US Open at a glance

The U.S. Open has a history of surprise first-round leaders.

“With the way the golf course is, with it being so soft”, he said, “I might just go out there in the second round and hit a lot of drivers and try to be as aggressive as I possibly can be”.

It was the first time in 30 years that a U.S. Open rookie had the sole lead after the opening round.

Landry is a 28-year-old qualifier making his U.S. Open debut. On Monday it was insane, so firm and so fast. Lush and wet, Oakmont yielded 11 rounds in the 60s.

It wouldn’t be a U.S. Open without complaints or weather concerns (particularly in the Northeast), and Oakmont already has delivered both.

“It’s obviously a frustrating day having to keep coming off, but there’s nothing you can do about the weather”, Westwood said after mixing an eagle two at the par-four 14th with two birdies and three bogeys.

In the gallery nearby a spectator – perhaps speaking for the thousands wondering about the unfamiliar name with the red number next to it – said “I never heard of the guy, but he conquered Oakmont. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots, made a couple of good putts and a couple of good up-and-downs when I needed it, and I’m very happy with the final result”.

“It was a pretty easy putt to make”, said Landry, who was briefly three strokes clear of the field. It was a shocking start for Day, who was in danger of missing the cut with little time to regain his composure. Johnny Miller did shoot an 8-under 63 in 1973 on Sunday’s final round to win that U.S. Open.

Players such as pre-tournament favorite Jason Day and sentimental favorite Phil Mickelson, who didn’t even warm up Thursday, face playing 54 holes over two days.

Still, McIlroy said that with the rest of the day on Friday at his disposal as he is not due back out for his second round until Saturday morning, there was still time for him to put things right and make it through to the weekend.

The average score for the first half of the draw, which started Thursday morning, was 75.22. He finished two shots out of the lead at the Memorial.

Since winning the year’s first major Willett has been inconsistent with a missed cut at The Players and a best finish of T3 at the Europen Tour’s PGA Championship.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth couldn’t break par either, shooting a 72.

The Northern Irish world number three said he had not been in control of his golf swing while piling up eight bogeys and a lone birdie on the tough Oakmont Country Club layout and would need to shoot “something like 66” in the second round. Still to be determined was whether Landrys score would stand up. “I just – I mean, I know what I’m doing, but it’s hard to change it out there”. They played in the same group and were a combined 18-over par.

Willett, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler could not get off the course soon enough.

The U.S. Open? Not so much.

Just nine of the field’s 156 players completed their first rounds Thursday, when, after three delays totaling more than five hours, the USGA acquiesced to all that rain.

Lee, meanwhile, had two birdies on the front nine and was without a bogey through 13.

The rough patch of weather was painful for the U.S. Golf Association because it came early in the first round, ensuring the tournament won’t get back to a normal schedule until at least Saturday.