Rickie Fowler and xander schauffele signed a historic 8 under par at LACC North Coursepar 70, hosting a ‘major’ for the first time, the US Open. After the morning session, they were five shots ahead of world number 1 Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, and seven ahead of world number 2 Jon Rah.
“It’s not what you expect to play at the US Open,” Schauffele said. “But monkey see, monkey do. I was just chasing Rickie in qualifying,” said the Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo.
So far, South African Branden Grace is the only player to have made 62 strokes in a ‘major’, in the third round of the 2017 British Open.
Six players have dealt 63 cards in the 123-year history of the US Open: Johnny Miller, the first in 1973; Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Vijay Singh, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood.
Both Fowler, 34, and Schauffele, 29, are Californians looking for the first major title of their careers.
“On practice days I wasn’t very comfortable with my swing and I wasn’t putting a lot or getting good shots, so I kept working on the course, on the practice range, and finally some tips clicked a little bit . Wednesday.” Fowler said. “Then it’s more about going out, trusting and letting things happen. I know you can make birdies here, but first you have to drive well and put the ball in a good position on the fairway. Yes, I did , and from there I manage I manage well.”
Fowler, a veteran fan favorite on the PGA Tour, is playing in his first US Open since 2020 after failing to qualify two years in a row.
“It’s definitely been a long, hard road. Much longer being in that situation than one would like. But it makes it so worth it to have been through it and be back where we are now,” he acknowledged.
In his six US Open appearances, Schauffele has finished in the top 15 in all six, with five top-10s and three top-fives.
“I was pretty fluid in the game the whole round,” Schauffele said on rights-holding TV. “I’ve been looking at Rickie on the board all day – every time he birdies, he’s still second. So I thought if he’s doing it, why not me?”
Source: La Verdad
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