US Open Golf 2016 Leaderboard: Live Look at Round 1 Scores, Overall Predictions

The 2016 U.S. Open is going to be a tough test at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, so players had to be somewhat thankful for the rain that fell during Thursday's opening round.

Although Mother Nature brought about a stoppage in the action twice, the softer conditions made it easier to score at a venue that last hosted the championship in 2007 and yielded a winning score of five over par.

When play was suspended for a second time at 12:07 p.m. ET, Andrew Landry was five under through 13 holes, giving him an early three-shot advantage.

Scores are bound to balloon over the next three days, so let's take a closer look at some of the most notable players in the field and predict how they'll fare at the 116th U.S. Open's challenging venue.

2016 U.S. Open Overall Predictions

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Weather.com's forecast shows a 20 percent chance of precipitation on Friday and a zero percent chance the following two days, so Oakmont is going to dry out as the U.S. Open wears on.

Commendable as Landry's hot start has been, the champion won't be near five under par. A more realistic 72-hole winning total would be one over par, aided and padded somewhat by the favorable conditions from Thursday.

With a break in the first round to assess the early contenders, predictions can be more easily formulated. One veteran in particular who stands out is Lee Westwood.

Entering this week rather under the radar, Westwood is a former world No. 1 who is among the best players yet to have won a major. He's had five top-10 finishes in 16 U.S. Open starts and had one of the better shots of the morning wave on Thursday:

The 43-year-old has the ball-striking brilliance to hang tough at Oakmont and just needs a few putts to fall to be in the hunt come Sunday.

Westwood also entered off a fine stretch of golf with a tie for second at the Masters and three starts on the European Tour in which he didn't finish outside the top 15. Among the players under par amid the second weather delay, look for Westwood to emerge as a true contender.

So what do a seasoned veteran in Westwood as a top projected finisher and a predicted victorious score of one over par tell us about the eventual winner? Whoever emerges with the trophy at Oakmont will not have done it by a fluke.

The past six winners in U.S. Opens at Oakmont were ultimately multiple major champions. In surveying the best in the field, few fit the bill as either players capable of achieving that rare feat or those who have done it before.

Rory McIlroy was off to too much of a rocky start (plus two through eight holes) to endorse. The same goes for a young stud still awaiting his maiden major in Rickie Fowler, who was three over through eight entering the second weather delay.

Defending champ Jordan Spieth was hanging tough through the second stoppage at level par through seven holes, but what he said prior to the tournament may bode well for someone else.

"I think that Dustin Johnson is arguably the most talented player on the PGA Tour,'' said Spieth, per ESPN.com's Bob Harig. "I think it's a matter of time [before he wins his first major]."

Johnson is indeed gifted beyond most of his peers and three-putted the last hole at the 2015 U.S. Open, missing out on a playoff with Spieth by one shot and a chance to win outright in regulation with an eagle.

"DJ" has the length to tackle a lengthier Oakmont course that will be punishing to shorter hitters in the softened conditions before the weekend. Golf Channel's Todd Lewis elaborated on how Johnson's distance gives him such an edge:

Johnson has also been rather precise with his irons this season, ranking third on the PGA Tour with a 32' 11" proximity to the hole on approach shots.

If anyone is capable of breaking through at such a difficult course in Oakmont and can carry that momentum forward into further major greatness, it's Johnson. That's especially so since he's fresh off a final-round 63 last week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

With such a low score under his belt coming in and two straight top-five finishes, look for Johnson to grab his maiden major at long last this Sunday.