Rory McIlroy ties lead with opening round of 65 at US Open

McIlroy shot a bogey-free round.

McIlroy, starting at 6:14 PM Irish time, began his round with a birdie on the 528-yard fourth hole.

He chipped in at the fifth to reach -2, two-putted for birdie on the 619-yard par-five tenth and hit a 344-yard drive at the sixteenth to secure his fourth birdie.

A short iron from 146 yards at the eighteenth led to a 20-foot birdie putt, culminating in a -5 round that tied him at the top of the leaderboard with Patrick Cantlay.

Pinehurst Number Two, a par 70 course designed by Donald Ross, presented challenging conditions with green speeds of 14 on the Stimpmeter.

Only 15 players managed to shoot under par.

Other Performances:

Patrick Cantlay: Early leader with a -5 round of 65, noted for his 23 putts over 18 holes.

Ludvig Aberg: Finished with a -4 round of 66, hitting all 14 fairways.

Bryson DeChambeau: Shot a -3 round of 67, including a chip-in birdie at the eighteenth

Challenges for Top Players:

Brooks Koepka: Reached -3 but finished level par after three late bogeys.

Xander Schauffele: Managed a level par round despite hitting only eight greens.

Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa: Both five shots behind the leaders with rounds of 70.

Seamus Power: Scored +1 with three consecutive birdies early in his round.

Scottie Scheffler: Tied with Power on +1, hitting only six fairways.

Notable Scores: Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, and Tom McKibbin each finished with +4 rounds.

The competition remains open with a long way to go, but McIlroy's strong start puts him in a promising position as he seeks his first major victory in ten years.