Landry leads weather-hit US Open
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It was the worst rain delay in a U.S. Open since no one finished the opening round at Bethpage Black in 2009 in a tournament that ended on a Monday. I’m going to make a lot of pars and hang in there.
Those were the only players in the red, in part because half the players in the 156-man field never had the chance to set foot on the course.
The leader in the clubhouse after day one is still Andrew Landry. If the lead stands after the second round is over, it would match the lowest 36-hole score in a U.S. Open at Oakmont.
On the leaderboard, they were one shot behind Lee Westwood, who closed with two birdies in the morning for a 67. “I felt like I didn’t quite get rewarded with my score for how I felt like I played”. I hit it close quite a lot, 26 putts.
Seven of the 78 player who teed off in the morning were under par, so Oakmont still presented its typical share of problems, mostly on the greens.
The 29-year-old has also found playing in America easier since earning his PGA Tour card on the back of his brilliant victory in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Akron last August. And while 16 players shot par or better, the casualties to par were plenty - and prominent.
The American world No. 2, level for the day after offsetting a birdie at the par-five 12th with a bogey at the par-four 14th, had just watched his approach into 17 spin back a good 40 feet before rolling into the right greenside bunker. “I’m not going to overpower a golf course”.
“You really need to be in control of your golf swing though and today, or over the last two days, I haven’t been, so I need to work on that”, said McIlroy, who bogeyed five of his last seven holes on one of the toughest courses in golf. “I know I’m capable of it. I’m in it”.
The Australian’s first-round 76 included a double-bogey at the par-four seventh, where he was in two bunkers and needed two attempts to get out of one of them.
Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Danny Willett would be a dream threesome by just about any measure unless that measure was par at Oakmont.
“Just making putts”, Landry said when asked what had been the key to his impressive start in his first U.S. Open. He is one of the last players to go off for round two.
“I made a couple of 6-footers with two putts”, Johnson said. “You just got to try and stay mentally tough and stay patient and maintain your rest”.
Another stroke back were two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and 2008 U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee, of New Zealand.
“It’s called mini-tours”, he said with a smile. He hit 50 putts, all bending from right to left, to get ready.
Landry completed his opening-round 66 on Friday morning after play was suspended due to heavy rainfall. He didn’t sound overly nervous about trying to keep this good play going.
“Putter let me down a little bit in the afternoon, but the ball striking was really pretty wonderful in the afternoon for sure”, Piercy said.