LIV Golf gamers have made their presence felt on the majors this yr and on Thursday it was Dustin Johnson who led the cost with a strong begin to the U.S. Open.
The former world primary, who picked up the primary of his two main titles on the 2016 U.S. Open, fired a six-under-par 64 at Los Angeles Country Club to tie his career-low spherical in a significant.
That put him two photographs again of co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, whose matching 62s marked the bottom spherical in U.S. Open historical past and equalled the bottom main spherical of all time.
“Yeah, I like the golf course. Obviously today they didn’t have it set up all the way back like I would imagine it will be probably the next three days,” stated Johnson.
“The golf course is in perfect condition. You just have to drive it well here or you have no chance.”
Two months in the past on the Masters, three LIV members completed within the high six, together with joint runners-up Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Koepka went one higher on the PGA Championship when he turned the primary participant to win a significant whereas a member of the Saudi-backed circuit.
Long-hitting American Johnson went out within the afternoon wave at Los Angeles Country Club and was cruising alongside at seven beneath when he stepped as much as his ultimate gap, the par-three ninth.
A birdie would have given him a three-way share of the lead however Johnson put his tee shot in a greenside bunker, hit his second to about 12 ft after which narrowly missed the par putt.
Despite the bogey, his solely dropped shot of the day, Johnson was amongst a bunch of six golfers who mixed to publish probably the most rounds of 65 or higher throughout one spherical of a U.S. Open, two higher than the earlier mark set within the 2009 version at Bethpage State Park.
It additionally marked the tenth time Johnson shot a 65 or higher in a significant championship, which moved him in a tie with Tiger Woods on the all-time listing.
“The game has been trending in the right direction, and obviously I feel really comfortable over the golf ball right now,” stated Johnson, who gained the LIV Golf occasion in Tulsa final month.
There are 15 LIV Golf members within the 156-player U.S. Open discipline, down from the 18 who teed it up at Augusta National Golf Club and the 16 who performed at Oak Hill.
But the U.S. Open marks the primary main because the bombshell announcement of a partnership between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which controls LIV Golf.
Johnson stated he didn’t really feel any rigidity this week between members of the totally different circuits and that he felt he had “always had a good relationship” with the opposite excursions’ gamers.