A full field of 156 golfers teed off Thursday in the opening round of the 125th U.S. Open, the third major championship of the 2025 season.
For a record 10th time, the tournament takes place at the historic Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 7,372-yard, par-70 layout is sure to challenge the world’s top players and those who survived the rigorous annual qualifying process.
Bryson DeChambeau is the defending champion after he pulled out a one-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy a year ago at Pinehurst. J.J. Spaun led the day with a 4-under par opening round.
USA TODAY Sports has complete coverage of Thursday’s opening round. Follow along for highlights and analysis:
US Open 2025 leaderboard
- 1. J.J. Spaun -4 (F)
- 2. Thriston Lawrence -3 (F)
- T3. Si Woo Kim -2 (F)
- T3. Brooks Koepka -2 (F)
- T3. Sungjae Im -2 (F)
You can get the latest leaderboard updates and tee times here.
What is US Open projected cut line?
Just around 40% of the 156-person field will tee off in the third round as the U.S. Open has one of the tougher cut lines to make than the other majors; only the top 60 players and ties will advance after 36 holes – the end of the second round.
It’s still early, but the projected cut line for the 2025 U.S. Open is +6, according to the predictive model used by Datagolf.com.
Scottie Scheffler ends first round
The world’s No. 1 golfer didn’t have a great day at Oakmont, proving how challenging the course can be. Scheffler finished the first round 3-over-par, currently in a tie for 55th place.
Scheffler had three birdies and six bogeys, including two on the 13th and 15th hole to drop him down the leaderboard.
Brooks Koepka finishes strong
Back-to-back birdies to end the day has Brooks Koepka now into the top four, finishing the day at 2-under-par.
Koepka knows all about winning this major after he won the 2017 and 2018 position. The strong finish has positioned him to contend for a third U.S. Open title, which would make him the seventh golfer to do so.
Sungjae Im falls out of first
It was a brief stay at the top of the leaderboard for Sungjae Im, who suffered back-to-back bogeys to drop back to 3-under-par. J.J. Spaun is now back in first after he shot a bogey-free first round at 4-under-par.
Sungjae Im takes lead
There’s a new person on top of the leaderboard as Sungjae Im is now 5-under-par through 11 holes, taking over the top spot from J.J. Spaun. He started off his day on the back nine like Spaun and he cruised through it with three consecutive birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th.
Im started the front nine with back-to-back birdies, and his approach shot on the par-4 2nd hole was a beauty.
He still has a way to go, but if Im holds his score to -5, it would be the lowest opening round in the 10 times Oakmont has hosted the U.S. Open.
Patrick Reed scores rare albatross
The shot of the day has come from Patrick Reed, who holed out from 286 yards away on the par-5 4th. The magnificent second shot is an albatross, also known as a double eagle.
Reed didn’t initially know the ball went in, and after getting some help from others, he smiled as he looked like he didn’t believe what he did.
It’s the fourth albatross in U.S. Open history, and the first since 2012 when Nick Watney did it at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
J.J. Spaun posts bogey-free 66 for clubhouse lead
Birdies have been rare at Oakmont – especially as the day has progressed – but J.J. Spaun managed to get through his round without a bogey to take the clubhouse lead with 4-under-par 66.
His score equals the lowest opening round at Oakmont in the 10 times the course has hosted the U.S. Open.
Playing in one of the first groups off the 10th tee, Spaun took advantage of the calm morning conditions to record birdies on four of his first eight holes and rise to the top of the leaderboard. He needed just 26 putts in the round.
Spaun, 34, has one PGA Tour win on his resume but could’ve had a much higher profile entering the U.S. Open if not for a final-round collapse at the Players Championship in March.
He led the so-called ‘fifth major’ after three rounds, only to hit his tee shot into the water on the signature island green 17th hole and lose in a playoff to Rory McIlroy.
Where to watch the US Open: TV Channel, streaming Thursday
The 2025 U.S. Open will be broadcast by NBC and USA Network throughout all four rounds, with USA Network the sole home for first-round action on Thursday, June 12 and NBC and USA Network splitting coverage for the second, third and final rounds. All four rounds of the U.S. Open will be live streamed on Peacock, usopen.com, the USGA app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Peacock will also broadcast U.S. Open All-Access, its whiparound-style offering, on all four days.
- TV channel: USA Network – (7 a.m.-5 p.m.)
- Live stream: Fubo (7 a.m.-5 p.m.), Peacock (5 p.m.-8 p.m.), usopen.com (featured groups)
Watch the 2025 US Open with Fubo
Tough course? Qualifier eagles No. 1
Maxwell Moldovan had to go through 36-hole Final Qualifying to earn his spot at this year’s U.S. Open. But he certainly showed he belonged with the big boys on his opening hole of the tournament.
On the 484-yard par 4, Moldovan hit a perfect approach shot from the right side of the fairway. And we mean PERFECT.
It hit the front of the green, slowly rolled toward the flagstick and dropped in the cup for an eagle 2.
Moldovan is a 23-year-old player on the Korn Ferry Tour from Uniontown, Ohio.
He qualified for last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst, but missed the cut after shooting 14 over par in the first two rounds.
High school amateur Mason Howell tees off at Oakmont
Mason Howell may not be done with high school, but he’ll be headed to the 2025 U.S. Open.
The 17-year-old high school junior from Georgia punched his ticket to the 125th edition of the PGA Tour major after magnificent play in the qualifiers.
‘That was one of the greatest moments of my life,’ Howell said after the event.
Howell competed in the U.S. Open final qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta and breezed through the course Monday. The day is dubbed ‘Golf’s Longest Day,’ as players have to play two rounds of golf in one day, although that was hardly an issue for Howell.
Find out more about Mason Howell from USA TODAY’s Jordan Mendoza.
US Open tee times today
For a full list of tee times, you can find Thursday’s starts here.
All times Eastern; (a) amateur; (1 or 10) starting hole
- 6:45 a.m. (1): Matt Vogt (a), Kevin Velo, Trent Phillips
- 6:45 a.m. (10): Zac Blair, Scott Vincent, Alistair Docherty
- 6:56 a.m. (1): Chandler Blanchet, Alvaro Ortiz, Doug Ghim
- 6:56 a.m. (10): Jacques Kruyswijk, Jordan Smith, Eric Cole
- 7:07 a.m. (1): Evan Beck (a), Maxwell Moldovan, Justin Hicks
- 7:07 a.m. (10): Tom Kim, J.J. Spaun, Taylor Pendrith
- 7:18 a.m. (1): Harris English, Keegan Bradley, Tommy Fleetwood
- 7:18 a.m. (10): Ludvig Åberg, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama
- 7:29 a.m. (1): Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Jose Luis Ballester
- 7:29 a.m. (10): Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, Maverick McNealy
- 7:40 a.m. (1): Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland
- 7:40 a.m. (10): Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy
- 7:51 a.m. (1): Akshay Bhatia, Matt McCarty, Robert MacIntyre
- 7:51 a.m. (10): Patrick Cantlay, Si Woo Kim, Lucas Glover
- 8:02 a.m. (1): Cam Davis, Davis Thompson, Thomas Detry
- 8:02 a.m. (10): Cameron Smith, Brian Harman, Phil Mickelson
- 8:13 a.m. (1): Richard Bland, Trevor Gutschewski (a), Lanto Griffin
- 8:13 a.m. (10): Niklas Norgaard, Brian Campbell, Justin Lower
- 8:24 a.m. (1): Edoardo Molinari, Sam Stevens, Ryan Gerard
- 8:24 a.m. (10): Davis Riley, Jackson Koivun (a), Johnny Keefer
- 8:35 a.m. (1): Thriston Lawrence, Noah Kent (a), Thorbjørn Olesen
- 8:35 a.m. (10): James Hahn, Mark Hubbard, Michael La Sasso (a)
- 8:46 a.m. (1): Jinichiro Kozuma, Cameron Tankersley (a), Chase Johnson
- 8:46 a.m. (10): Joakim Langergren, Mason Howell (a), Chris Gotterup
- 8:57 a.m. (1): Philip Barbaree, Riley Lewis, Brady Calkins
- 8:57 a.m. (10): Zach Bauchou, Jackson Buchanan, Lance Simpson (a)
- 12:30 p.m. (1): Frederic LeCroix, Emiliano Grillo, Sam Bairstow
- 12:30 p.m. (10): Will Chandler, Andrea Pavan, Takumi Kanaya
- 12:41 p.m. (1): Byeung Hun An, Joe Highsmith, Ryan Fox
- 12:41 p.m. (10): Bryan Lee (a), Guido Migliozzi, Preston Summerhays
- 12:52 p.m. (1): Victor Perez, Jacob Bridgeman, Adam Schenk
- 12:52 p.m. (10): Erik van Rooyen, Max Greyserman, Matt Wallace
- 1:03 p.m. (1): Min Woo Lee, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka
- 1:03 p.m. (10): Russell Henley, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Nick Taylor
- 1:14 p.m. (1): Sam Burns, Nico Echavarria, Denny McCarthy
- 1:14 p.m. (10): Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson
- 1:25 p.m. (1): Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler
- 1:25 p.m. (10): Tyrrell Hatton, Sungjae Im, Sepp Straka
- 1:36 p.m. (1): Corey Conners, Jason Day, Patrick Reed
- 1:36 p.m. (10): Cameron Young, Tom Hoge, J.T. Poston
- 1:47 p.m. (1): Joaquin Niemann, Bud Cauley, Daniel Berger
- 1:47 p.m. (10): Jhonattan Vegas, Michael Kim, Matthieu Pavon
- 1:58 p.m. (1): MacKenzie Hughes, Tony Finau, Chris Kirk
- 1:58 p.m. (10): Marc Leishman, Aaron Rai, Nick Dunlap
- 2:09 p.m. (1): Ben James (a), Rasmus Højgaard, Stephan Jaeger
- 2:09 p.m. (10): Matthew Jordan, Yuta Sugiura, Carlos Ortiz
- 2:20 p.m. (1): Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson, Justin Hastings (a), Laurie Canter
- 2:20 p.m. (10): Ryan McCormick, Trevor Cone, Zachary Pollo (a)
- 2:31 p.m. (1): Frankie Harris (a), Emilio Gonzalez, Roberto Díaz
- 2:31 p.m. (10): James Nicholas, Tyler Weaver (a), Riki Kawamoto
- 2:42 p.m. (1): Grant Haefner, Joey Herrera, George Kneiser
- 2:42 p.m. (10): Austin Truslow, Harrison Ott, George Duangmanee
US Open odds: Favorites at Oakmont
All odds via BetMGM on Thursday, June 12.
- Scottie Scheffler: +275
- Bryson DeChambeau: +750
- Jon Rahm: +1200
- Rory McIlroy: +1400
- Ludvig Aberg: +2200
- Xander Schauffele: +2200
- Collin Morikawa: +2500
- Joaquin Niemann: +3000
- Shane Lowry: +3300
- Tommy Fleetwood: +3300
US Open weather forecast: Latest updates for Thursday at Oakmont
— Elizabeth Flores
LIV golfers at the US Open
A total of 14 LIV Golf players are competing at the 2025 U.S. Open:
- Jose Luis ‘Josele’ Ballester
- Richard Bland
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Dustin Johnson
- Brooks Koepka
- Jinichiro Kozuma
- Marc Leishman
- Phil Mickelson
- Joaquin Niemann
- Carlos Ortiz
- Jon Rahm
- Patrick Reed
- Cameron Smith
US Open predictions and picks
Picks made ahead of the U.S. Open’s first round:
Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY: Scottie Scheffler (+275)
‘Scheffler has by far the shortest odds to win the U.S. Open, but it’s for a good reason. He has won three of his last four tournaments, including the PGA Championship, and has finished no worse than T-25th in any event this season.
‘Scheffler’s success is largely thanks to his strong tee-to-green game. He ranks first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: tee to green (SG:T2G) but has also been the tour’s second-best scrambler. That combination should allow him to have fewer issues than others with Oakmont’s brutal rough and could ultimately deliver him his first U.S. Open title.’
Dylan Dethier, Golf.com: Xander Schauffele always shows up at U.S. Open
‘Don’t let him throw you off the scent with his first non-top-20 major finish in three-plus years or a surprisingly poor putting performance at the Memorial. If Xander can find the groove with his driver, he has as good a chance as anybody to win this thing. Don’t forget: He’s played eight U.S. Opens in his life, he’s never finished worse than 14th, and he has six top-7s. Book this man for a win, cover your bases with a top 10.’
Jessica Marksbury, Golf.com: Scottie Scheffler continues to dominate
‘How can I go with any other player? Scottie is back in alpha mode, and a U.S. Open at Oakmont — golf’s toughest test on the game’s toughest course — will identify the most complete player as champion. That’s Scottie. Third leg of the career grand slam comin’ up!’
Nick Piastowski, Golf.com: Bryson DeChambeau repeats
‘With high rough, give me the guy who’s hitting wedges into the greens. It’s hard to bet against Scottie Scheffler, but I’m predicting a DeChambeau repeat.’
Iain MacMillan, Sports Illustrated: Scottie Scheffler is running a one-man race
‘If you aren’t going to bet on Scottie Scheffler, you should stick to betting the ‘without Scheffler’ market. We haven’t seen a golfer listed with as short of odds as +280 to win a major since Tiger Woods in his prime, but in my opinion, his odds should be even shorter.
‘He has won three of his last four starts, including running away with the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. Over the last six months, Scheffler has gained 0.73 true strokes per round more than any other golfer in the world. The 0.73 strokes per round gap between Scheffler and the second-ranked golfer, Bryson DeChambeau, is the same as the gap between DeChambeau and Sepp Straka.’
US Open predictions: Sleeper picks at Oakmont
Picks made ahead of the U.S. Open’s first round:
Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY: Sepp Straka (+4000)
‘Straka hasn’t yet won a major but has turned into one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent players. He ranks second to only Scheffler in total strokes gained (SG: Total) and ranks top-three in both strokes gained approaching the green (SG:APP) and greens in regulation (GIR) percentage. He missed the cut at the Masters and PGA Championship this year but has finished top-three in two of his last three events, including a win at the Truist Championship.’
Daniel Dobish, Sportsbook Wire: Corey Conners (+5500)
‘Conners is another one of those golfers who is super accurate off of the tee, hitting 559 of a possible 812 fairways. He is so-so in driving distance, which isn’t a bad thing. He’ll likely be able to avoid some of those deep fairway bunkers as a result. He ranks 10th on Tour in SG: Off-to-Tee, while checking in 13th in GIR (69.64%), so he knows how to make up for his modest driving power.’
Dennis Esser, The Athletic: Russell Henley (+6000)
‘(Henley) is coming off two missed cuts in major championships, but he has five top 27 finishes at the U.S. Open in his last six tries. He had his best-ever finish at the U.S. Open in 2024 with a T7 at Pinehurst No. 2. He is coming off of a T5 at the Memorial, where he gained over nine strokes from tee to green, and only a cold weekend putter kept him from challenging (Ben) Griffin and Scheffler.’
US Open location: What to know about Oakmont
Oakmont Country Club will host the 125th U.S. Open, which begins this week. It will be the 10th time that the venue has hosted the event, three times more than any other club.
It will also be the first time the event has returned to Oakmont since 2016. The U.S. Open is scheduled to be back at the venue in 2033, 2042 and 2049.
Henry Clay Fownes designed the course at the Oakmont Country Club, intending to challenge the sport’s best.— James Williams
US Open winners by year: List of champions
Here are the most recent winners at the U.S. Open. Read here for a complete list of winners.
- 2024: Bryson DeChambeau (Pinehurst)
- 2023: Wyndham Clark (L.A. Country Club)
- 2022: Matt Fitzpatrick (The Country Club)
- 2021: Jon Rahm (Torrey Pines)
- 2020: Bryson DeChambeau (Winged Foot)
- 2019: Gary Woodland (Pebble Beach)
- 2018: Brooks Koepka (Shinnecock Hills)
- 2017: Brooks Koepka (Erin Hills)
- 2016: Dustin Johnson (Oakmont)
- 2015: Jordan Spieth (Chambers Bay)
- 2014: Martin Kaymer (Pinehurst)