BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — Adam Hadwin wasn’t officially in the U.S. Open until eight days ago. He walked off The Country Club on Thursday with his best score ever in a major for a one-shot lead.
With the focus finally shifting away from Saudi-backed rival league, who’s going and who’s staying on the PGA Tour, Hadwin opened with a 4-under 66 on a breezy but not overly punishing day at Brookline.
The lingering thoughts of the rival league came from Rory McIlroy, not from anything he said but with the golf he played.
It was another bold statement as McIlroy didn’t make a bogey until his final hole — his brief fit of anger revealed as much desire as frustration — for a 67.