McIlroy’s lead – Rory McIlroy followed a near-flawless start in brutal 20–30mph gusts with back-to-back bogeys on his final two holes to finish the opening round at the US Open on 69, with frustration kept in check as he resumes at one under and close to the provisional lead.
The wind had teeth at Shinnecock Hills, and by the time the opening round closed, Rory McIlroy’s lead had fallen the same way the cap had earlier in the day—gone, not with drama, but with inevitability.
After a two-hour delay for fog, the gusts climbed from around 20mph to 25, then to 30 and beyond. McIlroy still produced a score that will matter come Friday. compiling a 69 that marked a huge body of work in savage conditions. Yet the finish brought a sting: back-to-back bogeys on his final two holes after spending much of the loop proving he could handle the course when it was at its most fiendish.
He will resume on Friday afternoon at one under par and in close proximity to the lead. which is provisionally held by Sam Stevens on two under. For McIlroy. the emotion is tempered by what he believes he can carry forward—this was the first time this season that the key aspects of his game have been firing at the same time.
There has been a jarring thought for much of 2026 that his driver—normally the weapon he leans on—has become a vulnerability. Here, from the tee, there were few signs of trouble. McIlroy hit 10 of 14 fairways, and the context matters because the wind was hellish strong. Twice he lost his hat during his rounds of play as he launched shots into the elements. but he did not lose his ball.
His putting did the heavy lifting, too. Aggregated putts show he drained the better part of 100 feet. and the best moment of the day came at the fifth hole. Having started on the 10th and played his first 13 holes in one under par. he attacked the 592-yard par five and took out the “big dog” with a single huge strike that left him with a nine iron to 11 feet for the three and a two-stroke lead.
The downturn came on the home stretch. McIlroy’s wedge play let him down when the course asked for short-iron precision on greens that are notoriously difficult to hold even when the set-up is meant to run slower to kinder pin positions. He missed both the eighth and ninth greens from the fairways inside 165 yards—errors that. for a player of his calibre. border on unforced on a day when so much else had gone right.
Speaking after his round, McIlroy said: “I think with the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score. 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.
“I 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. It was really about minimising the mistakes. I did that for the most part today.
“On the last two holes I put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn’t able to get it up-and-down, but overall a really good day.”
For all the regret at the end, the numbers still point to a day of control. By the time McIlroy reached the clubhouse, only nine men were under par. His playing partner Ludvig Aberg also shot 69. Scottie Scheffler finished with a 72 after a cold putter, while Tommy Fleetwood shot 70.
While the wind rattled clubs on the course, there was separate turbulence elsewhere in golf—this time tied to membership, sanctions, and what happens when rebellion meets the calendar.
Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have settled their seven-figure fines with the DP World Tour. in a move that will open a potential off-road if LIV folds at the end of the season. The pair resigned their membership of the European-based circuit in May 2023. in protest at sanctions that accrued each time they teed up on the rebel tour.
The figures at the heart of that standoff were stark: it is understood they owed around $1.1 million apiece before severing those long-running ties, and both players were steadfast in their refusal to pay ever since.
On Thursday, the DP World Tour confirmed that those fines have been paid in the past week. That means Westwood and Poulter will be eligible to rejoin the tour in November.
The assumption within the sport is that the pair are taking prudent steps to cover the eventuality that LIV go out of business in the coming months. That expectation is linked to the announcement in May that the Saudis are withdrawing their backing at the end of the 2026 season.
Even with the climb-down, the long-term consequences remain. Westwood and Poulter will not be eligible for future Ryder Cup roles under existing rules, which require unbroken membership of the DP World Tour.
On a day when wind decided the margins at Shinnecock Hills, McIlroy’s job now is to carry forward the confidence that his game can line up at the right time—even if, next time the gusts turn, the lead refuses to stay put.
US Open Rory McIlroy Shinnecock Hills Sam Stevens Ludvig Aberg Scottie Scheffler Tommy Fleetwood Lee Westwood Ian Poulter DP World Tour LIV Golf Ryder Cup fines
Wind is brutal but cmon, back to back bogeys on the last holes? That’s gotta hurt.
So he was leading and then the fog delay messed him up? I swear delays always throw people off, like your rhythm just disappears.
I think this is proof the US Open course is basically cheating with weather. Like 20-30mph gusts? That’s not “brutal conditions,” that’s just random nonsense. Also why is it saying Sam Stevens is “provisionally” leading like it’s a temporary video game score?
I saw Rory and thought he’d cruise, but apparently his driver is a “vulnerability” now which is wild. How do you lose a hat twice and still not lose a ball lol, I can’t even find my keys on windy days.