the scaffold, no doubt with his Tiger sign.
On Thursday, that was one of multiple signs. Jack Minton, was, in a sense, the odd man out. He’s a skier, not golfer, but he clearly enjoyed his role as white-board sign creator.
Jack Minton writes up a message for Phil Mickelson as he approached the 4th green during first round action in the US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club Sept. 17, 2020. Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News
Earlier in the day, when a group of Canadian players came through, he scrawled, “We love Canada, eh” on the board. “All three caddies took a picture,” he noted.
Then, they and the golfers laughed when told to, “Have a nice and polite round.”
After he held up the board reading, “Ian Poulter Fan Club,” the Brit quipped, “I didn’t know I had a fan club.”
“We (told him), ‘Recently formed,’ ” Minton recalled with a laugh.
“You and those signs are like Rembrandt,” joked buddy Jared Fineberg, another former Wesleyan golfer.
Greg Bisconti, who was on the scaffold with fellow St. Andrew’s pro Ambry Bishop-Santillo, noted his club had lined up 30 “pretty excited” volunteers to work the course this weekend. That was until it became closed to the public and, in turn, volunteers were limited to Winged Foot members.
Bisconti, who has played Winged Foot multiple times, including many times years ago with his dad, is a three-time qualifier for the PGA Championship who was the low club pro in 2009. He wasn’t unhappy with his bird’s-eye view Thursday, which afforded him good sight lines of not only the fourth fairway and hole but also of the fifth tee box and fifth fairway.
The squirrels appeared to be having fun darting around, playing their own game of chicken.
“This is awesome,” Bisconti said, gazing down.
He plans to return Friday afternoon but said Saturday and Sunday he’d have to miss for work.
But, then, he chuckled, saying, “For me, this is work.”
Phil Mickelson chips onto the 4th green during first round action in the US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club Sept. 17, 2020. Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News
Several feet over on the scaffold, a discussion of golf favorites was quietly going on.
Non-golfer Kaitlyn Doyle, who went to high school with Saadia, was talking about how Bryson DeChambeau had just crushed the ball.
But the most impressive golfer to Fineberg was Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.
“His hair is just luscious and he’s a ball striker. He knocks down (short) shots. I want his approach game. I want his hair game. I’m a little closer on one front than the other,” laughed Fineberg, whose fine mane of hair apparently outshines his golf game.
One can only imagine what sign awaits Fleetwood on Friday.
Check out U.S. Open tee times, how to steam the second round at Winged Foot on Peacock and much more.
[jwplayer PQXheUyc-9JtFt04J]
The 120th U.S. Open moves to the second round at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.
The field of 144 players are facing a tough, par-70 golf course playing 7,477-yards.
Justin Thomas took full advantage of a surprisingly gettable West Course on Thursday morning, carding six birdies and one bogey to grab the lead with a 5-under 65.
The course was soft, and there was only a hint of a breeze moving the leaves in the massive oaks and maples. It was a good day to score, maybe the best day the players will get this week, and Rory McIlroy carded a 67.
After surviving a long stretch where his patience was severely tested and his luck was running a tad on the bad side, Tiger Woods finished bogey-double bogey and staggered to the scoring area where he put his signature on a 3-over-par 73 after Thursday’s first round.
And then there’s Phil Mickelson. The dream of returning to Winged Foot, the site of arguably his biggest collapse, and winning the 120th U.S. Open to complete the career Grand Slam, at age 50, is proving to be just that – a pipe dream.
After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 60 and ties. If there’s a tie after 72 holes, there will be a two-hole aggregate playoff. If after the playoff there is still a tie, players will go hole-by-hole until a winner is determined.
All times are listed in Eastern.
Friday tee times
1st tee
Tee time
Players
6:50 a.m.
Richy Werenski, Taylor Pendrith, Renato Paratore
7:01 a.m
Jim Herman, John Pak (a), Thomas Pieters
7:12 a.m.
Michael Thompson, Andrew Putnam, Chesson Hadley
7:23 a.m.
Bernd Wiesberger, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
7:34 a.m.
Lee Westwood, James Sugrue (a), Bubba Watson
7:45 a.m.
Matt Fitzpatrick, Daniel Berger, Branden Grace
7:56 a.m.
Tommy Fleetwood, Kevin Kisner, Abraham Ancer
8:07 a.m.
Louis Oosthuizen, Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley
8:18 a.m.
Billy Horschel, Xander Schauffele, Brandt Snedeker
8:29 a.m.
Shugo Imahira, Byeong Hun An, Takumi Kanaya (a)
8:40 a.m.
Danny Lee, Mark Hubbard, Lanto Griffin
8:51 a.m.
Stephan Jaeger, Lee Hodges, Adrian Otaegui (a)
12:10 p.m.
Daniel Balin, Greyson Sigg, J.C. Ritchie
12:21 p.m.
Ricky Castillo (a), Brian Harman, Andy Sullivan
12:32 p.m.
Tom Lewis, Preston Summerhays (a), Jason Kokrak
12:43 p.m.
Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker, John Augenstein (a)
12:54 p.m.
Tyler Duncan, Thomas Detry, Erik van Rooyen
1:05 p.m.
Tyrrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett
1:16 p.m.
Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day
1:27 p.m.
Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Justin Rose
1:38 p.m.
Ian Poulter, Patrick Cantlay, Steve Stricker
1:49 p.m.
Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners
2 p.m.
Sebastian Munoz, Chun An Yu (a), Justin Harding
2:11 p.m.
Scott Hend, Dan McCarthy, Ryan Vermeer
Friday tee times
10th tee
Tee time
Players
6:50 a.m.
Shaun Norris, Rory Sabbatini, Chan Kim
7:01 a.m.
Adam Long, Eduard Rousaud (a), Mike Lorenzo-Vera
7:12 a.m.
Lukas Michel (a), Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones
7:23 a.m.
Ryan Palmer, Si Woo Kim, Rafa Cabrera Bello
7:34 a.m.
Joaquin Niemann, Sungjae Im, Cameron Champ
7:45 a.m.
Gary Woodland, Andy Ogletree (a), Shane Lowry
7:56 a.m.
Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau
8:07 a.m.
Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey, Jon Rahm
8:18 a.m.
Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff, Viktor Hovland
8:29 a.m.
Romain Langasque, Davis Riley, Will Zalatoris
8:40 a.m.
Matthias Schwab, Cole Hammer (a), Alex Noren
8:51 a.m.
Connor Syme, Paul Barjon, Marty Jertson
12:10 p.m.
Brandon Wu, Curtis Luck, Ryan Fox
12:21 p.m.
Joel Dahmen, Rasmus Hojgaard, J.T. Poston
12:32 p.m.
Chez Reavie, Sung Kang, Kevin Streelman
12:43 p.m.
Jazz Janewattananond, Kevin Na, Matt Wallace
12:54 p.m.
Brendon Todd, Harris English, Davis Thompson (a)
1:05 p.m.
Paul Waring, Victor Perez, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Go to usopen.com, Peacock app or DirecTV. Featured groups: 7:55 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Featured holes: 8:10 a.m.-6:45 p.m. Featured groups: 1:15-6:30 p.m. Peacock: 5-7 p.m. U.S. Open 360 (practice range and putting green with interviews, news conferences, bunker cams, analysis and features): 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Radio
PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 19
TV
NBC: 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Streaming
Go to usopen.com, Peacock app or DirecTV. Peacock: 9-11 a.m. Featured groups: 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Featured holes: 8:10 a.m.-6:45 p.m. Featured groups: 1:15-6:30 p.m. U.S. Open 360 (practice range and putting green with interviews, news conferences, bunker cams, analysis and features): 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Go to usopen.com, Peacock app or DirecTV. Peacock: 8-10 a.m. Featured groups: 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Featured holes: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Featured groups: 1:15-6:30 p.m. U.S. Open 360 (practice range and putting green with interviews, news conferences, bunker cams, analysis and features): 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Radio
PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.
Want to bet on the second round of the U.S. Open? Here’s your guide to the best bets and picks for Round 2 at Winged Foot.
The 2020 U.S. Open field took advantage of the unexpected favorable scoring conditions in Thursday’s opening round at Winged Foot Golf Club.
Justin Thomas, ranked eighth in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings, leads at minus-5. Scoring will almost surely rise Friday through the weekend, so big changes are expected to the star-studded leaderboard.
With this in mind, we look at the updated US Open betting odds, and make our PGA Tour picks and best bets to win heading into Round 2.
Finau ranks sixth in the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, seventh in SG: Off-the-Tee and 12th in SG: Around-the-Green through Round 1, according to Data Golf. He’s one of eight tied for 14th at four shots off the lead.
Among those tied with Finau are Jon Rahm (No. 1 in the Golfweek rankings) and Bryson DeChambeau. Higher-profile names, they’re +900 and +2200, respectively, to win the tournament after 18 holes. None of the three have won a major, and while Rahm and DeChambeau have both won in 2020, Finau has the best record in the big four championships. He has six top-10 finishes in his last nine major tournaments, including a fifth-place finish at the 2018 US Open.
He needs just to tighten up with the putter after losing 0.93 strokes with the flat stick in Round 1.
Looking to place a bet on the 2020 US Open? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!
2020 US Open Round 2 Betting Picks – Contender
Webb Simpson (+5500)
Simpson was my pre-tournament favorite to win his second career major. The juicy odds offered after 18 holes have me doubling down.
Finishing at plus-1, Simpson is six shots off the lead. He’ll tee off for Round 2 Friday at 1:16 p.m. ET, and he ranked first on the PGA Tour in the 2019-20 season with a late scoring average of 67.81.
He leaned on a strong putting stroke in Round 1, but he’ll be able to climb the leaderboard as the conditions toughen, as he did in his come-from-behind 2012 US Open win.
2020 US Open Round 2 Betting Picks – Long shot
Viktor Hovland (+10000)
Hovland is tied for 32nd with Simpson and 23 others, despite losing a woeful 2.32 strokes putting Thursday. He’s 11th in SG: Tee-to-Green and fifth in SG: Approach.
Last year’s low amateur in both the Masters and US Open, Hovland tied for 33rd in the 2020 PGA Championship in his first major as a pro. He’ll improve on that finish this week. As the greens become more and more difficult for the entire field, his ball-striking can be the difference.
Get some action on the 2020 US Open by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @EstenMcLaren on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and likes us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Phil Mickelson shot himself out of the U.S. Open with an opening-round 79 as he struggled to find fairways yet again at Winged Foot.
The dream of Phil Mickelson returning to Winged Foot, the site of arguably his biggest collapse, and winning the 120th U.S. Open to complete the career Grand Slam at age 50 is proving to be just that – a pipe dream.
Mickelson couldn’t find a fairway if his life depended on it, and shot an opening-round 9-over 79 on the A.W. Tillinghast design in Mamaroneck, New York.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s a disappointing day,” Mickelson told a media official before heading straight to the practice tee in search of answers.
Mickelson called Winged Foot “the toughest golf course in the world,” but on a day that soft greens allowed 32 golfers to shoot par or better, he looked out of sorts. It was a harbinger of what was to come when Mickelson arrived at the practice tee more than three hours before his afternoon tee time with what appeared to be 18 golf clubs in his bag, multiple drivers and two Trackman devices. It was an 11th-hour prayer to find a swing he could trust.
Mickelson missed the fairway on his first two holes, but a pair of impressive recovery shots on to the green set up a birdie-birdie start. Those would be the only circles on the scorecard for the day. It started to go south on the third hole as he carded the first of three consecutive bogeys. Mickelson dropped another shot to par the eighth and his frustration with his inability to control his golf ball became hard to hide. When he blocked a fairway wood on the ninth hole onto the first tee, he could be heard saying, “I’m so sick of this.” He was 2-over 37 at the turn.
It would only get worse from there. Mickelson came home in 42, making five bogeys and a double bogey at 14 when he drove into a fairway bunker and barely advance the ball after hitting the lip. He beat just one player in the 144-man field.
“I drove it poorly and I putted poorly. The course couldn’t be set up any better. It’s a spectacular golf course, great design, awesome setup, and I thought it was a good opportunity to score low today. I just played terrible,” Mickelson said.
Phil Mickelson during the first round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
Mickelson managed to hit just two fairways on the day, his fewest in any of the four majors since he hit just two in the final round of the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
On that occasion, Mickelson scrambled and rescued par – including from a garbage can – to hold a two-stroke lead with four holes to go. But his tee shot at 18 sailed left and caromed off a hospitality tent and he made double bogey to lose to Australian Geoff Ogilvy by a stroke. “I’m such an idiot,” he famously said.
Last week, Mickelson struggled to find fairways, hitting jut 12 of 56, at the Safeway Open. He knew that the punishment for his wayward drive would be much worse at Winged Foot, and he had work to do before the championship began.
Mickelson hasn’t finished better than T-28 at the U.S. Open since 2014 when he became a U.S. Open title away from completing the career Grand Slam.
Asked if there was anything he could do to get back into “a better groove” for Friday’s second round, a deflated Mickelson said, “I’m 9-over. I’ll play as hard as I can tomorrow and enjoy the round.”
Zach Johnson had an amazing shot with his putter on the par-3 1st hole.
Winged Foot Golf Club was primed for the U.S. Open to provide the toughest challenge in golf, and while there’s only around 20 players in the field under par late in Day 1, we’ve already seen a few remarkable highlight-reel shots.
Patrick Reed and Will Zalatoris both made aces at the par-3 7th hole, become just the sixth and seventh players to hit a hole-in-one at a U.S. Open this decade.
One of the other players on that list, Zach Johnson (who carded an ace at the 2014 U.S. Open), arguably had an even more impressive shot with his putter on the par-3 1st hole.
With seemingly zero chance to navigate the undulations of the green and putt his ball directly toward the hole, Johnson hit an adventurous shot well past the hole and allowed it to break back down a slope toward the cup – and then watched as it tracked directly into the cup. Johnson couldn’t believe it.
If you’re trying to watch the U.S. Open Thursday afternoon and you can’t find it, you probably feel like flipping someone the bird.
NBC has a new app, maybe you’ve heard of it, or even Googled it. It’s called Peacock.
If you’re trying to watch the U.S. Open Thursday afternoon and you can’t find it, you probably feel like flipping someone the bird.
The 120th U.S. Open was on Golf Channel for six and a half hours earlier in the day and then on good old, over-the-air, free NBC for three hours but the final two hours of live golf have switched over to Peacock.
Problem is, Peacock doesn’t quite have Netflix-level penetration across the U.S. and many sports fans are probably still scrambling as this story was being typed, looking for that app. NBCUniversal reported on Sept. 15 that 15 million people have signed up. It first debuted about three months ago for Comcast and Cox subscribers.
They’re probably banking on acquiring more by using a major championship to spur sports fans to jump on board.
Good news: You can find Peacock on your computer by going here. You do need to create an account but it’s free.
Reports on Twitter are that Peacock is not on the Roku. It’s been confirmed that it’s also not on the Amazon Firestick, but, there’s a work-around for that. Just watch this youtube video to figure out how to add the app to your Firestick.
You can watch live golf on the USGA’s website here.
#USOpen — You guys need to talk to NBC and realize that without an IT support desk, you cannot download the "Peacock" App on an Amazon Fire Stick. You do realize how much the cost of @GolfChannel costs a cable subscriber – only to get shut out in front of a TV. Dumb!!!
The live coverage on Peacock goes till 7 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday. The first two hours on the weekend (9-11 a.m. on Saturday, 8-10 a.m. on Sunday) are also on this new app.
Rick Pitino, men’s basketball coach at Iona College, was seen watching the U.S. Open from his backyard behind the third green.
With fans allowed on the premises at this year’s U.S. Open, some of the fans living on Winged Foot’s West Course have gotten creative, erecting their own backyard viewing areas.
One of them, apparently, is Rick Pitino. The new Iona College men’s basketball coach was photographed watching the tournament from a perch behind the third green with assistant coaches Tom Abatemarco and Ricky Johns.
The Hall-of-Fame coach, who surprised the college basketball world when he was hired by Iona in March, is a Winged Foot member. Pitino tweeted a photo of himself teeing off on the same hole earlier this month.
Getting ready to lay up on the 235 yard Par 3 at Winged Foot. Good Luck with the rough, if you can find your ball 😂 pic.twitter.com/BpcapbebDl
Justin Thomas carded a 5-under 65 to grab the clubhouse lead Thursday at the 2020 U.S. Open. Patrick Reed is second at 4-under.
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — While gnarly rough is a constant source of aggravation for the wayward and polished green complexes demand a steady hand, there is no panic.
Winged Foot is playing more than fair.
Justin Thomas took full advantage of a surprisingly gettable West Course on Thursday morning, carding six birdies and one bogey to grab the clubhouse lead with a 5-under 65. It’s the lowest round ever recorded on the storied West Course in a U.S. Open.
There was no discussion of breaking records earlier in the week.
“Yeah, 65 is fun no matter where you play, especially at Winged Foot,” Thomas said. “I was in a really good frame of mind and I was focused. … It’s one of those rounds where it’s just kind of like, next thing you know, you make the putt on 18 and you’re done for the day.”
Justin Thomas hits out of a sand trap onto the 3rd green during the first round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Photo by Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
No sweat.
Patrick Reed matched the 66 that 1984 champion Fuzzy Zoeller posted here in the second round. There were seven players from the first wave in red figures. Rory McIlroy was next on the leaderboard at 3-under.
“I think it one- or two-hopped in,” he said. “We couldn’t see how many hops it took. But it went in. … Of course I was excited about it, but really I knew from that point that, ‘Hey, you need to settle, get ready for the next hole.’ Around here, at Winged Foot, you have to pay attention because you hit one poor golf shot, a lot of things can happen.”
Patrick Reed plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY Sports
There were no surprises inside the ropes.
“No,” said Thomas, who’s looking for a second major championship to back up his win at the 2017 PGA Championship. “The greens are very soft. I thought they’d be a little firmer, but I also understand they need to err on this side so they can get them how they want this weekend. We had soft conditions this morning, a little overcast. The wind wasn’t really blowing very much. So it was good scoring conditions. In the morning, it’s usually softer anyway.”
The 27-year-old hit nine fairways. He found 14 greens and needed just 28 putts.
“It’s still Winged Foot,” Thomas added. “You’ve still got to hit the shots. That kind of was my game plan going into the week is that, yeah, I need to respect the course, but if I’m driving it well and playing well, I do need to try to make some birdies, and that’s exactly what we did today.”
Nobody was gloating.
The USGA only has to give the word to firm up the greens so most of the contenders believe Winged Foot is lying in wait.
“I mean, the greens are still pretty receptive,” McIlroy said. “I think they can get a little firmer as the week goes on. I don’t think the greens need to get any faster with how slopey they are, but they can certainly get them a touch firmer.
“I wouldn’t call it scorable by any stretch of the imagination. There’s a couple of guys that went a little lower than maybe was expected, but it’s not as if the rest of the field are finding it that easy.”
Reed is waiting for the history of the course to catch up.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things about the golf course, heard it’s a bear,” he said, noting that a good score was possible with no wind and soft greens. “But honestly, I did not see that many guys being under par so far. Even with the pin placements and the course setup and with the greens being soft, it’s still a hard golf course. You get in the rough, it’s hard to get the ball on the green. The fairways here, they’re not that generous. They’re pretty narrow and they have some spring in them, so a lot of balls were kind of landing and rolling through.”
