Jon Rahm watches his shot on the 15th hole Thursday during the first round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Jon Rahm began his U.S. Open title defense with a 1-under 69, a solid score Thursday at The Country Club that ended with a par and a birdie.
His final two holes had a little more excitement that numbers alone can reveal.
Rahm pulled his driver on the par-4 17th hole and said to his caddie, Adam Hayes, “That might be out of bounds.” There’s no OB, but the ball could have been lost or unplayable, and the stroke-and-distance penalty the same.
The caddie marked up another ball and handed it to him. The second one was more of a hook. Hayes reached for another ball.
At that point, Rahm would have been hitting his fifth shot. But he saw a marshal finally signaled the ball was safe. Rahm’s first ball was in play, he hit wedge out of the rough to 12 feet and missed the birdie putt.
“I fully know how lucky I got on that hole, and I tried to take advantage to make a birdie, but I’ll take the 4 and run any day of the week,” Rahm said.
The next hole was even more entertaining. He hit another hook, this one disappearing over the fence toward the television compound. Spotters found the ball under the tent, and then it was gone. Turns out two kids grabbed it and off they went.
“I’m pretty sure I know who it was. I recognized the two kids that were running the opposite way with a smile on their face,” he said. “I am 100% sure I saw the two kids that stole it.”
He was just happy the ball was seen in the first place. Rahm got relief from the TV tent and good fortune kept coming his way when he took his drop. The rough wasn’t very thick and Rahm only had 125 yards to cover the bunker in front of the green.
“I don’t think they expected anybody to hit it there or be around there, so I was able to drop it in an area that was a little down grain, and I wasn’t in jeopardy of carrying the bunker,” he said.
It ended with a 12-foot birdie putt and a fist pump. Quite the finish.
“If that doesn’t scream to you it’s the Open,” then nothing will, he said. “Sometimes you play good golf and can’t get things going and sometimes you get a break.”
JORDAN SPIETH had a stomach bug Wednesday and cut short his final day of practice. He did make it to the tee Thursday and had more excitement inside the ropes than he needed.
Spieth had two pars, three birdies and four bogeys on the front nine. He took bogey on No. 10, and when he cashed in for birdie on he 17th, he gave that shot back on the closing hole for 72. He declined interview requests, saying he was tired.
Patrick Cantlay also had limited practice recovering from an illness. He also shot 72.
GETTING THERE: Traffic and parking are challenging, to say the least, as the U.S. Open comes to Brookline and with it brings boatloads of fans through Sunday. To cut down on headaches when attending tournament at The Country Club, fans should consider the following travel plans for the event:
There are free shuttles between The Country Club and MBTA stations on the Green and Orange lines. The three Green Line stops served by shuttles include Boston College on the B branch, Cleveland Circle on the C branch, and Reservoir on the D branch. There are signs at each stop for the shuttles to and from the U.S. Open. The Orange Line stop with shuttle service is Forest Hills, where people can also get to via the Commuter Rail. Fans can take the Needham Line Commuter Rail to Forest Hills, and the Commuter Rail’s Providence/Stoughton Line will also add stops for the tourney. At the station, follow U.S. Open signs to the upper bus terminal for the shuttles.
There is no general U.S. Open parking at The Country Club. Street parking will be restricted, with rules enforced by the Town of Brookline.
Tickets to the U.S. Open include the cost of parking at 100 MBTA stations with parking facilities.
PRIZE MONEY: Golf’s biggest events have had record purses all year and the USGA is following suit with the 122nd U.S. Open. Prize money continues to climb at golf’s biggest events, with the U.S. Open the latest to announce a record purse.
For the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club, the USGA announced a record $17.5 million purse, with $3.15 million for the winner. The purse is $5 million higher than last year, when Jon Rahm won $2.25 million for his win.
The PGA put up an event-record $15 million purse last month, with Justin Thomas winning $2.7 million. In April, the Masters upped its purse $3 million from 2021, paying out $15 million. Scottie Scheffler won the green jacket plus $2.7 million. The Players Championship had a purse of $20 million, then a record for pro golf, with Cameron Smith taking a record winner’s share of $3.6 million.
The biggest purses overall are now in the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Last week’s event in London had a $25 million purse, with $20 million for the individual event at $5 million for team play. Charl Schwartzel, the overall winner and a member of the winning team, took home $4.75 million. The money comes from the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.