Shane Lowry takes the bull by the horns

Enough quips have been made about Dustin Johnson’s IQ to give serious thought to debunking the theory that golf is a game played on the six-inch course between the ears.

US columnist Rick Reilly once quipped that Johnson was so talented he was capable of anything, before cruelly adding that he’s also “so dense, light bends around him”.

A bogey-free 67 left the American tied for second with Lee Westwood, a shot behind first-round leader Andrew Landry at a soft but still dangerous Oakmont, where power and accuracy off the tee has always been key to victory.