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McIlroy and Koepka paired for opening rounds of US Open

By:

Deputy Sports Editor - Morning Wire

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Outspoken defender of the PGA Tour Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka have been paired together for the first two rounds of this week’s US Open.
Outspoken defender of the PGA Tour Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka have been paired together for the first two rounds of this week’s US Open. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Outspoken defender of the PGA Tour Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka have been paired together for the first two rounds of this week’s US Open.

The duo will complete the opening 36 holes alongside former Masters winner Kideki Matsuyama at the Los Angeles Country Club.

This weekend’s US Open is the third of the season but the first since a monumental announcement from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf of the creation of a single global entity in which Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has first refusal of any future investment into the organisation.

The US Senate announced yesterday that it would be investigating the merger.

Shane Lowry will tee off alongside Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, LIV’S Bryson DeChambeau will complete his first two rounds alongside Italian Francesco Molinari and England’s Tyrrell Hatton.

World No1 Jon Rahm will begin with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele and reigning champion Matt Fitzpatrick will do two rounds with LIV’s Cameron Smith as well as Sam Bennett.

Key US Open tee times

Bold = starts on Hole 10

  • 1540 Shane Lowry (Irl), Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
  • 1540 Bryson DeChambeau, Francesco Molinari (Ita), Tyrrell Hatton
  • 1924 Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jon Rahm (Esp)
  • 2132 Cameron Smith (Aus), Sam Bennett, Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)
  • 2154 Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Rory McIlroy (NIrl)