2020 US Open: Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood in dispute after first day at Winged Foot

Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are within two strokes of the leader at the US Open after American Justin Thomas set the pace early at Winged Foot on Thursday.

Thomas birdied at 18 to beat compatriot Patrick Reed with five under par after hitting a starting 65.

Reed had a hole-in-one at par-three seventh, as did Will Zalaforis at 70.

In the previous five US Open held at Winged Foot, there were only two aces.

Belgian Thomas Pieters and American Matthew Wolff are down four after producing the best rounds from late starters.

Westwood is still chasing an elusive first major after finishing third in this tournament twice, in 2008 and 2011.

The 47-year-old got off to a good start when he birdied on the 11th and 12th, having started on the tenth tee, and rolled on another at 15th in response to his first bogey of the day.

The two-time major league runner-up traded birdies and bogeys in his second nine, but finished with a birdie at the ninth par-five to move to a portion of fifth place.

“You can get it if you play well and hit the fairways,” Westwood said of the Mamaroneck headquarters.

“It becomes a beast of a golf course if you start losing fairways and greens in the wrong places. It’s not going to be easier.”

McIlroy & Peters Enjoy Daddy’s New Bounce

McIlroy, whose wife Erica gave birth to daughter Poppy two weeks ago, is playing in his first major since becoming a father last month and said that being a father “makes the tough days a little easier to get through.”

However, the world number four had no reason to be discouraged as one of the morning’s starters, arriving at the corner three under par after starting his round on the 10th tee.

The 31-year-old, chasing a fifth major title and the first since 2014, opened the tournament with a birdie, added another on 13 and completed an impressive nine-hole opening with the third on 18.

He made a bogey in the first, his tenth, but a superb putt to save par in the second was followed by a birdie in the third par three to fall back to a hit from leader Thomas.

The former world number one then drove to the sixth green to establish a long-range eagle opportunity that would have given him the lead, just three putts and par.

McIlroy spoke about the importance of a good start earlier this week and will be encouraged by a 67 which is his lowest opening round at the US Open since 2011 at Congressional, where he won by eight shots.

“In the first round of a major, you’re always eager to play well and maybe sometimes I’ve thought about it too much,” he said. “I just went out and took what they gave me a little more relaxed and played really well.

“I think at a US Open, if you can get off to a good start, you’re not chasing that much. And when you chase on the US Open golf courses, that’s when you can start to make mistakes and compound your mistakes.”

Pieters, whose best major finish is tied for fourth at the 2017 Masters, has recently returned to competitive golf after becoming a father himself and opened his tournament with a four under 66.

“In a way, it has freed my mental game,” she said of the birth of her daughter Florence after her impressive first round.

“I have not been that perfectionist or so angry, I no longer get angry about anything.”

Thomas sets the pace on day one

Leader Thomas, who was playing alongside 15-time Major champion Tiger Woods, bogeyed the tricky third par three to erase an opening birdie, but another birdie at six followed by three in a row around the curve put him on the spot. pole position.

Thomas then had a lengthy discussion with a rules officer about a bunker shot at 17 and, after being told not to change his lie, found another bunker off the green.

The 27-year-old made an excellent cut and took advantage of par to maintain his lead heading into the latter, where he rolled on his sixth birdie of the day to get away from Reed.

“It’s one of the best rounds I’ve played in a long time, tee to green,” said Thomas, the world number three.

“There are a couple of things here and there that definitely could have been better, but I made sure all my flaws were in the right places, and that’s what you have to do at a US Open.”

American Xander Schauffele, one of the favorites for the tournament, is three behind the leader, while world number two Jon Rahm’s bid to become the first Spaniard to win the US Open started with a 69 below zero.

Woods had rallied to one under par with three successive birdies around the corner and was walking after another birdie putt at 12 to make four on the rebound, just to see how it would come off.

The 44-year-old’s card was filled with six bogeys, and a double bogey at the last saw him finish three over par.

The world’s number one fit Dustin Johnson, who won the FedEx Cup, also struggled, posting a 73 that puts him eight shots off the beat.

Phil Mickelson, who infamously double bogey the final hole at Winged Foot 14 years ago to squander a chance to win the only major he missed, hit just two of 14 fairways on his way to finishing nine over par.

Justin Rose also found the notoriously difficult West Course difficult to master as the Englishman, a 2013 title winner, finished his first round three over par.

Compatriot Matt Wallace closed with a birdie to enter the second round at par, but Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick slipped to four more, and Ian Poulter, who tied for 12th here in 2006, is a shot. further back.

Defending champion Gary Woodland started with 74, two shots better than his fellow player, Irish Open champion Shane Lowry.