Day one at the 125th U.S. Open was a mixed bag for the former Illinois golfers in the field. Staff writer Scott Richey breaks down how all three fared at Oakmont Country Club:
Thomas Detry
The one hiccup to Detry’s opening round Thursday in western Pennsylvania was when he had his putter in his hands. The Belgian standout mostly avoided the shag carpet-esque rough at Oakmont, was solid in his approach shots and handy with a wedge in his short game. A couple missed putts that led to bookend bogies on Nos. 10 and 18 was the difference between a statement first round and a still competitive 1-under 69 to tie for sixth.
Jackson Buchanan
Three consecutive bogies to close out the first round meant Buchanan closed out the day at 4-over 74. The newly-minted pro was one of the longest off the tee in the entire field with an average driving distance of 323.9 yards, but hitting just four of 14 fairways and just nine greens in regulation made scoring difficult. Buchanan has notable company tied for 62nd, though, with Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson also carding 74s.
Brian Campbell
Campbell put a pair of weekend rounds in doubt after shooting a 9-over 79 in the first round Thursday. He’ll need an impressive bounce back Friday simply to make the cut (top 60 and ties). Campbell started with a workable-at-the-U.S. Open 38 on the back nine. But a single birdie more than offset by five bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine to close out the round put him in a tie for 133rd ahead of just a small group of golfers that had their own struggles.
