Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set records on opening day of US Open

Round 1

Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele share the early lead after a history-making opening day at the 123rd US Open, where Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy also started strongly.

Fowler mixed 10 birdies with two bogeys to card a stunning eight-under 62 in benign conditions at Los Angeles Country Club, the lowest round in US Open history and matching the record-low men’s major total set by Branden Grace at The Open in 2017.

The American held the outright lead for barely 20 minutes until Schauffele fired eight birdies in a blemish-free 62 to share top spot, with the pair having a two-stroke cushion over two-time major champion Johnson and Wyndham Clark – the pick of the afternoon starters – in a share of third.

A final-hole bogey dropped McIlroy three off the pace on five under but in contention to challenge for a first major victory since 2014, while world No 1 Scottie Scheffler is five back and in tied-seventh after an opening-round 67.

Fowler opened with a birdie at the par-four 10th and cancelled out a bogey at the next with three birdies in a five-hole stretch from the 12th, then responded to a dropped shot at the long 17th hole by rolling in from 15 feet at the 18th to turn in 32.

The former US Open runner-up took advantage of the par-five first and added to his birdie tally over each of the next two holes, with Fowler also picking up shots at the sixth and eight before closing his record-breaking round with a two-putt par from distance at the par-three ninth.

Schauffele – playing two groups behind Fowler – made the dream start when he made a 40-foot birdie at the 10th for the first of three birdies in the first five holes, with the Olympic gold medallist then following back-to-back gains from the first by nailing a 60-footer from the fringe at the fifth.

The 29-year-old made a six-foot birdie at the seventh and added another at the par-five next to also have a chance to threaten the lowest round in men’s major history, although had to settle with a share of the lead after matching Fowler’s closing par.

Fowler and Schauffele’s totals were five strokes better than any other player from the morning wave, although Johnson, Clark, McIlroy and Brian Harman were among the later starters to continue the low scoring and threaten more records.

Johnson had got himself within one of the lead after three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the fifth but bogeyed the par-three ninth, his final hole of the day, while Clark eagled his opening hole of the day and finished with a 25-foot birdie to also get to six under.

Harman looked the best hope of bettering the clubhouse target when he birdied six of his opening 10 holes, with the left-hander remaining within two of the lead until he missed from four feet to save par at the 17th.

McIlroy equalled the best nine-hole score of his major career when the fired five birdies to reach the turn in 30, with the former world No 1 adding another from 10 feet at the 15th before carding his only bogey of the day when he took two attempts to get out of the rough on his final hole.

Scheffler bogeyed the par-five first and three-putted the last on a day where he also made five birdies, with 2020 champion Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Sam Bennett, Paul Barjon and Si Woo Kim also all five back in tied-seventh.

World No 2 Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith and Phil Mickelson are in the group on one under that contains Sam Burns, who fired a hole-in-one at the 15th, with Matthieu Pavon also making an ace on the same par-three earlier in the day.