Unknowns and rookies cram top of leaderboard with Brookline wide open

Sharing the early lead with Rory McIlroy were world No. 445 Callum Tarren of England, No. 128 Joel Dahmen of USA and No. 592 David Lingmerth of Sweden

Happy to be here: Callum Tarren, of England, reacts after a putt on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Thursday, June 16, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. Pic: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

BROOKLINE, Mass. – The folks at the US Golf Association like to refer to its US Open as the “most democratic” championship in golf, with half its field filled with players forced to go through 36-hole qualifiers whittled down from more than 9,300 entries.

Rarely is the championship leaderboard quite so democratic, but Thursday’s morning wave was filled with a cast of relative rank-and-file surrounding Rory McIlroy.