Sergio Garcia cards a first round 68 at the US Open at Oakmont
Playing partner Dustin Johnson shoots bogey-free 67
Last Updated: 18/06/16 11:47am
Sergio Garcia says he was pleased to bounce back from a mid-round wobble at Oakmont to card an opening round 68 at the US Open.
US Open leaderboard
Garcia's two-under par round put him just a couple back of surprise first round leader Andrew Landry and before heading out to begin his second round the Spaniard said he was pleased with his efforts.
Five birdies and three bogeys made for a good start especially after starting with back-to-back dropped shots on Thursday before rain halted play.
Garcia was alongside Dustin Johnson, who went one better with a round of 67, and the Spaniard felt there was plenty to be positive about as he looks to build on victory at the Byron Nelson earlier this year.
"It wasn't a great start, but I came back nicely after a couple of early bogeys," said Garcia.
"I played really solid after that. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots, made a couple of good putts and a couple of good up-and-downs when I needed it, and I'm very happy with the final result.
"We've had a lot of rain, but the course is still challenging. It's not as brutal as it was, so it gives you a bit more playability. I didn't play great early on. I made a couple of bad swings, on one where I made par, then two and three-putted three, so it was nice to hit two good shots on four, get it on the green and make a nice easy birdie.
"Every time you win, it gives you extra confidence. I felt last week I had a couple of days where I couldn't really practice that great and this week didn't start great, but I've settled down a bit and hitting the ball well, and hopefully it will be similar to Byron Nelson."
Playing partner Johnson was also a happy man, his bogey-free round enough to see him just one shot adrift of Landry's record-breaking four-under par total.
"I like the golf course. I've liked it since the first time I saw it last Tuesday," Johnson said.
"I just think it's a good, challenging golf course. It's fun to play. Got to hit a lot of different shots.
"I like these greens. I mean, they're tough so you've really got to look at every bit of every putt and see what it's doing, because they're tough greens to putt on.
"It's still playing tough. Obviously the practice days we played, the course was really firm and fast. It's still kind of difficult out there. But I think if we get nice weather, it's going to dry out pretty much."
