Admin June 13, 2024
Wyndham Clark discusses 2024 US Open, Pinehurst No. 2 golf course
The USGA held its 2024 U.S. Open media day at Pinehurst Resort on Monday. Reigning champion Wyndham Clark gave his thoughts on the course and tourney.
The 2024 U.S. Open began Thursday at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course in North Carolina.
Temperatures are expected to get into the 90s this weekend at golf’s third major of the year and the competition should be just as hot.
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay are the co-leaders after the opening round, each shooting a 5-under 65. McIlroy, a four-time major champ, played bogey-free golf and carded five birdies while Cantlay had six birdies and one bogey. Trailing the pair is Ludvig Aberg (4 under) and then Matthieu Pavon and Bryson DeChambeau at 3 under.
Follow along for news and updates from Pinehurst on Thursday:
Check out the full leaderboard here
Pairings and tee times for the second round of the U.S. Open can be found here.
Rory McIlroy said he had “very high” control through the first round.
“I felt like I controlled most aspects of my game really well. Controlled myself, controlled my mind,” he said after shooting a 5-under 65 for the co-lead on Thursday. “I was very disciplined when I needed to be. Kept hitting the ball pin-high on my approach shot, which is really important here. Just relentless trying to hit fairways and trying to hit greens.”
McIlroy said he’s “delighted with the start” and “looking forward to getting back out there in the morning.” The last time McIlroy shot a bogey-free opening round at the U.S. Open was in 2011, when he won the major title.
Bryson DeChambeau said he felt “really confident” on Thursday after tweaking his swing. It paid off — DeChambeau only missed two fairways in the opening round.
“Every hole, I was striping it,” DeChambeau said after finishing 3 under on the day. “I’ve been working on some stuff on the driving range and it’s been working amazing. I’m very lucky.”
As for the tweak? “I made a little tweak with my left arm, which allowed my face angle to just go through a lot better,” DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open winner, said.
Bryson DeChambeau won his first and only major title at the 2020 U.S. Open and he’s put himself in prime position to win the tournament again. DeChambeau finished his opening round at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course in North Carolina at 3 under after posting four birdies and one bogey. DeChambeau, who joined LIV Golf in 2022, is tied for fourth place with Matthieu Pavon.
Scottie Scheffler will have some ground to make up on Friday. The World No. 1 finished the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open at 1 over on Thursday after hitting three bogeys and two birdies. Although he’s tied for 40th place, Scheffler is only six strokes off the lead. Scheffler, the 2024 Masters champion, is looking for his first title at the U.S. Open. His best finish at the tournament was eighth place in 2021.
Bryson DeChambeau’s bogey-free streak in the opening round of the U.S. Open has ended. DeChambeau overshot the green on his second stroke on hole No. 7 (436-yard, Par 4) and the ball rolled all the way over to the spectator stands erected behind the marker. He rebounded nicely and nearly birdied on his chip shot. He had the opportunity to save par with his putter, but the ball came up short of the hole. He dropped to 3 under in the opening round following his first bogey of the day.
McIlroy drilled a birdie putt on the par-4 18th to finish his round tied with Patrick Cantlay atop the leaderboard at 5 under. The four-time major champ played bogey-free golf and carded five birdies.
It’s been 10 years since Rory McIlroy won his last major — PGA Championship in 2014 — but he’s putting himself in a position to end his title drought. McIlroy moved up to second place with a birdie on No. 16 (523 yards, Par-4) to bring him to 4-unde, tied with Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Aberg. McIlroy has been dialed in at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course on Thursday and has picked up four birdies with no bogeys so far. The last three times McIlroy has had a bogey-free opening round, he’s went on to win a major (2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship and 2014 Open Championship).
DeChambeau made the best out of a tricky situation. He teed off on hole No. 5 (par 5, 582 yards) and nearly drove it out of bounds, landing to the right of the fairway near the perimeter fence. But DeChambeau found the green on his next stroke and two-putted the ball in for a birdie, his fourth of the first round. With the birdie, DeChambeau moves to 4-under for the tournament and is now tied with Ludvig Aberg for second place.
Xander Schauffele, who is coming off his first major win at the 2024 PGA Championship last month, has been all over the place. Yet, he’s even so far in the first round at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course in North Carolina. Schauffele picked up a bogey on hole No. 14, his fourth of the round. He’s also had four birdies to keep him right in the mix. He’s currently tied for 21st place.
Bryson DeChambeau is now tied for third place thanks to a birdie on hole No. 3 – his third of the day. DeChambeau is tied with Rory McIlroy and Matthieu Pavon at 3-under for the tournament.
DeChambeau last won the U.S. Open in 2020 at Winged Foot. He was close to winning his second major title last month, but finished in second place at the 2024 PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy drove the ball 329 yards up the middle of the fairway on hole No. 12 (4-par, 489-yard). The same cannot be said for his partner Scottie Scheffler, who ended up in the rough to the left of the fairway. Scheffler’s club appeared to catch a weed in the patchy grass on his next stroke, causing him to pull the ball and end up in the bunker. The world No. 1 somehow avoided disaster. He found the green from the bunker and saved par with a short putt to stay at 1-over for the tournament.
McIlroy had an opportunity to birdie, but narrowly missed to the left of the hole. The world No. 3 remains at 3-under for the day.
Rory McIlroy is climbing up the leaderboard. McIlroy scored a birdie on No. 10, his third of the first round. The Northern Irish golfer’s putter has not let him down so far. McIlroy is a perfect 9-for-9 on the green when putting from inside ten feet. McIlroy is now 3-under for the tournament and tied for third with France’s Matthieu Pavon.
Bryson DeChambeau fell short of winning the 2024 PGA Championship with a second-place finish, but he’s trying to put himself in position to win another U.S. Open on Thursday.
He had a bad tee shot on the par-4 18th hole, but recovered to save par. But 52 feet away from the hole, DeChambeau chipped in his shot for a birdie and put himself at 2-under joining the collective list of golfers tied for fourth place.
The group that features the top three golfers in the world – Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy – are halfway done with the first round and leading the pack is the man looking to win his first major in a decade.
McIlroy is 2-under par and that has him tied for fourth place and three shots behind leader Patrick Cantlay. Schauffele, the 2024 PGA Championship winner, and Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 ranked golfer, have gotten off the slower starts with them both at 1-over par.
It hasn’t been the ideal start to the day for the world No. 1 golf player. Scottie Scheffler is 2-over par through six holes.
His first bogey of the day came on the par-4 third hole when he had back-to-back shots in the bunker that threw a wrench in his momentum. On the par-3 sixth hole, Scheffler was left with long putts after his tee shot misfired. He three-putted the hole for his second bogey of the day.
Could this be the weekend Rory McIlroy finally captures another elusive major title? It sure is looking like it.
After he got his first birdie on the fourth hole, McIlroy’s first shot on the par-5 fifth hole went into the native area and looked to spell disaster. But he recovered to set up his fourth shot from 66 feet away. McIlroy then laid the ball perfectly in front of the hole, watched it bounce and then roll into the pin as the crowd erupted in cheer. McIlroy is now 2-under par and tied for fourth place.
Rory McIlroy has been playing an aggressive style of golf early in the first round, and it finally paid off on the fourth hole.
On his second shot of the par-4 hole, McIlroy drilled it from 208 yards away from the flag and perfectly laid it on the green, seven feet away from the hole. The putter was betraying him on the first few holes, but he found a connection this time and got a birdie to get under par.
The par-4 second hole has been a challenging one so far in the first round with only one birdie made so far on Thursday. But Xander Schauffele, the 2024 PGA Champion, wasn’t fazed by the challenging hole, scoring a birdie to get under par early in his round. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler scored par.
U.S. Open 2024: Pinehurst No. 2 – 2nd Hole
Hole No. 2 at Pinehurst
Yards: 500 | Par: 4
2014 U.S. Open scoring: 4.339 average (ranked third in difficulty in relation to par)
It was a putting clinic for Patrick Cantlay on Thursday as he scored birdies on three of the last five holes on the back nine to finish the round 5-under-par and on top of the leaderboard.
Ludvig Aberg stands one shot back at 4 under with his round also complete.
Cantlay shot only 23 putts in the first round, the fewest number of shots he’s taken during a round of a major championship with the putter. He said he brought four putters with him to Pinehurst, but the one he opted to use on Thursday was clearly working for him.
“Feeling good about my game,” Cantlay said on the broadcast. “I’ve been working hard, and I just got to keep putting myself in the fairway, giving myself opportunities and did a good job of that today.”
One of the most star-studded groups of first round has gotten underway at Pinehurst with the top three golfers in the world – Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy – teeing off.
McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open and always remains a favorite to win another major. Schauffele won the most recent major at the 2024 PGA Championship, and Scheffler is the No. 1 golfer in the world and has been playing lights out with five wins already in 2024.
All three golfers had pristine first shots off the tee on the first hole and got to the green in two shots. McIlroy had a solid chance of getting a birdie to start the day, but the putt fell just short. All three players scored par on the first hole.
Tiger Woods’ putter let him down on more than one occasion during his opening round of 4-over-par 74 on Thursday.
Hitting just 9 of 18 greens in regulation, Woods put extra pressure on himself to save par with the putter – and Pinehurst’s fast, convex greens were not very hospitable.
A stretch of five bogeys in seven holes midway through his round included a trio of three-putts. His only birdies were on the course’s two par 5s.
He’ll need a much better outcome when he tees off Friday afternoon if he wants to make the 36-hole cut.
In Woods’ two previous appearances in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, he finished tied for third behind Payne Stewart in 1999 and runner-up to Michael Campbell in 2005. He did not play in the Open the last time it was held at Pinehurst in 2014, when Martin Kaymer prevailed.
The fifth hole at Pinehurst is proving to be the one vulnerable place to attack this very demanding course.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg became the latest golfer to go under par on the 582-yard par 5, reaching the edge of the green in two and getting up and down for birdie to put him at 4-under for the tournament.
That allowed Aberg to move into a tie for the lead with France’s Matthieu Pavon, who eagled No. 5 earlier in his round. American Patrick Cantlay joined the party with a birdie on 5 and added another birdie from 21 feet on the treacherous par-3 sixth.
Cantlay has three holes to play in his round.
Aberg, who started on the back nine, has completed 14 holes. Pavon is through 13.
On the strength of his second eagle of the day, Frenchman Matthieu Pavon has surged to the top of the leaderboard at Pinehurst.
Pavon got into red figures with an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole, added a birdie on the par-4 eighth and took the lead outright by nailing his second eagle putt on the 10th to get to 5-under par for the tournament.
Two-time U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka is among a group of three players two strokes behind. He’s at 3-under through 12 holes and is joined by fellow American Russell Henley and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.
After an early surge by Tiger Woods, another former U.S. Open champion has risen to the top of the leaderboard early in Round 1.
Brooks Koepka, who won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, is tied for the lead at 3-under par through 10 holes. France’s Matthieu Pavon is also at minus-3 through eight.
Koepka birdied both of the course’s par-5 holes and has yet to card a bogey in his opening round.
Pavon eagled the par-5 fifth hole and added another birdie on the front side to pull into the tie. Seven golfers are tied for third, one stroke back.
After an opening birdie, Woods has bogeyed four of his last five holes to drop back to 3-over.
2022 U.S. Open runner-up Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 ranked player and five-time winner on tour this year, is scheduled to tee off at 1:14 p.m. ET with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.
Scheffler is the odds-on-favorite to win the Open.
Half of the 156-player field is on the course at Pinehurst, and two-time U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka is once again on top of the leaderboard. Through his first seven holes, Koepka is tied with fellow American Logan McAllister at 2-under par.
Tiger Woods opened his round with a birdie, but consecutive bogeys dropped him back to 1-over through eight holes.
Just 13 players are in red figures, compared to 44 who are over par in the early going.
A wayward drive into the rough at hole No. 16 led to Tiger Woods’ first bogey of the opening round.
Woods hit his drive left of the fairway into the native grass and had to lay up on his second shot. His 20-foot putt for par just slid by the right side of the cup.
The bogey countered his opening birdie on No. 10 to leave Woods even for his round.
No one has really set the course on fire in the early going, as there have been far more bogeys (and worse) than birdies. Sixteen players — including Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Sergio Garcia — are tied for the lead at 1-under par.
Wyndham Clark begins US Open title defense
Wyndham Clark is frustrated with the state of his game and just looking to produce four solid rounds when he starts his U.S. Open defense this week at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
The American was the major tournament’s surprise winner last year when he held off Rory McIlroy on the back nine for a one-stroke victory at Los Angeles Country Club.
Clark is not brimming with confidence following missed cuts in three of his last five starts including the Masters and PGA Championship.
“I haven’t been playing my best golf,” Clark told reporters on Monday.
“It’s been kind of a tough stretch these last few weeks. Really I’m trying to gain some momentum for the rest of the season. I know that maybe sounds like low expectations for the week, but honestly I’d love to just gain some momentum.
– Reuters
Tiger Woods is off to a solid start through his first six holes at Pinehurst.
Starting his round with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole, Woods put together a string of pars through hole No. 15.
His putting has been excellent, helping the three-time U.S. Open champion convert a par save out of the bunker on 12.
He just narrowly missed pulling into a tie for the lead when a 12-foot birdie attempt didn’t fall on 14.
At 1-under, Woods is one stroke behind leader Ludvig Aberg.
Tiger Woods’ opening round at the 124th U.S. Open is underway — and he’s already in red figures.
The 15-time major champion found the native grass on his second shot at the par-5 10th hole. From 56 yards away, he pitched onto the green to 11 feet and nailed the birdie putt.
Playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick also birdied the hole.
They are two of five players at the top of the early leaderboard at 1-under for the tournament.
There are 156 golfers in the field for the 2024 U.S. Open but for 36 of them, this will be their first crack at playing in the national championship.
The list includes the No. 6-ranked player in the world (Ludvig Aberg), the 2023 DP World Tour Championship winner (Nicolai Hojgaard), the 2024 NCAA individual champion (Hiroshi Tai), a 37-year-old mini-tour grinder (John Chin) as well as 12 amateurs.
Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 will be set up at 7,548 yards and will play to a par of 35-35 — 70. The yardage for each round of the championship will vary due to course setup and conditions.
The course normally plays as a par 72, but two par 5s will be played as par 4s for the U.S. Open. As a result, there are only two par 5s on the course.
Rory McIlroy is still chasing an elusive fifth major title after winning his fourth nearly a decade ago but the Northern Irishman has not given up hope and enters this week’s U.S. Open feeling closer than ever to ending his drought.
McIlroy owns 39 worldwide professional victories, 26 of which have come on the PGA Tour, but he cannot seem to escape questions about his results at golf’s blue-riband events given his last major win came at the PGA Championship in August 2014.
“I’m really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved, whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors,” McIlroy, 35, said Tuesday.
“Obviously getting my hands on a fifth major has taken quite a while, but I’m more confident than ever that I’m right there, that I’m as close as I’ve ever been.”
– Reuters
The 2024 U.S. Open golf championship will be broadcast live on NBC and on USA Network, with coverage also on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Thursday’s Round 1 broadcast schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):
- 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m.: USA Network
- 5-8 p.m.: Peacock
Streaming coverage of several featured groups (including Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick) is available online at USOpen.com.
It’ll be a warm day at Pinehurst Resort. As the first groups teed off, it was 67 degrees and partly sunny. However, temperatures are expected to climb up to around 90 in the afternoon with mostly sunny skies and 5-10 mph winds.
U.S. Open tee times for Thursday
Starting on first tee:
| 6:45 a.m. | Michael McGowan, Carter Jenkins, Logan McAllister |
| 6:56 a.m. | Frederik Kjettrup, Crhstopher Petefish, Parker Bell |
| 7:07 a.m. | Omar Morales, Max Greyserman, Casey Jarvis |
| 7:18 a.m. | Corey Conners, Stephan Jaeger, Emiliano Grillo |
| 7:29 a.m. | Ryo Ishikawa, Francesco Molinari, Sergio Garcia |
| 7:40 a.m. | Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka |
| 7:51 a.m. | Rickie Fowler, Adam Hadwin, Phil Mickelson |
| 8:02 a.m. | Min Woo Lee, Sahith Theegala, Nicolai Hojgaard |
| 8:13 a.m. | Si Woo Kim, Matthieu Pavon, Sungjae im |
| 8:24 a.m. | Nico Echavarria, Robert Rock, Neal Shipley |
| 8:35 a.m. | Takumi Kanaya, Stewart Hagestad, Mac Meissner |
| 8:46 a.m. | Isaiah Salinda, Bruan Kim, Jim Herman |
| 8:57 a.m. | Carson Schaake, Charles Reiter, Colin Prater |
| 12:30 p.m. | Jason Scrivener, Brandon Robinson Thompson, Brendan Valdes |
| 12:41 p.m. | Santiago de la Fuente, Sam Bairstow, Eugenio Chacarra |
| 12:52 p.m. | Kurt Kitayama, Taylor Moore, Christiaan Bezuidenhout |
| 1:03 p.m. | Jason Day, Harris English, Tom Kim |
| 1:14 p.m. | Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler |
| 1:25 p.m. | Brian Harman, Nick Dunlap, Wyndham Clark |
| 1:36 p.m. | Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth |
| 1:47 p.m. | Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer |
| 1:58 p.m. | Akshay Bhatia, Eric Cole, Erik van Rooyen |
| 2:09 p.m. | Brendon Todd, Taylor Pendrith, Alex Noren |
| 2:20 p.m. | Thomas Detry, Brian Campbell, Jackson Buchanan |
| 2:31 p.m. | Taisei Shimizu, Gunnar Broin, Maxwell Moldovan |
| 2:42 p.m. | Sung Kang, Riki Kawamoto, John Chin |
10th tee
| 6:45 a.m. | Rico Hoey, Tom KcKibbin, Matteo Manassero |
| 6:56 a.m. | Dean Burmester, Rikuya Hoshino, Seamus Power |
| 7:07 a.m. | S.H. Kim, Justin Lower, Tim Widing |
| 7:18 a.m. | Lucas Glover, Sam Burns, Cameron Smith |
| 7:29 a.m. | Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tiger Woods |
| 7:40 a.m. | Patrick Cantlay, Matt Kuchar, Russell Henley |
| 7:51 a.m. | Tony Finau, Ludvig Aberg, Dustin Johnson |
| 8:02 a.m. | Justin Rose, Gary Woodland, Webb Simpson |
| 8:13 a.m. | Daniel Berger, Ryan Fox, David Puig |
| 8:24 a.m. | Ben An, Sam Bennett, Edoardo Molinari |
| 8:35 a.m. | Austin Eckroat, Adrian Meronk, Cam Davis |
| 8:46 a.m. | Aaron Rai, Davis Thompson, Zac Blair |
| 8:57 a.m. | Willie Mack III, Richard Mansell, Ashton McCulloch |
| 12:30 p.m. | Greyson Sigg, Grant Forrest, Wells Williams |
| 12:41 p.m. | Chesson Hadley, Mark Hubbard, Adam Svensson |
| 12:52 p.m. | Beau Hossler, Victor Perez, Adam Schenk |
| 1:03 p.m. | Robert MacIntyre, Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes |
| 1:14 p.m. | Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Hoge |
| 1:25 p.m. | Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa |
| 1:36 p.m. | Sepp Straka, Peter Malnati, J.T. Poston |
| 1:47 p.m. | Gordon Sargent, Jake Knapp, Cameron Young |
| 1:58 p.m. | Chris Kirk, Billy Horschel, Adam Scott |
| 2:09 p.m. | Ben Kohles, Denny McCarthy, Ben James |
| 2:20 p.m. | Frankie Capan III, Andy Svoboda, Luke Clanton |
| 2:31 p.m. | Harry Higgs, Hiroshi Tai, Brandon Wu |
| 2:42 p.m. | Joey Vrzich, Chris Naegel, Otto Black |
When does Tiger Woods play?
Woods will be in a group with Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick for the first and second rounds. He tees off at 7:29 a.m. ET on Thursday, starting on hole No. 10.
After a pair of disappointing finishes in the year’s first two major tournaments, Tiger Woods has a much more optimistic outlook heading into the U.S. Open.
There won’t be the hilly terrain of the Masters or the wet weather of the PGA. Instead, North Carolina’s Pinehurst Resort expects to see playing conditions that are more well-suited to his game.
“It’s gonna feel like home,” Woods told reporters Tuesday morning. “Hot and humid we deal with every day in Florida. It’s just a matter of keeping hydrated and the mental tax the heat will bring − not just on me; everyone will be tested.”
– Steve Gardner
List of U.S. Open winners
Here’s a look at the U.S. Open winners from the past 10 years:
- 2023: Wyndham Clark
- 2022: Matt Fitzpatrick
- 2021: Jon Rahm
- 2020: Bryson DeChambeau
- 2019: Gary Woodland
- 2018: Brooks Koepka
- 2017: Brooks Koepka
- 2016: Dustin Johnson
- 2015: Jordan Spieth
- 2014: Martin Kaymer
