Patrick Cantlay puts LIV merger role aside by bouncing back to form at US Open

Patrick Cantlay has flown out of the blocks at the US Open, becoming the early clubhouse leader in testing conditions at Pinehurst No. 2.

Cantlay kicked off his week with a superb five-under-par 65, all the more impressive with the brutal rough and lightening greens proving a tough test for the majority out on the golf course. Starting on the 10th tee, the American star made his first birdie of the day at the par-four 11th, landing a superb bunker shot from the green-side trap down the left.

He soon cancelled this out though as three pars were followed by a frustrating bogey at the par-three 15th, as he failed to make up for a wayward tee shot that was pulled down the left of the 206-yard hole.

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Cantlay made sure he got himself back in the red heading to the turn however, making his second birdie of the day by rolling in a lengthy putt on the 18th green. This proved to be a catalyst for the former Fed Ex Cup champion, who leaped into life on the front nine (his second nine).

A second-straight birdie followed at the first hole, before he followed up three-straight pars with back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth. Cantlay then played one of the best approaches of the early wave at the par-four eighth, firing in a superb iron shot from the fairway to within four-feet, which he tapped in for another birdie.

He rounded his day off with a par at the par-three ninth to ensure he was the early man to catch on day one in North Carolina. Speaking in the aftermath, he said: “Yeah, [I] got off to a good start, bunker shot on 11. Played pretty solid most of the way. I thought the golf course played pretty difficult.

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“But drove it well. A lot of balls on the fairway. Left the ball in the right spots, for the most part.” It was a much-needed performance from Cantlay, who has failed to find his best golf so far in 2024. Away from the course, he has been embroiled in the saga surrounding the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

Cantlay is one of six player directors on the PGA Tour policy board, who are providing a voice for the Tour’s membership as negotiations over a peace deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) continue. Reports have suggested the American has become one of the most vocal on the board, amid the ongoing talks.

On the course, Cantlay has broken into the top-20 on just two occasions this season. His outing one week prior was one to forget, after 32-year-old missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament last Friday. He will be hoping he can keep up his hot start in North Carolina on Friday, when he returns for round two at 6:25 p.m. BST alongside Matt Kuchar and Russell Henley.