Rejuvenated Koepka and Rahm lead chase as late wave feel Oakmont's wrath too
GRINDING HARD: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays a shot from the fourth tee during the first round of the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 12, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Pic: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
For Brooks Koepka this hadn't been a long time coming but an intense time coming.
After all, the 35-year-old American was a major winner just two years ago, storming to the PGA Championship and becoming the first LIV golfer to win one of golf's big four in the process. However this year he missed back to back major cuts and it stung, deeply.
On Thursday Koepka was arguably the pick of an afternoon wave which struggled just as mightily as their morning counterparts as the opening day of the US Open took casualties aplenty.
Oakmont was in unforgiving mood and may even more ruthless Friday. Koepka was among just five of the late half of the field who would post a score in the red numbers. They joined four from the early brigade which meant that a grand total of nine of the 156 golfers gathered in western Pennsylvania left the opening day with an under-par score.
JJ Spaun remained out in front with his sparkling, bogey-free 66 setting the Thursday pace. A shot further back was South African Thriston Lawrence with Koepka joining a pair of Koreans on 2-under, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im doing a far better job at taming American golf's toughest test than most of the locals.
Jon Rahm joined Koepka as not just the only other LIV player among the under-par cohorts but also as the only other major winner who didn't come back in the black.
Scottie Scheffler tried but also toiled, the world No.1 carding a 3-over 73 which featured as many as six bogeys, just one shot better than Rory McIlroy whose early 74 was looked to have left him with plenty of work to do but by day's end was enough to sit just inside the top half of the field in a tie for 62nd. Playing partner Shane Lowry is the one with it all to do when the Irish duo set off in the afternoon wave on Friday, his opening 79 leaving him languishing well outside the top 130.
But back to Koepka. A man with five majors to his name, he has often saved his absolute best for the US Open. Twice a winner, his last 10 visits to the tournament has seen just two finishes outside the top 20 and zero missed cuts since 2014. Missing the weekend at Augusta earlier this year and following it up with a miserable showing at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow left him in a dark place. He wasn't good company.
“I would say from the first weekend in April until about last week, you didn’t want to be around me,” he said Thursday after the first round of the U.S. Open. “It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating.”
Koepka made a 42-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 fourth, and after falling back to even par, he finished with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18.
“I thought I played pretty consistent, drove it really well. Iron play was pretty good. When I did miss it, I felt like I missed it in the correct spots. A couple of good bunker shots,” Koepka said. “I’m really happy with the way I finished, and hopefully it leads into tomorrow.”
Koepka hasn’t finished in the top 10 in a major since winning the PGA Championship in 2023 at Oak Hill. His last LIV Golf victory was August of last year. So he’s had plenty of reasons to be frustrated. And his coach, Pete Cowan, has had reasons to be exasperated with him. Koepka said Cowan gave him a good scolding in a bunker Monday.
“(Justin Thomas) thought he had to come check on me in the bunker. We were in there for about 45 minutes, and he was on the other side of the green,” Koepka said. “I wasn’t happy with it, but it was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time. It’s not the first time he’s done it.”
Ryder Cup stars Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa were among the steadier performers in the later wave both carding even-par 70 and hoping for some handier conditions when they return early Friday.
At the other end of the spectrum was George Duangmanee. The American had only made his PGA Tour debut last month in South Carolina and successfully made the cut. It's fair to say a weekend stay looks beyond him at Oakmont. The former University of Virginia star sits 156th of 156 after a peer-at-the-scorecard-if-you-dare 86, 16 over par. His round featured seven bogeys, three double-bogeys and a closing treble-bogey 7 on the 18th.
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