MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 06:06:42| >> :600:181676614:181676614:

Ian Poulter shares lead after difficult opening day at US Open

Ian Poulter is one of only four players to finish under par after a chaotic opening day of the US Open which saw Rory McIlroy finish 10-over.

Ian Poulter was one of just four players to break par as the US Open got off to a chaotic start at Shinnecock Hills.

Strong winds resulted in some of the world's top players suffering nightmare rounds, with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth well over par after the opening day.

Rory McIlroy in action at the US Open on June 14, 2018© Reuters

American trio Scott Piercy, Russell Henley and Dustin Johnson lead the way alongside Poulter on one-under, with Jason Dufner the only other player to avoid going over par.

McIlroy shot three double bogeys in the difficult conditions to end the day with a 10-over-par 80, while Spieth (78), Woods (78) and Mickelson (77) also had rounds to forget.

The high-profile quartet were by no means alone, though; there were 200 double bogeys or worse on day one, compared to 212 for the entire tournament last year, and the combined score of the whole field came in at more than 1,000 over par.

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson are among a group of six players on one-over par, but other big names struggled to tame the conditions on Long Island.

Woods began his round with a triple-bogey and a bogey, but steadied the ship to limit the damage to eight-over at the end of play.

US OPEN LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND ONE

1. Scott Piercy (-1)
=. Ian Poulter (-1)
=. Russell Henley (-1)
=. Dustin Johnson (-1)
5. Jason Dufner (E)

ID:328364: cacheID:328364:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3604:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Patrick Reed in action during the 2014 Ryder Cup
Read Next:
Patrick Reed up to 11th in world rankings
>