Wyndham Clark delivered a stunning display of clinical golf to seize a commanding four-stroke lead before darkness halted Thursday’s opening round of the 126th US Open at a blustery Shinnecock Hills.
The 32-year-old American blazed to six-under par with a scintillating three-hole stretch that included an eagle and two birdies, leaving the field trailing in his wake on a day when gusting winds and thick rough brought most competitors to their knees.
Starting on the back nine, Clark stumbled with a bogey at the par-three second before roaring back with consecutive birdies at the third and fourth, the latter from 22 feet. He then drained a three-foot eagle putt at the par-five fifth to reach six-under, a score that would have seemed fanciful when fog delayed play for two hours early in the round.
“It was a nice start for sure,” Clark said. “It was a tough day. It was tough for everybody, I think. Biggest thing for me, I stayed patient. Didn’t have my best stuff, but I made a lot of putts and saved myself to keep the momentum going.”
The 2023 champion, seeking redemption after last year’s missed cut at Oakmont ended in a smashed locker, has two holes remaining when play resumes at 6:35 a.m. local time on Friday. Should he maintain his four-shot cushion through 18 holes, it would mark the first time since 1933 that a player has led the US Open by that margin after the first round.
Chasing pack struggles
Sharing second on two-under 68 in the clubhouse were amateur Ryder Cowan and Americans Sam Stevens and Max McGreevy, whilst four major champions, Spain’s Jon Rahm, Americans Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland, and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, were still battling on the course at two-under when darkness descended.
Johnson had threatened to challenge Clark’s dominance after reeling off four straight birdies through the fourth hole, only to surrender those gains with a three-putt double bogey at the sixth.
Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy posted 69 despite back-to-back closing bogeys that soured an otherwise stellar round featuring an 11-foot eagle putt at the fifth.
“Overall, a really good day,” McIlroy said. “Obviously it stings a little bit to finish the way I did.”
Rahm produced the shot of the day with a stunning 61-foot birdie putt at the par-three 17th to reach two-under.
Conditions test the elite
Organisers watered greens between waves and kept speeds below maximum to combat the brutal winds, lessons learned from the 2004 and 2018 championships at Shinnecock when extreme conditions rendered the course nearly unplayable.
“Greens were softer than I expected but thank goodness they were,” American Keegan Bradley admitted.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, chasing a career Grand Slam, struggled to a 72, whilst defending champion JJ Spaun limped home with 77. Keith Mitchell provided the day’s most remarkable nine-hole performance, firing a historic six-under 29 on the front nine – just the seventh such score in US Open history.
The field of 156 is chasing a record $4.5 million winner’s cheque from a $22.5 million purse, with Clark perfectly positioned to claim the prize.
