Spaun rides red-hot putter to grab clubhouse lead at Oakmont

A surprising name tops the early leaderboard for the second consecutive U.S. Open at Oakmont after J.J. Spaun fired a remarkable 4-under 66 to hold the clubhouse lead after the morning wave completed play.

Spaun's brilliant round came nine years after Andrew Landry fired a 66 at the 2016 U.S. Open to hold the first-round lead in his major debut. While Spaun boasts a significantly better resume than Landry's, Thursday's round marked the lowest score of his career in a major.

Spaun went through his opening side in 4-under 31 to break the Oakmont U.S. Open record for the lowest score over the first nine holes of the championship. He ended the round as one of six players under par.

Typically known for his solid tee-to-green play, the 34-year-old made his putter his primary weapon in Round 1 at Oakmont. Spaun, who ranks 84th on the PGA TOUR in putting this year, drained six putts for par from at least 7 feet to ensure he finished the round bogey-free. Those makes helped him gain almost four shots putting to lead the field.

"I think today was one of my best maybe putting days I've had maybe all year, especially inside like the makeable range putts, inside 12 feet or so, like converting those putts, because that's huge for momentum and keeping a round going, and that's kind of what happens here at U.S. Opens," Spaun said afterward, according to ASAP Sports.

The Los Angeles native will likely maintain the lead overnight with tougher conditions expected for the afternoon wave of players. However, the chasers should be optimistic as Spaun has just one top-25 finish in his major career.