Fowler and Schauffele set new US Open mark
Rickie Fowler fired 10 birdies in a US Open record-low round of 62 on Thursday only to have it matched minutes later by Xander Schauffele as the two Americans lit up the first-round at the Los Angeles Country Club. Fowler, fighting out of a slump that saw him miss the past two US Opens, overcame two bogeys in his eight-under-par effort and surpassed the previous tournament record low round of 63, first set by Johnny Miller at Oakmont in 1973. Schauffele, the 2021 Olympic champion playing two groups behind Fowler, had eight birdies without a bogey. He had a 27-foot birdie putt at his final hole, the par-three ninth, but left it four feet short. "I knew it was close, I wasn't sure of the exact number," Fowler said of the low-round record. "I just tried to keep moving forward." Both Fowler and Schauffele matched the lowest round recorded in any major championship - Branden Grace's 62 in the third round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017. They finished two strokes ahead of two-time major champion Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark, with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman a further stroke back on 65. World number one Scottie Scheffler headed a group of seven players on three-under-par 67 that also included former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, South Korean Kim Si-woo, France's Paul Barjon, Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, Harris English and Sam Bennett. However, not everyone took advantage of the scoring opportunities on the opening day. Brooks Koepka, who captured his fifth major title at the PGA Championship last month, carded a one-over 71 as did defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick. (AFP)