US Open Golf 2015 Leaderboard: Latest Scores, Round 1 Standings at Chambers Bay

Round 1 action from Chambers Bay is underway, effectively kicking off what promises to be a very intriguing and different U.S. Open.  

What makes this year's tournament so different? Well, think of everything you know about U.S. Open courses—their narrow fairways, deep rough, abundance of trees and slick greens—and throw it all away; Chambers Bay is nothing like that.

The track is unique because of its links style and wide-open layout. The fairways are wide, the greens are enormous and, instead of trees lining the course, thick fescue lingers. While there are some advantages to playing on the track—it will be more forgiving to errant tee shots—dealing with the elements will be a difficult task. There is no reprieve for players caught in high winds.

So, how are the world's best players currently dealing with the conditions in the Pacific Northwest? Here's a look at the tournament's updated leaderboard:

Tournament Preview

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy headlines a very strong field in the 2015 U.S. Open, and he should feel at home at Chambers Bay. The Northern Irishman spends plenty of time on links courses due to the time he spends playing on the European Tour.

Not only will McIlroy's familiarity with links courses play to his advantage, but his game is perfectly suited for a track like Chambers Bay. The course's open layout allows players to frequently hit driver off the tee, and considering McIlroy's impressive length, that's very advantageous. He's also used to playing in windy conditions and dealing with huge greens—two things that certainly come into play at Chambers Bay.

In fact, during a press conference, via Adam Justice of the International Business Times, McIlroy spoke of his affinity for the course:

Every part of this golf course is fescue. It's really like playing a [British] Open championship in the United States ... apart from the fact that it's about 20 degrees warmer. It plays more like a links course than some [genuine] links courses.

I really like the golf course. It sets up well for my game. You've got to hit driver. It's a course where you're going to see a lot of guys hit fairways and hit greens but when you hit greens, you can still be 50, 60 feet away from the pin.

McIlroy will be chased by top American player and world No. 2 Jordan Spieth. The 21-year-old phenom has taken the PGA Tour by storm this season and notched his first major victory in the Masters. He enters the U.S. Open with a great deal of confidence after closing out the Memorial with a 65 to earn him a tie for third.

While Spieth isn't incredibly long off the tee, he's a great ball-striker, is brilliant around the green and has a silky-smooth putting stroke. All of those things combine to rank Spieth first in scoring average on the PGA Tour.

Another big part of his game is his maturity. He always remains calm and collected on the course, forgetting bad shots quickly and moving forward. That same maturity showed when he was asked about players giving unflattering reviews of Chambers Bay before the tournament. Here's what Spieth had to say during a press conference, via Steve DiMeglio of USA Today:

First of all, if you are going to talk negative about a place, you're almost throwing yourself out to begin with, because golf is a mental game. Plus, the U.S. Open is about as challenging mentally as any tournament in the world. So you have to go in positively. You have to go in with enough confidence to get yourself into contention.

That's the mentality of a major winner, and Spieth will have a great shot at winning his second consecutive major at Chambers Bay.

As for the veterans in this year's field, all eyes will be fixed on Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

Mickelson will be looking to complete the career Grand Slam by finally notching a victory in the U.S. Open. He's done well in the tournament in the past, accumulating six runner-up finishes, but he's never been able to finish atop the leaderboard. That could change at Chambers Bay.

Lefty's biggest Achilles' heel is his driver. He's never been known for his accuracy off the tee, and that's put him in some sticky situations in the past—especially in majors. However, due to the wide fairways at Chambers Bay, Mickelson will get some leeway off the tee, which could possibly be enough to get him over the hump in this prestigious tournament.

Woods enters the U.S. Open looking to win the tournament for the fourth time and claim his 15th major title. Although, if he's going to get that done, he must overcome some significant swing woes that led to him shooting a career-high 85 in the third round of the Memorial.

During practice rounds at Chambers Bay, Jason Day shared some flattering observations about Woods' game, indicating the former world No. 1 was looking very sharp with his irons. However, Woods was still struggling with accuracy off the tee and will need to rectify that issue to remain competitive in the U.S. Open.