On the U.S. Open opening day, it’s J.J. all the way

OAKMONT, Pa. — The 125th U.S. Open began with a double eagle—also known as an albatross—the leader wasn’t Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy but a man who is in first place that goes by the initials J.J., which doesn’t even match his first name. That would be J.J. Spaun, one of those guys you see on a leaderboard and sometimes wonder what he is doing there, which is a very unfair judgment for someone who has found his role on the tour. 

Spaun began with a chip-in par on the first hole at Oakmont Country Club, in the wooded country east of Pittsburgh, and played 18 holes at a place known to cause nightmares and high scores, without making a bogey.

Spaun, a native Southern Californian, came in with a 4-under 66, which was one shot lower than Thirston Lawrence, of South Africa. There was a three-way tie for third at 68, a group that included S.W. Kim, a familiar figure on leaderboards this spring, Sungjae Im, and our old friend Brooks Koepka, who merely won back-to-back Opens in 2017-2018 and PGA Championships three times. Koepka has been hiding on the LIV tour, but arrives annually at the major championships in a big way.  

“I'm more focused on what I'm doing,” said Koepka, who is now 35 years old. “More focused on how to just keep plugging away and get through some holes, get through tough holes and try to take advantage of the easy ones.”

Scheffler, number one in the world ranking and the favorite in this year’s Open, shot a 3-over 73. McIlroy, starting on the 10th hole, didn’t have a bogey until his second nine and then stumbled to a 4-over 74. Reed, who won the 2018 Masters, holed out his second shot on the par-5 fourth hole, becoming the fourth golfer to record a double eagle in Open history. But a triple bogey seven on the closing hole left him with 3-over 73. 

Spaun, 34, who played collegiately at San Diego State, has one victory on Tour, the Valero Texas Open in 2022. Some might find it hard to believe that he is in front of what some consider to be the toughest tournament in golf, but the US Open frequently offers surprises and every once in a while a very unexpected winner, such as Orville Moody in 1969 or Scott Simpson at Olympic Club in 1987.

That idea has worked in every tournament, particularly in the Open when there are many more hard holes than easy ones.