BROOKLINE — Wellesley novice Michael Thorbjornsen and Holden native Fran Quinn hit the primary shot of the 122nd U.S. Open off the primary and tenth tee, respectively, Thursday morning.
They every would make par at their opening holes, however rounds went downhill rapidly from there for the duo.
Thorbjornsen, the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, made a double bogey on the third and a bogey on the fourth on his technique to a 7-over 77.
Quinn briefly had a share of the lead after dropping an 11-foot birdie on the drop shot par-3 eleventh, however dropped pictures at No. 13, 14, 16 and 17 to make the flip at 3-over and repeated the 4 bogey, one birdie efficiency on the entrance for a 76.
Keegan Bradley of Woodstock, Vermont, and a Hopkinton High graduate, turned in an even-par 70. The solely mark on his first 9 was a bogey on the seventeenth, when he left his third shot within the bunker. The lone birdie got here on the quick par-4 fifth, hitting his tee shot into the again proper bunker and hitting his sand shot to six toes, and efficiently changing.
“I didn’t drive it my best, but putted really well,” stated Bradley. “I’m pretty happy with that round. It’s a lot of buildup, so even par in a U.S. Open is really good.”
A bogey-bogey end gave Worcester-born Scott Stallings a 74, whereas Caleb Manuel, an novice from Topsham, Maine, struggled to an 83.
Not very welcoming
The defending champion Jon Rahm hit his tee shot on the 18th gap into the left tough, close to the merchandise tent. When he bought there the ball was nowhere to be discovered.
It changed into a memento.
“I’m pretty sure I know who it was. I recognized the two kids that were running the opposite way with a smile on their face,” Rahm stated laughing. “I am 100% sure I saw the two kids that stole it.”
Because it was clear that it was a sufferer of theft versus being misplaced, Rahm didn’t need to return to the tee to play his third shot, and was given a drop, after which was given reduction from a tent.
He proceeded to hit his second shot from 135 yards to pin excessive, 21 toes proper of the flagstick and made the putt for birdie to complete up a spherical of 69.
“I’m just really happy somebody spotted the ball first,” Rahm stated. “We knew exactly where it was.”
By the numbers
The opening spherical noticed 25 gamers end in pink numbers and one other 16 at even par, a contact greater than 1 / 4 of the 156-player area at par or higher.
The common rating was 72.773 on the par-70 format with the again 9 taking part in a few shot more durable than the entrance. The again facet featured the three hardest holes on the day with Nos. 12, 15 and 10.
The 468-yard, par-4 twelfth ranked as the toughest at 4.474, however the opening gap yielded the fewest birdies with simply three.
It was not a lot of a shock that the 2 par 5s performed as the best holes, the 548-yard eighth performed to a mean of 4.641 and accounted for six of the 9 eagles on the day. The 310-yard fifth was the one different gap to play beneath par at 3.865.
Source: www.bostonherald.com