McIlroy shot a bogey-free round.
Rory McIlroy shot an impressive bogey-free round of 65 to tie the lead and beat his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, by six shots on day one of the US Open in North Carolina.
McIlroy, starting at 6:14 PM Irish time, began his round with a birdie on the 528-yard fourth hole.
He chipped in at the fifth to reach -2, two-putted for birdie on the 619-yard par-five tenth and hit a 344-yard drive at the sixteenth to secure his fourth birdie.
A short iron from 146 yards at the eighteenth led to a 20-foot birdie putt, culminating in a -5 round that tied him at the top of the leaderboard with Patrick Cantlay.
Pinehurst Number Two, a par 70 course designed by Donald Ross, presented challenging conditions with green speeds of 14 on the Stimpmeter.
Only 15 players managed to shoot under par.
Other Performances:
Patrick Cantlay: Early leader with a -5 round of 65, noted for his 23 putts over 18 holes.
Ludvig Aberg: Finished with a -4 round of 66, hitting all 14 fairways.
Bryson DeChambeau: Shot a -3 round of 67, including a chip-in birdie at the eighteenth
Challenges for Top Players:
Brooks Koepka: Reached -3 but finished level par after three late bogeys.
Xander Schauffele: Managed a level par round despite hitting only eight greens.
Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa: Both five shots behind the leaders with rounds of 70.
Seamus Power: Scored +1 with three consecutive birdies early in his round.
Scottie Scheffler: Tied with Power on +1, hitting only six fairways.
Notable Scores: Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, and Tom McKibbin each finished with +4 rounds.
The competition remains open with a long way to go, but McIlroy’s strong start puts him in a promising position as he seeks his first major victory in ten years.
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