US Open 2026: Rory McIlroy starts strongly before dynamic alters at Shinnecock Hills

US Open, round one leaderboard

-6 W Clark (US**); -2 S Stevens (US), R Cowan (US*), M McGreevy (US), M Fitzpatrick (Eng**), G Woodland (US**), J Rahm (Spa**)

-1 R McIlroy (NI), L Aberg (Swe), B DeChambeau (US**); Level T Fleetwood (Eng); +1 J Parry (Eng), A Fitzpatrick (Eng)

Full leaderboard

Shinnecock Hills served up a tale of changing conditions that altered the dynamic on the opening day of the fog-hampered US Open.

The gloom of the early morning caused a two-hour delay and when play did resume, only six of the 78 early starters broke par as strong winds buffeted the notoriously tricky course on Long Island, New York.

However, having initially lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest tests in golf, a shift in the weather allowed the afternoon wave to capitalise as conditions became more benign.

The 2023 US Open champion Wyndham Clark led the charge, establishing a four-shot lead at six under with two holes of his first round remaining when darkness fell.

The 32-year-old American – one of 50 players who must return at 06:35 (11:35 BST) on Friday to finish their rounds – carded five birdies, an eagle and just a solitary bogey in his 16 completed holes.

In fact, 11 of the 17 players under par when the hooter signalled the end of play, were in the latter half of the draw, where the scoring average was a shot better than those out early.

That made the rounds of early starters Sam Stevens, Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg all the more impressive.

Unfancied American Stevens led the way on two under, with world number two McIlroy and his Ryder Cup team-mate Aberg among those a shot adrift.

At that point, and with conditions forecast to deteriorate further, they would likely have expected to end the day closer to the lead than they are given how tough scoring is at Shinnecock Hills.

In the four most recent US Opens held at this venue, there have been 1,792 rounds and only 161 (9%) have been played under par. Just three players have ended up under par after 72 holes.

Much of that was down to the substandard playing conditions in both 2004 and 2018 with players accusing championship organisers the United States Golf Association (USGA) of “losing the course”.

Speaking recently to the No Laying Up podcast, USGA’s John Bodenhamer, the man responsible for course set-up this year accepted the previous conditions had been suboptimal but insisted they had “learned a lot”.

And that was clearly evident on Thursday, with the USGA ensuring the greens were not playing too quickly early on. They are also watering the putting surfaces and surrounds during the opening two rounds to stop them from drying out, and to keep the grass alive.

It was a decision that may have backfired slightly given the relatively benign conditions for the later wave, but the caution could be understood given the criticism they have faced.

The US Open is generally regarded as the toughest of the major tests and in the build-up all the players spoke of needing to remain patient. And that patience was tested from the off on Thursday with low-lying cloud and fog shrouding the course.

Once it had been dispersed by the strong gusts whipping in off the Atlantic Ocean, the true nature of the challenge ahead was laid bare.

Thick rough, five inches deep, flanks the fairways. Wispy fescue and undulating greens add further layers of complexity to Shinnecock’s fearsome reputation.

Not that McIlroy seemed perturbed as the wind gusted beyond 30mph across the 7,440-yard track.

The six-time major winner, who started on the 10th, knocked in two birdies in his opening three holes and even bogeys at the 13th and 16th did not appear to provide him with any cause to revaluate his approach.

During the round McIlroy, who successfully defended his Masters title in April, told Sky Sports pundit and two-time Solheim Cup winner Mel Reid that because conditions were “consistent” he was not finding the course too tricky.

He aptly demonstrated that after the turn with a birdie at the third and by carding a sensational eagle on the par-five fifth after hitting his tee shot a wind-assisted 396 yards before nudging his second shot to 11 feet and holing the putt.