Fact or Fiction: An Even-Par Total Will Be Enough to Win This U.S. Open

Scottie Scheffler shot 3-over 73 to start the U.S. Open, where 4 under set the pace after Round 1. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

OAKMONT, Pa. — The pace has been set at Oakmont Country Club at the quarter pole, and it is the 4 under shot by J.J. Spaun.

But the U.S. Open is a never a sprint, and Thursday’s modest carnage could grow exponentially over the next three rounds. Oakmont, as you know, is a brute of a U.S. Open course that has tormented players for nearly a century.