If you’ve seen any coverage of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 Golf Course, you know that this course is all about the greens.
So to post a solid score, you have to perfect your short game on these crazy putting surfaces – and make a lot of putts.
Patrick Cantlay did just that on Thursday, which is why he posted an impressive opening-round score of 5-under 65. He gained 3.8 strokes around the greens, the best performance of any player in the field. He also hit a lot of solid iron shots and gained 2.15 strokes on his approaches.
His round got off to a thrilling start on the par-4 11th hole, where he drilled a birdie from the sand to get some early momentum.
He then lost a stroke on the par-3 15th hole, his only bogey of the day, but bounced back with a birdie on the 18th hole to start the round at 1-under 34. Starting on the 10th hole, he was moving towards the front where more opportunities arose.
Cantlay earned a birdie on the first hole thanks to a great approach that landed five feet away, then birdies on the par-5 fifth and par-3 sixth holes, the latter on one of the most difficult holes on the ground. 20 feet of water flowed It was his fifth break of par that day, bringing him to four under par for the tournament.
But what he described as the best moment of the day came on the par-4 seventh hole.
“On the seventh hole, I got the ball up and down and made a bunch of putts inside eight feet,” Cantlay said.
“On this golf course, I think you’re going to leave your putts within eight feet. It’s anywhere from four to eight feet. It’s all about holing it out, and I did that well today.”
Cantlay hit his approach short of the green on the seventh after missing the fairway right, then chipped it to within 5 feet and sank the putt.
On the next hole, the 486-yard par-4 eighth, Cantlay hit his second shot to 4 feet for his fifth and final birdie of the day.
He currently leads Ludvig Oberg by one stroke at five under par, but the course is only going to get tougher as the championship progresses. Cantlay admitted he wasn’t thinking about the score this morning, but he knows the toughest moments are yet to come.
“I didn’t think much of it. [the score]”We started at 7:40 in the morning so we knew it would be the easiest course of the week. There was very little wind so it’s probably the softest course. I’m really happy with my round today.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
