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SHINNECOCK HILLS LIVED up to its fearsome reputation on the first day of a fog-delayed US Open with only six players managing to stay under par in the morning.
Although the worst of the wind, forecast to gust up to 36mph, had yet to arrive, the Long Island course was already providing enough of a challenge for the world’s top golfers.
Rory McIlroy had briefly held the outright lead after just three holes of his round which began on the back nine after holing a 10-footer at the short but perilous 11th and then following that up from more than double that distance at the par-five next.
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
However, he bogeyed the 13th after missing the green and dropped another shot after having to hack out of the rough at the 620-yard 16th and not being able to reach the green in three.
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Even par sat him one behind a leading group including Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Reed, with Aberg’s playing partners Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood a shot behind after nine holes.
Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell briefly shared the early lead. The 46-year-old rolled in a 24-foot birdie putt at the 10th and sank a birdie putt at the par-three 11th from just inside nine feet.
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
But he took a bogey at 13 after needing two shots to escape the left rough, found more difficulty on 16 for another, and his putting cost him for three consecutive bogeys around the turn to slip to three over.
Earlier, play was suspended for two hours after just 30 minutes’ play as the fog worsened to such an extent players on the 12th tee could not see the landing area on the fairway.
Players were recalled, having initially been held for 30 minutes out on the course, and play finally resumed at 9.05am local time, meaning some players faced having to complete their rounds on Friday morning.
“Probably a little awkward in the morning because you’re up so early and I just want to go back to bed,” three-time major winner Pádraig Harrington, the oldest player at 54, said of the delay.
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
“The wind has tamped down. We would actually love to play even if I couldn’t see where the ball is going. We just want to get out there. Everybody is anxious to get going and see what happens.”
Once it got going, the Dubliner suffered with seven bogeys in his first 11 holes leaving him seven over.
A field of 156 are chasing a record top prize of $4.5 million (€3.92 million) from a record $22.5 million (€19.60 million) purse.
The pace was slow, with the strong breeze causing players to take their time over shots which often meant those behind faced long waits to play.
Didn't take long for our first "Welcome to Shinnecock" moment. pic.twitter.com/I7ZLe49Km5
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
The wind picked up to help clear the fog and provide players with a major challenge over the 7,440-yard (6,800m) Long Island layout, where organizers kept green speeds below maximum and planned to water greens between waves to help the balls stay on the putting surfaces amid the gusting breezes.
Brutal winds and high green speeds had groundskeepers watering greens between groups at the 2004 and 2018 US Opens at Shinnecock in a bid to keep the course playable, with many complaining that organizers had “lost the course.”
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Top-ranked Scheffler, a two-time Masters winner, captured last year’s British Open and PGA Championship to give himself a first chance at the career Slam at Shinnecock on Sunday, his 30th birthday.
The American, who has four top-seven US Open finishes in the past five years, won his January season opener in the California desert.
Three runner-up efforts since then included the Masters, where second-ranked McIlroy defended his title after completing his career Slam last year.
McIlroy is a six-time major winner, whose only US Open title in 2011 at Congressional was his first major success.
He has finished in the top 10 at the US Open in six of the past seven years, with runner-up efforts in 2023 and 2024.
Australian Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters winner, made his 100th consecutive major start in the group just ahead of Scheffler’s trio.
Shane Lowry was originally due to tee off at 6.52pm Irish time, but that has now been pushed back to 8.47pm.
- Additional reporting by AFP.
Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.