2023 US Open leaderboard: Latest updates with Rory McIlroy ...
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Records were broken on a low-scoring first round at the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club as Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set an outstanding early pace with both American’s getting into the clubhouse eight under par.
Fowler was the first to break the record for the lowest scoring round in US history before Schauffele joined him in the record books minutes later to take a share of the lead into round two.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy is just three shots behind despite a bogey on the last after an impressive round of 65 with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler (-3) and Masters champion Jon Rahm (-1) also in the red. Dustin Johnson, one of the stars of LIV golf, is right in contention too at six under par.
This tournament is the first time in 75 years that the US Open is being played in Los Angeles with LA Country Club hosting the event for the first time. A more challenging layout is expected for the players this afternoon but, with little wind expected, there may be more birdie opportunities on offer today.
Follow all the action from the 123rd US Open:
US Open 2023Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele lead after historic opening round in LA
Schauffele joined Fowler in the record books with his bogey-free round of 62
Rory McIlroy three shots behind after first round
Leaderboard: -8: Fowler, Schauffele;
-7: Clark:
-6: Johnson;
-5: McIlroy, Harman;
-3: Scheffler, DeChambeau and more
US Open 202316:02 , Mike Jones
Consecutive birdies for Wilco Nienaber!
After a difficult first round of 75, the South African is off to the perfect start this afternoon.
Nienaber is still three over for the tournament with the cut line projected to be around the two over mark so there’s work to do for the rest of the round but those opening holes will make his feel a whole heap better.
US Open 202315:57 , Mike Jones
Clark is now one shot off the lead at the US Open after a birdie start on the par-four 10th.
That moves him up to seven under for the tournament and sees the American one off the lead at the top of the leaderboard.
US Open 202315:50 , Mike Jones
Wyndham Clark is the first of the early starters to be contending near the top of the leaderboard having ended yesterday six shots under par.
He smokes his drive straight down the middle on 10 before flicking one onto the green to set up an early birdie chance.
15:49 , Mike Jones
After finding the bunker on the left side of the fairway on the first hole Phil Mickelson can only reach the green in four. He’s left with a sizeable putt to tidy up his par but pushes it wide of the hole.
A tap in six will see Lefty drop a shot and bring him back to evens for the tournament.
US Open 202315:44 , Mike Jones
Take a look at this putt, it’s the longest of the tournament so far at 61ft:
US Open 202315:39 , Mike Jones
Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson has also got his second round started from the first tee box. He shot one under yesterday and so is still in the mix at this tournament.
He finds the sand and the left fairway bunker with his tee shot.
US Open 202315:38 , Mike Jones
Nick Hardy slides in a birdie three on the second to claw back a dropped shot on the first. He’s back to even par for the round.
Just behind him, Joaquin Niemann finds the rough off the tee on one and has to lay up before his chip onto the green.
McIlroy improving15:33 , Mike Jones
As he waits to get his second round underway at the Los Angeles Country Club, here’s a look at how Rory McIlroy has improved his game during the opening rounds at the majors.
Between 2017 and 2022, McIlroy’s scoring average in the opening round of majors was 72.45 and a combined +27. Since the 2022 Masters, he is a combined -18 in opening rounds of majors, with a scoring average of 67.67.
Double bogey for Echavarria15:28 , Mike Jones
Colombia’s Nico Echavarria starts his second round with a shocker on the first hole. He’s out of position after his second shot and scrambles to make it up.
Eventually he settle for a double bogey seven and a hole that was easy to score on yesterday. Is that a sign that today’s score may not get as low as Thursday’s?
Xander Schauffele predicts ‘nasty’ US Open after record-breaking first day15:23 , Mike Jones
Xander Schauffele predicted the US Open could turn “nasty” after an historic day of scoring on the opening day at Los Angeles Country Club.
Schauffele matched Ryder Cup team-mate Rickie Fowler’s eight-under-par 62 to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major championship, set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open.
The duo led by five shots after the morning wave was completed on Thursday, but by the end of the day were only two in front of Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark, with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman another stroke back.
Xander Schauffele predicts ‘nasty’ US Open after record-breaking first day
Johnson reflects on opening round15:17 , Mike Jones
Dustin Johnson reflected on his first round 64 which sees him just two shots off the lead. He said:
“I drove it really well, that’s the key out here, you’ve got to play for the fairway, I played a lot of really good shots. Played really strong.
“I like the golf course, it sets up really well for me, but you’ve just got to drive the ball well.”
Broken records on day one15:14 , Mike Jones
Ricky Fowler and Xander Schauffele led a series of low scores on Thursday’s opening round which saw a few records come and go. Here’s a few of the ones that were broken during the first round:
The lowest opening round in US Open history (62).
The lowest first round scoring average in US Open history (71.38).
The sixth-lowest first round scoring average in major championship history (71.38).
US Open leaderboard15:10 , Mike Jones
Here’s how things look after the first round:
-8 Fowler, Schauffele
-6 D Johnson, Clark
-5 McIlroy, Harman,
-3 DeChambeau, Scheffler, SW Kim, English, Barjon, Bennett
US Open 202315:07 , Mike Jones
Coverage of the second round is just getting started with a few of the big name stars heading onto the course early on today. Rory McIlroy is out at 4.24pm, starting on the 10th hole.
Dustion Johnson (4.02pm) and Jordan Speith (4.13pm) tee off slightly earlier.
Xander Schauffele meanwhile gets his second round going at (9.54pm) playing alongside Jon Rahm whilst Rickie Fowler tees of at (9.32pm).
Fowler and Schauffele equal lowest score in men’s major championship history15:00 , Mike Jones
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with stunning rounds of 62 on the opening day of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler exploited ideal, overcast conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It was also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
Yet Fowler amazingly held that distinction on his own for less than 30 minutes as Schauffele, playing two groups behind, carded eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 of his own.
Fowler and Schauffele equal lowest score in men’s major championship history
US Open 202314:33 , Mike Jones
The US Open returns to Los Angeles for the first time in 75 years as the major season continues.
There is a sense of the unknown as the class of the men’s golfing world head to the LA Country Club, which hosts the event for the first time.
Scoring was surprisingly good on day one, with Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele breaking the record for the lowest ever round in the US Open.
But, the conditions should become more difficult as the week develops and birdies could be hard to come by.
The second round gets underway this afternoon with the likes or Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler trying to chase down the leaders.
