🏌🏻Rory Overshadows Scheffler

Good morning! Round 2 is in progress at Pinehurst No 2.

McIlroy, DeChambeau, Schauffele and Shceffler have all teed off - you can watch the action live on NBC Sports and Peacock.

The top 60 players (out of 156) and ties will make the cut after Round 2.

Fun Fact: Ludvig Åberg is 4-under in round one of his US Open debut. The lowest score ever shot by a player in his first career US Open round is 64 by Lee Mackey, Jr. in 1950 at Merion.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1959, Billy Casper won his first of two National Opens at Winged Foot Golf Club. He finished a shot ahead of Bob Rosburg.

ALBATROSS
Rory Overshadows Scheffler and Schauffele @ Pinehurst

Rory McIlroy shot 65 to share the first-round lead with Patrick Cantlay, while early favorites Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler failed to break par. Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy represent the top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking and are placed in the same group for the first two rounds.

🚀 Rory, Cantlay Lead: McIlroy walked in his 20-foot birdie putt at 18 to tie for the lead after the first round. Cantlay earlier matched the lowest round score (-5) ever at Pinehurst No 2 on Thursday, shooting a 65 to take the lead.

The overnight leaders are one stroke ahead of third-placed Ludvig Aberg.

⏳ Suber's fairytale: Despite missing the cut in five of his last six PGA Tour outings, Jackson Suber filled the spot left open by Jon Rahm, who bowed out with an injury. He's taking full advantage of the opportunity and closed the day four shots behind the top spot (-1, 69), tied for ninth on the leaderboard.

🎯 Dream Debut: Ludvig Aberg carded 4-under 66 on his US Open debut to sit alone in third. He is seeking to become the first Swedish player from his country to win the US Open and the first to win in their championship debut since Francis Ouimet in 1913.

🚫 Favorites Struggle: Pre-tournament favorites Scottie Scheffler (WR1) and Xander Schauffele (WR2) didn't have an ideal start. They are T-34 and T-16 respectively after Round 1.

Scheffler hit just 6 of 14 fairways and lost strokes to the field off the tee (-0.581) while Schauffele hit it all over the map, ranking 145th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee.

Watch Round 1 Highlights

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Cantlay's Equipment Changes Work Wonders

Patrick Cantlay has switched his driver and irons at the US Open. Result - he has a share of the lead after Round 1.

Cantlay made a surprising switch into new Ping Blueprint S irons earlier this year but that was short-lived and he has switched back into his Titleist 718 AP2 irons. These irons are unique because they have custom grinds on their leading edges, helping Cantlay achieve the precise turf interaction he prefers at impact.

Additionally, Cantlay conducted lengthy driver testing on-site at Pinehurst this week between his older TSR2 driver model, and Titleist’s new GT2 model. He eventually opted for the GT2 model due to its ease of launch, forgiveness, and overall head shape at address.

📌 Scott's Tweaks: Cantlay wasn't the only pro who got the desired results after making equipment tweaks at the US Open. Adam Scott has also switched to Titleist's new GT2 driver and sits T-16 after Round 1.

The Australian joined a slew of other players who have switched into the GT2 model – a list that includes Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Will Zalatoris, and standout amateur Gordon Sargent.

Scott is specifically using a 10-degree head with a B2 SureFit hosel setting (standard loft, 0.75 degrees upright), and it’s equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 6TX shaft.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

PGA Tour: Nelly Korda stumbled in her first event since missing the cut in the US Women’s Open, dropping four strokes on the first three holes in a 4-over 76 at the windy Meijer LPGA Classic. She is 11 strokes behind leader Alison Lee at Blythefield Country Club.

Special Exemption: The PGA Tour’s policy board is poised to carve out an exemption into signature events for Tiger Woods via the "Lifetime Achievement" category.

Koepka Silent: 5-time Major Champion Brooks Koepka ignored requests to speak to media following an even first round at the U.S. Open, insisting questions often lack "creativity" and were thus not worthwhile.

New Pro: Amateur star Neal Shipley is ready to turn pro following the US Open.

KFT: John Daly II set to make Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) debut at the Compliance Solutions Championship in Oklahoma.

Logo Reveal: Xander Schauffele was spotted showcasing a new personal X logo on his collar at the US Open, but it has already drawn comparisons of another brand called X (formerly Twitter).

BIRDIE
This Is How Bryson and Scottie Used Rules To Their Advantage

Two of the world's best, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler, faced identical rules incidents just minutes apart at the US Open.

⛳️ DeChambeau's incident: He hit his tee shot into the trees on No 14, seemingly headed for a bogey. However, he got free relief due to a pylon obstructing his view, under the 'Temporary Immovable Obstructions (MLR F-23)' rule.

This allowed him a drop, leading to a birdie, which would have been unlikely without the relief.

⛳️ Scheffler's Incident: On the 16th hole, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pulled his tee shot left onto the hardpan. Like DeChambeau, he received relief because his line of sight was blocked by a Rolex clock.

This allowed him a drop with a better angle to the green. Despite the easier shot, he still made a bogey, dropping to two-over for his round.

📍What Does The TIO Rule Imply? A temporary immovable obstruction (TIO) is a structure that is temporarily placed on or next to the course, usually for a particular competition, and is fixed or does not meet the definition of movable obstruction. Examples of TIOs are temporary tents, scoreboards, grandstands, television towers and toilets.

TIOs include any supporting guy wires connected to them, except when the Committee decides the supporting guy wires are to be treated as immovable obstructions or as temporary elevated lines or cables using Model Local Rule F-22.

DRIVING RANGE
Hit It Like Rory

In today's video, Pete Cowen demonstrates drills that helped Rory McIlroy become one of the best ball strikers in the world and these tips will help you as well.

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