OAKMONT, Pa. — While some of the players at the 116th US Open had less than an hour between the conclusion of their first round and the start of their second Friday, those on the other side of the draw will wait until Saturday morning to resume play.
For Rory McIlroy, maybe that will be a good thing.
McIlroy matched his highest round at a US Open, shooting 7-over-par 77 at Oakmont Country Club. He was equal opportunity off: McIlroy hit only 5 of 14 fairways, 8 of 18 greens in regulation, and needed 34 putts.
A disappointment, but none of it really surprised him.
“I’ve been struggling with my swing, even the practice rounds,’’ McIlroy said. “I don’t need to swing perfect, but I just need to be able to play one shot and know that I know where it’s going to start and I know where it’s going to finish, and just try to go from there.
“The toughest thing is just trying to stay positive.’’
Starting with a missed cut in 2012, McIlroy has finished progressively better since winning the US Open in 2011: He was T41 in 2013, T23 in 2014, and T9 last year. He’s 11 shots behind the leaders, and will need a good number in the second round here just to make the cut.
But a first-round 77 doesn’t automatically sink one’s chances at a US Open. Louis Oosthuizen opened with that number a year ago at Chambers Bay, then followed with 66-66-67 to finish one shot behind winner Jordan Spieth.
McIlroy, who was working with his coach, Michael Bannon, at the practice range Friday afternoon, said one change he might make is off the tee. Instead of playing safer and hitting irons — which he did the first three holes Thursday, missed all three fairways, and made two bogeys — he might pull driver and rip it.
“With the way the golf course is, with it being so soft, I might just go out there in the second round and hit a lot of drivers,’’ he said. “Just be as aggressive as I possibly can.’’
That might not be the best strategy around Oakmont. We might soon find out.
The King is watching
On the 54-year anniversary of losing to Jack Nicklaus at Oakmont in an 18-hole playoff, Arnold Palmer was watching Friday’s televised coverage from the clubhouse of Latrobe Country Club, the course in his hometown that he grew up playing, and now owns. Palmer, 86, had lunch in his customary seat at his customary table at the club, and later spent time in his nearby office. Palmer, whose health likely will keep him from making an appearance at Oakmont this week — although he has a standing offer to helicopter in for a quick visit — has a house across the street from Latrobe.
One and done
Rob Oppenheim had less than a hole to play in his first round Friday, but made bogey at No. 9 to shoot 72. From the fairway, the Andover product bunkered his approach and then failed to save par. When the USGA announced that the second round’s second wave wouldn’t start until Saturday morning, Oppenheim suddenly had the rest of his day free. How did he spend it? A lot of rest, and a little practice in the afternoon . . . Coming off his best finish in 34 PGA Tour starts (a tie for eighth at the Memorial), Keegan Bradley was 6 over through 14 holes of his second round. The Hopkinton High School graduate shot 71 in the first round, then double bogeyed his first hole of Round 2 . . . During Thursday’s third weather delay, a loud lightning strike shook the media center, which is just off the 17th hole. The bolt damaged part of Oakmont’s sprinkler system nearby, according to Gil Hanse, a golf course architect and Pittsburgh-area resident who is doing broadcasting work here for Fox . . . One item we neglected to mention when writing Thursday about Matthew Fitzpatrick, the 21-year-old Brit who won the 2013 US Amateur at The Country Club: He spent last Friday and Saturday practicing at the club in Brookline, accompanying his father, who was playing in a tournament there. Fitzpatrick played the final five holes of his first round Friday in 3 over par to shoot 73.
Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeWhitmer.
