Rory McIlroy delivered his first bogey-free round in a major in a decade, carding a 5-under 65 to share the lead with Patrick Cantlay after the first round of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
McIlroy achieved one of only two bogey-free rounds, a notable feat on the challenging course. He finished with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, prompting a wave to the crowd from the double-deck grandstands as the ball dropped into the cup.
“I wasn’t showing off. I thought I left it short,” McIlroy said. “But it got up there, it was nice, and a great way to finish. The way I played today, the way I hit the ball, the way I managed myself, I felt like that score was pretty deserved.”
Cantlay, who played in the morning under sunny skies, recorded a round featuring a birdie from a bunker on his second hole and two birdie putts from around 20 feet. He finished with only one bogey.
Pinehurst No. 2 proved both playable and challenging, yielding over a dozen under-par scores. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler struggled with his control off the tee, finishing with a 71, while Tiger Woods posted a 74 after a stretch of five bogeys in seven holes.
McIlroy’s round included hitting a 6-iron to 7 feet for birdie on the 528-yard fourth hole and chipping in from the front of the green on the following hole. His towering iron shots landed softly, usually pin-high and away from the domed edges of the Donald Ross greens.
McIlroy has won his last three majors after starting with a bogey-free round, including the 2014 British Open, the 2012 PGA Championship, and the 2011 U.S. Open.
“Getting off to a good start is important to try to keep yourself up there because you have to give yourself as big of a cushion as possible, knowing what is lurking around the corner,” McIlroy said.
Ludvig Aberg, making his U.S. Open debut, shot a 66, highlighted by a birdie on the par-3 ninth hole. Bryson DeChambeau and Matthieu Pavon each shot 67.
Sergio Garcia, playing in his 25th consecutive U.S. Open, also recorded a bogey-free round with 17 pars and one birdie. He was unconcerned by Cantlay’s 65, which matched the lowest opening round in four U.S. Opens at Pinehurst No. 2.
“There’s always going to be someone that hits the ball great, everything goes his way, makes a couple of bombs, and you can shoot it,” Garcia said. “You might see someone shooting another 66 or 65 or something like that. I think as the course gets even firmer, even faster, a tiny bit of breeze comes up here and there, it’s going to be difficult to shoot those kinds of scores.”
Cantlay’s solid performance contrasts with his overall record in majors, where he has only four top-10 finishes in 26 starts since his return from a back injury in 2017.
“I’ve been working really hard on my game,” Cantlay said. “And usually when you make just a couple of changes and you’re working really hard, it’s just a matter of time.”
Cantlay remains reticent about his performance in majors and dismisses the idea that his role on the PGA Tour board during negotiations with LIV Golf has been a distraction.
Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, and Will Zalatoris all struggled, with rounds of 78, 77, and 75 respectively. Dustin Johnson also carded a 74.
Brooks Koepka was 3-under at one point but finished with a 70 after three bogeys on the back nine. Colin Morikawa managed an even-par 70 despite a double bogey on the ninth hole and another on the 15th, recovering with a birdie from a bunker on the 17th and a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
“Hit two poor shots and one bad bunker shot. It wasn’t that bad on 9,” Morikawa said. “But other than that, I felt like I played pretty good. Very, very happy I got out with even par after today.”
