Golf-Spaun tames Oakmont for US Open lead while big names struggle

FILE PHOTO: Jun 11, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Scottie Scheffler chips on the tenth fairway during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images/File Photo

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -Unheralded J.J. Spaun outshined the game's top players and led the U.S. Open by one shot after the first round on Thursday at steamy Oakmont Country Club where the big names like Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy all struggled.

Much of the talk this week has been how the notoriously challenging course would keep scores in check, and while the layout did bare its teeth Spaun managed the day's only bogey-free round and eighth ever in a U.S. Open at Oakmont.