US Open Golf 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Thursday

American golf fans have waited years to see Dustin Johnson take the next step in his career and win a major tournament. The 30-year-old is three rounds from doing just that. After Thursday's first round, he sits in a tie with Henrik Stenson for the lead at the 2015 U.S. Open.

Johnson, who started his day on the back nine, was on the verge of history at the Chambers Bay Golf Course as he approached the eighth hole after birdying No. 7. According to ESPN's Jason Sobel, two more birdies would've made him the first golfer to card a 62 in the history of major championships.

Instead, Johnson picked up a par on No. 8 and bogeyed No. 9 to finish with a five-under 65 for the round. That put him level with Stenson, and both golfers are a stroke ahead of Patrick Reed. You can view the leaderboard below.

Johnson was solid on the back nine but didn't look to be working on anything spectacular. He birdied the 11th and 12th holes and avoided making any critical mistakes.

The front nine is where Johnson really found his groove. He immediately birdied No. 1 and followed that with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 and 5. A birdie on the par-four seventh hole gave him the chance to reach 62, but he ultimately fell just short.

Judging by Johnson's comments after the round, you'd have guessed he was somewhere in the middle of the pack, not sitting atop the leaderboard, per Mike O'Malley of Golf Digest:

Johnson struggled a bit in April and May but has otherwise looked great since making his return to the PGA Tour in February, which made him a trendy pick to win the 2015 U.S. Open. ESPN's Chris Fallica added that Johnson has performed well of late in his last few majors:

Of course, Stenson was as good as Johnson on the day. The 39-year-old was the opposite of Johnson in that he needed the front nine to find his footing before hitting his stride on the back nine. Four birdies over his last five holes gave him a share of the lead.

You can view his birdie putt on No. 18 below:

Sobel joked that finishing the round with all of his clubs intact represented progress for Stenson after he got a little too frustrated during the second round of the Masters:

After hitting the clubhouse, Stenson hinted that the brutal Chambers Bay course is unlikely to become one of his favorites, per Stephanie Wei of Sports Illustrated:

Stenson may not like the layout and general nature of Chambers Bay, but he has to be happy with where he stands after the first round. Based on recent history, shooting an opening-round 65 bodes well for him and Johnson, per Golf Channel's Justin Ray:

Looking down the leaderboard, Phil Mickelson is tied for 14th after shooting a one-under 69. A poor start to the back nine—three bogeys in a five-hole stretch—prevented him from seriously challenging Johnson and Stenson, but Mickelson could be in a worse position after 18 holes.

A U.S. Open win is the one thing standing between the 45-year-old and a career Grand Slam. If he keeps hitting shots like this one on the first hole, Mickelson might finally taste victory at the tournament:

Mickelson had a much better day than Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. McIlroy is tied for 54th at two over, while Woods put together one of the worst major rounds in his legendary career. He's tied for 152nd at 10 over.

Woods' day could best be summed up by the video below:

Golf fans have long since given up on seeing the "Old Tiger" again, but hope remains that Woods will eventually get back to a level where he's a serious threat in major tournaments. After looking at this stat from ESPN's Bob Harig, that time may not be coming for a while:

Something to watch over the rest of the U.S. Open—in addition to Woods' implosion—is the players' overall satisfaction with the Chambers Bay conditions.

Stenson alluded to his irritation with the course while remaining subtle in his criticism. Sergio Garcia was less diplomatic as he took to social media to vent his frustration:

The tournament organizers can't do much now to change anything with the course. At least the weather should cooperate. However, a little rain would likely slow the fairways and greens down a little bit.

The U.S. Open could easily devolve into a war of attrition.