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Justin Thomas grabs 1-shot lead at U.S. Open; Tiger Woods struggles with 73

Justin Thomas (pictured) shot a 5-under 65 to sit one stroke ahead of Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters and Matthew Wolff. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Justin Thomas (pictured) shot a 5-under 65 to sit one stroke ahead of Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters and Matthew Wolff. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Justin Thomas took advantage of a surprisingly soft Winged Foot course to take a one-shot lead in Thursday's opening round of the 2020 U.S. Open in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Thomas shot a 5-under 65 to sit one stroke ahead of Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters and Matthew Wolff. Before Thursday, no player had ever shot better than 66 in a U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

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"It's helpful with three days left, but it's not even remotely close to being over," Thomas said of his best start in any major. "As great of a round and fun as it was, it's over with now, and I need to get over it. ... Yeah, 65 is fun no matter where you play, especially at Winged Foot. I was in a really good frame of mind, and I was focused.

"I was just sticking to my routine and playing every shot, as opposed to getting ahead of myself. It's one of those rounds where ... next thing you know, you make the putt on 18, you're done for the day."

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Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen were two shots back of the lead at 3-under par. Xander Schauffele was among the group sitting three strokes behind.

In total, 21 players finished the first round under par -- the most in an opening round of a U.S. Open at Winged Foot -- and 32 golfers were at least even.

"There's a couple of guys that went a little lower than maybe expected," McIlroy said. "But it's not as if the rest of the field are finding it that easy."

Dustin Johnson -- the top-ranked player in the world -- failed to make his putts and shot 73. Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose also opened with 73s and had their share of struggles on the course.

Phil Mickelson opened with two birdies but still finished the first day with a 79. Collin Morikawa was 6-over par and tied for 120th after the opening round.

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Tiger Woods swings during the second round of the U.S. Open in Bethesda, Md., on June 13, 1997. The following April, Woods became the youngest Masters Tournament winner. Photo by Jay Clark/UPI | License Photo

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