The competition is alive and well at the summit of the 2017 U.S. Open leaderboard, as Thursday saw this year's tournament get under way in Erin Hills, Wisconsin, with a handful of stars snatching a share of the lead early on.
Charley Hoffman and Talor Gooch impressed early on and took a chunk of the lead after shooting two under alongside the likes of Rickie Fowler, Thomas Aiken, Tommy Fleetwood and Martin Laird.
Thursday also brought about the anticipated news that Phil Mickelson officially withdrew from the competition in order to attend his daughter's graduation and was replaced by Roberto Diaz, per ESPN.