US Open Golf 2015: Latest Buzz on Contenders and Dark Horses on Day 2

With its links design and fescue grass, the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay more closely resembles the British Open in both appearance and play. 

Such was the case during Thursday's opening round, with mild weather yielding lower scores in the morning and tougher conditions producing higher numbers in the afternoon. 

Co-leaders Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson took advantage of the easier morning conditions, opening their tournaments with rounds of five-under 65. Jordan Spieth, the second-ranked player in the world, was one of the few players to play well in the afternoon, finishing with a 68.

With conditions expected to be benign for Friday's second round, it's safe to anticipate significant movement on the leaderboard as players jockey for position entering the weekend. Golf Channel's Justin Ray dug up this statistic, which proves just how important a good start is at the U.S. Open:

With that in mind, here's the latest buzz surrounding the names to watch on Friday:

Dustin Johnson likes the course

Any PGA TOUR member who can dunk a basketball has to be considered something of a “different dude,” a label that seems to fit first-round leader Dustin Johnson quite well. There is no better evidence for this than Johnson’s post-round tweet Thursday afternoon:

U.S. Opens are not supposed to be enjoyed. They’re designed to be totally evil tests of golf, merciless and brutal. From the first tee, survival is the only goal.

Yet here’s Dustin Johnson, as comfortable as if he were at home on his sofa, posting an opening-round 65 like it's nothing.

Via Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard, Butch Harmon, Johnson’s swing coach, credits greater maturity for the player’s career turnaround.

"He seems to have a sense of calm about him now that I never saw before. The talent has always been there. What I have seen is a person who may be 30 years old, but he’s finally grown up."

Johnson plays late on Friday, teeing off from the first hole at 2:17 p.m. PT, giving him plenty of time to see how play is shaping up for the day.

We’ve seen Johnson in this position before. If he can maintain his newfound equanimity, he has a real chance of winning his first career major.

Henrik Stenson has both jokes and birdies

Given Stenson’s relative anonymity since winning the 2013 FedEx Cup, it can be easy to forget he’s finished in the top five in the last seven majors, including a tie for fourth at last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

After calling Chambers Bay “dangerous” on Wednesday, as relayed by the Guardian, Stenson found his sense of humor following Thursday’s 65, taking shots at Tiger Woods and one of the golf establishment’s pet phrases during his post-round press conference.

A happy Stenson could prove formidable over the weekend. On a course where bad things can happen to good approach shots, Stenson’s iron game—he’s ranked in the top 10 on tour in Greens in Regulation percentage in each of the last three seasons—could catapult him to his first major title.

Like his co-leader Johnson, Stenson tees off at 2:17 p.m. PT on Friday, but he’ll be starting on the back nine.

Spieth is in the mix, can he stay there?

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

According to Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman, Spieth wasn’t entirely comfortable with Chambers Bay heading into his first round.

Given how he played at The Masters, one almost has to wonder if Spieth’s opening-round 68 was actually a result of the 21-year-old not quite firing on all cylinders. 

Spieth went off early Friday morning, entering the second round with a chance to put pressure on Johnson and Stenson before they hit the course. He entered his round three shots behind the leaders in a tie for seventh.

The big picture key for Spieth, however, will be respecting the U.S. Open for the marathon that it is. He was in a similar position after Round 1 last year but faded further and further back each day, ultimately finishing in a tie for 17th.

Adam Scott is in his element

As ESPN’s Jason Sobel points out, there’s something about links golf and cooler temperatures that inspire Adam Scott to play his best.

Sadly, Shotlink doesn’t track sartorial choices, but there is something to Sobel’s tweet. Scott has piled up three consecutive top-five finishes at the British Open and has a win at Gleneagles on his resume.

That, of course, makes perfect sense for an Australian.

Can Scott grab his second major victory?

An opening-round 70 puts Scott five shots back but firmly in the mix. Being reunited with Stevie Williams won’t hurt Scott’s chances, but he’ll need more than the right caddy by his side at Chambers Bay.

Through nine tour events this season, Scott is ranked outside of the top 100 in third- and fourth-round scoring average. Scott will have to do much better than that if he’s going to chase down the leaders over the weekend.

Scott will join Johnson and Sergio Garcia in the 2:17 p.m. PT grouping on Friday. Being paired with Johnson can only help as Scott looks to improve his position for the weekend; he'll know exactly what number he needs to post.