US Open: Rickie Fowler leads Pebble Beach praise after strong start
Friday 14 June 2019 16:32, UK
Rickie Fowler was among the players to heap praise on Pebble Beach after grabbing a share of the early lead at the US Open.
Fowler, chasing a maiden major victory, mixed six birdies with a lone bogey to post a five-under 66 and join Louis Oosthuizen and Xander Schauffele as the pick of the morning starters, although they eventually saw Justin Rose overtake them with a 65 late in the day.
The USGA has come under scrutiny in recent years for their course set-up at US Opens, with Fowler pleased with the conditions for the opening round.
"I thought today's set-up was great," Fowler said. "Some good pin placements, nothing that was over the edge or anything like that.
"I'm assuming the golf course is going to continue to firm up over the week and it's going to get tougher to control the golf ball, so you have to be a little bit more dialled in.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
"If you played well today, you could go and shoot under par. If you didn't drive it well and you were a little bit off, it was going to be tough to shoot par or even close to it."
Schauffele rolled in a 12-foot eagle at the par-five last to get into a share of the lead, while Oosthuizen holed out from a bunker on the ninth for a final-hole birdie.
"I thought they [the USGA] did a really good job," Oosthuizen said. "The greens were receptive. It was running nicely and I think the golf course was set up really good for good scoring in the morning.
"I think today was definitely the round I could be a little more aggressive with those iron shots. If the wind picks up a little bit and it dries out, you need to be careful because the rough around the greens is almost impossible to control the ball.
Live US Open Golf
"I think Pebble [Beach] to me is probably one of my favourite venues for a US Open. You're not going to beat the scenery and everything about this golf course."
Watch the US Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues with Featured Groups on Friday from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf.
