At most US Opens, an opening round of one-over would set a golfer up for success over the next three days.
LACC's easy nature threw that thinking out the window, and it will leave Koepka chasing the cut line instead of the leaders on Friday.
Koepka should be in decent shape to move up the leaderboard on Friday morning because he played a steady final 12 holes with nine pars and two birdies.
If Koepka erases his early mistakes from Thursday, he should be in a comfortable spot to make the cut when his round concludes.
Rahm is two shots ahead of Koepka, but he still has work to do if low scores continue to fill up the leaderboard.
The 2021 US Open champion spread three birdies and two bogeys throughout his first 18 holes. He did not gain or lose shots on multiple holes.
Rahm may need one or two instances of multiple birdies in a row to not just make the cut, but put himself in position to make a Saturday surge toward the leaders.
The one issue that could plague Koepka, Rahm and others on Friday is the potential toughening of the course by the USGA overnight. The greens and pin positions could be tougher, and that might make Friday's challenges more difficult.
