Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods Ignite Excitement at U.S. Open

LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka shares the early lead at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina. Tiger Woods, three shots back, is in his fourth event of the year. Major players like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Phil Mickelson also face the challenging course's firm greens and fairways.

LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka held a share of the early first-round U.S. Open lead on Thursday at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina where Tiger Woods was three shots back and tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler had yet to tee off.

Five-time major winner Koepka, one of 12 LIV Golf players in the 156-player field this week, covered the front nine on a firm and fast Pinehurst No. 2 in two-under-par 33 that left him in a share of the lead with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon. Major champion Sergio Garcia (through nine holes) and 2024 Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg (eight holes) were among a pack of 14 golfers sitting one shot off the early lead.

Koepka, who failed to crack the top-25 at the year's first two majors, went bogey-free across his first nine holes during which he hit eight of nine greens, carded a two-putt birdie at the par-five fifth and a short birdie at the seventh. The injury-ravaged Woods, in only his fourth event of the year and first since missing the cut at the PGA Championship last month, started his day early at the par-five 10th and reached the turn at one-over-par 36.

That left Woods three back on a layout that will test the game and mental discipline of golf's best players this week given its turtle-shell greens and fairways that bleed into sandy waste areas full of wire grass. Woods, who accepted a special exemption to play in the U.S. Open, began his day in style as he rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt at the par-five 10th.

The three-time champion then made confidence-boosting and par-saving putts from 10 feet at the 12th and from nine feet at 13 after his putt from off the green raced by the hole. Woods dropped his first shot of the round at the 523-yard, par-four 16th where he laid up after missing the fairway and then watched his 19-foot downhill putt for par slide just by the cup. He followed that with a bogey at 17 where his birdie attempt nearly rolled off the green.

Scheffler, the first player to win five times in a season on the PGA Tour before the U.S. Open since Tom Watson in 1980, will head out at 1:14 p.m ET (1714 GMT) in a high-profile threesome with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. World number two Schauffele, who has six top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open, will be looking to build on his PGA Championship victory last month while Northern Irishman McIlroy, third in the rankings, is aiming to end his 10-year major drought this week.

Among some of the other notable early starters, Justin Thomas was three over through nine holes while playing partner Collin Morikawa was one over after a double-bogey at the ninth. Phil Mickelson, who has finished runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times and needs a win this week to complete the career Grand Slam, was six over through eight holes.

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