Brooks Koepka makes steady start at fog-delayed U.S. Open

PGA: U.S. Open – First Round
Brooks Koepka plays his shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Golf Course.
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Twice champion Brooks Koepka began his bid for a fifth major with a routine par at Torrey Pines where fog delayed the start of the U.S. Open by 90 minutes and creating initial concern that first-round action might not be completed on Thursday.

Play was originally scheduled to begin at 6:45 a.m. PT but golfers who arrived for early tee times were instead greeted by a marine layer that covered the par-71 south course, which sits atop the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

World No. 10 Koepka, who was runner-up at last month’s PGA Championship and missed the cut in his U.S. Open tune-up, found the fairway with his tee shot at the par-four 10th and then sent his approach to 18 feet where he two-putted for par.

World No. 2 Justin Thomas and number four Collin Morikawa, playing with Koepka, also began their day with pars after getting up and down from a greenside bunker as the sun started to peek out from the clouds.

PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson, playing a day after his 51st birthday and a month after becoming golf’s oldest major winner, was also due out on the same hole two groups back with Xander Schauffele and Max Homa.

US Open First Round
Volunteers walk along the 6th fairway in the fog during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Golf Course.Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Mickelson, a record six-times U.S. Open runner-up who grew up playing city-owned Torrey Pines, is seeking a win this week to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors.

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau was scheduled to launch his title defense at the par-four first hole in the afternoon wave alongside Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and 2020 U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci.

Also among the late starters is a high-profile group featuring world number one Dustin Johnson, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, and Englishman Justin Rose.

Updated 2021 US Open odds

  • Brooks Koepka: +500
  • Xander Schauffele: +600
  • Jon Rahm: +1000
  • Bryson DeChambeau: +1400
  • Dustin Johnson: +1600
  • Rory McIlroy: +2000
  • Jordan Spieth: +2000
  • Patrick Reed: +2200
  • Justin Thomas: +2200
  • Patrick Cantlay: +2500
  • Viktor Hovland: +2500
  • Collin Morikawa: +2500
  • Tyrrell Hatton: +2800

Odds courtesy of DraftKings