Matt Fitzpatrick makes latest hole-in-one at US Open as Wyndham Clark takes lead

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Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed another memorable moment in the US Open as he recorded the third hole-in-one of the week at Los Angeles Country Club.

Fitzpatrick’s tee shot on the 115-yard 15th pitched beyond the flag and span back into the hole, although he could not see where the ball had landed and was walking off the tee before the crowd’s roar sparked wild celebrations.

The eagle lifted Fitzpatrick from one over par to one under, eight shots behind the lead held by American Wyndham Clark, who had covered his first seven holes in three under to overhaul Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.

Fowler and Schauffele had both shot 62 in the first round to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major, while the scoring average of 71.38 was another tournament record.

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Tournament officials insisted they would not respond by making conditions “stupid hard”, although the par-three 11th was playing 297 yards on Friday and water had only been applied to “isolated spots on the putting greens for turf health”.

John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA, told NBC: “[On Friday], as planned, we will play the golf course longer.

“We’re not going to force anything. We could do things that could make it stupid hard. We’re not going to do that.”

Dustin Johnson found the going hard enough on his own early on, the 2016 champion running up an eight on the second after tangling with a fairway bunker, thick rough and the barranca which runs down the left of the hole.

Rory McIlroy was also among the early starters and had dropped a shot on the 11th, but bounced back in style by holing a 32ft birdie putt on the 12th which had several feet of break from left to right.

McIlroy bogeyed the 13th after a pulled drive finished underneath the branches of a tree and failed to birdie the par-five 14th to remain four under.

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