Pebble Beach (California, USA), .- The English golfer Justin Rose leads, at the end of the first round, the US Open, which is held this week in the centennial tour of Pebble Beach, on the Pacific coast of California.
With six under par, Rose, winner of the 2013 US Open, takes a stroke ahead of Americans Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Aaron Wise, and South African Louis Oosthuizen.
“You could definitely do good results today, but in a US Open the weaknesses also come out of those who are not playing well,” Fowler said at the end of his round.
Fowler, Schauffele and Wise, who still do not have a victory in a big one, accumulate a score of -5, just like Oosthuizen, winner of the 2010 British Open.
“To win a big one is something sacred to me, to be able to win a US Open would be magical,” said Oosthuizen, a regular candidate for a second major.
“It changes the mentality for a big one and you’re a little more focused this week, with additional preparation,” said Schauffele, who has finished in the top five in five of the last six big ones he has played.
Americans Scott Percy (-4) and Nate Lashley (-4) are two strokes behind the leader.
“I started quite strongly, then I tried to keep the level in the middle and in the end I tried to make a couple of birdies more,” explained Piercy, who became leader during the morning.
Although they have achieved results under the pair, Tiger Woods (-1), winner of 15 major, the last of them the Augusta Masters of 2019, and Brooks Koepka (-2), number one in the world, have not yet joined the North American dominance of the leaderboard.
“I’m definitely more comfortable and, without any doubt, I have a lot more confidence,” said Koepka, winner of the last two US Open and the recent PGA Championship.
On the first day the performance of the Argentine Emiliano Grillo, one of the seven Latin Americans qualified for the US Open, who finished with -3 and between the top ten of the standings, also stood out.
The four Spaniards at Pebble Beach, Sergio Garcia (-2), Jon Rahm (-2), Adri Arnaus (-2) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (-1) finished below par and close to the leader of the tournament. (EFE )
