Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka and Sweden’s sixth-ranked Ludvig Aberg had been amongst these set for a morning cost because the 124th US Open started Thursday at treacherous Pinehurst.
The 7,543-yard sandhills structure with its domed greens, sandy waste areas, native bushes and wiregrass was set to supply a formidable problem to a area of 156 golfers.
American Michael McGowan and Filipino Rico Hoey hit opening photographs of the primary and tenth tees, respectively, to start the 1,000th championship occasion in US Golf Affiliation historical past, courting to the primary US Open in 1895.
World primary Scottie Scheffler, second-ranked Xander Schaufele and third-ranked Rory McIlroy tee off collectively within the afternoon function group. Schefler is taken into account the person to beat with 5 US PGA Tour victories this 12 months, essentially the most by any participant at this stage since Tom Watson in 1980.
Two-time Masters champion Schefler has 12 top-10 showings in 13 begins this 12 months and will match 15-time main winner Woods as the one participant to win a US Open whereas atop the world rankings. Schaufele gained final month’s PGA Championship for his first main title, snapping a two-year win drought.
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McIlroy, who has referred to as off his divorce plans, has 5 consecutive top-10 finishes on the US Open, enhancing yearly within the run to complete second in 2023.
Woods, battling again from extreme leg accidents in a 2021 automobile crash, was set to begin within the fifth group of the tenth tee alongside England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open winner, and American Will Zalatoris.
Seventh-ranked Morikawa, a two-time main winner, is within the sixth group of the primary tee alongside fellow People Koepka, a five-time main winner, and Justin Thomas. Morikawa shared third on the Masters in April and fourth finally month’s PGA Championship.
He was runner-up to Schefler finally week’s Memorial match. With Monday’s qualifying deadline looming, Morikawa is clinging to the fourth and ultimate US berth for the Paris Olympics behind Schefler, Schaufele and defending US Open champion Wyndham Clark. Six People can overtake him, however 5 of them want a victory to do it.
Aberg, runner-up on this 12 months’s Masters in his main debut, begins on the tenth tee alongside People Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson. Johnson is amongst 12 LIV Golf gamers within the area after Spain’s eighth-ranked Jon Rahm, a two-time main champion, withdrew because of a left foot harm.
Amongst 468 gamers in three prior US Opens at Pinehurst, solely 4 broke par for 72 holes and only one, 2014 champion Martin Kaymer of Germany, completed higher than one-under, successful by eight strokes on nine-under.
“It’s a brutally arduous golf course,” mentioned 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, one other early starter. “It’s very lengthy and there’s no letup. It’s a must to be extremely disciplined.”