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SPORTS Friday 15 June 2018

Johnson shares lead in a U.S. Open that plays like one

By DOUG FERGUSON Woods said. "My game
AP Golf Writer plan was not to make any
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) 'others,' and I made three
— The return to a classic of them. So didn't do very
U.S. Open course brought well there."
back the kind of scoring It was quite a contrast from
that gave this major its rep- last year at Erin Hills in Wis-
utation. consin, which set a record
Dustin Johnson played for the first round by yield-
some of his best golf Thurs- ing 44 rounds under par.
day and yet the world's No. Piercy, the last man in the
1 player barely beat par 156-man field as an alter-
in the treacherous wind at nate from qualifying, was so
Shinnecock Hills. Johnson disgusted with his game in
holed a bunker shot for his final practice round that
birdie, kept his mistakes to he walked off the course.
a minimum and joined Ian He dropped only two shots,
Poulter, Scott Piercy and both on par 3s, and was
Russell Henley at 1-under 69 the first to post a 69. Poulter
for a share of the lead. also played in the morning,
"You had to focus on every while Johnson and Henley
single shot you hit — putts, played in the afternoon as
everything," Johnson said. the wind reached its full
"It was just difficult all day." strength.
No need to tell that to Tiger Henley was the only player From left, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods walk off the 12th tee during the first round
Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jor- to reach 3 under at any of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Thursday, June 14, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y.
dan Spieth and a long list point, and he promptly Associated Press
of golf's bests who had their gave that back with a dou-
hopes crushed in gusts that ble bogey on No. 10. bunker on the par-4 eighth So did McIlroy, who had a That already appears to be
approached 25 mph that Jason Dufner opened with rattled and rolled into the pair of double bogeys in his the case.
made fairways look more a 70, and even those at cup. third round of 80 or more in The U.S. Open has gone to
narrow and the shin-high 1-over 71 felt as though Not even Johnson was im- a major. new courses two of the last
rough difficult to avoid. they put in a hard day's mune from mistakes, how- Woods quickly joined them. three years, and Jack Nick-
In his return to the U.S. work, a group that includ- ever, dropping shots on the From the middle of the first laus is among those who
Open after a two-year ab- ed Justin Rose and Henrik 12th and 14th holes. fairway, he went long over feared it had lost its identity.
sence, Woods opened a Stenson. It didn't take long to figure the green. He chipped Even with wider fairways,
major with a triple bogey "It's a different kind of en- out what kind of test this once and it came back Shinnecock Hills resembled
for the first time in 15 years. joyment, right?" Rose said. was going to be, with the to his feet. He tried it again a U.S. Open course from
He added back-to-back "I enjoy the battle. I enjoy 15 flags atop the grand- with the same result, and past years, and it played
double bogeys on the the fight. I enjoy the grind, stand next to the 18th then rapped his putter up like one.q
back nine and staggered really. When you get a bit green already flapping as the hill by the hole and
to a 78. cut up and bruised, it can the first group teed off, and missed the putt. He held it
Spieth waited until the sec- change pretty quick." they were crackling by the together until a four-putt
ond hole to make a triple Johnson is coming off a afternoon. on No. 13, the last three of
bogey, blasted out of a six-shot victory last week in Phil Mickelson, needing the those putts from 6 feet.
bunker and over the 11th the St. Jude Classic, and U.S. Open to complete the "Shoot something in the
green, and then took three while no one has ever won Grand Slam, played in the 60s tomorrow, and I'll be
shots to get on the putting the U.S. Open coming off feature grouping with Spi- just fine," Woods said. "I just
surface. McIlroy found trou- a PGA Tour victory the eth and McIlroy. They fin- think today was the tough-
ble just about everywhere week before, he played ished a combined 25-over est day we'll have all week.
and shot 80, his highest first- as though nothing had par, with Mickelson taking But then again, I think
round score in a major. changed. He holed medi- honors at 77. It was his high- they're going to let these
"It was pretty evident no- um-length putts for birdies, est opening round in his 27 greens firm out a little bit.
body was making any bird- a few nervy, short putts for U.S. Opens. Mickelson re- They'll start to pick up a little
ies in the morning — lots and par and picked up a bonus fused a request to speak to bit of speed, and it will be a
lots of bogeys and 'others,'" when his shot from a front the media about his round. good U.S. Open again."