Three takeaways from the opening round of the U.S. Open

Meanwhile, Cantlay also acknowledged the advantage of teeing off at 7:40 a.m. when the course "plays the easiest" it will all week. 

As Justin Ray of The Athletic pointed out, the challenge truly begins in the later rounds at the notoriously tough Pinehurst No. 2, backed up by a dramatic slide in the percentage of rounds in the 60s shot over the previous three Opens held there. 

Cantlay agreed, pointing out that, with the weather cooperating, things will only get more challenging from here.

"I imagine they can get the golf course as difficult as they want," Cantlay told reporters. "With the Bermuda greens and no rain in the forecast, I expect the golf course to be very difficult in the next three days."

Rory McIlroy is on Cantlay's heels

While Cantlay had a performance for the record books, McIlroy equaled him, shooting a 65 to finish Thursday five-under-par. Furthermore, the 2011 U.S. Open Champion is looking confident.

McIlroy completed a bogey-free opening round, closing it out with a long birdie putt on 18. 

The start for McIlroy not only puts him in the driver's seat heading into Round 2, but it's also a good omen. The last three times he's opened a Major round without a bogey, he's gone on to win, claiming the U.S. Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012) and Open Championship (2014). 

Jackson Suber is the fairytale story so far 

Despite missing the cut in five of his last six PGA Tour outings, Suber filled the spot left open by Jon Rahm, the No. 8-ranked golfer in the world, who bowed out with injury. Through Round 1, he's taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Suber notched five birdies on Thursday, including two on the back nine (No. 13 and No. 16). He closed the day paring the final two holes, finishing four shots behind the top spot (-1, 69), tied for ninth on the leaderboard.