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5 things we learned Thursday at the U.S. Open

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6 years ago

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The U.S. Open at Winged Foot’s West Course was a long time in coming. From the impending postponement in late May, to the announcement in June that a September weekend was in the works, the golf world has waited with held breath to see the A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece that was given a tight restoration by Gil Hanse.

Now that Open week is here, the golf world has four days to frolic in the glory of golden-age golf course design and how it presents a challenge to today’s physical golfers and their technological weaponry.

It’s Thursday evening, so it’s time to share the 5 things we learned on day one at the 2020 U.S. Open.

1. The one that got away still gnaws at JT

Justin Thomas had a very real chance to win the the 2017 Open at Erin Hills. He tied for 9th after holding the 54-hole lead, and learned lessons that would compel him to win a major two months later, at the PGA Championship. Thomas craves the carving of another major title on his record, and he opened with 65 to lead a trio of golfers by one shot. Thomas had one bogey on the day, a tugged 4-iron that led to a 4 at the par-three third hole. The Kentucky native responded with five subsequent birdies, to complement the one he made at the opening hole, and stands atop the leader board with 54 holes to play. Thomas benefited from a morning tee time, and we will see how he does on Friday, when he putts greens that will have seen myriad morning footsteps.

2. An ace gets Reed in the mix again

Patrick Reed is an enigmatic figure to end all enigmatic figures. Search the his name with the word controversy and you will spend more than one evening sifting through the reports. It’s a shame, as the Texas-born golfer really does have game. He showed grit in international competition, and claimed a major title of his own at the 2018 Masters. On Thursday at Winged Foot west, Reed electrified the viewers with this sequence: 6-3-1. After making double bogey at the 5th, the Augusta State alum rebounded with birdie at the 6th, then knocked a short iron down at the 7th for a one-hop hole in one. If Reed wishes to shed the villain tag, and he may not, he will need to acknowledge that he has made some bad decisions along the way. Come to think of it, maybe the villain tag is what motivates him.

3. The world represents

Tied with Reed and Matthew Wolff at four-under par is Belgium’s Thomas Pieters. Just behind them, at minus-three, are Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, and Louis Oosthuizen. Let’s see, that’s Northern Ireland, England, and South Africa. Another stroke back is Rafael Cabrera Bello, a Spaniard, albeit not the one we expected to be low Iberian after round one. In any case, it’s the diverse games of the world’s greats that make the U.S. Open so interesting. South Africans from Gary Player to Retief Goosen have fared spectacularly well at the Open, as has the contingent from the United Kingdom, over the years.

4. The Phairy Tale will not be written

At least not the one that annoys you with the “ph” allophone. Mighty Casey, also known as Phil Mickelson, will not win the 2020 U.S. Open, 14 years after he gave the 2006 playing to Geoff Ogilvy in gift wrapping. Phabulous Phil opened with two birdies, the proceeded to bogey hole 3 through 5, then 8, then 5 more on the back nine … oh, and he tossed in a double bogey on the 14th for added pain. Mickelson will not be around for the weekend, and he will not win a U.S. Open in his storied career. He will be resigned to the list of greats who almost, but not quite, won the career grand slam. He joins Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, and Tom Watson in this pantheon, and it is sad, but not unexpected.

5. The amateurs and the unknowns

Speaking of electricity, Davis Thompson (who doesn’t play for cash) reached 4-deep at the eleventh green, thanks to intelligent play. He wobbled home with three bogeys, but finds himself in a tie for 14th with, among others, fellow amateur (and local hero) John Pak. Taiwan’s Chun An Yu made two birdies and an eagle in a four hole stretch on the front nine (his inward half) and sits a shot in arrears, at even par. Vegas suggests they will fade away, although one or two will last long enough to see the weekend. Still, the amateurs remind us of days of yore, when they used to challenge for the title.

We mentioned Matthew Wolff, but we failed to cite Jason Kokrak, Brendon Todd, Harris English, and a few others. Those unknown golfers, those Andy Norths and Michael Campbells, who find their game for a week, and win precious little else, are an equal part of U.S. Open lore with the amateurs and the greats. Will a Shaun Norris or an Erik Van Rooyen hoist the trophy on Sunday? Again, probably not, but it will be fun to watch.

TR’s pick after day one: Xander Schauffele. He’s at minus-two, and made four birdies today. He loves this pressure, and is primed to add a major title to his growing resume.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. GG

    Sep 18, 2020 at 2:26 am

    you forgot number 6. Spieth lost a lost cause.

    Reply Report comment

    • Ronald Montesano

      Sep 18, 2020 at 9:47 am

      It’s incredible that he went chasing distance, having won 3 or 4 major titles at such a young age. I wonder if his pro just agreed, or if the pro is to blame. Such a stupid thing to do. If you’re built for distance, you chase it. If not, you don’t mess with it.

      Reply Report comment

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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