J.J. Spaun had nothing to lose and quickly made Oakmont Country Club look easy on Thursday to set the pace for the 125th U.S. Open.

When just 12 players are under par in the morning round, it usually means the course is playing quite hard.

Not for Spaun, though, as he signed for a 4-under 66 to lead the field by two shots.

“I kind of came out here with no prior history at Oakmont, not really knowing what to expect even U.S. Open-wise,” Spaun said after his round on Thursday. “This is only my second one. I don’t know if that freed me up, but I just tried to take what the course gave me.”

“I hit a lot of good shots and tried to capitalize on any birdie opportunities, which aren’t very many out here. But I scrambled really well, too, which is a huge component to playing well at a U.S. Open, let alone shoot a bogey-free round. I’m just overly pleased with how I started the tournament.”

The 34-year-old did not just go low, but did it without losing a shot, which is not normal for him in majors.

Until today, Spaun has never had a bogey-free round in any of the four majors. He usually averages four or more bogeys per round, according to golf stat guru Justin Ray.

The 2022 Valero Texas Open winner hit just 8 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens in regulation. He made up for it on the putting greens, picking up +3.94 strokes gained. That number currently leads the field. His short game is also in the top 10, with +1.6 strokes gained.

Spaun started his day with a 20-foot chip-in birdie on the par-4 10th.

“It kind of set the tone,” he said. “You’re not expecting to chip it in. You’re trying to get yourself within making distance for par. It was a nice little wake-up call. It was a nice way to start the day, and I rode that momentum throughout the day.

He would make all his birdies on his front nine (the actual back nine). His second came at the par-5 12th. He had 33 feet for eagle, but would tap it for birdie.

His third birdie came at the 222-yard par 3 16th, where he hit an impressive tee shot that landed just five feet from the flag. Spaun would easily make that putt and follow it up with his final birdie of the day at 17.

Things did not get easier for him as he made the turn. Spaun would grind out 10 straight pars to avoid dropping a shot.

The afternoon wave still has to play, but the conditions are getting tougher for players. There may not be another 66 out on the course today, so it seems Spaun got the right end of the draw.

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