Rory McIlroy was happy to shoot under par in the first round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills considering his last experience at the Long Island venue.
His 69 – which included a first eagle at the event in nine years – was 11 strokes better than his opening effort here in 2018.
That 80 was the joint-worst of his major career and led to him missing the cut and despite a sloppy bogey-bogey finish to surrender the lead, the Masters champion sits only one shot back after a fog-delayed and windy first day.
“With the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” said the world number two, who is seeking to win his first US Open title since making his major breakthrough in 2011.
“It was a day to really just keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here.
“So I sort of went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good, and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that’s always a bonus.
“But really just minimising the mistakes. I did that for the most part today.
“I didn’t feel like I hit two bad iron shots on the last two holes [but] I put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn’t able to get it up and down.”
Because the start was delayed by two hours due to fog, the afternoon starters were unable to finish their rounds. However, before the hooter sounded for the end of the day’s play, 2023 champion Wyndham Clark had got to six under, giving him a four-shot lead with two holes still to play.
Several big names lie on two under, among them Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson – all three are former champions.
More to follow...
And that is play over for the day
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The hooter has sounded and it’s been a tough day for the vast majority of golfers at Shinnecock Hills. That is bar Wyndham Clark who, somehow, has a four-shot lead on six under. That’s thanks, in part, to Fitzpatrick bogeying the par-three seventh. The Englishman shortsided himself and was unable to get up and down.
Ouch
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A proper horseshoe for Dustin Johnson means he walks off the sixth, his 15th, with a double bogey. That moves him back to two under meaning his playing partner Clark’s lead is now three, ahead of second-placed Fitzpatrick.
Lovely touch from Clark
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It’s come at the par-four sixth after his approach caught the right slope of the green leaving him an up and down to stay at six under. His delicate chip leaves him with a tap in and he’s not (and doesn’t) miss from there.
Clark eagles the fifth
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That moves him to six under, a two-shot lead. Who saw a score like that being shot today? Anyone with their hands up are either lying or Nostradamus.
The 2023 champion fired his second at the par five to within three feet and he drained that tiddler for the eagle.
Here’s the approach...
DeChambeau also moves in the right direction
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Fitzpatrick’s playing partner birdies the same hole to move back to two under.
Matt Fitzpatrick moves to within one of the lead
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He’s birdied the fifth (his 14th) to move to three under. He had half a look at eagle and left the putt 15 feet short. But he made no mistake with the birdie putt and after being two over through four he’s fired in five birdies with no blemishes.
Justin Rose is going backwards
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Sky haven’t shown much (if anything) of the 2013 champion this past hour (not sure why, answers on a postcard please...) He’s at three over after bogeys at the 14th, 18th and first...
Wyndham Clark and DJ
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Are feeding off each other. For all of two minutes Clark was sole leader thanks to birdie at the fourth (his 13th). After back-to-back birdies he now at four under. Then playing partner Dustin Johnson drained his four birdie on the bounce to join his fellow American on the same number. As the shadows lengthen this pair will want to continue for as long as possible.
I am now eating humble pie
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Having criticised an uninspiring top of the leaderboard about an hour ago, it now looks like this. One word: tasty.
We have a new sole leader
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Dustin Johnson sinks his third birdie on the bounce to move to three under.
Here’s his approach...
DJ is ‘dialled in’
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Having birdied the first and the second (his 10th and 11th) he now has a brilliant, couldn’t be better if he dreamed it chance of a third on the bounce. He’s just fired his approach at the third to within three feet. Drain that and he moves to three under and sole lead.
Who else has just moved to two under?
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Why, it’s none other than Matt Fitzpatrick.
The Englishman drained a 38-foot putt at the third and he shares the lead with Rahm, Clark, Johnson and Stevens. That’s four birdies in his past six holes and he is the form man out there at the moment.
DJ moves to two under
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After an age of waiting (who says rounds of golf take waaaaaaaaay too long...) the American former world No 1 sinks the eight footer to take a share of the lead.
That’s because his playing partner, Clark, walks off the same green with a bogey, to move back to two under.
Here’s a blast from the past
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It’s DJ, aka Dustin Johnson. He’s birdied the first, his 10th, to move to one under. He’s also just fired his approach to the par-three second to eight feet. Can he move to two under?
Rahm from downtown
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The Spaniard sinks a 61-foot putt to move to two under. The birdie comes at the par-three 17th (his eighth) and he’s purring nicely.
Having been two over through four
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Matt Fitzpatrick is now one under. He’s just birdied the first (his 10th) to move into a tie for third. He fired his approach from 151 yards to four feet and did not err with the putter.
Great stuff from the 2022 champion.
DeChambeau level through 10
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He was out in 35 which, while not lifting any trees or setting off any fireworks is more than fine today. He’s well in the mix here.
While Rahm missed that putt...
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...Clark drained one from 21 feet at the 18th (his ninth) to move to sole lead on three under.
Rahm backs off a putt
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He thinks the ball is oscillating and is taking his time. When he finally does take the shot he leaves it a tad short and he stays at one under, that was for a share of the lead.
Without wanting to be a grumpy so and so
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The co-leaders of...
- Clark
- Stevens
- Cowan (A)
- Stout (A)
All on two under, isn’t exactly a top of a leaderboard to get the juices flowing.
Ouch for Lowry
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He’s walked off the par-five 16th with a double bogey seven...
Having found the fairway with his drive he came unstuck with his second which found the deep rough way left. Having found the green in four he compounded the initial error with another - the dreaded three putt, the last of which was required because he missed a two footer for the six.
The Irishman is now at two over.
Rahm is definitely one of the favourites
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Not least because he’s on this impressive list.
Missed putt for Rahm
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It’s come at the 15th (his sixth) and would have allowed him to join the leaders at two under. He misread the break and has to be content to stay at one under, still a mighty fine score around this examination of a course.
Back-to-back birdies for Fitzpatrick
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He’s got on the birdie train and he doesn’t want to come off. His tee shot at the par-three 17th (his eighth) is fired to 14 feet and he nails the birdie putt to get back to level par. Which is where DeChambeau stays as he walks off with par.
It’s a bogey for DeChambeau
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That’s back-to-back blemishes for the American who started so well. This bogey resulted from a wayward drive, his second (from the right rough) found the left rough and the LIV posterboy was unable to scramble for his par. He’s back to level par.
Birdie for Fitzpatrick (M)
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He needed that and he’s back to one over. The picked-up shot came at the par-five 16th (his seventh) courtesy of a 18-foot putt after a decent approach from 170 yards.
Meanwhile...(see in next post)
The flag are still fluttering a lot in the breeze
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So it’s not getting any easier. An hour or so ago there were eight at two under, now there are three, with the leader, Ryder Cowan, at three under.
Birdie for Rose
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The 2013 champion is back to level par. His approach to the par-four 13th (his fourth) left him with a 28-foot putt for birdie and the Englishman made no mistake with the flatstick.
Meanwhile, playing partner Rahm executes a great chip to save par and stay at one under.
Both these chaps are former champions and in good form - what chances for one of them to add to their trophy cabinet this weekend?
Dropped shot for DeChambeau
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His approach at the 15th (his sixth) misses the green to the left, he slightly duffs his chip and is unable to sink the 15 footer for par. The American is back to one under.
Meanwhile, playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick misses the 10-foot birdie putt and stays at two over.
Matt Fitzpatrick is two over
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Through five, it’s not, to state the obvious, been a great start for the former champion but he fires his approach to the par-four 15th (his sixth) below the hole to within 11 feet. Chance to get one of those dropped shots back.
Jon Rahm is one under
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That’s thanks to a birdie at the 12th (his third). He drained a 25-foot putt to move in the right direction. His playing partner, Justin Rose, remains at one over.
We have a new leader
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And you win a sleeve of ProV1s if you’ve heard of him.
The new leader is...Ryder Cowan. The amateur from the University of Oklahoma is at three under after eight holes (the back nine) and is blemish free to boot.
Bob MacIntrye chips in at the third
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That gets him to one under. Shinnecock Hills is close to a links course, add in the windy conditions and you suspect the Scot may fancy his chances this week.
A Rory stat
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— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 18, 2026Most rounds in the 60s, U.S. Open history
Jack Nicklaus, 29
Rory McIlroy, 23 (including today)
Phil Mickelson, 23
Tiger Woods, 21
Are conditions getting easier?
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The wind has possibly died down a bit...I only pose the question as there are a flurry of birdies out there at the moment. Billy ‘West Ham fan’ Horschel has started birdie, birdie and he moves to the co lead at two under.
There are now eight on two under, after so long with as few as three/four players under par.
Rai is back at it again
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By that I mean leading a major in the US. The most-recent major winner is two under through four holes. His second birdie coming at the 13th. His game - find fairways and greens as a priority - always suited the US Open and it’s a case of so far so good.
DeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeChambeau!
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Back-to-back birdies for the All American Hero, the latest has come on the par-four 13th, he had 132 to the pin and fired the approach to 25 feet. No problem for him as he drained the putt to move to co-lead at two under.
Jon Rahm and Justin Rose
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Have got their opening rounds under way. One is happy the other not so much...
Both played the par-four 10th, the Spaniard walked off with a par, while the 2013 US Open champion missed a six footer and has to be ‘content’ with an opening bogey.
Problems with the irons for Scheffler?
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— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 18, 2026Scottie Scheffler hit 12 of 14 fairways today but just 9 greens in regulation.
It's the 42nd time he's hit 12+ fairways in a round. It's the first time he's hit 12+ fairways and hit less than 11 greens.
Scheffler cards two-over 72
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He had to battle out there today firing in four birdies, four bogeys and a double. But 72 is not a bad score (only four shots back) and you’d expect him to learn from today and go better in the second round.
Wyndham Clark is fast out of the blocks
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The man who won the US Open three years ago (and sounds like an accountancy firm in Basingstoke) has birdied his first two holes, the 10th and 11th.
That drive was...
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...427 yards long. Wowzers. He hit his tiddly approach (just 45 yards) to within six feet and drained the birdie putt to get to one under. Matt Fitzpatrick walked off the 12th with a par having hit his drive only 329 yards (nearly a 100 yards back of his playing partner!). The Englishman stays at one over.
DeChambeau has launched a monster of a drive at the 12th
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It’s made the road that bisects the 472-yard par four and then gone on further. Paul McGinley on Sky Sports commentary earlier said there would be a 400-yard drive this week and I think that is it. Will get the the exact distance when I have it.
I mentioned Rai’s tee shot at the par-three 11th
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Well, how about all three of these, including the US PGA Championships...
Rai and Morikawa walked off with birdies and Day with just the par.
DeChambeau pars the 10th (his first)
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As does Hovland. Alas I am unable to write the same for Matt Fitzpatrick who went over the green with his approach and was unable to get it up and down. The Briton, and FedEx Cup leader is one over through one.
Rai parred the first and...
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...very nearly aced the his second (the 11th). He fired the tee shot from 155 yards over and left of the pin using the slope to spin it back to within a foot of the pin. Tasty.
Bogey-bogey finish for Rory
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He was unable to get up and down at the ninth, his 18th, having overdrawn the approach. So he’s back to one under. BUT he’d doubtless have taken that at the start of the round.
Fleetwood and Aberg walk off with pars, meaning they head into the second round on level par and one under. None of the threeball over par and not sure you’ll be able to say that about any other group today.
It’s Bryson DeChambeau time!
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How will the LIV posterboy, YouTube content creator and two-time US Open champions fare here? It could be interesting, especially considering he hasn’t made the cut in three of his four past majors...
His opening tee shot, with an iron, finds the fairway. Playing partners Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick also find the short grass.
The iron for DeChambeau indicates he’s going to do his utmost to stay out of danger. No, send it long and try and muscle it out of the rough.
All of McIlroy, Fleetwood and Aberg find fairway at the ninth
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Tommy goes first and goes over the back edge of the green. Next is Ludvig, whose approach from 172 yards is about 25 feet short of the hole. Then it’s Rory, he is 160 yards out and, having backed off initially, overcooks the shot, drawing it over the left edge. Work to do for two of the threeball there.
Aaron Rai gets his round under way
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The US PGA champion is on the 10th tee and his drive finds the fairway. Aim No.1 ✔️
More on that awful/awesome Mitchell round
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— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 18, 2026Keith Mitchell went out in 41-29 today for a round of 70
He is the first player in U.S. Open history to shoot 40 or worse on one nine and break 30 on the other nine within the same round.
How about this for a round
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Keith Mitchell has fired an even-par 70 with neither nine in the 30s.
His front nine was a sorry six-over 41. His back nine was somewhat better, a six-under 29. Football is a game of two halves and this round is definitely in the cliché zone as well.
Remarkable.
Bogey for McIlroy
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He overcooked his approach at the par-four eighth and went long. That left him a tricky up and down and he couldn’t drain the breaking par putt. He moves back to two over, alongside Sam Stevens (in the clubhouse) and Ben James who is, believe it or not, bogey free through 14 - impressive.
Aberg has a very similar putt to Rory, but this one is for birdie. He got a good read from his playing partner, did he learn? No he did not, it misses on the high side and he stay at one under. Fleetwood, who completes this threeball, also walks off the green with a par to stay at level par.
Nervous golfers look away now...
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Here’s a horror shot from none other than Patrick Reed.
Driving for show, putting for...
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McIlroy’s 396-yard drive on the fifth – on his way to his first eagle at the US Open in nine years – will likely grab the headlines, but his putting today deserves the limelight as well. In these conditions, form on the greens is paramount and McIlroy’s stroke has looked very assured. The par save on the seventh (his 16th) was evidence of dead-eyed excellence.
Good par save from Rory at the seventh
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His tee shot at the par three found the sand, but a good up and down allows him to stay at three under. Fleetwood and Aberg also par and none of this marquee group are over par.
How many groups will be able to say that at the end of the day. If it’s more than one/two I’ll be shocked.
Fleetwood is being shown much on Sky
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Not sure why as he’s now at level par thanks to birdie at the sixth (his 15th). He stiffed his approach from 209 yard to within five feet and drained the putt.
Scheffler birdies 14
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He’s now gone birdie, bogey, birdie and is on two-over. That may not seem like a good score but, trust me, it is. If he avoids any boo boos coming in, four holes to go, he’ll be well in the mix heading into tomorrow.
Sam Stevens is the clubhouse leader
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He birdies the last for a two-under 68. How many others will end the day under par?
I reckon the answer is ‘no more than 10’.
We didn’t see McIlroy’s playing partners on the fifth
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Fleetwood birdied to move to one over and Aberg walked off with par to stay at one under.
It’s now a two-shot lead for McIroy
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That’s because Sam Stevens has bogeyed the 14th to move back to one under.
It was stupid of me to pick McIlroy as my big name to miss the cut. He is a different, more complete player to when he crashed out here in the 2018 US Open. In those days, he would cower in tough conditions, but he has learned to embrace the grind of the US Open. Been impressive so far today.
Eagle for Rory!
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Sensationally played hole from McIlroy! Coming off the big par save he’s moved to three under thanks to sinking the 11 foot. It’s his first eagle at a US Open in nine years, and it’s come at the right time.
The Masters champion is now sole leader and looking increasingly assured while others are struggling.
Rory has good chance of eagle at the fifth
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After that mammoth drive (all 396 yards of it) his approach from 192 yards lands below the hole some 11 feet away. Can he move to three under and grab the sole lead?
Consistent
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— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 18, 2026Rory McIlroy is 1 off the lead.
Since 2019, he's been in the top-10 following 21 U.S. Open rounds, most of any player in that span.
There are only four men under par
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The wind is still up and the course is playing on the hard side of very tricky.
McIlroy’s drive at his 14th (the fifth) finds the fairway, a country mile down the fairway that is. Playing partners Aberg and Fleetwood also find the short grass...
As I was about to press ‘GO’ on this post we hear that Rory’sdrive was just the 396 yards long. Another postcode (or should that be zip code?) from the tee box.
From downtown!
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As they say in the U, S of A. Rory has drained the 10-foot par putt at the fourth to stay at one under. HUGE (yep, worth the caps lock...) putt that. The US Open is about pars and sinking some long putts, not for birdie but to stay on the same number. A putt such as that is a momentum builder.
Meanwhile, playing partner Fleetwood also drains a long putt for par, he stays at two over.
It can be done
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By that I mean there are birds of varying descriptions out there. Keith Mitchell is five under for his first five holes on the back nine - three birdies and an eagle. Alas, he was six over for the front nine BUT at one over he’s in the mix.
Decent enough chip from Rory
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He did have a good lie some 20 yards to the right of the green. He sned the ball to the moon and lands it 20 feet short, tough par- putt coming up, however, to stay at one under.
Meanwhile...
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...it’s another great up and down from Scheffler. This time from the sand at the 10th as he stays at three over.
Rory finds the...
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...cart path at the fourth (his 13th). His drive found the left rough and the club face got caught in the thick cabbage as he fired the ball onto the concrete. The lie, however, doesn’t look too bad, the ball having done a hop, skip and a jump from the path onto grass that spectators (no patrons here!) have trodden on.
Did I say those out on the fairways and greens were finding it tough?
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Well, they’re not the only ones.
Shinnecock Hills is notoriously tricky and here are a few stats to underline that in thick, bright-red pen.
Of the past four US Opens held at the fabled Long Island track, there have been 1,792 rounds...
- Only 161 of those have been under par (that’s 9 per cent!)
- Only six have been 65 or lower (that’s 0.3 per cent)
- And only three have finished 72 holes under par, yep, that’s three...
- The scoring average? That’s 74.3
Ouch...
Aberg misses chance to move to three under
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The co-leader has a 10-foot putt to regain the sole lead but misses on the low side. That was a great chance considering the tricky conditions. Still, take the positive out of the negative, he’s still (with Sam Stevens) out on top.
Aberg has company at the top of the leaderboard
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The Swede is joined by Sam Stevens who has birded the par-five sixth (his 15th). He was greenside in two and got up and down to move to two under.
The group of the defending champion
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JJ Spaun, and Scheffler is struggling today. Scheffler stays at three over thanks to a great up and down from the back of the green at the ninth. Meanwhile, Spaun also walks off the green with a hard-earned par.
Three-over par won’t be far off the lead by the end of the day, I reckon...it’s tough going out there.
Plenty of play left today
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I will hand you over to Greg Wilcox who is hopefully going to usher in some more dramatic golf.
Tricky conditions
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The wind makes everything more difficult, including putting. Fleetwood missed a five-footer for par on the first (his 10th) and it was clear that even from that short distance, a gust blew it off line. If these greens were firmer, this would verge on unplayable.
Aberg back into the lead
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He is two under after 10 and that puts him alone at the top. McIlroy putts for par from close range to stay at level par after 10 whilst Scheffler leaves himself a testy seven-footer for par on the eighth. He misses it, so is back to two over.
Keegan Bradley with a solid round
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A birdie on the eighth puts him in the group of leaders. Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open winner, is having a bad round. Before his top-10 at the US PGA last month he had failed to make the cut in his last six majors. Not sure he’s going to make it this time, either.
He is six over after 10 with three bogeys and a horrendous triple-bogey six on the seventh.
Hatton unhappy
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Nice little tantrum there from Tyrrell Hatton. The Englishman slammed his club into his bag and rather shocked his caddie. Hatton was in contention at last year’s US Open before finishing fourth. He thinks the frustrating nature of America’s national championship actually helps him. “I lose my head in most tournaments so I’m used to it,” he says. “But most of the other players only lose their head at this event. So they’re not used to it.”
Koepka drops a shot
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Back to level par and out of the co-lead. Hatton, meanwhile, has a hell of a second shot after hooking his approach shot on the 18th. His third shot from the path goes through the green and then it’s onto the green and a two-putt for a double-bogey six. He’d been going along quite well until that point.
McIlroy, back to level par
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He misses a 30ft birdie putt, only narrowly. His playing partner, Tommy Fleetwood, makes a good par save on the 17th to stay in the group at level par.
We now have an eight-way tie for the lead
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Aberg drops a shot so that means Koepka, Reitan, Burns, Reed, Aberg, Harman, Ben James and Kaito Onishi.
Aberg out in the lead on his own now
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Plenty of players one shot behind, though.
McIlroy is one of those but is not finding life that easy on the par-five 13th. After playing his third shot to about 80yds short of the green his pitch is well short. He needs to hole a near-50ft putt for par.
Scheffler drops one
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He did not get up and down on the fourth and slips back to one over.
Trouble for McIlroy, meanwhile, on the par-five sixth. He is in the fescue by a fairway bunker, with a difficult stance, and can only play out to advance his ball 100 yards or so down the fairway. Taking his medicine.
‘A torture chamber’
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You can see why Graeme McDowell called Shinnecock Hills “a torture chamber”. Even with wide, generous fairways and soft greens, this test is brutally tough in these winds. The fourth is a monster today. So far, only about one in 10 has hit the green in regulation.
Aberg into the co-lead
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He slams in a birdie putt on the 15th (his sixth) to share the lead with Sam Burns. Four pars and two birdies for the Swede (below) so far today, a blemish-free scorecard.
Anyone having a nightmare out there?
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Well, at the bottom at the moment is Hamilton Coleman, but he is an amateur so cut him some slack. Si-woo Kim is in a group of players on five over including Ben Silverman and Englishman Nathan Kimsey (below), who is playing in just his second major.
McDowell, meanwhile, drops another shot... at least one. He sends his 30ft par putt long. Scheffler’s pitch from the fairway leaves him about 15ft for par.
Birdie for Hatton, though
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He is back to level par for the day and tournament. McIlroy’s tee shot on the 15th lands safety in the middle of the fairway, though does almost end in the first cut of rough.
Scheffler finds trouble
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After three pars his tee shot on the fourth is a bit of a dirty slice and lands in the rough right of the fairway. Not sure what happened exactly or whether the wind caught it a bit but it did not look handsome.
His lie is not too bad in the fescue actually, but it is still an awful approach he has to play and five or six bunkers are in play. What can he do?
Decent contact and he ends just short of the right greenside bunker. A tough up and down from there it is certainly possible. Not many birdies out there at the moment...
Alex Fitzpatrick tees off
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His tee shot finds the rough near the road on the 12th but finds the green with his approach easily enough. He is level par after two holes after a very strong season that means he has risen to 69th in the world from being outside the top 200 at the start of the year.
McIlroy exceeding our writer’s expectations... for now
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Hands up, I predicted that Rory McIlroy would miss the cut here. Instead, he is near the top of the leaderboard on one under after putts of 11 feet and 25 feet. His hat blew off in mid-drive on the 13th tee.
McIlroy drops a shot
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Birdie-birdie becomes birdie-birdie-bogey and he is out of the lead after failing to get up and down from behind the green of the 13th (his fourth). Back to one under with a host of others. That includes: McDowell, Novak, Aberg, Taylor and Ben James.
It is the United States’ Sam Burns who leads the way at two under after four.
McIlroy moves into the lead on his own
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He goes birdie-birdie and is now the sole leader at two under.
Fleetwood back to level
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His birdie on the 12th (his third) puts him in a tie for sixth. Not easy conditions out there today. Any round under par will be good.
Scheffler, on the long par-three second, lands his tee shot just short of the green and then it skips onto the putting surface and about 12ft from the hole. McDowell having problems from the rough, but manages a half-decent shot considering the circumstances at 14.
McIlroy with a birdie on his second
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The short-ish par three. He spins one back to about 15ft and then sinks the putt.
Scheffler is under way
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His iron finds the middle of the fairway. JJ Spaun, in the same group and dressed in all white (why?) takes a driving iron and shapes it nicely to the fairway, narrowly avoiding a bunker.
McIlroy and Aberg, meanwhile, leave their first hole with a par but Fleetwood can only manage a bogey.
James Nicholas has joined McDowell on two under at the top of the leaderboard.
McDowell lips out for another birdie
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Would have been three in a row, but two under after three is not so bad...
His countryman Mr McIlroy has a long, uphill putt for birdie on his first hole but it just sails past the left edge and stops for a tap-in par. Fleetwood, in the same group, went left from the rough and pitched back onto the green. He has a testy 12-footer for par.
Time for three of Europe’s big-hitters
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Figuratively and literally. They begin their round on the 10th. McIlroy finds the fairway with an iron (possibly a four). Fleetwood chokes down on a hybrid but just skips into the rough on the left of the fairway. Ludvig Aberg hits a similar club, and manages to just stay on the fairway, though it rolls about 50 yards into a valley in the middle.
Kristoffer Reitan opens with a birdie
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...and Graeme McDowell (below) moves into the sole lead of the tournament with a birdie on the 11th (his second).
You have to say: lovely stuff.
Masterful from Cameron Young
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He went long with his approach on the first, down the slop after the green. He has a tough chip or pitch with the pin at the very back, but he opens the face and flights it high to finish about six feet from the hole.
Graeme McDowell rolls back the years and rolls in a putt for birdie on his first to move into the co-lead with Nicholas and Wu. The first European player to win this tournament since Tony Jacklin in 1970 when he triumphed in 2010. It is his first major appearance since 2020, when his 10-year exemption ended.
Gotterup nails his drive at the first
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He takes the corner out of the dogleg par four and nearly drives the green, but just slips into the left greenside bunker. A fair few players taking out a driving iron. The greens, by the way, are not as rapid as they were a few days ago.
Two players into the red...
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Americans James Nicholas (below) and Brandon Wu are both one under.
Tricky conditions
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There is plenty of moisture in the ground after the fog and the humidity and my guess is that over the next few hours we will see more balls spinning off greens and rolling down the banks. Could be fun to watch.
Updated tee times
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McIlroy and Fleetwood now off at 2.52pm, so a two-hour delay to their start time. Scheffler off about 20 minutes later.
First shots of live golf...
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Televisual shots. It’s cleared up, obviously, but looks rather blustery.
Update: Play to resume at 2.05pm
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Round 1 of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills will resume at 9:05 a.m. ET.
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
McDowell has a word
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Not quite sure this is a full-circle moment, though. Perhaps a semi-circular one. A full-circle moment would be his son winning the US Open (I would even allow a major or significant golf tournament) and McDowell being there to hug him. Anyway, nice that he’s got his kid around.
A long day ahead?
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This could be a long day here at Shinnecock Hills. The mist that has caused the suspension is forecast to give way to gusts upwards of 50mph and if balls start moving on the greens that will mean the hooter sounds again. The USGA has kept the greens slower than normal to guard against that eventuality but Mother Nature is not being compliant.
The next update... is at 1.30pm
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Probably best to say we will update you when they end the suspension.
In the mean time, here are the most recent US Open winners.
Guess what?
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Play remains suspended and another update will come at 1.15pm...
Rory McIlroy should be on the first green by now
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Well, the 10th green (his first). Sadly fog has stopped that from happening but hopefully we will not be too far off a resumption.
Next update is 1pm BST
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Test cricket vibes to this so far...
To be fair, it is hard to play golf in the fog.
Trump backs ‘rollback’ suspension
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Congratulations to Commissioner Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour, and the Governing Bodies, and also, the Great U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, for a BIG VICTORY where the USGA wanted to roll back the distance of a Golf Ball, for whatever reason, and… pic.twitter.com/z58Ly7Gjj8
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 18, 2026
Tommy Fleetwood flirted with greatness at Shinnecock Hills – now he’s back
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On the Sunday morning of the 2018 US Open, Tommy Fleetwood did something he had never done before. “I messaged Fino and said, ‘We’re going to shoot the course record today’,” he says.
“Fino” is Ian Finnis, Fleetwood’s caddie. He has known Fleetwood since they were lads at Formby Hall Golf Club, so was acutely aware that this was highly unlike his best friend – a character whose humility and grace are cherished in professional golf and should be throughout British sport.
“I just had a feeling,” Fleetwood says. “And I was only saying it to my pal, and it was half in jest. There is nothing wrong with positive thinking.”
To say the least, Fleetwood’s feeling was prescient. On a Shinnecock Hills layout considered one of the toughest in the game and where, in five previous US Opens, only three players have finished the entire week under par, Fleetwood shot a seven-under 63, two fewer than Lanny Wadkins’s course record that had stood for 32 years.
Another update in 10 minutes
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Round 1 remains suspended and players will be brought in from the golf course. Practice facilities remain open. The next update will be at 7:45 a.m. ET. https://t.co/oyx8Kd1pV1
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
So misty, in fact, that play has been suspended
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Round 1 of the 126th U.S. Open was suspended at 7:05 a.m. ET due to fog. Players will hold in place for 15 minutes.
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
With no TV pictures it is hard to say whether they have resumed. I do not think so.
Looking a bit misty out there...
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Any movement from the early groups?
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Well, not forwards. Nobody is under par for the day but Hamilton Coleman is two over after two holes. Nathan Kimsey, the Englishman, has begun with a bogey on his first, too.
Selected tee times for a hole-10 start
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12.19pm Graeme McDowell (NIrl), Keith Mitchell, Patrick Rodgers
12.30pm Lucas Herbert (Aus), Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Kristoffer Reitan (Nor)
12.41pm Sam Burns, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Si-Woo Kim (Kor)
12.52pm Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NIrl)
1.03pm Maverick McNealy, Alexander Noren (Swe), Sepp Straka (Aut)
1.14pm Jacob Bridgeman, Max Greyserman, Brian Harman
1.25pm Alex Fitzpatrick (Eng), Ben James, Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor)
1.14pm Jason Day (Aus), Collin Morikawa, Aaron Rai (Eng)
1.25pm Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Viktor Hovland (Nor)
1.36pm Wyndham Clark, Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland
1.47pm Shane Lowry (Irl), Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Alex Smalley
1.58pm Akshay Bhatia, Min-Woo Lee (Aus), Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
1.09pm Jon Rahm (Spa), Justin Rose (Eng), Jordan Spieth
Selected tee times for a hole-one start
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12.19pm Padraig Harrington (Irl), (a) Miles Russell, Cameron Smith (Aus)
12.30pm Chris Gotterup, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young
12.41pm Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler
12.52pm Kurt Kitayama, Andrew Novak, Patrick Reed
1.03pm Harris English, Adam Scott (Aus), Nick Taylor (Can)
1.14pm (a) Mason Howell, Scottie Scheffler, J. J. Spaun
1.25pm Michael Kim, (a) Jackson Koivun, Sahith Theegala
5.52pm Chris Kirk, Jake Knapp, Max McGreevy
6.47pm Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas
6.58pm Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den), Robert MacIntyre (Sco)
7.09pm Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, J. T. Poston
The US Open is here...
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Welcome to our live coverage for the opening round of the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. This week is usually the toughest week on the calendar for the greatest golfers in the world.
Just how tough? Anything under par usually puts you there or thereabouts and is often exceptional, as was the case the last time the tournament was held at this course. Then a score of +1 was good enough for Brooks Koepka to triumph over one stroke by a charging Tommy Fleetwood.
There has been some low winning scores, though, notably Brooks Koepka at Erin Hulls in 2017 with an equal-record score of 16 under and Gary Woodland’s 13 under in 2019 at Pebble Beach. The average cut mark of the last 10 tournaments is 4.4 over par. So, yeah, a test for almost everyone.
Talk this week has been of a brutally tough course at Shinnecock. Greens are notoriously tricky and if the wind gets up then that enhances the challenge further. That’s what we all want to see, though, isn’t it? The finest golfers being made to look a little more human?
Someone has to win, though. Who has the best chance? Well, form-wise Scottie Scheffler is at the top of the table. No wins in his last five starts, but two second places, a third and then a tied for 14th and tied for 12th. The other usual suspects are there, too. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood showing promising signs.
The first players have just teed off on the first and the 10th holes, but there are few “big names” in the opening groups until you get to Cameron Smith at 12.19pm BST and then a selection of big-hitter groups like Koepka, Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup.
McIlroy, who won this tournament in 2011, is off at 12.52pm in a group with Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is off at 1.14pm with last year’s champion JJ Spaun.