Rory McIlroy grabs first round lead in the US Open at Congressional Country Club
Irishman Rory McIlroy grabbed the first round lead at the 111th US Open which tee-ed off at Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course on Thursday, June 16. This is the fourth time in is his short career that Mcilroy has been leading the first round
in major championships.
McIlroy started off leading the opening rounds of the Masters as well, but melted away in the final round to close with an over-par score of 80. The youngster with his six-under, 65 was three shots better than the Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.
"It felt like quite a simple 65," McIlroy said. "I didn't do much wrong. I felt comfortable with my game and comfortable on the golf course."
McIlroy carded six birdies in his round and avoided bogeys throughout his 18 holes. He was also the only player who did not drop his shot the whole day, even when he was playing later in the day facing strong breeze and intermittent spells of rain.
"It's a major championship, and the toughest major championship of them all is the U.S. Open, and you can't let any other thoughts get in your head," McIlroy said. "You're just trying to concentrate entirely on your game, and trying to get that ball around
the course in as few strokes as possible."
Schwartzel pulled in four birdies in his front nine but fell for a bogey at Par-3, 10th to finish his round with three-under, 68. He was tied with PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang of South Korea, who dropped two shots besides carding five birdies
in his first round.
Schwartzel’s recent form has gathered attention of the critics, especially after he went over to close his final round in the Masters with four consecutive birdies, unprecedented in the tournament’s history.
"It's a long way to go, but it's nice to get yourself in contention," Schwartzel said.
Six players are in contention for the fourth place including Brazilian Alexandre Rocha, Australian Scott Hend, Kyung-tae Kim of South Korea, Spaniard Sergio Garcia, South African Louis Oosthuizen and American Ryan Palmer. No less than 12 players are tied
for the tenth spot, five shots behind the lead.
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