Wyndham Clark turns Shinnecock’s wind shift into lead

Wyndham Clark rode a birdie-birdie-eagle surge through 16 holes to take a four-shot lead after a fog delay helped bring Shinnecock Hills’ wind under control Thursday. With 49 players still set to return Friday morning, Clark sits 6-under, while Dustin Johnson,

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark didn’t even need to arrive at Shinnecock Hills to feel the dread. He saw the tee times, studied the forecast, and understood what the U.S. Open could look like when the wind decides to stay stubborn. Then the fog rolled in, the start slipped by two hours, and by late day the air began to calm.

Clark still had to make the golf count. Darkness finally stopped him, but not before he had turned that changing weather into momentum. Through 16 holes he was 6-under par, having strung together a birdie-birdie-eagle run that left him four shots clear.

“Everything was kind of clicking,” Clark said. “We were definitely fortunate with the wind laying down. Overall a good round.”

The USGA built a different test at Shinnecock Hills to keep the championship playable in strong wind. slowing greens. using more receptive putting surfaces. and setting what it described as reasonable pin positions. Late in the day. when the wind subsided with the sun. Clark’s golf looked as if it belonged to a different version of the tournament.

No one has ever gone lower than 66 in an opening round at Shinnecock Hills. Clark can still go two shots lower if he completes the final two holes with pars when he and 49 other players return Friday morning.

He led by four over seven players, including Oklahoma junior Ryder Cowan and a Dustin Johnson who has looked surprisingly resurgent. Four of the players within striking distance are former U.S. Open champions.

Rory McIlroy tried to make his stand in conditions that never truly settled. His 69 came while gusts topped 30 mph in the middle of the day, when the scoring average was well above 74. After the wind began to fade, the afternoon wave started taking direct aim at flags. The early starters had been left fighting relentless wind, and the difference showed on the leaderboard.

By the time play was suspended by darkness, 17 players were under par, with the red numbers on the white scoreboard a rare sight for Shinnecock Hills.

Cowan finished his Thursday round with a flourish of his own, birdieing his last hole for a 68. He joined former Sooner Max McGreevy and former Oklahoma State player Sam Stevens among those who completed the round. Stevens was the only one of that trio to face the harsh wind of the morning wave.

Johnson, in his final year of being exempt from the U.S. Open he won at Oakmont in 2016. started to swing the round’s momentum with a streak of four straight birdies to tie Clark after 13 holes. But his cushion evaporated quickly. He couldn’t get up-and-down for birdie on the easy par-5 fifth where Clark made eagle. then on the sixth Johnson three-putted from short range for double bogey. In the space of a few holes, he dropped four shots behind.

Scottie Scheffler, who needs the U.S. Open to complete the career Grand Slam, spent the whole day battling for traction. He relied heavily on his short game to salvage a 72. It was his 10th consecutive U.S. Open round without breaking par, yet at that moment it left him four shots out of the lead.

Clark’s late flourish changed the look of the leaderboard. He won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club three years ago. and Thursday’s timing felt familiar: a controlled start. then a surge when the conditions leaned in. Clark began on No. 10, opened with two quick birdies, and went out in 32 to set himself on top.

From there, the round tightened and then opened. After missing an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 1 and failing to save par from a bunker on the long par-3 second, he took off. He hit wedge to 5 feet for birdie on No. 3. made a 20-foot birdie putt on the next. and then—on the par-5 fifth—sent his approach 207 yards with some wind at his back to 3 feet for eagle.

Once Johnson faltered, Clark didn’t waste the space.

There was a cost to the wind for everyone, and it showed in the pace of play. The wind was so strong and the conditions so severe that it took Scheffler’s group nearly three hours to complete nine holes. There was even a question of whether the round could have finished without the fog delay. though it ultimately did not matter for Clark—only that by the end of the day the wind had started to lay down.

Johnson wasn’t the only star within reach. He was joined at 2 under by Matt Fitzpatrick (2022), Gary Woodland (2019) and Jon Rahm (2021), all still having holes to play. Rahm. who had a chance in the final hour at the PGA Championship. stayed bogey-free and reached 2 under by making a 60-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.

Stevens’ climb from the start was its own reminder of how brutal the early hours were. He overcame a double bogey to open his round—an opening that took him over two hours to play because of the fog—and then strung together six birdies for his 68. Stevens said the scoring never truly looked impossible once the round settled.

“The greens haven’t been too firm, the fairways haven’t been too firm, so I’ve really felt like it’s pretty scorable,” Stevens said. “Obviously, it’s difficult, but overall it’s an awesome place. I think the setup is great right now.”

For half of the opening round, the USGA’s plan appeared to work exactly as intended. After two Opens at Shinnecock where the course got out of control. the greens were slowed to 10 1/2 on the Stimpmeter—a rarity at any major. Water was kept on the putting surfaces. and the wind delivered the volatility. with sustained gusts approaching 25 mph and stronger gusts rolling through. Midway through the day, the wind shifted directions, forcing players to chase feel rather than predict it.

Keegan Bradley. who shot 70. captured the swing of the day in a single thought: it wasn’t the setup that kept everyone guessing. it was the weather’s refusal to stay still. “It was tough around here without wind, and then it was blowing pretty hard — really hard,” he said. “The USGA did a great job setting the course up because if the greens were any faster or firmer. we might not be playing right now.”.

Once the golf played late in the afternoon, the direction changed again—still hard, still demanding, but suddenly more attackable. That’s where Clark thrived, and where the tournament’s picture began to sharpen. When he returns Friday morning with 49 others to finish his opening round. he’ll do so with a lead that arrived only after Shinnecock Hills decided to soften—just enough—for 16 holes.

Wyndham Clark U.S. Open Shinnecock Hills golf news Ryder Cowan Dustin Johnson Scottie Scheffler Rory McIlroy Jon Rahm Matt Fitzpatrick Gary Woodland Sam Stevens Max McGreevy USGA Stimpmeter