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Wow. What a few weeks for British Masters champ Richard Bland.

The 48-year-old sinks an absolute monster of a birdie putt - I'm going to say 35 feet - to move level with Francesco Molinari and Rafa Cabrera Bello, tied for second behind clubhouse leader Russell Henley.

Six holes to go for Bland - can he match, or even overhaul, the American?

Eagle chance coming at the 18th for Jon Rahm, who diced with danger slightly, just getting over the pond at the front of the green.

Louis Oosthuizen joins the growing group on two under after consecutive birdies.

Such a consistent performer, the South African, who won the 2010 Open and has been a runner-up in all three other Majors.

Rory McIlroy's second shot on the par-five ninth slices way right but he gets a decent lie in the trampled down rough where the spectators have been.

HIs third, from 70 yards, is solid, trying to skip up a slope in front of the pin. He's a fraction short though and the ball trundles 10 feet backwards.

Dustin Johnson, from 100 yards, has also failed to find the back shelf and we've seen how slow this putt is up the hill. We've seen how slow it is. DJ hasn't. And he doesn't give his birdie try enough juice. Three feet for par. Nailed.

Rors has learned from that though and nudges his birdie try to blow-in range.

It's a mixed bag for the all-American trio at the third.

Jordan Spieth's ball hops past the hole on what looked like a simple par putt.

It's a happier story for Scottie Scheffler, who recovers after slightly overhitting his approach to get it down in four.

Still no luck for defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who makes par on the 10th, but Hideki Matsuyama has dipped under par again.

The Masters champion landed his approach shot 10ft left of the hole and had no issues with the birdie putt.

South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout had put himself one short of the lead with a tremendous eagle on his ninth hole.

The 27-year-old has undone a bit of that lovely work with a bogey after landing in a bunker on the 11th.

Still, two off the lead at your second US Open isn't bad.

The par five 18th proves a bit of a nightmare for Lee Westwood as he ends his front nine with a bogey.

His approach overshot the green and an initial putt went past the hole, far enough to make the par effort tricky. And he catches the lip.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre is hoping to secure a PGA Tour card with a good showing at Torrey Pines.

So far, so good for the 24-year-old. He's now tied for 10th after a birdie on the 10th thanks to a lovely approach shot.

Justin Rose has hit more fairways in regulation than both his playing partners combined. But we keep hearing that you don't have to be accurate off the tee to score well at Torrey Pines and that is proving true today.

He's two shots worse than Dustin Johnson, who has just carved his latest tee shot way way right.

Rory McIlroy is in the fairway on the par-five ninth.

Rosey, who has hit six of seven fairways, is wide this time and in the sand.

Wow. That's an aggressive putt by Dustin Johnson. He's coming across the green from about 35 feet. A poor putt by the world number one though. Fresh off a bogey and he's knocked this six feet past.

Justin Rose, from the back of the green, down the slope, two feet past.

Rory McIlroy will have got a good read off that. Not that you'd know that from the putt he hits. Starts it out right and it stays there, refusing to turn the three feet back in to the hole. Good distance mind.

All three tidy up for par.

An amazing, but maybe not unsurprising, stat for fans of Bryson DeChambeau.

Those big hits aren't serving the defending champion that well so far. He was in the rough to the right of the ninth green, then missed a 12 ft birdie putt for another par.

Rory McIlroy bounds like Zebedee to the eighth tee. It's a par three that is proving tougher as the day wears on.

Earlier, players were able to stop the ball close to the flag, which is protected to the front by a bunker. Anything long is also in the sand. But getting the ball to stop is proving near impossible.

Rory hit his ball 130 feet in the air but his ball still bounced 25 feet beyond the pin, at least it's on the green. Justin Rose is also on the short stuff, as is Dustin Johnson who dropped a shot at the seventh.

James Bamford: You really can't beat late night golf commentary on Radio Five, heaven.

James is still awake - and it seems like he's settled in for the rest of the round.

Three hours to go until sunset in San Diego...

Will they get this first round finished? The last groups to go out are through their second and third holes.

More importantly, are you still with us out there? Give us a thumbs up if you're still awake, three hours will probably see us through to sunrise here in the UK.

Rory McIlroy is in a spot of bother off the back of the seventh green. In the deep stuff after a wayward second.

Plenty of green to work with though. His chip lands in the middle of the green, catches the slope and is curling right into the centre of the hole. Perfect. A raised arm and an enormous smile for Rors.

Who said he always plays poorly in the first round of majors?

Hello... South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout has made big moves with a stunner of an eagle.

His shot on to the green covered 90 yards, landed, spun backwards and hopped into the 18th hole.

The 27-year-old - playing in his second US Open - started his day on the 10th and is now just one shot behind leader Russell Henley.

Matt Fitzpatrick speaking to Sky Sports:

"The greens were surprisingly tricky - lots of putts downhill would just get away from you and they are just sneaky fast.

"Hopefully the greens will stay true for most of the week and it will be a good week.

"I've just got to try to make fewer mistakes - the shots I dropped today were just simple, simple mistakes. Cut them out, you are two or three shots better off and that obviously goes a long way."

Scottie Scheffler somewhat stole the limelight from Jordan Spieth with two birdies earlier on, but the American is back on level par.

Scheffler took the long way round on his sixth hole, travelling down the rough on the right-hand side, and understandably comes away with a bogey.

Spieth, by the way, is still on one over after a third par in a row.

Paul Casey is the latest player into the magic minuses.

He tickles a downhill tiddler home after watching Stewart Cink miss a similar putt.