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June 17 (UPI) -- Phil Mickelson is among nine LIV Golf Invitational Series participants in danger of missing the third-round cut at the U.S. Open entering Friday's second round. Adam Hadwin fired a 4-under par 66 to take the first-round lead Thursday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. M.J. Daffue, Callum Tarren, David Lingmerth, Joel Dahmen and tournament favorite Rory McIlroy also carded 3-under par 67s and are tied for second.
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None of the Top 6 players participated last week in the first LIV Golf event.
The players with the Top 60 scores and ties through 36 holes will advance to the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open. The PGA Tour's projected cut line is 4-over par. The current cut line is 2-over par.
Mickelson, the No. 77 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, was 8-over par through his first 18 holes. The LIV Golf competitor carded a bogey on his first hole of the major tournament. He carded the same score on Nos. 3 and 4. He then logged a double bogey on No. 6 and was 5-over on the front nine.
He started the back nine with a bogey, birdie and double bogey. He made another bogey on his final hole of the day.
Fellow LIV Golf competitors Talor Gooch (No. 36) and No. 55 Sergio Garcia were 4-over par through 18. No. 33 Kevin Na, No. 22 Louis Oosthuizen and No. 123 Branden Grace are among other LIV golfers in cut range, with scores of 5-, 6- and 7-over par, respectively.
LIV Golf's No. 75 Sam Horsfield also is on the edge at 3-over par, while No. 247 Jed Morgan was 12-over through 18 holes. No. 107 Jinichiro Kozuma was 6-over par.
No. 16 Dustin Johnson and No. 1,763 James Piot were the only LIV golfers under par in the first round. Johnson is 2-under par and tied for seventh place. Piot is 1-under. No. 69 Shaun Norris and No. 70 Richard Bland are even par.
No. 29 Bryson DeChambeau and No. 38 Patrick Reed, who are expected to play in the next LIV Golf event, were 1-over and even par, respectively, in the first round Thursday at The Country Club.
Johnson, Mickelson, Na, Gooch, Oosthuizen, Garcia and Grace were among 17 players suspended last week by the PGA Tour for their participation in the LIV Golf Invitational London, the first tournament for the Saudi-funded breakaway league.
The players, whom the United States Golf Association cleared to play in the major, continue to field questions about the rival competition this week in Brookline.
The PGA Tour said players who go on to participate in additional LIV Golf events also will receive suspensions. Piot, Kozuma, Horsfield and Morgan also participated last week in London, but were not among the initial players listed as suspended by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
No. 125 Charl Schwartzel, who won LIV Golf London, was not eligible for the U.S. Open.
The second round of the U.S. Open teed off early Friday. Early TV coverage will start at 9:30 a.m. Friday on USA Network. NBC will pick up coverage at 4 p.m. through the end of the second round.
The tournament will air through Sunday on USA Network and NBC. The PGA Tour's rival competition will continue with LIV Golf Portland from June 30 to July 2 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.
