The Albany Gazette - Morikawa, Matsuyama, Scott among early US Open co-leaders

Americans Russell Henley, Hayden Buckley, Patrick Rodgers, Matthew NeSmith and Travis Vick were also at 1-under with seventh-ranked compatriot Morikawa plus Japan's Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, and Australian Scott, who grabbed the green jacket in 2013.

Golf's great divide was a major sub-plot as rebels of Saudi-backed upstart LIV Golf Series and stars of the established US PGA Tour were both in the field of 156 at The Country Club.

The US Golf Association chose not to follow a PGA Tour ban of 17 golfers who played in last week's LIV Golf debut in England, staying faithful to this year's US Open qualifying standards.

LIV Golf offers the largest purses in the sport's history at $25 million per regular-season event, $7.5 million more than this week's US Open prize money total.

Morikawa rolled in a birdie putt from just over 50 feet at the par-3 second hole while amateur Vick made a birdie putt from just inside 18 feet at the par-4 third and Scott sank a 13-foot birdie putt at the second.

Defending champion Jon Rahm and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy each opened with back-to-back pars, but Rahm stumbled with a bogey at the third.

LIV Golf's breakaway big names like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson had afternoon tee times.

The 7,254-yard course was set to deliver headaches aplenty with dense rough and hard-to-hold greens.

World number two Rahm captured his first major crown at Torrey Pines in last year's US Open and won his first title since then at last month's PGA Mexico Open.

"Getting the first major is a big weight off my shoulders," Rahm said. "I feel like I can enjoy it a little bit more and know that you don't need to do anything special to get it done."

McIlroy, who won last week's PGA Canadian Open, has not captured a major title since the 2014 PGA Championship.

The 33-year-old Northern Ireland star will try to become the first player since 1934 to win the US Open after a victory in the prior week.

"Everything is certainly trending in the right direction," McIlroy said. "I'm happy with where the game is at."

- 'Scary' -

Six-time major winner Mickelson, who turned 52 Thursday, would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory and break his record as golf's oldest major winner from last year's PGA Championship at age 50.

But the US left-hander's shared 33rd at the LIV Golf opener was his first result after a four-month layoff taken after he apologized for comments about the Saudis that were made public last February.

Mickelson called the Saudi LIV backers "scary" and condemned their human rights record but said he supported the leverage they gave in dealing with the PGA.

Other LIV Golf players with late starts include South African Louis Oosthuizen and two US players who joined last weekend, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed.

Afternoon starters also include Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and England's Justin Rose, the 2013 US Open winner.

Abraham Ancer of Mexico withdrew Thursday morning due to illness. He was replaced in the field by American Patton Kizzire.

(S.G.Stein--BBZ)