Fowler leads midway through US Open first round

LOS ANGELES :American Rickie Fowler held the early lead at the U.S. Open on Thursday with Xander Schauffele in a group one shot back and Masters champion Jon Rahm four adrift midway through his first round at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Fowler, runner-up in 2014, started on the back nine and produced six birdies and two bogeys through his first 10 holes.

Schauffele, runner-up at the 2018 British Open and 2019 Masters, started on the back nine with Rahm and drained three birdies in the first five holes as he bids for a maiden major title.

The 123rd U.S Open got underway against the backdrop of the bombshell announcement of a partnership between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi backers of the LIV circuit.

The tournament is the first major to be played since the warring factions called a truce and sees PGA Tour loyalists paired together with some of the Saudi-backed circuit's highest-profile figures.

Rory McIlroy, one of the most vocal critics of LIV, will tee off later alongside LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka, who won his third PGA Championship title last month.

Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick is in a group with last year's British Open winner Cameron Smith, one of the breakaway tour's biggest recruits.

One of the morning's biggest attractions was an all-American grouping of world number one Scottie Scheffler with twice major champion Collin Morikawa and home favourite Max Homa.

Homa was tied for sixth through his first 10 holes with a trio of birdies and one bogey while Scheffler sat at even par and Morikawa on one over.