McIlroy shot a 67 and has a share of the lead but it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Northern Irishman. 9WWOS
Even with a good start, and coming off a victory last week in the Canadian Open, it doesn't figure to be easy. The Country Club might be as accommodating as it gets all week, with moderate wind and cloud cover keeping the sun from making greens crispy and firm.Collin Morikawa, trying to win a major for the third straight year, thought he might be able to take it deep — at least by US Open standards — when he birdied the ninth hole to reach 3-under.
Mickelson four-putted from about 18 feet for double bogey on the par-3 sixth, dropping him to 5-over par through six holes. The controversial American is in real danger of missing the cut and is 7-over through 14 holes at the time of writing. "You're going to encounter things at a U.S. Open, whether they be lies or stuff like that, that you just don't really encounter any other week," he said. "It's hard not to get frustrated because I'm walking up there going, 'Just come back into the bunker.' The thickest rough on the course is around the edges of the bunker. So I was sort of cursing the USGA whenever I was going up to the ball.
But now it's time for golf, and there a vibe of relief that focus could turn to a US Open that first came to Brookline more than a century ago. Thursday was more about birdies and bogeys — mostly the latter in a US Open — and a place in history.