The first shot of the 125th U.S. Open on Thursday embodied so much of what this championship is about. Matt Vogt, an Indiana dentist who went through 54 holes of qualifying, sent his tee shot soaring into the rough at Oakmont.

Scottie Scheffler doesn’t care what the oddsmakers think or what people say about his status as the overwhelming favorite in this U.S. Open , and pretty much everywhere he plays. But he can hear them — and sometimes,

The U.S. Open began under partly cloudy skies on Thursday at challenging Oakmont Country Club where Bryson DeChambeau hopes to make a fast start to his title defence while tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler was hours from teeing off.