Tour Confidential: Round 1 surprises from the U.S. Open at Pinehurst
Early U.S. Open favorites Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm both stumbled in the first round at Pinehurst No. 2, as the legendary course showcased its notorious difficulty. McIlroy struggled on the greens, finishing with a four-putt double-bogey on the par-4 4th hole. Rahm fared slightly better, but a missed putt on the par-3 16th led to a costly bogey. Meanwhile, 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who won the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, rolled back the years with a steady round of Even par, putting himself in contention early on.