In the first 122 US Opens, no player had shot better than 63. In Round 1 of the 123rd edition, two players have shot 62.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele tore through the Los Angeles Country Club Thursday, turning the mysterious course’s first hosting of the US Open into a track meet. The two combined for 18 birdies, 10 from Fowler, en route to 8-under rounds.
For Fowler, his round serves as a bit of redemption. Once ranked the No. 4 player in the world, Fowler has spent the last few years as a backmarker. He hasn’t won a tournament in four years, his world ranking plummeted all the way down to 173, and he was so out of contention he’d only qualified for four majors since 2021. He hadn’t made it into the US Open field since 2020.
It’s been a long road back for Fowler — he’s worked his way back up to 45th in the world — and while there are still 54 holes to go, it has to be a boost in confidence that, yes, he can still compete against the best players in the world.
On the flip side of that coin is Schauffele, who has spent the last few years ranked no lower than 15th. He won three times last year and currently sits at No. 6 in the world. The only thing that hasn’t happened for him is winning that first major. He’s been in and out of contention, with 10 top 10s in 24 tries, including a pair of seconds and a third. He just hasn’t been able to finish.
The USGA doesn’t like it when players go low — par is the preferred number — but LACC was available Thursday. More than two dozen players have rolled into red numbers so far, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sitting in fourth place, at 3-under.
That’s five strokes back of Fowler and Schauffele, underscoring that while, yes, two players set a record in the same Open, they’ve still shot four better than anyone else.
Round 1 continues with afternoon tee times underway.