McIlroy, Koepka Shake Palms and Smile, Then Change to Chasing Down Leaders at US Open

LOS ANGELES (AP) — They shared a bro handshake and a laugh or two on the first tee box. Then, the odd few — Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka — started down the fairway in lookup of remedies for the most important trouble in golfing.

On Thursday at the U.S. Open, it had practically nothing to do with Saudi-backed LIV Golf (Koepka’s tour) or the potential of the PGA Tour (McIlroy’s). Relatively, it was the eight-shot deficit they shared right before they’d even put a tee in the floor.

McIlroy created some inroads. Koepka failed to.

McIlroy shot 5-beneath 65 to pull inside of three of Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler, who, hrs earlier, had finished up document-placing 62s at Los Angeles Place Club. McIlroy’s only bogey arrived on 18 — truly it was a fantastic help you save after not transferring the ball an inch on his 3rd shot from deep greenside tough.

Koepka used most of the working day in look for of fairways during a 1-around 71 round that would be just wonderful on most opening days, but not this 1.

The USGA’s pairing of Koepka and McIlroy — with Hideki Matsuyama added to the blend to presumably enjoy peacemaker — caught the golf world’s eye.

How McIlroy felt about it was anyone’s guess. He canceled his pre-tournament news conference and failed to stop for interviews right after Spherical 1, which he concluded in a tie for fifth. He and Koepka will enjoy with each other once more Friday afternoon.

The 34-12 months-old four-time key champion was the most outspoken defender of the PGA Tour when gamers began defecting for LIV Golf about a 12 months ago. When the tour and the Saudi backers of LIV declared past week that they had been ending hostilities and heading into enterprise together, McIlroy explained he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” — a entrance guy who espoused all that was very good about the tour but was not even offered a heads-up prior to the deal was introduced.

“Removing myself from the condition, I see how this is greater for the activity of golfing. There’s no denying that,” he explained final week. “But for me as an individual, yeah, there’s just heading to have to be conversations that are experienced.”

Koepka was in no way as outspoken about his shift to LIV, but when he gained the PGA Championship final month, he blew holes in the theory that all the LIV men went for the quick cash mainly because they did not have game anymore.

Koepka did not have his ‘A” sport Thursday, though another LIV participant, Dustin Johnson, designed the level this time. He shot 6 underneath.

If there was any animosity concerning McIlroy and Koepka, two of the world’s greatest and most substantial-profile gamers, it did not show. They had been joking as they stood involving the putting inexperienced and the initial tee box, and just before their names ended up declared, they clasped fingers like great buddies. They bantered as they walked down the to start with fairway.

In the direct-in to the U.S. Open this 7 days, Koepka stated “I take pleasure in the chaos” that was consuming golfing. He has collected all five of his majors because McIlroy won his most recent in 2014, and Koepka considers his means to block the outdoors noise as a key advantage.

Following sharing his views at the Canadian Open last 7 days, shortly just after the information broke, McIlroy hasn’t explained nearly anything in public.

Following Working day 1 of the U.S. Open up, he was letting his game do the talking, when Koepka still left the training course looking for solutions.

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