U.S. Open golf

Defending champion Jon Rahm, PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and two-time major title-holder Collin Morikawa are all only three strokes back at 1 under, ...

T42. Joaquin Niemann, Sam Burns, Bryson DeChambeau, Corey Conners and eight others (+1): After an eagle on the par-5 eighth, it appeared that Niemann would threaten the first page of the leaderboard as he stood at 2 under for the day. It felt as if he was all over the place Thursday as he carded four birdies to offset four bogeys. In his five U.S. Open appearances, he has five top-10 finishes; however, he has yet to truly contend as his average deficit entering the final round has been 5.4 strokes. While Young was in a similar spot as Spieth from a statistical standpoint, Cantlay was not as his iron play was simply dreadful. Having been in the final pairing at the 2022 PGA Championship, it is possible the heartache from Southern Hills leads to jubilation in Brookline. He has been knocking on the door for what seems like an eternity and on paper the 2022 version of Fitzpatrick is different. He will need this area of the bag to rebound as he has had some trouble backing up one great round with another. Leading the field in strokes gained tee to green, there is still room for improvement as the 34-year-old ranked 60th in strokes gained putting in Round 1. The Canadian is in the midst of a sneaky strong season, which at one point included three consecutive top-10 finishes but has yet to taste contention in a major championship. He continued his fine play Thursday at The Country Club, but it was not without some head scratching moments. Defending champion Jon Rahm, PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and two-time major title-holder Collin Morikawa are all only three strokes back at 1 under, and they will look to ascend up the leaderboard in Friday's second round. Dropping a shot late in his round, McIlroy would later be matched by by Joel Dahmen, MJ Daffue and a pair of European counterparts at 3 under.

Phil Mickelson struggled in the first round of the U.S. Open, carding an 8-over 78. He's tied for 144th place.

Mickelson was playing in the U.S. Open after being indefinitely suspended by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan a week ago. Mickelson has been runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times. "I really enjoyed the test; I think it's just a spectacular golf course," Mickelson told reporters in the players' parking lot after the round. But then Mickelson yanked his tee shot into the thick rough on the right side on No. 12, needed two shots to get back to the fairway and carded a double-bogey 6 to drop to 7 over. Mickelson was one of 17 tour players who competed in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London without a conflicting-event release. Playing for the first time in the U.S. since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, Mickelson had bogeys on three of the first five holes and then four-putted from 12 feet for a double bogey on the par-3 sixth.

PLAYERX has the early lead at the 2022 U.S. Open after shooting XXX in the first round on Thursday. The NATIONALI The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.

#USOpen pic.twitter.com/6SMjcYqGnD pic.twitter.com/UkoslfvzlQ A solid start for the defending champ 😤@JonRahmPGA fights his way to a 1-under 69. 🗣 SOLO LEAD@ahadwingolf birdies on the 13th to claim the solo lead. 🐦 🐦 par 🐦 🐦 🐦@ahadwingolf has the lead to himself at -4. He was especially bad with his putting in the early going: Johnson carded four birdies on his way to a two-under finish and remains one of the favorites. @McIlroyRory saves par at the 5th. T7. Justin Rose (-2) T7. Matt Fitzpatrick (-2) Rory McIlroy is one of five players tied for second place, while Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm are among the big names within striking distance after the first 18 holes. T7. Dustin Johnson (-2)

On Thursday at U.S. Open, many golf fans didn't seem to care much about Phil Mickelson filling his bank account at LIV Golf.

"It's blood money," one fan said just before the gallery erupted. I would've done the same thing," one fan was overheard saying at the range. We followed Phil Mickelson Thursday at the US Open and just listened. The reaction? Without getting into too much detail, he's somewhat become the poster child for the Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led, breakaway league. "Who cares?

Adam Hadwin, who made the U.S. Open field as an alternate when Paul Casey withdrew with an injury, fired a 4-under 66 to take a 1-shot lead after the first ...

His previous low score in a major was 68 on three occasions, most recently the first round of the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park. Even with a good start, it doesn't figure to be easy for Hadwin or anyone else. "Nice to get down here and a couple of days' rest and get going for this week," Hadwin said.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — All it took was about two cringeworthy minutes and four putts from 12 feet to bring the golf world back to this: No matter where he plays ...

Mickelson is only 13 months removed from a remarkable late-career surge — the PGA Championship he won last year at Kiawah Island at a record age of 50. When he mercifully tapped in for his double-bogey 5, he was 5 over with the meat of the golf course still ahead. It was right out of a Boston fan's playbook. This marked the sixth straight time he’s failed to break par in the opening round of the U.S. Open. Earlier, Mickelson had missed par saves from 7 feet on No. 1 and 8 feet on No. 3. The quiet buzz spilling out of the grandstand and luxury suites grew louder as Happy Hour approached. And the next. Asked his brother and caddie, Tim, to take a look at the comebacker. He stopped and stared. He turned 52 on Thursday. He finished the day tied for 144th in the 156-player field. He shot 8-over 78.

Do you take the players known only to golf eggheads and ranked 592nd, 445th, 296th, 130th or 105th? Do you take the English bloke ranked 445th whose clubs got ...

The more you do it, the more you get used to it.” They all got golf clubs, so it was the second U.S. Open I’ve played in, and the second time, no golf clubs.” He got it solved by Monday with help from some of those 38 million helpful souls: Canadians. Five holes in with no wind, defending champion Jon Rahm had himself a moment when, he said, “I was thinking, ‘We’re going to blow the roof off this place.’ ” Reigning British Open champion Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner at 25, called it “gettable,” a word shelved if not condemned at most U.S. Opens. Both shot 1-under 69s. “This has been a year in the making, really,” Hadwin said. “It’s been eight years since I won a major, and I just want to get my hands on one again.” I wasn’t all-American. I wasn’t the best. But I’m pretty stubborn, and I’m not one to give up.” There have been some tough days, not going to lie, and you kind of start asking yourself those questions. Do you take the English bloke ranked 445th whose clubs got stuck at the Toronto airport so he had to walk around here Sunday with just a wedge? I think because of that, I’m a bit more at ease.” The group stood thick and populous beneath Hadwin’s 66 even though it lost Fitzpatrick, the hip pick of cognoscenti, when he bogeyed No. 18. Do you take the players known only to golf eggheads and ranked 592nd, 445th, 296th, 130th or 105th?