A two-hour fog delay at dawn proved the making of Wyndham Clark’s first round at the US Open. The former champion, who won at The Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, took full advantage of the easing wind to card six under par through 16 holes at Shinnecock Hills, establishing a four-shot lead before darkness halted play.
Organisers had set up the course to cope with gusts of up to 35mph, making the greens firm and fast. But the wind never blew as hard as feared, and the late starters, expecting the worst, instead found the calmest conditions of the day. Clark made three birdies on his opening nine, dropped a shot at the second, then tore through the middle of his round with two birdies and an eagle in three holes to pull clear.
“Wyndham Clark leads US Open by four shots after a fog-delayed first round at Shinnecock Hills.”
“That two-hour fog delay was very helpful, and it was really nice it laid down so it definitely helped those last six, seven holes we played,” said Clark, who came into the week with a win, a third and a 12th in his last three starts.
Four of the seven players in the chasing pack are former US Open champions: Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Gary Woodland and Dustin Johnson. All were due to return on Friday morning to complete their rounds. Only the unheralded American trio of Sam Stevens, Max McGreevy and amateur Ryder Cowan managed to finish 18 holes, each signing for 68.
Rory McIlroy, seeking a first US Open title since his 2011 breakthrough, stands at one under after a round that was 11 strokes better than his opening 80 here in 2018 – the joint-worst of his major career. The world number two bogeyed his final two holes, but was satisfied. “With the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” he said. “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.” His highlight: a 396-yard drive and a pitching wedge to 11 feet that set up an eagle on the 597-yard fifth hole – his first US Open eagle since Erin Hills in 2017.
Bryson DeChambeau, winner in 2020 and 2024, also sits on one under with two holes to finish. Second-round tee times have been pushed back 15 minutes to allow the 50 players who did not complete their first rounds to finish on Friday morning.