Vick, Bennett lead the amateur contingent at the U.S. Open

Travis Vick (Houston, Texas) and Sam Bennett (Madisonville, Texas) each opened the 122nd U.S. Open Championship with rounds of even-par 70, to lead the pack of 15 amateurs chasing the low amateur medal at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

Vick, fresh off of helping the University of Texas capture the NCAA Championship in the Arizona desert, and Texas A&M's Bennett, each had steady rounds with two birdies and two bogeys each. Each ended the day four shots behind leader Adam Hadwin.

Related: Travis Vick eagles his way into the U.S. Open at Dallas Final

Early on Thursday, it was U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad making headlines, getting to 3 under through 11 holes for a share of the lead. But a shank on the 13th hole contributed to a poor finish, as Hagestad stumbled to a 3-over 73.

The 2021 U.S. Amateur runner-up Austin Greaser also found himself going from lead-chasing to cut-chasing in round one, going from 2 under at the turn to a 2-over 72.

AMATEUR LEADERBOARD, ROUND 1

70 Sam Bennett
70 Travis Vick
72 Austin Greaser
72 Adrien Dumont de Chassart
73 Stewart Hagestad
73 Keita Nakajima
75 William Mouw
75 Laird Shepherd
75 Maxwell Moldovan
76 Charlie Reiter
77 Michael Thorbjornsson
77 Ben Lorenz
78 Nick Dunlap
79 Fred Biondi
83 Caleb Manuel