As Tiger Woods was reduced to quipping jokes after a horrendous first round, an 80 that marked his worst ever score in a US Open, Shane Lowry was in far more serious mood – and for good reason after the Offalyman opened his campaign at Chambers Bay with a 69, one under par, that put him right into the mix and ready to chase down leaders Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson.
The withered, bumpy putting surfaces came in for a great deal of criticism – with Sergio Garcia, in a tweet, claiming the championship “deserves better quality greens” – but Lowry, rather than getting involved in any debate on the thorny issue, preferred to focus on getting on with the task and hand.
Garcia wasn’t so reticent about the state of the greens, and the Spaniard – who shot level-par 70 – hit out claiming he was “saying what everyone thinks but they don’t have the guts to say it.”
For Lowry, it was more a case of dealing with things as best as he could. And he did. “The greens are definitely not the best in the world, they’re quite difficult to hole putts on but they’re not great for anyone. That’s the way I look at it. You’ve just got to pick a line. I had a chat with Neil (Manchip) and my main goals was to just pick a line and try get the ball started on that line. From there, just play golf and see what happens.”
What happened was a composed round that showed a great deal of patience from Lowry.
Coming less than a month after he was forced to use a sand wedge for much of his second round at the Irish Open when he damaged his putter in frustration, Lowry showed greater maturity and much more patience in producing his sub-par round.
As he put it, “you’re going to get some bad breaks, you’re going to hit some bad shots and it’s important not to get down on yourself. So you’ve got to really stay patient. I do like the golf course, I love the colour of it, it’s similar to what we play in the summer back home. Things like that that you’re familiar with always makes you feel a little bit better. I was out there today and I know it’s a US Open but it felt like I was just playing a game of golf and I felt really in control of myself. It was good.”
If the condition of the greens proved contentious, Lowry – who missed the cut in each of this two previous US Open appearances – was upbeat after a round that took off with a run of three birdies in four holes at the 15th, 17th and 18th, having started on the 10th, which saw him reach the turn in two-under 33. He dropped shots at the third and seventh but rolled in a 20-footer on the Par 5 eighth to move into tied-14th.
Stenson and Johnson, on 65, claimed the first round lead but Lowry, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation in a playing beautifully from tee-to-green, was hopeful that an early tee-time for his second round Friday would provide an opportunity to move right into contention.
For Woods, it was simply horrid first. His litany of mis-hit shots included wildy pushed drives, one which resulted in him losing control of his club when playing out of the rough, some poor putts and even a knocked-down fairway wood on the 18th.
After his third round in the 80s on tour this year, Woods was reduced to joking in an attempt to save face. “The bright side is I kicked Rickie’s butt today,” he said, referring to his 80 and Fowler’s 81. Rather more solemnly, he added: “It was a tough day. I just couldn’t get it turned around today. I’m trying as hard as I can but for some reason I just can’t get consistency. But I’ll keep working, keep grinding.”
Woods is struggling with virtually every facet of his game and looked a far cry from the man who once dominated the sport with an iron fist.
US Masters champion Jordan Spieth I didn’t strike the ball particularly well but managed to sign for a 68 that kept alive his chances of back-to-back Majors. “ I wasn’t pleased with the way I hit it. I thought I putted well. I missed a couple putts inside ten feet, but that’s going to happen out here. That’s inconsistency on the greens. I made a lot of them from inside ten feet, too,” said Spieth.
And world number one Rory McIlroy – who endured a series of missed short putts – spent a considerable amount of time on the putting green after his opening 72 in an effort to find some feel. “They are not the best that I’ve ever putted on. I still feel like if you make a good enough stroke and you have the right speed, there’s a good enough chance the ball will go in. I need to find a rhythm in my stroke over the next three days, work a bit on the putting green and hopefully it will be better . . . . that’s something that I need to get right over the next three days if I want to have a chance.”
First Round leading scores 65 (-5) – Henrik Stenson (Swe), Dustin Johnson (USA) 66 (-4) – Patrick Reed (USA) 67 (-3) – Matt Kuchar (USA), Ben Martin (USA), Brian Campbell (USA) 68 (-2) – Cody Gribble (USA), Francesco Molinari (It), Jason Dufner (USA), Marc Warren (Scot), Joost Luiten (Neth), Jordan Spieth (USA), Jason Day (Aus)
Irish scores – 69 (-1) – Shane Lowry 72 (+2) – Rory McIlroy 74 (+4) – Graeme McDowell 77 (+7) – Darren Clarke
