US OPEN: Shubhankar T-37 after Round1

New York, June 16

Facing demanding and gusty conditions, Shubhankar Sharma carded a gritty 4-over 74 in the opening round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills to lie tied-37th.
The 21-year-old had two birdies against six bogeys — three of them on the back nine between the 11th and 17th.
“It was pretty tough out there, with some very high scores. I have been here since Friday and played the course a few times, but it was totally different from what it was on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Sharma, whose two birdies came on the fifth and ninth. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot a 1-under 69 to be among the four joint leaders. Only four players were under par for the first day and only Jason Dufner (70) shot even par to be tied-5th.
Many of the big names had a nightmarish day and that included Tiger Woods (78), but Rory McIlroy (80) was the worst among the former champions. Jason Day (79), Jordan Spieth (78), Jon Rahm (78), Phil Mickelson (77) and Bubba Watson (77) were among the stars to suffer on the brutal Shinnecock Hills.
Sharma, who dropped bogeys at the second, fourth, sixth, 11th, 14th and 17th holes, said, “The club selection on a lot of the holes was very, very different from what we had planned. We had to adapt to the conditions. It was tough, windy and from the time I was at the range till 4-5 pm it was very tough. I was happy with the way I played the front nine, when I was 1-over. The back nine was very tough. Personally, I hit a few good shots, but they ended in bad places. Like on the 17th, the wind stopped suddenly and I ended going over and it was a tough up and down (and it was a bogey).”
Sharma said he was happy with his performance given the demanding conditions. “Things are always tough at the US Open and considering all that, I was happy with the way I played. At the US Open it is not easy and you can put yourself out of the tournament on the first day, so with that in mind, it was not a bad day. I was happy with way I played and hopefully I will grind out another good round tomorrow,” he said.
Dustin show

Dustin Johnson shot a 69 to join Ian Poulter, Russell Henley and Scott Piercy in a four-way tie for the lead. South Korea’s An carded a 71 to emerge as the leading Asian golfer in the tied-6th position.
Fellow Korean Si Woo Kim shot a 73 to lie in tied-19th. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama shot a 75 while Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand carded a 76. Tied for sixth at 71 are Matthieu Pavon of France, Justin Rose, Charles Howell III, Charley Hoffman, Sam Burns, Henrik Stenson and An.