Fog took the early lead in the first round of the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. With excitement ranging from Scottie Scheffler and his career grand slam pursuit, to a look at Shinnecock being Shinnecock (USGA definition of course setup), Old Lady Nature reminded us all that she has center-stage access whenever she pleases. This morning, she pleased. After the fog had lifted, the winds arrived. No gentle zephyrs were they; these gusts were backed by the strength of Aeolus and Vaya in combination. Drives into the void reached all of 235 yards on occasion. Shots played along a crosswindstarted ten yards to the side of the target. When all was done and said, over 50 golfers were stranded in round one, with up to seven holes remaining, including the leader. Those unfortunate afternooners will wake early and return to the course for a 6:35 restart. Despite the abbreviated line of stories, we woke at dawn on Friday and mustered up the patience to await the round’s conclusion, followed by the courage to select five things that we learned on Thursday at the U.S. Open.
First and Foremost
This fellow who won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, this Wyndham Clark, was not given a Get Out of Back Tees Free card prior to the start of his round. Clark came home in 32 shots, courtesy of two opening birdies and a third at the 18th. That’s correct-Clark began his day on the inward half. As he made the turn, the lad from Colorado dropped a shot at the lengthy second hole. Playing 251 yards, the wee second fortunately played downwind. Rebounding quickly, Clark posted birdies at three and four, and followed up with an exhillarating eagle at the par-five fifth. Clark has two holes remaining in his opening round, but they are daunting. Rory McIlroy came to the eighth on minus-three for the morning, made bogey at both, and signed for 69. Clark faced an early pair of challenges as he sought to successfully close his opening round, and he met them efficiently.
Second and Supreme
Keith Mitchell made four pars on each of his nines on Thursday. Beginning at the tenth hole, the smooth swinger known affectionately as Cashmere Keith paired his quartet of pars with four bogeys and a double. Nine holes in, and the lad from Chattanooga way had amassed 41 shots and stood plus-five on the day. Some might have checked Expedia for a late Friday flight, but not Mitchell. The final tally on the card that bears his signature reads 70 strokes. Mitchell mated his four pars on the front nine (his second half) with four birdies and an eagle. 29 paltry strokes, a dozen shots better than the first portion, gave Mitchell the most unlikely, uneven, unexpected round on day one at Shinnecock Hills. Does he have something equally exciting planned for an encore? We’ve popped the corn and are ready for KM Friday.
Third and thrilling
Imagine being an amateur golfer with an earned invitation to the country’s top golf event. Ryder Cown survived a playoff at Ballenisles in Florida, after tossing 138 on golf’s longest day. The Oklahoma State Cowboy from Edmond, Oklahoma, began his round on the second nine, and turned in 32 shots. On the way home, Cowan posted bogey at the second and fourth holes, but made a stellar birdie at the ninth to finish on 68, tied for the clubhouse lead (thanks to the weather delay.)
Cowan sees a lot of orange at the top of the leaderboard. First-round leader Wyndham Clark competed for four seasons in Stillwater, before finishing his university days in Eugene, Oregon. Tied with Cowan at deuce under par is Sam Stevens, a 2018 graduate of OSU. There’s no guarantee that the 1500 miles between Stillwater and Southamption will generate a winner decked out in orange, but for today, the Cowboy faithful in Oklahoma can be proud of their golfers.
Fourth and feisty
Four former U.S. Open champions, all still on the golf course as daylight rests, sit tied at minus-two. The 2016 (Johnson), 2019 (Woodland), 2021 (Rahm), and 2022 (Fitzpatrick) winners will make their way between the 5th and the 8th tees on Friday morning, to polish off what have been quite solid rounds thus far. The most balanced of the four has been Rahm, with two birdies against zero bogeys. The most mercurial has been Johnson, whose six birdies have been offset by four bogies. Fitzpatrick and Woodland sit somewhere in the middle, with five and four birdies, respectively. The jury is out on whether the strategy is to go down shooting for birdies, come what may, or the alternative, which is to minimize mistakes and pick your battle, err, birdie holes.
In the wee hours of Friday morning, Johnson added another pair of birdies and reached four-under par. Cheers to him for keeping with the Four theme of this segment of the day-one recap. Woodland reached minus-three by the end of round one, but made birdie on his first hole of the second round, to also reach four deep.
Fifth and final
So many storylines! Did we mention that? Rory had 69 on Thursday, despite the rocky finish. He was joined on the minus-one raft by Ludvig Aberg, Brian Harman, and wunderkind Ben James. James held the 36-hole lead last week in Toronto, before some sort of pressure turned his game to goo. Let’s see how the Virginia Cavalier holds up this week. Still on the course at minus one were Bryson DeChambeau and sweet swinging Spaniard Angel Hidalgo. Cashmere Keith Mitchell is joined at even par by Keegan Bradley, Tommy Fleetwood, and Tom Kim. The next 20 holes will determine quite a bit about the chances of a certain class of golfer. If Wyndham Clark finishes his round one with zero damage, then goes bonkers in round two, golfers may be forced to fire a flags and chase down the breakaway sprinter. For now, golfers will no doubt play it safe ans strategic on Frdiay, then check the leaders board after 36 to plan out the final two days.
Featured image c/o the USGA.
