STEVENS POINT (Wisconsin) – At one time on Thursday afternoon, 17 out of the 20 top names on the U.S. Senior Open Leaderboard began their first round at the back nine SentryWorld. Rod Pampling was the early leader, having started his tournament with a 2-under score on the back nine before finishing the day at 3-under.
Steve Stricker then teed off from the first tee-box just after 2 pm.
Stricker, who won the first two senior majors and was surrounded by good vibes from his home state in the galleries, started his tournament with an impressive 2-under 33 with two birdies.
Madison’s resident was one of only four players who did not bogey a hole on the first nine.
It seemed that Stricker would have a strong final nine and replace Pampling’s round of 68.
Something strange happened.
Stricker had trouble on the turn, when his tee-shot hit a tree at the par-5 10th. Stricker’s left-handed recovery shot landed in a bunker, and a bunker shot that was admittedly too aggressive ended in a double-bogey.
This put him at par for the tournament. Stricker hit the ball in the water at the par-3 12, resulting in another double-bogey.
He said, “You must avoid doubles.” “If I make doubles, I shoot 1-under and that is the difference. “You have to avoid them.”
He ended with a 1-over-72, ending his Tour record of 55 consecutive rounds at or above par. He said he was thinking about his streak as he approached the final round, but couldn’t add another birdie to his card.
Stricker stated, “It’s one of the easiest holes today. I doubled 10 and I think it is one of them.” “Any hole can grab you. Bottom line, you just need to make good shots. You must play smartly, make good shots and avoid getting stuck behind a bush.
Steve Stricker shows his follow-through on the 10th tee during the 2023 U.S. Senior Open first round on Thursday, June 29th, 2023 at SentryWorld, Stevens Point, Wis. Tork. Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK – Wisconsin
Pampling is two strokes ahead of Mike Small, Retief goosen and Miguel Angel Jimenez
David Toms, Stricker’s playing partner, took advantage of his back nine at first. He birdied 10, 11, and 12 to grab a share in the lead. Then he too retreated with a 3-over final round.
After one round, it was Pampling with his seven birdies and two doubles, as well as his two bogeys, that would be in the lead.
Pampling stated, “It was a great day.” “I had been playing well over the past month or two. It felt good to get here and see this course. “I drove it really, really well. I made a lot birdies.”
Mike Small had four birdies in the morning on the back nine. He also reached 3-under after a double bogey at No. He dropped to 1-under after a double-bogey on No. Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pampling were all two points behind him at this score.
Small, speaking of the Thursday setup, said that “the pins were really hard on this front nine.” “I think that the wind blew up. The first few holes are facing down, then they turn into the wind and cause more problems. Both are hard. The rough is thick. The rough is so thick. These guys aren’t used to it.”
Stricker and Small played together in the late 80s for the Illini. Small is the men’s golf coaching at the University of Illinois. Both men played for the Illini in the late 1980s and helped them win the 1988 Big Ten Championship. They were groomsmen at each other’s marriages.
They also worked with Jerry Kelly on a practice round to get a sense of how the new championship venue will play.
Jerry Kelly, despite a wrist injury, manages to parround.
Jerry Kelly watches his putt roll toward the cup during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld, Stevens Point, Wis., on Thursday, June 29th, 2023.
Small had six birdies to three bogies, and Kelly made four birdies despite a left wrist injury. Kelly was in a group with 10 other players who finished the day on even par. However, Kelly’s birdies on the backside were cancelled out by a double bogey at the 13th par-4 hole.
Kelly described his injury as “it’s been out of alignment for a few months and it has just gotten so bad in the last couple of weeks.” “I have had it constantly worked on, and this is aggravating it even more.” It’s now inflamed. I hoped it would be better. It’s better. “I could only play three holes yesterday.”
Madison native said that if asked at the start of the day if he was willing to accept even par, he probably would have accepted it. He left the first round feeling comforted because he is not trying make up ground.
Kelly commented, “It is a good score.” “I would like to have that as my highest score. There’s no doubt that it’s available for the taking. Just make sure you hit the ball straight. “If you don’t get it right, there’s nothing to take.”
Ernie Els who has won two U.S. Ernie Els, who won two U.S. You have to hit shots that are aimed at the perfect miss. Get your wedge out of the path. You want to make the perfect shot but you have to miss it yourself.
Padraig harrington, the defending champion, shot a round of 3-over-par 74. He finished the U.S. Open in Los Angeles Country Club, where he tied for 27th place earlier this month.
He felt that the difficulty of it would allow those who were a few shots behind to chase after the leaders.
Harrington stated that it is possible for me to have a good day and score well. It’s not an attractive golf course for a defender to defend on. You could say I was defensive because, you know, the first day of a U.S. Open is when you tend to get defensive.
“Yeah I must say that I found L.A. Country Club much easier than this place. The length is not a problem for me. L.A. Country Club made it a lot easier.”
Mick Smith and Bradley Lanning’s results are mixed
In their first round, the two Wisconsin qualifiers Mick Smith from Summit and Brad Lanning from Hortonville had mixed results.
Smith’s name was on the top of the leaderboard when he reached even par after eight holes. However, he shot 3-over 38 for his front nine (his rear nine) and finished with a score of 3-over 74. He was still in a good position to make it through the cut with a strong performance on Friday.
Smith noted that he had to hit the fairways in order to stay on track. “I enjoyed it. First experience. “It’s hard work.”
Lanning started his day with the more difficult front nine, and shot a 43-over. He balanced two bogies and two birdies at the back to finish the round 8-over.
Lanning explained, “It is our home. We’re only 40 minutes away and I have played this course many times.” “I feel comfortable here, and that’s helped me because I played here a lot without all the tents and stuff and the high rough. I feel confident that I can play the course if I make the right shots, because I have played it before. We’ll have to wait and see what happens (Friday). If I can gain some momentum and make a few putts, hopefully I will make the cut.
