Louis Oosthuizen ended his Thursday at Torrey Pines tied for first place at four-under par with Russell Henley. By the time Oosthuizen finishes his first round, he may find himself in the solo lead.
Oosthuizen was forced to wrap up play around 8 p.m. local time in California, just after finishing his 16th hole, The South African had been on a tear for the most part of the day, netting one bogey on five birdies. Henley dropped in six birdies, but also bogeyed twice.
Only one other golfer in the top ten of the leaderboard failed to finish their opening rounds with Sebastian Munoz sitting at two-under par through 14 holes and tied for fifth place.
Here's a look at Thursday's leaderboard, Friday's tee times and what's on tap as the intensity at the U.S. Open begins to climb.
U.S. Open First Round Leaderboard
T1. Russell Henley (-4)
T1. Louis Oosthuizen (-4, through 16)
T3. Francesco Molinari (-3)
T3. Rafa Cabrera Bello (-3)
T5. Brooks Koepka (-2)
T5. Xander Schauffele (-2)
T5. Hayden Buckley (-2)
T5. Hideki Matsuyama (-2)
T5. Jon Rahm (-2)
T5. Sebastian Munoz (-2, through 14)
Notables: T11. Matthew Wolff (-1), T11. Rory McIlroy (-1), T24. Sergio Garcia (E), T24. Dustin Johnson (E), T61. Justin Thomas (+2), T61. Bryson DeChambeau (+2), T78. Gary Woodland (+3), T96. Phil Mickelson (+4), T129. Jordan Spieth (+6)
Full leaderboard available via PGA Tour
Notable Friday Tee Times
(All times EST)
10:29 a.m., Hole 10: Tyler Strafaci, Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau
10:40 a.m., Hole 1: Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth
10:40 a.m., Hole 10: Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson
10:51 a.m., Hole 1: Marc Leishman, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed
10:51 a.m., Hole 10: Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose
11:02 a.m., Hole 1: Patrick Cantlay, Louis Oosthuizen, Sungjae Im
4:03 p.m., Hole 1: Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Wolff
4:03 p.m., Hole 10: Russell Henley, Mackenzie Hughes, Harris English
4:14 p.m., Hole 1: Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka
4:36 p.m., Hole 1: Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Phil Mickelson
4:36 p.m., Hole 10: Martin Kaymer, Webb Simpson, Gary Woodland
All tee times available via USGA
Friday Predictions
5-Over Par Cut Line
Round 2 at Torrey Pines should see a rather furious rush to make the cut by the end of the day. The only question is what score it will take to qualify for the weekend. At the end of play on Thursday, a round of 73—two-over par—was good enough to tie for 62nd place.
When the cut line comes into play on Friday, a round of 73 might have those same players breathing a sigh of relief. Expect the cut line to hover around five-over par on Friday as the field works to secure a spot in the third and fourth rounds.
That would be quite normal compared to previous U.S. Opens, where low scores have been hard to find. Last year the cut line at Winged Foot was six-over par. In 2019 at Pebble Beach, it was two-over.
The last time the U.S. Open visited Torrey Pine in 2008, the cut line reach seven-over par.
Things may not get that drastic in California on Friday, but it certainly won't be easy.
DeChambeau Fails To Make Cut
Don't expect to see the defending champion in the field this weekend. Not after how Bryson DeChambeau played on Thursday.
The 2020 U.S. Open-winner couldn't get out of his own way on Friday, posting six bogeys on just four birdies in his opening round as he finished the day tied for 61st place.
As much as golf fans would've loved to see DeChambeau defend his title against budding rival Brooks Koepka, it doesn't appear they'll get their wish of a made-for-TV pairing. Not with Koepka sitting near the top of the leaderboard and DeChambeau some 100-odd spots below him.
If DeChambeau does earn an early exit, it would be the second consecutive year the defending U.S. Open champ missed the cut after Gary Woodland failed to reach the weekend last year.
