US Open 2024 First-Round Leader Tips: Picks from 66/1 to 100/1

• 100/1101.00 Justin Rose has topped the R1 leaderboard five times in majors

• 66/167.00 Russell Henley has twice held the 18-hole lead in US Opens

• 100/1101.00 Ryan Fox is in good form and has some fast starts in majors

Weather forecast for Thursday

It's a sunny day in North Carolina with temperatures starting at around 70 degrees and sneaking just over 90 in mid-afternoon.

Winds are fairly light throughout the golfing day but rise from 2mph to 8mph in the afternoon. Add that to a fast-running course drying out further and the morning wave may just have an edge.

Tee-times run from 06.45 local to 14.42 and I'll go with a trio of early starters.

Justin Rose @ 100/1101.00

Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley and Dustin Johnson have all topped the first-round standings in the US Open on two occasions since 2015.

Coincidence? Or does the first one provide some positive memories to help fuel the second?

That's open to debate but I'll note the trend and back Justin Rose to add to that record.

Rose was the solo R1 leader in the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach thanks to a 65 while he's also topped the 18-hole standings at the US Masters on no less than four occasions, the most recent in 2021.

The Englishman has other good US Open starts too, finishing round one in second (2012), fifth (2007), sixth (2018) and seventh (2022).

While he wasn't quick out of the blocks at Pinehurst in 2014, he did finish 12th that week so can score well at this course.

I also like the news that Rose arrived on site on Sunday. In similar fashion, he got his prep in early at Merion in 2013 and went on to lift the trophy.

He hasn't had many fast starts of late and shooting 80-73 at Memorial looks off-putting but let's recall that Rose finished sixth at the PGA Championship just two starts earlier.

Given his history of low openers in majors, he's worth a play at a three-figure price (1/5 6 Places) from his 08.02 tee-time.

Russell Henley @ 66/167.00

I've had Russell Henley in mind for this tournament since December when putting him up at 150/1151.00 in my ante-post preview.

But having my memory jogged that he's twice been first-round leader in the US Open means I can't let him go in this market.

Henley was the Thursday pacesetter at Shinnecock in 2018 thanks to a 69 and then again the next time he qualified for the event via a 67 at Torrey Pines in 2021.

Stretching further back, he was 16th after day one here at Pinehurst in 2014 and with four top 27s in his last five US Opens he's a good performer in this tournament.

And talking of leading an event twice, Henley has also done that on another Donald Ross course in North Carolina.

He pulled off that double in the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield, topping the standings after the opening lap in both 2021 and 2023.

Henley even managed a Korn Ferry first-round lead in North Carolina back in the 2012 Chiquita Classic.

To hammer that angle home further and add a current touch, Henley started off with a 68 in the Wells Fargo Championship at nearby Quail Hollow earlier this month. That put him fifth on the round one leaderboard.

He bids for another quick start in the Tar Heel State at 07.40.

Ryan Fox @ 100/1101.00

The last two winners at Pinehurst - Michael Campbell and Martin Kaymer - both cut their teeth on the European Tour so how about another who made a name for himself back on the other side of the pond.

Ryan Fox finished second only to Rory McIlroy in the 2022 Race to Dubai and has spent the last couple of seasons bedding in on the PGA Tour.

His journey has also involved getting more comfortable in the majors and he's done a decent job of it, making the cut in each of the last six although not managing a top 20.

However, he has been spotted on round one leaderboards and that's what makes him interesting here.

Fox has sat 17th (2023) and sixth (2024) after 18 holes of the last two Masters while he was also in sixth after lap one of the 2023 US PGA.

In last year's US Open in LA the Kiwi started off with a 68 to sit in the top 15 and going back to 2019 he was third through 18 holes of the Open at Royal Portrush.

A fast-running Pinehurst No.2 should suit him and on his last start he was the halfway leader at the Canadian Open and sixth after day one.

Fox is also a morning starter, hitting his opening drive at 08.13 from the 10th.

Now read Dave's US Open 2024 each-way preview