The hole is playing 165 yards. Reed’s ball one-hopped into the hole, while Zalatoris took a different approach. His ball bounced four times before gently rolling up to the cup and then falling in from the left side.
They are the 46th and 47th holes-in-one recorded in U.S. Open history, and the first aces of the 2020-21 PGA Tour season. At the 1989 U.S. Open, Doug Weaver, Mark Wiebe, Jerry Pate and Nick Price set a championship record when they all aced the 159-yard par 3, 6th hole at Oak Hill.
For Reed it’s his first ace since 2015 and helped him to a first-round 66. Zalatoris currently leads the Korn Ferry Tour points list.
After Jordan Spieth’s first round at Winged Foot, he gave the impression of a young man trying awfully hard to find a bright spot.
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — The style of golf that typically prevails in a U.S. Open is of the methodical variety that efficiently navigates the numerous perils that present themselves. The type of golfer who typically prevails in a U.S. Open is a stoic, a man who commands his tiller with the gritty calm of a seasoned mariner.
That ain’t Jordan Spieth’s style of golf. And it ain’t Jordan Spieth.
In Thursday’s opening round at Winged Foot, Spieth spent the day pitching and rolling, at one point cruising with three straight birdies, at others narrowly avoiding being sunk with two ugly double-bogeys. It was the kind of roller-coaster round that has become all-too-familiar to the 2015 winner, who has slipped to 67th in the world after going winless for more than three years. In the end, it all added up to 73.
“Shooting 3-over at a U.S. Open, feeling like I had no control, it’s not bad,” he said. “Really struggling ball striking. Found a way to kind of grind it out on and around the greens.”
His round one statistics illuminate his shortcomings. On one of the most demanding venues for a U.S. Open, Spieth found just three fairways, continuing the dismal theme of the PGA Tour season that just ended, when he ranked 181st in driving accuracy and 190th in greens in regulation percentage. Afterward, he gave the impression of a young man trying awfully hard to find a bright spot.
“I feel that, even with not having much tee to green, I can somehow still shoot an even or under par round on this course, and that’s incredible self-belief in the grind,” he said.
It’s been three years since Spieth won the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, and five since his magical year when he claimed the Masters and this title at Chambers Bay. Even then, Spieth’s golf was an 18-hole thrill ride rather than an orderly procession from tee to trophy. He could win ugly, as he did from Birkdale’s driving range on his way to that Claret Jug. Now it’s just ugly.
“There’s a lot that’s off. I’m not really sure. If I knew, I’d fix it,” he admitted Thursday. “Standing on a tee at the U.S. Open and not exactly knowing where the ball is going to go is not a great feeling. But I’ll grind it out. I don’t ever give up.”
Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Winged Foot Golf Club. Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
After his round, Spieth was back on the range with his swing coach Cameron McCormick and caddie Michael Greller in tow.
Though he’s still only 27, there exists a Spieth of then and a Spieth of now. Young Spieth played golf with exuberant abandon, brimming with confidence. Old Spieth is uncertain, paralyzed with technical thoughts before swinging the club and vocal in his agonized self-analysis after seeing the results.
So why not simply forgo the obsession with mechanics and swing with the freedom he once had? “I’d love to, but the second I try and just pick a tree and swing at it, the ball goes pretty far offline,” he said. “There still needs to be focus on the mechanics.”
Starting his ninth U.S. Open—having finished no better than tied 35th since his win—Spieth told himself to hit only draws off the tee. “The only shot you have to hit a fade out here is No. 8 tee, and I played four fade shots today. I played those holes 6-over,” he said with an air of resignation. “Two doubles and two bogeys with the four swings I played fades on. So I was right. The problem was I didn’t stick with that or I’d probably be at even-par worst case right now.”
As it is, Spieth finds himself eight strokes back of early leader Justin Thomas, a distant placing that has become too familiar after opening rounds. “If there’s any tournament where that’s okay, it’s a U.S. Open,” he said. “But it’s just too many first rounds where I’m at least seven back after one. It’s really frustrating.”
Spieth knows from experience that the distance between himself and the lead is far from insurmountable on a golf course that will only get tougher as the week wears on. He began Thursday with the goal of taking the lead and ended it with a more tactical mindset, one focused on holding his ground and hoping for incremental gains. In short, trying to give himself a shot at winning ugly.
“You look at trying to make the cut and finding a softer golf course on a Saturday and just trying to progress the next three days,” he said. “If I can hold myself anywhere around where I’m at right now, I mean, I would say 3-over would likely be in the top ten going into Sunday easily. That’s where I look at it.”
Rory McIlroy shot a 67 at Winged Foot to begin the U.S. Open. Still, he did not appear impressed by what he had done.
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — Rory McIlroy tapped in his 3-foot putt and walked off the ninth green five hours and two minutes after he struck his first shot in the 2020 U.S. Open on Wing Foot’s famous 10th hole. The look on his face was not a frown, but he wasn’t smiling either.
The course was soft Thursday, and there was only a hint of a breeze moving the leaves in the massive oaks and maples around the West Course. It was a good day to score, maybe the best day the players will get this week, and Rory carded a 67. Justin Thomas shot 65 to top the leaderboard after the morning wave of players were done, so McIlroy was just two shots behind. Still, he did not appear impressed by what he had done.
“I definitely feel like I could have … I three-putted for par on six, and there were a couple other chances I let slip by, the three-putt for bogey on one,” he recalled after signing his card. “So there were chances there to maybe sneak another two or three out of the round. But at the same time, 67 here is always going to be a good score.”
He’s right. No one should ever feel disappointed by shooting a 67 in a U.S. Open at Winged Foot. But he’s also right that his score could have been better.
Ryan Holiday, one of McIlroy’s favorite authors, writes a lot about the importance of perspective in a person’s life. He would probably advise the 31-year-old new father to remember all the good things he did on Thursday. Like his first shot of the day, an iron from 207 yards out on the par-3 10th hole led to a 19-foot birdie. He should also remember hitting his tee shot on 13, a 214-yard par 3, to three feet to set up another birdie. And McIlroy should not forget his tee shot on the 329-yard, par-4 sixth hole, a driver that found the middle of the putting surface.
Holiday would also likely advise McIlroy not to dwell on the fact that he three-putted after that magnificent drive and had to settle for a par.
Rory McIlroy on the first green during the first round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. (Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports)
The most positive sign for McIlroy was his performance off the tee. He hit 9 of 14 fairways on Thursday and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He was in control throughout most of the round and kept big numbers off his card.
“(Driving) was important today, and I did that well for the most part,” McIlroy said. “I still missed a few fairways, but I was able to recover from there. But I hit a lot of good tee shots, which I was sort of seeing a little bit in the latter stages of Atlanta, but it was nice to see it today.”
If he wants to win a second U.S. Open, he will need to keep driving the ball well. Adam Scott, who has played in every U.S. Open since 2002’s event at Bethpage Black, played alongside McIlroy on Thursday and put it this way. “If you’re missing four fairways each nine, you’re going to have a hard time. It’s very unpredictable. It’s hard to control and to leave yourself in a good spot for the next one. You really need to be playing from the short grass.”
There is a long way to go, and the course will get more challenging when the wind starts to blow. Rory McIlroy may not have been thrilled as he left the course, but he and his fans have plenty of reason to feel optimistic that he will be at Winged Foot.
The Jordan Spieth Experience was in full effect on Thursday at Winged Foot.
It’s been up-and-down for Jordan Spieth this year, to say the least, and that continued with his first round at the 2020 U.S. Open.
On No. 2 at Winged Foot, he hit a drive that actually got wedged between a pair of trees. That sent him back in a cart back to the tee box to try again. He’d end up with a double-bogey on the hole.
But he also hit an incredible putt in which he aimed way right and watched it go downhill left into the hole on No. 5.
The Jordan Spieth Experience was in full effect on Thursday.
Davis Thompson jumped atop the leaderboard after posting three straight birdies during the first round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
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Stepping foot on a track as daunting as Winged Foot Golf Club for your first crack at a major championship certainly can stir nerves in a guy.
Davis Thompson expected it. The University of Georgia star, who earned a berth into this week’s U.S. Open through his No. 4 standing in the World Amateur Golf Ranking — he’s No. 1 in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com rankings — knew nerves would be an issue, and when the first person he saw at Winged Foot was one of his boyhood idols in Rory McIlroy, he needed to take a deep breath.
But finding a pair of fellow Georgia alums Harris English and Brendon Todd in his opening-round threesome marked the first sign Thompson might be able to ease into this thing.
“I mean, I play a lot of golf with Harris and Brendon, just them being Georgia guys. So that was a comfortable pairing,” the first-team All-American said. “Yeah, I was a little nervous, but once I hit that first tee shot, I think I was ready to roll.”
With his father, Todd, on his bag, Thompson jumped atop the leaderboard after posting three straight birdies en route to a 32 at the turn. He buried another birdie on No. 11 to maintain the outright lead for a bit, and although he dropped strokes on three of his final six holes coming home, the 21-year-old was still rightfully happy with a solid 69.
“I got off to a great start. I hit a lot of fairways coming out of the gate, which kind of gave me a lot of comfort at the start. Then I just missed a few fairways coming in and had to hack it out and try to get up and down. Unfortunately, I didn’t,” he said. “But a great start. That was kind of one of my main goals coming into this championship, just get off to a good start and not get behind the 8-ball. I’m excited about the rest of the tournament.”
And it’s not like Thompson simply got lucky. He misread a makeable birdie putt on No. 9, and after a long iron got him out of the rough on No. 16, he three-putted from 70 feet. Those were just two opportunities that could have pushed him higher on the leaderboard, and perhaps pulled him even with English and Todd, who each finished at 68.
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Still, Thompson understands how advantageous his position is, especially in light of the conditions at Winged Foot, where many expected the world’s best to all post scores above par.
“Yeah, just compete, just do the best that I can. I’m not oblivious to the fact this is my first Major Championship. I’m going to be nervous, but that’s part of it. Just compete my tail off, just stay in my routine, just not make it bigger than it is. Just try to play golf like I do every day,” he said, adding, “I’m not here to be a tourist.”
A colorful scorecard told the story of Tiger Woods’ up and down start at the U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods’ scorecard looked more like a coloring book after the first round of the 120th U.S. Open.
The 15-time major champion struggled to stay inside the lines for most of Thursday morning’s round, signing for a 3-over 73 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. Woods walked off the course T-64 after one double bogey, six bogeys, six pars and five birdies.
Playing alongside PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa and Presidents Cup partner Justin Thomas, Woods got off to a strong start with a trio of pars before back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5 put early blemishes on his card. He rebounded with his first birdie of the round on the par-4 6th before finishing par-bogey-birdie to make the turn at 1 over.
After the birdie on No. 9, Woods carried that momentum around the turn with two more birdies on Nos. 10 and 11. The birdie-fest ended with a par on No. 12 and a pair of costly bogeys on the par-3 13th and par-4 14th.
Woods picked up a shot on the par-4 16th and gave it right back after he failed to scramble from a wayward tee shot on No. 17. He made another bogey on No. 18 thanks to a duffed approach shot from in front of the green.
The trio will be back on the course Friday afternoon at 1:27 p.m. ET off the 10th tee.
ASU golf coach Matt Thurmond will caddie for his student, No. 3-ranked amateur Chun An Yu, at the 2020 U.S. Open.
When Arizona State men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond accepted an offer from his top player, Chun An Yu, to caddie at the U.S. Open this week, it was with only one condition.
No using a big, heavy Tour golf bag.
“That’s not happening with me as the caddie,” Thurmond said.
Yu agreed and their deal was done.
Arizona State men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond (left) will caddie for one of his Sun Devils, Chun An Yu, at the U.S. Open this week. Sun Devil Athletics
So Yu, a senior from Taiwan, is not only playing in his third consecutive Open as an amateur, he also should be the envy of every collegiate athlete.
Because for this one week, the player, not the coach, is giving the orders. Thurmond made that clear before they left Tempe for the tournament at Winged Foot in Westchester County, just outside New York City.
“I said, ‘I’m your servant. You’re my boss. You can tell me anything you want. You want to arrive four hours early? I’ll be there four and half hours early. You want to stay all day. I’ll be there. You want me to carry seven umbrellas and four sets of rain gear? I’m carrying all those things.’”
These were not empty promises. Reached Tuesday morning, Thurmond said he was finishing up a meal in the dining room for caddies. Work awaited.
“I’m getting pin sheets, range balls, wet towels,” Thurmond said. “I’m happy to do it; he’s treating me great.”
Yu, who also adopted the American name “Kevin,” doesn’t seem the type that requires a lot of maintenance. And part of the reason Yu asked Thurmond to caddie is that Yu is hoping to play better than he did in his previous two Opens, in which he failed to make the cut.
“He’s coached me four years already,” Yu said. “He knows me so well. On the course, he knows how to calm me down. If I do something that’s not me, he can say, ‘Hey, hey, Kevin, you should do this.’”
Thurmond has caddied many times before and attended several U.S. Opens. He knows the drill. The courses are difficult with fairways that are narrow, rough that is thick and long and greens that are quick.
Inevitably, players will complain. His advice to Yu: don’t participate.
“Look, it’s going to be really hard,” Thurmond said. “We know it. Let other people worry about that. We’re just going to try to make pars and some birdies when we can.
“You have to recalibrate your expectations. Kevin comes out on pretty much any course we play and shoots mid-60s, every day. Just knowing that you might go and shoot 74, 75 and have it be a great round, being OK with that, will be a vital, vital skill.”
The No. 3-ranked amateur in the world, Yu’s original plan was to turn pro after the collegiate season, but that was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A senior, Yu accepted when the NCAA offered an additional year of eligibility to seniors whose seasons were cut short by the pandemic.
“Give me another year to play as a Sun Devil,” he said. “Never say no to that.”
ASU golfer Chun An Yu will carry a special Sun Devils bag with PT 42 on the side during the U.S. Open this week. Courtesy of Arizona State University
Yu hasn’t played a competitive round since March. While back home, he tried to stay sharp by making rounds with friends as competitive as possible. He did the same thing with teammates after recently returning to Tempe for classes.
Despite the time away from competitive golf, Yu hopes he’s less nervous when he tees off Thursday at 5:40 a.m., than he was during his previous Open experiences.
His coach, however, is experiencing some stomach flutters.
“I’m just carrying the clubs, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m nervous,” Thurmond said. “But it does speak to what a big deal this is, what an exciting time this is for Kevin and our program.”
Seven golfers with ASU ties are playing this week, ranging from 50-year-old Phil Mickelson to the 22-year-old Yu. That’s tied with Georgia for the most of any school.
Three ASU alums — Mickelson, Paul Casey and Jon Rahm — play together in the first two rounds. (Tee times: 10:27 a.m. Thursday and 5:07 a.m. Friday.)
“It’s pretty cool to see that the legacy continues,” Thurmond said.
Oh, and the bag Thurmond will be carrying? It will be Yu’s Arizona State camouflage bag with “PT 42” on the side.
Patrick Reed figured out a way to beat the Winged Foot obstacles, one-hopping in a hole-in-one on the 7th hole, which is listed at 162 yards.
All the talk was about the incredibly difficult rough and lightning-fast greens at Winged Foot.
Need a strategy to beat those obstacles?
Patrick Reed figured out a way, one-hopping in a hole-in-one on the 7th hole, which is listed at 162 yards.
Reed has one major under his belt — the 2018 Masters — but has never finished higher than fourth at the U.S. Open. He had posted a double-bogey on No. 5 and then birdied No. 6 before the ace.
For the first two days, Reed is playing in a threesome with Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth. The field of 144 players will face a tough, par-70 golf course playing 7,477-yards.
The U.S. Open at Winged Foot’s afternoon group includes Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm.
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In what has been an unconventional year in sports, Winged Foot Golf Club might provide a sliver of normalcy for the U.S. Open.
An unfamiliar spot on the calendar? Sure. But the venue promises a familiar, firm and unflinching test for the world’s best players.
The 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot’s West Course yielded a field scoring average of nearly 5 over par per round – the toughest venue on the PGA Tour schedule that season by almost three full strokes. There were only 12 rounds in the 60s for the week, and just eight when the Open was held there in 1974. The minuscule birdie average per round of 1.76 at Winged Foot in ’06 has been eclipsed only by two majors since then – the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst (1.63 birdies per round) and the 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale (1.74).
It’s been more than a century since the last U.S. Open contested in September. In 1913, young amateur Francis Ouimet pulled off one of the greatest upsets in golf history, defeating British stars Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff. The performance was immortalized in the 2005 film, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
Fans will not be on the grounds at Winged Foot, but as we saw at last month’s PGA Championship, tension is still palpable in the cauldron of major-championship golf, even without crowds. Maybe this U.S. Open, too, will create drama worthy of the silver screen.
Jon Rahm hits his approach to the 2nd green during the final round of The Northern Trust golf tournament at TPC of Boston. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Jon Rahm (Thu., 1:27 p.m. ET, 1st tee)
No Spaniard has ever won the U.S. Open, but after briefly reaching the world’s No. 1 ranking this summer, Rahm is poised to break through with his first major championship win. Why not at Winged Foot?
Driving force
Five of the past seven U.S. Open winners ranked either first or second that week in total driving, and 13 of the last 20 ranked in the top 10 in driving distance. Rahm has been among the Tour leaders in strokes gained off the tee since turning pro in 2016.
Trending upward
Through six career major championship starts, Rahm has a scoring average of 72.5 and zero top-10 finishes. His recent form in the majors is a different story: 20 of his last 22 rounds have been par or better. He finished T-13 at the PGA in August.
Improved short game
With maturity has come a more well-rounded Rahm. In 2020 he is on pace for his best year yet in both strokes gained around the green and putting. He’ll need it – Rahm ranked a paltry 47th in the field in strokes gained putting while finishing in a tie for third in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Xander Schauffele tees off on the 3rd during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Xander Schauffele (Thu., 1:38 p.m. ET, 10th tee)
Since 2014 there have been only two players with a dozen or more rounds played at the U.S. Open and a cumulative score under par. Two-time champion Brooks Koepka is one, and Schauffele is the other.
PRESSURE PUTTER
Schauffele led all players in strokes gained putting per round at the U.S. Open the previous three years. He’s averaged 7.4 one-putts per round in his Open career, as well – best of any player this decade.
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
Does it seem as if Schauffele always contends in majors? Well, he does. In just 12 career major starts, Schauffele has finished in the top 10 six times. He finished tied for 10th at TPC Harding Park.
POWER AND PRECISION
Since 2017 no player has hit more drives longer than 300 yards at the U.S. Open than Schauffele (88). He has an average approach shot proximity of just over 31 feet in that span, too, ranked third best. It’s a nice combination.
Editor’s note: Golfweek partnered on this story with 15th Club, a firm that works with players, media entities, manufacturers and tours around the world in telling the true story of golf performance.
Follow Tiger Woods’ Thursday round at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot with shot-by-shot analysis.
Tiger Woods’ quest to catch Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 career major championships continues this week at the 120th U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.
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 enters the event after a two-week break following his FedEx Cup exit with a T-51 at the BMW Championship in late August.
Woods tees off at 8:07 a.m. ET Thursday alongside PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa and world No. 3 Justin Thomas. Following his opening round with shot-by-shot analysis below.
Pre-round
Get excited, golf fans.
The players are ready. Winged Foot is ready. We're ready.
