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Collin Morikawa, Max Homa Shoot Under Par to Start U.S. Open

Both former Cal golfers near the lead, which is held by Canadian Adam Hadwin at 4-under after one round
Jake Curtis|
Collin Morikawa, Max Homa Shoot Under Par to Start U.S. Open
Collin Morikawa, Max Homa Shoot Under Par to Start U.S. Open

Former Cal golfers Collin Morikawa and Max Homa had a promising starts to the U.S. Open on Thursday.

Morikawa and Homa both shot 1-under par 69 in the first round at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., leaving them three shots off the lead, which is held by Canadian Adam Hadwin.  

Hadwin is ranked 105th in the world, and his only PGA Tour victory came in March 2017. But he recorded four birdies on the front nine Thursday and finished with a 4-under-par 66, leaving him one shot ahead of six players tied at 3-under.

Rory McIlroy, the pre-tournament favorite, is one of those six players tied at 3-under.

Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler were the three other golfers among the pre-tournament picks just behind McIlroy.  Rahm was all over the course, but somehow managed to shoot a 1-under-par 69, and Thomas also shot a 69. Scheffler rokes back.

Morikawa's round was encouraging considered how much he has struggled of late, although it could have been even better had it not been for one terrible shot that led to a bogey on the 18th hole. Meanwhile, Homa ended his day on a good note, getting a birdie on the 18th.

Morikawa had an outstanding front nine, recording birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 9, and he was at 3-under after nine holes, putting him in the lead.

A long birdie putt for Morikawa on the second hole:

Morikawa held the lead alone after this birdie on No. 9

The back nine was not at clean.  He had no birdies on the final nine holes and had two bogeys.

He seemed headed for a round of 2-under until he hit that poor shot on the 18th.  Lying two on the par-4 final hole, he tried to pitch the ball over a bunker and onto the green to give himself a shot at par.  But he badly mishit the shot, which traveled a few yards and landed in the bunker.

He recovered nicely, however, hitting a good shot out of the sand trap and sinking his putt to escape with a bogey.

Morikawa, who is in the threesome with Rahm and James Piot, will begin Friday's second round on the 10th tee at 1:03 p.m. Eastern time (10:03 a.m. Pacific time)

Here is his first-round scorecard:

Homa was up and down all day, recording only nine pars.

He bogeyed his first hole, then birdied Nos. 5, 6 and 8 to challenge the leaders.

Homa sets up a birdie on No. 6

And Homa was tied for the lead after getting his third birdie in four holes on No. 8

But Homa bogeyed the ninth, 12th and 17th holes along with a birdie on the 14th, leaving him at even par heading into the final hole.

He put himself in position for a birdie on the final hole with an excellent second shot, then made the short putt for the birdie-3.

Homa has played well lately. Up to No. 23 in the world rankings, he won the Wells Fargo Championship last month and finished fifth in his most recent event, the Memorial, earlier this month. 

Homa will begin Friday on the 10th hole.  He, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth will tee ff at 1:14 p.m. Eastern time (10:14 a.m. Pacific time).

Homa's first-round scorecard:

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Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Peter Casey, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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