Share

'Confident' Frittelli eager to see the weekend at Shinnecock

Southampton - It was a tough opening round of the 118th US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Only four golfers managed to post sub-par rounds - and no one signed for a bogey-free card.

READ: Johnson shares US Open lead at windy Shinnecock

South Africa's six-man contingent struggled through the blistering wind as players saw first-hand how tough it will be to challenge for this year's US Open title.

Dylan Frittelli was the first South African to tee off in the morning wave and started at 1-over through his front nine.

The 28-year-old soon found himself in trouble on the back nine, however, and recorded six bogeys and a double bogey for a round of 8-over par 78.

Frittelli said that despite the wind proving difficult on an already tough Shinnecock Hills course, things "could've gone worse".

"It was tough. The wind went from hole one, the greens were pretty mild compared to what they could be, but it was just difficult to find the fairway and the green and try and make a par," Frittelli told Sport24 after his effort on Thursday.

"I think I handled myself pretty well, just a few bogeys on the back nine but all and all, it wasn't such a bad start. It could've always been worse.

"I struggled with the left to right winds today, all of them I pretty much hit it into the rough. I worked on the range now and I tried to fix that by hitting straight with a little fade at the end," he said.

Westerly winds were swirling in throughout the day with gusts averaging between 20-30 mph as the world bests golfers battled to break par.

The greens around Shinnecock Hills have been up for debate over the last 14 years - it's what made the 2004 edition controversial.

"It's tough on these greens, you've got tons of break and lots of slope around the hole," said the South African.

"A few of their pin selections were quite crazy for day 1 but I'm not going to worry too much about it and hopefully tomorrow I can make more putts.

"My putting hasn't been good these last few tournaments, I've switched putters so I'm trying to figure out what's best for me moving forward," he said.

Frittelli, who is playing in his debut US Open, is determined to make the weekend.

"My short-term goal is making the cut. We'll see what the number will be tomorrow and I'll try and play as well as I can and get through to the weekend," he said.

"It's a tough tournament where you just need to put your head down and just make par after par and keep going, and then look up at the end of the tournament and see where you are."

Frittelli tees off on Friday in Round 2 at 19:03 SA time.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE