What’s all that guff about patience being a virtue? It’s more than that; especially given the sort of day which players – at least who actually managed to hit a shot in anger – endured on the opening day of this 116th edition of the US Open where, as if the course itself wasn’t difficult enough, the weather gods connived to play games of their own.
In what turned into a game of Start-Stop-Start-Stop- Start-Stop, the third suspension in play brought with it an end to proceedings with only a handful of players managing to finish their rounds. One of them was a young American amateur Scottie Scheffler, a 19-year-old Texan: his opening round 69, one-under, was sufficient to give him the clubhouse lead. Something, perhaps, to brag to the grandchildren about in the future.
Out on the course, another American was given the unexpected role of main character. Andrew Landry, a product of the mini-tours and the web.com tour and with a best finish of tied-41st (at last week’s St Jude Classic) on his 11 outings so far on the PGA Tour in his rookie season, reached the ninth green – his 18th – on three-under-par to be in the lead. The siren sounded for a third and final time before Landry got a chance to take his birdie putt. He didn’t mind, much of the hard work had been done.
For some, the sound of the siren came as a blessed relief. The disruption in the play, with the amount of rainfall changing any strategic plans in how to play the course, had been an endurance for many, with Rickie Fowler – six-over for his day’s work through 12 holes – putting his hand in his face, glad that he could regroup.
Indeed, that marquee group of Fowler, Masters champion Danny Willett and Rory McIlroy had failed to find any ignition key for a wet, stormy day. Willett and McIlroy were both on four-over when their misery was brought to an end.
For McIlroy – who had gone into the round with great expectations after a win in the Irish Open and a tied-fourth finish on his last outing in the Memorial – it was one of those days when very little went right. His sole birdie had arrived on the Par 5 fourth, where he hit three-wood off the tee and three-wood again onto the green on the 609 yards hole, before using his lob wedge rather than putter to negotiate the swales on the green.
As Chi Chi Rodriquez once observed, there are fewer bumps in the air than on the ground and, for once, McIlroy’s choice of play worked out. He rolled in the four-footer for birdie.
Otherwise, though, it was a frustrating round which included early dropped shots on the second (where he pushed his driving iron into a fairway bunker) and the third, where he was also in trouble off the tee.
McIlroy suffered another bogey on the seventh where his 195 yards approach ran through the back of the green. He left his pitch eight feet short and then missed the par saving putt. Having turned in 37 strokes, the world number three then suffered back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th and was grateful when the siren went off before any further damage was inflicted to his card.
Shane Lowry, thanks to a pitch-in birdie from 65 yards on the first hole, had a much better time: he was in tied-eighth. “I’m happy to hang on,” admitted Lowry, adding: “There still aren’t too many guys under par. I think if you hit it in the fairway, you could hit greens easier. They’re not as firm and as fast so it’s definitely made it easier for us. Obviously the rough is a lot juicier so you really need to keep the ball in the short stuff. It’s been an interesting day so far. Happy that they’ve called it and we get to go back and have a little rest.”
This was a trying day for many players, with the plight of Bryson DeChambeau typifying the difficulties. One minute he was contending, playing like a potential champion, and the next he was freefalling down the leaderboard: as much as the scientific approach has enabled him to make his mark, DeChambeau racked up a double-bogey on the 18th, his ninth hole, and then ran up another six for another double-bogey on the first.
With play suspended for the day after the third blast of the siren, and the course starting to flood, it was Landry who topped the leaderboard.
Who is he?
An unheralded leader, for sure. The 28-year-old Texan’s only pro win came on the web.com tour last year and his foray onto the PGA Tour this season hardly set the world alight as he missed the cut in five of his first six outings. Ranked 624th in the world rankings, he has only posted three rounds in the 60s anywhere. Here, when play does resume, he is poised to make it four – and on a course with a reputation to be the hardest of all.
One of those chasing him down is Lee Westwood, who has enjoyed a renaissance this year. The 43-year-old Englishman – still chasing a maiden Major title in an otherwise stellar career – was one-under through 13 holes in a share of fourth place.
Westwood’s highlight arrived on the fourth hole, where a wedge from 128 yards pitched right of the flag and spun into the hole for an eagle two.
“It’s obviously a frustrating day having to keep coming off, but there’s nothing you can do about the weather. I’m playing well though, playing nicely. I’ve dropped shots when I’ve missed it in the wrong spots and made some nice birdies too. The eagle on 14 was obviously a nice shot. The course is playing nicely and the greens are fast, even with all the rain,” said Westwood.
Still, it was Landry who had the distinction of holding the lead when play came to an abrupt end, holding a one-stroke lead over Bubba Watson – two-under through 14 – and New Zealander Danny Lee – two-under through 13 – and half the field yet to hit a shot at all.
