LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – LIV Golf players have made their presence felt at the majors this year and on Thursday it was Dustin Johnson who led the charge with a solid start to the U.S. Open.
The former world number one, who picked up the first of his two major titles at the 2016 U.S. Open, fired a six-under-par 64 at Los Angeles Country Club to tie his career-low round in a major.
That put him two shots back of co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, whose matching 62s marked the lowest round in U.S. Open history and equalled the lowest major round of all time.
“Yeah, I like the golf course. Obviously today they didn’t have it set up all the way back like I would imagine it will be probably the next three days,” said Johnson.
“The golf course is in perfect condition. You just have to drive it well here or you have no chance.”
Two months ago at the Masters, three LIV members finished in the top six, including joint runners-up Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Koepka went one better at the PGA Championship when he became the first player to win a major while a member of the Saudi-backed circuit.
Long-hitting American Johnson went out in the afternoon wave at Los Angeles Country Club and was cruising along at seven under when he stepped up to his final hole, the par-three ninth.
A birdie would have given him a three-way share of the lead but Johnson put his tee shot in a greenside bunker, hit his second to about 12 feet and then narrowly missed the par putt.
Despite the bogey, his only dropped shot of the day, Johnson was among a group of six golfers who combined to post the most rounds of 65 or better during one round of a U.S. Open, two better than the previous mark set in the 2009 edition at Bethpage State Park.
It also marked the 10th time Johnson shot a 65 or better in a major championship, which moved him in a tie with Tiger Woods on the all-time list.
“The game has been trending in the right direction, and obviously I feel really comfortable over the golf ball right
now,” said Johnson, who won the LIV Golf event in Tulsa last month.
There are 15 LIV Golf members in the 156-player U.S. Open field, down from the 18 who teed it up at Augusta National Golf Club and the 16 who played at Oak Hill.
But the U.S. Open marks the first major since the bombshell announcement of a partnership between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which controls LIV Golf.
Johnson said he did not feel any tension this week between members of the different circuits and that he felt he had “always had a good relationship” with the other tours’ players.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
