By Frank Pingue
BROOKLINE, Mass. (Reuters) – Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy parred his opening hole as the U.S. Open began on Thursday under sunny skies at The Country Club where birthday boy Phil Mickelson will make his first start since his debut on the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
McIlroy, who arrived at the year’s third major fresh from successfully defending his title in Canada, went off in the sixth group from the par-four 10th hole with former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Xander Schauffele.
Defending champion and world number two Jon Rahm went out in the fourth group from the first tee and made par at the opening two holes on the demanding layout that features tight fairways, lush rough and small greens.
Six-time major champion Mickelson, playing on his 52nd birthday, was scheduled to tee off at 1:47 p.m. ET alongside former British Open winners Louis Oosthuizen and Shane Lowry.
Mickelson arrived at the U.S. Open this week facing an onslaught of questions regarding his involvement with the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV series, which reportedly paid him $200 million to join.
The long-time fan favourite, who has finished runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times, needs a win this week to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four major titles.
Among those in the 156-player field at Brookline are 13 golfers who played in the LIV event last week and another two — Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed — who will make their debut on the breakaway circuit in two weeks.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player, and PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas were among the late starters.
Three-time champion Tiger Woods, who returned to competition this year from his February 2021 car crash and played the year’s first two majors, is absent this week in a bid to rest his body ahead of the July 14-17 British Open.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Brookline, Massachusetts; Editing by Toby Davis)
