SOUTHAMPTON, New York, June 18 (Reuters) – Scottie Scheffler endured \u2060a \u2060rough start in his bid to complete \u2060a career Grand Slam with a three-over par in early first-round U.S. Open action \u200bon Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, where Masters champion Rory McIlroy was at even par through the nine holes.<\/p>\n
World number \u200cone Scheffler could not get his putter \u200cgoing as he had one birdie against a pair of bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine, as \u2060windy conditions \u2060with gusts up to 34 mph (54.7 kph) tested the field at the famously tricky \u200bSouthampton course and a thick blanket of fog forced a two-hour delay early in the opening round.<\/p>\n
Scheffler, a two-time Masters winner, is making his first attempt at completing the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors after winning last year’s PGA Championship and British \u200bOpen.<\/p>\n
He missed a pair of early birdie putts and appeared off his usual level as he misjudged a \u2060putt on \u2060the par-four eighth hole en \u2060route to double \u200bbogey.<\/p>\n
Scheffler set off alongside amateur Mason Howell and defending champion J.J. Spaun, who rolled in a monster 65-foot \u200bbirdie putt at the final hole \u2060last year to edge Scotland\u2019s Robert MacIntyre by two strokes.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Open is known as the toughest test in golf and the par-70 layout at Shinnecock Hills upheld that reputation, even as USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer told reporters this week that measures were in place to slow down the greens.<\/p>\n
The event got underway as standstill traffic in the \u2060fashionable beach town held up ticketholders for the 156-player tournament, which included\u00a0\u00a012 former U.S. Open champions \u2060and 49 debutants.<\/p>\n
McIlroy, who clinched his own career slam a year ago in Augusta and retained the Masters title in April, started on the back nine and grinned as a gust of wind knocked his hat off at the 13th tee,\u00a0 appearing at ease even as a pair of bogeys offset his two early birdies.<\/p>\n
Adam Scott was playing one group ahead of Scheffler’s threesome and competing in his 100th consecutive major this week, a streak that started at the 2001 British Open. The 45-year-old Australian was two over par through nine holes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former champions Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, two of the 13 LIV Golf competitors in \u2060the field, have afternoon tee times.<\/p>\n
Among the other late starters are PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, and the high-profile threesome of Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama and Xander Schauffele.<\/p>\n
When Shinnecock Hills last hosted the U.S. Open in 2018,\u00a0the field scoring was 74.65, which is the highest scoring average relative to par for the \u200btournament over the last 18 years.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Southampton, New York, and Frank Pingue \u200bin Toronto; Editing by Toby Chopra and Pritha Sarkar)<\/p>\n
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