Rickie Fowler shot a bogey-free 65 to equal the best opening round in US Open history while the world’s top five struggled at Erin Hills. WADE PRETORIUS runs through the best and worst parts of Thursday.
BIRDIE – Fowler takes control
Rickie Fowler is an opinion divider in golf – or at least the circles I play in – many love him, appreciate his lifestyle and recognise what he does for the game off the course. Others? Well, they tend to be unable to look past those early days when he burst onto the scene head to toe in orange and consistently ran close without winning.
On Thursday, there were very few doubting his quality as he blitzed Erin Hills taking full advantage of the calm conditions and softer greens en route to matching Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf (1980) for the lowest opening round in relation to par. His driving was accurate and his putter was warm as he charged up the leaderboard where he would remain all day.
The upside? Not in the last 60 years has anyone come back from 7 shots or more on the first day to win the event – that rules out the world’s top five – and gives Fowler an ‘easier’ route to his first Major.
Click HERE for more about Fowler’s 65 and watch first round highlights by clicking HERE!
PAR – Saffas handle the big stage
Louis Oosthuizen and Oliver Bekker were the only South Africans over par on Thursday with four players T29 or better including Ernie Els, Brandon Stone and Charl Schwartzel.
Ernie’s round was very impressive considering the form he’s been in recently and it could’ve been even better with him -4 going into the final two holes and surviving a near shank on 16. He limped in but hopefully he will regroup and seal his place in the week before eyeing a top 10 finish on Sunday.
Stone had a similar round four birdies and two back nine bogeys but is T5 in putts after round one. A few more greens in regulation (he only had 10/18 on Thursday) and he could be right up there heading into the weekend. As for Oosthuizen, let’s hope he draws inspiration from two years at Chambers Bay and stays patient.
He finished second there after opening with a 77, so his 74 on Thursday isn’t the end of the world.
Click here for what Ernie said about his round and HERE for a full Saffa round report
BOGEY – The (no) reaction to the blimp accident
A pilot suffered serious injuries after the blimp he was flying crashed near the golf course. There was a muted reaction on the international coverage to the incident but social media quickly picked up on the story – and it sounded horrific by the accounts of the first responders.
American Jamie Lovemark, who finished -3, was badly affected after seeing the now-burning blimp falling from the sky.
‘I felt sick to my stomach,’ Lovemark said.
‘I had the shakes. I felt terrible for the people inside. It was a horrible sight.’ And play wasn’t even stopped?
Imagine this was a cricket match and the incident happens in full view of the players and spectators and crashes into the ‘B’ stand? Surely, a 15-minute break for organisers to assess the situation and golfers to calm down would’ve been wise?
Click HERE for the USGA president’s TV interview on the accident
