Patrick Reed was a popular pick this week for a number of reasons - he's in great form this season, winning twice on the DP World Tour and finishing T10 and T12 in the first two majors of the season.

He's not played between the two majors as he waits to get back on the PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf, but that extra prep time seems to suit him.

Also, the 2018 Masters champion is one of the best shotmakers in world golf, he's a sound putter and scrambler and he finished fourth here in 2018 when the US Open was last held at Shinnecock.

So zero surprise to see him join the leaders on one under with his first birdie of the day.

Sam Burns - brilliant. That's a terrific par save from 14 feet. He loves a putt.

He'll stay at -1.

Tyrrell Hatton knocks his to three-and-a-half feet and secures par.

At 620 yards, the 16th is a brute, and Rory McIlroy makes life difficult for himself by missing the fairway. His ball nestles into the thick rough around the edge of a bunker and he can only advance it 50 yards from there, leaving him 320 yards for his third.

His hat flies off for the second time today as he gives that one the full treatment, but he's still 76 yards short of the pin and comes up woefully short with his fourth.

Two putts from 48 feet and that's a bogey six after an almighty struggle on the longest hole on the course.

Tommy Fleetwood found the short stuff off the tee, and while he pulls his second into the rough, he produces a magical third, sending one in low which runs out to 10 feet. And he makes the putt - what a birdie!

Ludvig Aberg lost his drive right and, after a hack out, flew his third into the bunker, leading to a bogey which brings him back into the logjam at one under.

Add a 13 foot putt to the list of those holed by Brooks Koepka today - it's for a par not a birdie but around here today that's never a bad score.

Just ask Chris Gotterup who stood on the seventh tee level and walked off the green two over. He came up miles short on the 180-yard par three, which is playing tough today into the wind.

And he ended up missing a three-foot putt for a bogey so that's a double out of absolutely nowhere. That's the US Open for you.

A first missed green of the day for Sam Burns as he flies the par-three 17th into one of the run-off areas that are swallowing balls all over Shinnecock Hills.

It'll be a tough up and down from there to stay under par.

Tyrrell Hatton is safely on the putting surface but a long way back from the flag.

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Untidy from Sam Burns as he takes three putts on the 16th green.

That gifts Ludvig Aberg the solo lead in these early stages of round one.

Three bogeys from this group on the fourth hole, just showing how Shinnecock can show its teeth at any moment, even for the world number one as Scottie Scheffler misses the fairway off the tee then misses the green to the right - which leaves him bang in trouble.

JJ Spaun sprays one left off the tee and has to hack it out, while Mason Howell hits the fairway then comes up just short of the green, but it's a pretty difficult scramble to make and he can't get down in two.

Tough hole!

Rory McIlroy finds the fairway at 15 and knocks his second to 15 feet to set up a birdie opportunity. Oooh, it just burns the left edge but that's a stress-free par.

Tommy Fleetwood missed the fairway and green and slips to his second bogey of the day.

Ludvig Aberg, however, pours one in in from 30 feet and joins Sam Burns at two under with his second birdie in three holes.

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Two consecutive birdies for Brooks Koepka puts him smack bang in the thick of things at the top of the leaderboard.

This time he finds a fairway, and as we've been saying all day his iron play has been stellar this year - as he shows by sticking one to eight feet from 170 yards out on the sixth.

And since he's now found out how to putt properly that's not an issue at all as he rolls it in for a three.

Watch out for Chris Gotterup though as he's matched Koepka shot-for-shot on the last two holes for two birdies of his own to improve to level par.

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After that birdie-birdie start, Graeme McDowell is starting to struggle. He visits the tall rough and a bunker on his way to an untidy bogey six at the par-five 16th.

He grimaces as he moves back to level par.

A nice positive move from Tyrrell Hatton at his sixth hole (the 15th) as he punches in from seven feet.

Leader Sam Burns makes another solid par save, this time from six-and-a-half feet to retain his one-shot advantage.

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Two-time champion Brooks Koepka continues his putting improvement as he rolls in a 16 footer for a birdie on the par-five fifth hole.

Again it was a wayward drive but he laid up and then let his approach game, which has been elite all season, do the work with a lovely shot to knock his ball within range.

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Here's JJ.

Very bold. Not sure I could pull this off.

Thumbs up if you'd look good in all-white.

Three pars to start the day for Scottie Scheffler, but he's having to work hard for them on the greens. He's matched by Mason Howell as well in what's an impressive start by the youngster.

Champion JJ Spaun is looking resplendent dressed head to toe in bright white (albeit a little like a caddie at the Masters) but his scorecard isn't anywhere near as clean as he's made two bogeys in three holes.

Rory McIlroy has pummelled a 382-yard drive down the 14th, leaving him a downwind wedge, but his spin control is way off and his ball zips away from the flag and down towards the front of the green.

He's left with a 36-footer and he's a tad aggressive, racing it five feet past, but he drains the one coming back to avoid a second straight bogey.

Ludvig Aberg found the bunker short of the green but displays excellent touch out of the sand and rolls in his par putt, while Tommy Fleetwood gets up and down from over the green to stay level par.

Three good pars it must be said.

Keep an eye on Kristoffer Reitan.

In May, he became the second Norwegian after Viktor Hovland to win on the PGA Tour, when he closed out superbly at Quail Hollow.

He's in the mix early here, burying a 32-foot birdie at the 15th (his sixth) to move to -1.

Graeme McDowell has a 20-footer for birdie at the 15th to move back to two under, but it comes up a little shy and he settles for par.

On he goes to the beastly 620-yard par-five 16th.

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Up at the 14th, leader Sam Burns is putting from 30 feet for birdie.

He's given it a look but has held it a touch low and actually it runs five feet past.

No bother for one of the best putters on tour as he rolls in for par.

Same result for Tyrrell Hatton.