Summary

  • Tiger Woods: +9 after 17 holes

  • Clubhouse leaders: -5 Dustin Johnson (US), H Stenson (Swe)

  • Rory McIlroy cards +2 round of 72

  • Links course Chambers Bay opened in 2007

  1. Postpublished at 23:25 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Back on the fourth and Justin Rose gives a shot back - a three-putt on what Colin Montgomerie has called "the worst green on the course". Rose's ball bobbled and bounced a bit on the crusty surface. No trouble for Jason Day though and the Australian gets the shot back he dropped at the third.

  2. Postpublished at 23:22 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    JB Holmes in actionImage source, Getty Images

    JB Holmes has had four birdies in his opening seven holes and is looking good at three under. Although, as I type that, he leaks his tee shot on the par 17th out right and that looks for a moment like it's heading towards the train track. It dives into the greenside bunker. Good start for the American though.

  3. Postpublished at 23:20 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Luke Donald plays a shotImage source, Getty Images

    Up on 16 and Luke Donald has another look at a birdie but it's a treacherous downhill affair and he doesn't hit it with any conviction and it dribbles away to the left. But that's another par and with the greens getting more unreliable as the day progresses, one over might not be too bad by the close of play.

  4. Get involved via #bbcgolfpublished at 23:17 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Sergio Garcia, who carded an opening-round even-par 70, on Twitter:, external Happy with my Even par round today although it could've been a bit better by the way I played but this greens are as bad as the look on TV.

    I think a championship of the caliber of the US Open deserves better quality green surfaces that we have this week but maybe I'm wrong!

  5. Postpublished at 23:17 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    The state of the greens is coming under scrutiny. I've heard them referred to as "putting on frozen cauliflower" today. Here's what Sergio Garcia thinks...

  6. Postpublished at 23:16 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Two putts again for Tiger Woods but because he's on the green in regulation, that's the first par of the round for the 14-time major winner. He's two over through three.

    Justin Rose goes way left with his approach to the fourth and the ball snakes back down towards the flag off the slope. Jordan Spieth is a little more direct with his effort from the sand and his ball skips a long way past. Jason Day from the middle of the fairway and he stops his ball dead by the hole.

  7. Postpublished at 23:10 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Tiger Woods in actionImage source, Reuters

    Tiger Woods finds the dance floor on the short third with a towering nine iron. On the fourth Justin Rose belts his driver down the middle and it skips merrily along another 70-80 yards. Jordan Spieth is not quite so accurate and is way right on the beach - that really can't be described as a bunker. It's massive.

  8. Postpublished at 23:04 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    A rare sighting of Luke Donald. The Englishman is on the 15th tee and fires his first 15 feet beyond the flag. A chance to get back to level. Back on the first and Ian Poulter has had a miserable start.

    Poults missed the fairway, couldn't get to the green with his second and three-putted for a double-bogey six. I guess the only way is up from there.

    A remarkable shot from another Englishman on the 12th. Paul Casey hits his approach from greenside rough a good 30 feet past the hole but the ball hits the brakes, finds reverse gear and backs up to about a foot from the cup. Birdie time.

  9. Postpublished at 22:59 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Justin Rose tees offImage source, Reuters

    Up on three and Jordan Spieth is stalking the green, eyeing up all the bumps and for once he leaves a putt short. Four feet for par and in she pops. Justin Rose gives the bottom of his putter its usual wipe before he addresses his 15-foot putt. Another birdie chance slides by but he will be content to be one under after three.

  10. Postpublished at 22:56 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Tiger Woods comes up short with his hack out of the rough on two and lands in one of the many many bunkers that litter the Chambers Bay course. He splashes out but has another 15 feet to go to save par. That dives right late on though and it's a bogey-bogey start for the three-time US Open champion.

  11. Postpublished at 22:54 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Tiger Woods walks to his first teeImage source, Getty Images

    You have to stay awake, if nothing else, you'll want to know how Tiger is doing as he tries to win his first major in eight years. He takes an iron for safety off the second tee but slides it out right and he's in the cabbage again.

    Up on the par-three third and Jordan Spieth fires at the flag but the ball drifts away to the left edge and he's at least 40 feet from the pin.

  12. Postpublished at 22:49 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    My wife has just emailed me to tell me she's off to bed. I trust none of you will be following her lead? We're in this for the long haul, right?

    Ireland's Shane Lowry finds the green with his second shot on his first hole, the 10th. Over on two, Jordan Spieth races a birdie putt three feet by and is just as aggressive with his return putt but gravity takes over. Justin Rose a little less aggressive with his effort but it stays up and he taps in for par to stay one under.

  13. Postpublished at 22:43 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Thanks Phil - sterling effort. I join you with Tiger Woods on the first green, 18 feet from the hole and that dribbles just left and it's a nudge in for a bogey five. The world number 195 shakes his head as a slopes off the green.

    Good news for Justin Rose fans though. His second to the second is in to the guts of the green and he's a makeable birdie chance to go two under.

  14. Postpublished at 22:41 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    And with that I hand you over to Mr Peter Scrivener, who will guide you through the early holes of the rounds of Tiger, Spieth, Rose et al.

  15. Tiger at the US Openpublished at 22:40 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Tiger WoodsImage source, Getty Images

    Tiger Woods has left an indelible mark on US Open history courtesy of his victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 by a still record 15-stroke margin in what Sports Illustrated described as "the greatest performance in golf history." It was the first victory of his 'Tiger slam', which saw the American hold all four of golf's major titles at the same time. He would go on to win the US Open twice more - in 2002 and 2008.

    It has been a long time since Tiger has shone at the event, though. Since his joint fourth-placed finish in 2010, he has failed to appear at the event twice (2011 and 2014), tied for 21st in 2012 and finished joint 32nd in 2013.

    Question is, will Tiger be lifted to past heights by memories of his former glories or crushed embarrassingly under the weight of such achievements he can never again match?

  16. Postpublished at 22:40 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Cole Hammer plays a shotImage source, Reuters

    Tiger salvages well with his third shot at the first, chipping from up on the hill to keep his ball high of the hole and with a chance of a putt to save par.

    Meanwhile, young Cole Hammer has closed his round with a par on his last to end seven over. A fine effort, considering he was born this century.

  17. Postpublished at 22:38 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Woods' second at the first. "Oh Tiger" he says after the shot, berating himself for an ugly one that leaves the ball high of the hole and in the thick grass. When it goes wrong, the rhythm of his stroke simply isn't there.

    And what has Rickie Fowler just done? Whether it was a shank or not, the connection is awful but the ball still skips along the hard fairway and onto the first green.

  18. Postpublished at 22:34 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    After a magnificent approach shot to put his ball within three feet of the hole, Luke Donald sinks his first birdie at the 13th - his fourth hole. That'll put the Englishman in a much better mood after he started with two bogeys on 10 and 11.

  19. Postpublished at 22:31 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Spieth's first putt - his third shot at the first - pulls up short but he taps in to start with a par. Rose has an easy job to sink from a few feet to start with a birdie. That is how you start a major.

  20. Postpublished at 22:29 British Summer Time 18 June 2015

    Tiger is welcomed to the first tee by big cheers and applause. Lots of eyes will be on him today, whether that is in the hope of seeing a return to form or rubbernecking at a potential car crash. His first drive is a good one, shaping left before fading back on to the fairway. A good start.