Ian Poulter and World Number One Dustin Johnson were part of a four-way tie for the lead after a first day when Shinnecock Hills Golf Club truly tested the world's best at the US Open.
The season's second Major Championship has always prided itself on being the toughest test in golf and it lived up to its reputation on a windy Thursday, with Poulter, Johnson, Russell Henley and Scott Piercy the only players in the field under par.
Their one under rounds of 69 handed the leading quad a one-shot lead over Jason Dufner, with European Tour Members Byeong-hun An, Matthieu Pavon, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson in the group at one over.
Poulter's impressive show on Long Island continues a resurgence in form that saw him claim his first title since the 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions earlier this year on the US PGA Tour as he searches for a first Major win.
“That obviously felt pretty good,” said the Englishman. “US Open golf hasn't been good for me through the years. It's the first one I've played in three years and this is the first one I ever played back in 2004. So to come here and enjoy the first round is really quite nice.
It's a great start is what it is but there's a very long way to go in this golf tournament - Ian Poulter
“My game's good. I feel confident, I feel happy, I feel happy off the golf course and it makes that a lot easier on the golf course, so I'm in a really good, good place.
“I don't want to get carried away. This is day one of four extremely tough days and three bad holes on this golf course can take you home pretty quick. So it's a great start is what it is but there's a very long way to go in this golf tournament.”
Johnson's only Major victory so far came in this event two years ago and both he and fellow American Henley got to three under in the afternoon before falling back, with another home favourite in Piercy setting the early target from the first group of the day.
“I'm very pleased with the round,” said Johnson. “Anything under par on this golf course is very good, especially in the conditions we have today. You had to focus on every single shot you hit, putts, everything, it was just difficult all day."
Poulter holed a 45-footer on the third to get into red numbers and the putter stayed hot, a 20-footer on the seventh with a huge right-to-left break putting him in the leading group at the turn.
He missed the green to bogey the tenth but hit back brilliantly, seeing his tee-shot on the 11th agonisingly lip out and leave him a tap-in for birdie.
Finding sand twice meant Poulter made a bogey on the 13th before he parred his way home.
Alternate Piercy bogeyed the second but responded by taking advantage of the par five fifth. A birdie on the tenth was followed by a bogey on the 11th but an incredible 81-foot putt moved him back under par.
Henley bogeyed the second but eagled the fifth, holed a 37-footer on the seventh and became the first man to get to three under with a wonderful approach to the eighth. A missed green and a poor chip on the tenth led to a double-bogey but he chipped in at the 12th before failing to get up-and-down from the sand on the last.
Johnson put an approach to 12 feet on the fourth and holed a 25-footer on the fifth but almost lost his ball off in the rough off the tee on the next. A stunning holed bunker shot on the eighth and a 20-foot putt on the 11th had him at three under but he dropped shots on the 12th and 14th.
Anything under par on this golf course is very good - Dustin Johnson
American Dufner made three birdies and three bogeys in a round of 70.
Englishman Rose made the most of the fifth but gave the shot straight back on the next and while an approach to eight feet on the tenth moved him under par, he bogeyed the 11th and 14th.
Pavon was a qualifier at Walton Heath last week and he endured a roller coaster of a round, turning in 35 with birdies on the first and fifth and dropped shots on the second and third. Playing alongside Piercy, the Frenchman made further gains on the tenth and 15th but bogeys on the 12th, 13th and 17th.
Swede Stenson was four over after five holes but made five birdies from there on in to increase his chances of claiming a second Major Championship.
An turned in 37 but the South Korean birdied the first and fourth before dropping a shot on the seventh.
Americans Sam Burns, Charley Hoffman and Charles Howell III were also one over, a shot ahead of a group including Swede Alex Noren.
