Stefanos Tsitsipas suffers shock first-round loss to Daniel Galán at US Open
LONDON, ENGLAND — The first round of the US Open is done, and Stefanos Tsitsipas’s first tournament of a competitive golf season was a loss. After a blistering first round to top-seed Lucas Glover, who finished with a 1-under 271, the 20-year-old Greek basked in the adulation of a crowd of 18,600.
There weren’t many eyes watching after Tsitsipas’s approach into the fairway from the left was thwarted by a small bunker on the left and he tapped for a birdie putt.
Tsitsipas was the only one to tap his approach into the par-5 fifth and went right down the middle to take a 6-foot birdie putt for par. He was looking for his first tournament win but was instead dealing with the consequences of a shock first-round loss to Daniel Galán.
Tsitsipas had a perfect record in his first two events this season, winning both to secure his first professional title in Dubai and his first Masters invitation. But Galán was his toughest test.
An opening round of 72 put him at four-under, and he put up a brave fight — with an eagle on the par-4 third and a par on the par-5 fourth, Tsitsipas finished at 18-under. But Galán was able to chip away at the lead.
The world No. 5’s ballstriking was poor, and he couldn’t finish his par putts and it made a big difference when he lost on the first playoff hole. He needed a two-putt on the 10th to force the playoff, but he made bogey on the 12th and had to come back on the 13th. He hit a wedge shot into the green on the par-5 14th, then made the bogey there to go to the second playoff hole with a bogey. Galán could�
