U.S. Open 2016: 11 players card under par 1st rounds, more than entire 2007 field at Oakmont

It took nearly 35 hours to complete the first round of the 2016 U.S. Open, but when the final scorecard was signed, the result was a lot of red numbers. A whopping 11 players finished their first round under par. That is a staggering number considering how hard most expected the course to play heading into the week.

In fact, the 11 rounds in the red are three more than the 2007 U.S. Open field at Oakmont managed in four rounds.

The weather certainly helped matters with heavy rains softening the greens considerably. The wind has also been fairly mild and players took advantage. Dustin Johnson was among the players finding success and he managed to fire a 3-under round of 67 that included zero bogeys. A bogey-free round at the U.S. Open is a rare and impressive feat.

While scoring was much better than expected, many of the best players in the world were not among those taking advantage. No. 1 player in the world Jason Day finished the first round at 6-over. No. 2 Jordan Spieth (2-over), No. 3 Rory McIlroy (7-over) and No. 5 Rickie Fowler (6-over) struggled. Only No. 4 Bubba Watson managed an under par round with the top five players in the world finishing a combined 20-over for the round.