US Open 2024: Bryson DeChambeau sets round two target, Rory McIlroy one back

The last time McIlroy started a US Open without a bogey on the first day he won at Congressional in 2011 and Thursday’s clean opening round put him joint top of the early rankings.

He described day one as a “controlled round of golf” but seemed to be losing his grip when at two over par for his round, he putted straight off the green on the 17th (his eighth), only to hole the chip back to save par.

That energised him around the turn and he finally found his first birdie with a seven-footer at the third to reward a magnificent approach into the green.

He then dug out a gutsy par at the fifth to stay at four under until the final bogey cost him a share of third.

“I did a pretty good job at keeping some of the mistakes off the scorecard,” said McIlroy. “I wish I had converted a couple more of the chances but I hit the ball pretty well and had plenty of opportunities.

“Still, I am in a great position going into the weekend.”

He finished round two eight shots ahead of playing partner Scheffler who could face his first weekend off at a tournament in almost two years after another off-colour round of golf.

Before Friday, he had not played a birdie-free round of golf at a major tournament but could not find his form in a bruising round of 74.

There was even a minor irate outburst from the usually impassive world number one as he tossed his putter following a missed par attempt.

An erratic display was summed up by a grisly double bogey at the fifth hole after he needed two attempts to escape from some sandy scrubland.

World number two Xander Schauffele, who won last month’s US PGA to register his first major title, had similar woes in the sand at five, stalling a round that had threatened to catch fire and left him at one under par.

He was joined on that mark by Hatton who hauled himself into the top five before three bogeys in four holes on the back nine checked his progress.

Fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre are at five over and six over par respectively and waiting to see how the late wave fare with the top 60 and ties making it to the weekend.

And topsy-turvy round of the day so far goes to Sepp Straka, who had an unfortunate triple-bogey seven on the third after his ball hit the pin and ricocheted into a bunker.

However, the Austrian was high-fiving everyone in sight after registering the tournament’s first hole-in-one on the par-three ninth as he posted a 72 to finish two over.