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Belgium's Thomas Pieters is the latest to join the group on three under.

He hit an absolute doozy of a shot into the par-four second to set up a 10-foot birdie. It's his fourth of the day, with only one bogey, after starting on the 10th hole.

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Now then, Bryson DeChambeau caused a few raised eyebrows when he announced his approach was to blow the course away with power and distance this week, but the American is showing his subtle side around the greens right now.

Six feet from the pin, arms locked, a little right to left break and he drops in his second birdie of the day. Lovely stuff.

Dustin Johnson is moving in the other direction, a bogey to wipe out that birdie at the last.

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EAGLE for Rafa Cabrera Bello, who fizzes his putt home to move to two under par - a very satisfying finish to the front nine for the Spaniard.

The shortest hole features a green which, while elevated, is fairly flat by Winged Foot standards.

Front hole locations are guarded by the steep false front and a deep bunker on the right, but a genuine birdie chance nevertheless.

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Justin Thomas' golf deserves a second major, and he's certainly put himself in a great position do so after shooting a five-under-par 65 for a one shot lead.

The world number three, who won the 2017 US PGA, said: "It's one of the best rounds I've played in a while tee to green.

"There are a couple things here and there that definitely could have been better, but I made sure all of my misses were in the right spot, and that's what you have to do at a US Open."

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Mickelson is yet to hit a fairway. He has the driver in his hand at the sixth and unleashes it wayward once more. In normal years that would be sending the fans running.

Once again, Winged Foot is causing problems for the five-time Major winner.

Some respite for Dustin Johnson! It's been a tricky opening stretch for the world number one, but he drains a birdie putt at six to move back to one over par.

Tony Finau is down too - level with DJ.

Bryson DeChambeau, having almost found the green with his tee shot, then has to scramble to make par.

Two birdies then three bogeys. A mixed bag so far from Phil Mickelson. Paul Casey also drops a shot, but Jon Rahm escapes the fifth with a par.

Aside from Lee Westwood, Matt Wallace is the other Briton who has shone. The 30-year-old Englishman finished with a level par 70 for his round.

Nuneaton-born Andy Sullivan - tied 23 in 2016 - is a further shot back.

Another Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, runner-up in 2018, fell away at the recent US PGA but is currently at one over after four.

Paul Waring finished with a 72 and is on two over, a score that Matt Fitzpatrick is on, primarily because of the double bogey on his fourth hole (13th).

Justin Rose (+3), Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Tom Lewis (+4), Ian Poulter and amateur Sandy Scott (+5) have a bit to do.

Meanwhile, Danny Willett (+7) and Eddie Pepperell (+8) have a lot more to do.

Scot Connor Syme is currently level par early in his round.

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Norris, and Niemann joint third at -3 with McIlroy.

-5 Thomas (F)

-4 Reed (F)

-3 McIlroy (F), Norris (10), Niemann (6)

-2 Kokrak (F), Todd (F), English (F), Sabbatini (10), Lorenzo-Vera (9), Pak (a) (9*), Pieters (9*), Westwood (6*), Fowler (3)

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It's been eventful from Phil Mickelson. Two birdies, two bogeys and his tee shots could be ending up anywhere. Again he is offline, this time to the left.

On shot two, he shouts out 'sit, sit', but the golfing gods aren't with him as it bounces on and then off the green into some more nasty-looking stuff. This could well be a third bogey in a row for the six-time US Open runner-up.

DeChambeau almost finds the green with a three wood at six, the same hole Rory McIlroy drove earlier, but comes to a standstill on the first cut.

Clubbing down to make 298 yards there, Bryson...

Coming next...

The shortest par four on the course could tempt some players to try to drive the kidney-shaped green which is well protected by a deep front bunker and a stream which meanders left of and behind the green.

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Back to this marquee group...

Tony Finau brings his run of successive bogeys to a halt with a par at five.

Bryson DeChambeau starts his birdie putt up the slope, away from the flag, and watches it wheel back towards its target and slide narrowly by. Another par for the American, who celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday - probably with mountains of protein shakes.

And what about Dustin Johnson? Double bogey at the last, he leaves it right of the pin for a mid-range birdie shout, but it fizzes by. Tricky par-saver coming back the other way, but the world number one fires it into the centre of the cup.

Jon Rahm is aiming for his third birdie in four holes. He sends it to the left, hoping it will slide back to the right. It doesn't. He then misses from close range as he three-putts and that is one shot gone for Rahm.

Phil Mickelson sends in an anguished scream as he also fails with the putter on the fourth after an earlier trip to the sand.

Paul Casey is also dropping and it's bogeys all round.

So Worksop's Westwood faces the inevitable, "can you win it?" question if he is there or thereabouts on moving day (Saturday).

At the moment the three-time major runner-up - twice third at the US Open - is on two under after his first six.

He birdied 11 and 12 before producing a bogey on the par-four 14th.

He has just responded with his third birdie.

Steady as she goes.

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Few players ticking along nicely.

South Africa's Shaun Norris, Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini and Chilean Joaquin Niemann are all quietly piecing together excellent rounds at three under par.

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Geoff Ogilvy, the only non-American to win the US Open at Winged Foot, has only been back to the Mamaroneck course once since his 2006 triumph and the Australian was keen to return this year had the coronavirus pandemic not disrupted proceedings.

He has been keeping tabs on the venue's West Course, and says postponing the major from June to September will likely alter the way it plays.

"The rough is very healthy," says Ogilvy, who now lives back home in Melbourne after two decades in the USA.

"They've had less play, so the course is really good. It's later in the year, so they can stress the greens a bit more, because it's not going to be as hot.

"There's a bit more coolness at night, so the greens could get faster than last time because of the date difference, which would be kind of nuts."

It will look a little different to the last major staged there 14 years ago too, with extensive work conducted on the bunkers and greens in 2017, along with trees being removed

And then there's the absence of the rowdy New York fans.

It's none of this fairway nonsense for Phil Mickelson. He's sprayed his tee shots all over the place and into the rough and now he opts for some sand on his opener on the fourth.

Hard to read DJ's poker face, but the world number one must be fuming inside.

A horrendous double bogey for Johnson at four, missing two putts from within five feet. That's got to hurt. Tony Finau escapes having only dropped the one.

Bryson DeChambeau ticks off another par to remain one under.