Johnson and Stenson Lead US Open; Mickelson 4 Back; Woods Over Par

In the U.S. Open, someone always plays well no matter how tough to golf course. This year, it was Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.

Johnson’s experiences at major championships have been heartbreaking, from his bunker-gate experience at the 2010 PGA Championship won by Martin Kaymer to his meltdown at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open in 2010. But he’s bounced back and looks ready to try again.

“I think this place definitely plays like a British. And I enjoy that. I like that kind of golf. You've got to use your imagination. You've got to really control your golf ball,” said Johnson after posting five under par 65 in Round 1. “You know that things can get away quickly if you're not dialed in just right. If you're not hitting crisp, good-quality shots, they're going to go in places that you don't want to be.”

In March of this year a column on Golf.com by Gary Van Sickle named Stenson the best player not to have won a major, although many consider The Players Championship a major, and he won that in 2009. He was runner-up at the 2013 British Open won by Phil Mickelson. His very solid play earned him the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai titles that same season.

“The USGA can make this place as hard as they want to, especially if you get a bit of wind and start tucking those pins away and play it longer. That could be a real monster,” Stenson said about the course.

Both Johnson and Stenson have all the talent to win the U.S. Open—this year held at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington—but having all the talent isn’t enough. There’s another gear a player has to find to win the toughest events, and make no mistake—this U.S. Open is tough. Just ask Phil Mickelson, who has been second six times.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Mickelson got as low as three under par before making several bogeys in the middle of his back nine. He finished at one under par.

“The first round was the round I was going to be most nervous at, getting started. You don't want to have to fight to come back all the time,” he said. “I got off to a good start and shot one under.” He said he was pleased to be under par in the first round.

He said the greens are somewhat problematic.

“The biggest challenge is that the green speeds are different from green to green. That's going to wreak havoc on our touch,” he said. “They're not the most true surfaces downhill, because you can't hit it hard enough to hold the line. But uphill they seem to hold the line just fine. I might have to factor that in how I play some shots now, because I think the percentage of made putts uphill from three to nine feet is going to be quite a bit higher than downhill.”

The golf course is going to take a lot and test everyone. There will be four- and five-putts. It took Camilo Villegas several tries to get his ball out of the bunker on the 12th hole, yet he was still holding on to one under par as play finished up.

Tiger Woods suffered more than most, hanging drives out to the right, where they caught the long fescue rough. On one occasion, trying to extricate himself from deep grass, his club actually came out of his hands on the follow-through. Woods looked as surprised as anyone then checked the shaft to see if it was still playable.

“He’s just not hitting the quality shots he needs to hit for a U.S. Open Championship,” former U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin said of Woods’ play.

For Woods to continue to the weekend, he may need to be under par in his second round. The cut comes at the top 60 and within 10 shots of the lead.

Kathy Bissell is a Golf Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the PGA Tour, USGA or PGA of America.