PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (all times local):
2 p.m.
A pair of dramatic finishes has made for a three-way tie at the top in the U.S. Open, where friendly conditions are helping players go low.
Xander Schauffele made an eagle on the 18th hole to move into a tie with Rickie Fowler for the early lead, while Louis Oosthuizen plopped one in from the bunker on his final hole a few minutes later to join them at 5-under 66.
On a day when the wind was light and Pebble Beach was gettable, there were plenty of scores in the 60s as players took advantage of the soft greens and pristine conditions.
Tiger Woods had yet to tee off. He was in a 2:09 p.m. pairing with Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth as the second wave of players was on the course.
___
1:15 p.m.
Rickie Fowler has gone low in the first round of the U.S. Open for the second time in three years, taking the early lead with a 5-under 66.
Fowler had a chance to tie the lowest Open score at Pebble Beach — a 65 by Tiger Woods in 2000 — but his 8-footer on the final hole just slid by the cup.
Fowler shot a 65 and led after the first round in 2017, finishing in a tie for fifth at Erin Hills.
The morning wave of players found conditions at Pebble Beach welcoming. Ten players were in the clubhouse with scores in the 60s, and there were 25 players under par.
Fowler held a one-shot lead over Scott Piercy, while Rory McIlroy led a group of three players at 68. McIlroy bogeyed his first hole, then didn’t make a bogey the rest of the way.
___
Noon
A stumble on the last hole didn’t keep Scott Piercy from the early clubhouse lead in the U.S. Open.
Piercy 3-putted the 18th hole at Pebble Beach to finish at 4-under 67, a stroke ahead of Austria’s Sepp Straka among the early finishers.
Rickie Fowler, chasing his first major, was also at 4 under with four holes left. So was Rory McIlroy, who played the back nine first and had three holes to play.
With Pebble Beach playing soft in cool temperatures, the course was there for the taking by early starters. There were 28 players under par and 15 at even par.
Not faring as well was Phil Mickelson, who was 1 over through 14 holes. Tiger Woods had an afternoon tee time, paired with Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose.
___
10:45 a.m.
Scott Piercy has birdied the 14th hole at Pebble Beach to take the early lead in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Piercy started fast with an eagle at the par-5 sixth to move to 5 under before double bogeying the eighth hole. He responded with birdies at No. 12 and 14 to move to 5 under. Piercy is playing in his eighth U.S. Open. He has missed the cut four times but finished tied for second in 2016 at Oakmont.
Jon Rahm and Gary Woodland are tied for second, two strokes behind Piercy.
Louis Oosthuizen is also off to a good start after holing out from the fairway on his second hole of the day to record the second eagle at No. 11 in six U.S. Opens played at Pebble Beach. Oosthuzien is at 2 under through seven holes.
___
9:45 a.m.
Some big names are finding Pebble Beach to their liking in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler were all in red figures early on a cool morning on the seaside course.
The biggest name has hours before he even tees off. Tiger Woods has a 2:09 p.m. tee time, paired with fellow Open champions Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose.
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, stumbled out of the gate, hitting it into a bunker on his first hole, the 10th, and making bogey. McIlroy rebounded with a birdie on the 13th hole and was even par playing the back nine.
The early lead was 3-under-par, shared by Scott Piercy, Jon Rahm and Thorbjorn Elesen.
___
9 a.m.
The opening seven holes are considered the scoring chances at Pebble Beach. Scott Piercy is showing why.
Piercy made birdie on the second, fourth and fifth holes, then added an eagle on the par-5 sixth. That put him at 5 under through six holes in the opening round of the US Open.
Piercy is happy to be here. He was added to the field on Monday by being in the top 60 in the world. That featured some nervous moments. If he had skipped the Canadian Open, he would’ve stayed in the top 60. But he wanted to play as a past champion. Piercy missed the cut but slipped only one spot to No. 59.
___
7:15 a.m.
Phil Mickelson tees off in his 28th U.S. Open, the only major he hasn’t won, and he doesn’t need to be reminded that his chances are dwindling to get the last leg of the career Grand Slam.
He turns 49 on Sunday.
Mickelson is the only player in the 156-man field making his fourth U.S. Open start at Pebble Beach. His first one was in 1992, when he made his professional debut with a 68 and was two shots out of the lead after the first round. The next day, Mickelson shot 81 and missed the cut.
The last time Mickelson competed at Pebble Beach was in February, when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for a record-tying fifth time.
___
7 a.m.
Sam Saunders has hit the first shot of the 119th U.S. Open. His goal is to hit the last one in four days.
The U.S. Open returns to Pebble Beach for the sixth time, and the golf course has never looked more pure with dry weather in the forecast. Dry does not mean a blue sky over the Pacific. A marine layer seeped through the cypress trees for a chilly start.
Saunders is the grandson of Arnold Palmer, who was part of an ownership group that bought Pebble Beach some 20 years ago.
Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson are among the early starters. Two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods play in the afternoon.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.