US Open co-leader with Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay reveals the key to mastering Pinehurst No.2 is at the 'center of these greens'

Round 1 of the 2024 US Open was eventful for Patrick Cantlay. In the event held at Pinehurst No. 2, Cantlay finds himself in T1 after he carded a score of 5-under. The American golfer is tied with Norther Irishman and 2024 Wells Fargo Champion, Rory McIlroy.

After his performance in the first round, Cantlay spoke to Carl Paulson and revealed what he believes is the key to succeeding at Pinehurst No. 2, which is considered by many to be among the toughest golf courses in the world. The 32-year-old said:

"You got to drive the ball in the fairway and from there, it gives you some opportunities. Obviously, The more times you can play from the center of these greens the better off you'll be. So leaving the ball in the correct spots is very important and I did a very good job at that today."

You can check out Patrick Cantlay's detailed interaction with Carl Paulson in the video below:

While Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy enjoyed T1 after Round 1, they were closely followed by Ludvig Aberg in T3 who carded 4-under par. Matthieu Pavon and Bryson DeChambeau settled for T4 with identical scores of 3-under par at the US Open.

A look at the leaderboard after Round 1 of the 2024 US Open

While names like Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy have done well at the 2024 US Open, players like Scottie Scheffler haven't had the most desirable Round 1. Here is a complete list of the leaderboard after Round 1 of the 2024 US Open:

T1 Patrick Cantlay -5
T1 Rory McIlroy -5
3 Ludvig Åberg -4
T4 Matthieu Pavon -3
T4 Bryson DeChambeau -3
T6 Tony Finau -2
T6 Tyrrell Hatton -2
T6 Akshay Bhatia -2
T9 Seonghyeon Kim -1
T9 Corey Conners -1
T9 Sergio Garcia -1
T9 Sam Bennett -1
T9 Aaron Rai -1
T9 Jackson Suber -1
T9 Thomas Detry -1
T16 Logan McAllister E
T16 Stephan Jaeger E
T16 Emiliano Grillo E
T16 Collin Morikawa E
T16 Brooks Koepka E
T16 Russell Henley E
T16 Robert Rock E
T16 Neal Shipley (a) E
T16 Isaiah Salinda E
T16 Davis Thompson E
T16 Zac Blair E
T16 Harris English E
T16 Robert MacIntyre E
T16 Xander Schauffele E
T16 Tommy Fleetwood E
T16 Sepp Straka E
T16 Martin Kaymer E
T16 Adam Scott E
T34 Seamus Power +1
T34 Max Greyserman +1
T34 Tim Widing +1
T34 Cameron Smith +1
T34 Rickie Fowler +1
T34 Si Woo Kim +1
T34 Willie Mack III +1
T34 Jason Day +1
T34 Tom Kim +1
T34 Scottie Scheffler +1
T34 Brian Harman +1
T34 Max Homa +1
T34 Chris Kirk +1
T34 Taylor Pendrith +1
T34 Frankie Capan III +1
T34 Taisei Shimizu +1
T50 Frederik Kjettrup +2
T50 Justin Lower +2
T50 Matt Kuchar +2
T50 Nicolai Højgaard +2
T50 Gary Woodland +2
T50 Nico Echavarria +2
T50 Edoardo Molinari +2
T50 Mac Meissner +2
T50 Austin Eckroat +2
T50 Bryan Kim (a) +2
T50 Brandon Robinson Thompson +2
T50 Christiaan Bezuidenhout +2
T50 Mackenzie Hughes +2
T50 Hideki Matsuyama +2
T50 Jordan Spieth +2

About the author

Varun is a Golf and MLB journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. He has a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, and has worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Aaron Judge and his ability to keep being consistent. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he gets the chance to play for an MLB team, he would love to play for the New York Yankees.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Krishna Venki