The China Mail - Tiger, Morikawa among early starters as US Open begins

The 7,543-yard sandhills layout with its domed greens, sandy waste areas, native bushes and wiregrass was set to offer a formidable challenge to a field of 156 golfers.

American Michael McGowan and Filipino Rico Hoey hit opening shots off the first and 10th tees, respectively, to begin the 1,000th championship event in US Golf Association history, dating to the first US Open in 1895.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, second-ranked Xander Schauffele and third-ranked Rory McIlroy tee off together in the afternoon feature group.

Scheffler is considered the man to beat with five US PGA Tour victories this year, the most by any player at this stage since Tom Watson in 1980.

Two-time Masters champion Scheffler has 12 top-10 showings in 13 starts this year and could match 15-time major winner Woods as the only players to win a US Open while atop the world rankings.

Schauffele won last month's PGA Championship for his first major title, snapping a two-year win drought.

McIlroy, who has called off his divorce plans, has five consecutive top-10 finishes at the US Open, improving every year in the run to finish second in 2023.

Woods, battling back from severe leg injuries in a 2021 car crash, was set to start in the fifth group off the 10th tee alongside England's Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open winner, and American Will Zalatoris.

Seventh-ranked Morikawa, a two-time major winner, is in the sixth group off the first tee alongside fellow Americans Koepka, a five-time major winner, and Justin Thomas.

Morikawa shared third at the Masters in April and fourth at last month's PGA Championship. He was runner-up to Scheffler at last week's Memorial tournament.

With Monday's qualifying deadline looming, Morikawa is clinging to the fourth and final US berth for the Paris Olympics behind Scheffler, Schauffele and defending US Open champion Wyndham Clark.

Six Americans can overtake him, but five of them need a victory to do it.

Aberg, runner-up in this year's Masters in his major debut, starts off the 10th tee alongside Americans Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson.

Johnson is among 12 LIV Golf players in the field after Spain's eighth-ranked Jon Rahm, a two-time major champion, withdrew due to a left foot injury.

Among 468 players in three prior US Opens at Pinehurst, only four broke par for 72 holes and just one, 2014 champion Martin Kaymer of Germany, finished better than one-under, winning by eight strokes on nine-under.

"It's a brutally hard golf course," said 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, another early starter. "It's very long and there's no letup. You have to be incredibly disciplined."

I.Taylor--ThChM--ThChM