We expected afternoon carnage with intense winds at Shinnecock Hills, but the most violent display late on Day 1 of the U.S. Open was Wyndham Clark attacking a vulnerable golf course.
The 2023 champion was part of the afternoon wave that played in significantly easier conditions at the iconic layout, and he took full advantage with some brilliant shotmaking. Clark made five birdies and an eagle through holes to build a massive four-shot lead at 6-under when play was halted due to darkness.
Clark would finish off his 64 with two pars in the morning to become the first man ever to start a U.S. Open twice with that score after he did so during his victory at Los Angeles Country Club three years ago.
However, the massive four-shot lead was cut in half Friday morning by one of Clark's playing partners, Dustin Johnson. The 2016 champion birdied two of his remaining three holes to reach 4-under and make Clark's advantage only two heading to the second round.
| Place | Player | Total to par | Round 1 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyndham Clark | -6 | 64 |
| 2 | Dustin Johnson | -4 | 66 |
| T-3 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | -3 | 67 |
| T-3 | Gary Woodland | -3 | 67 |
| T-5 | Jon Rahm | -2 | 68 |
| T-5 | Sam Stevens | -2 | 68 |
| T-5 | Max McGreevy | -2 | 68 |
| T-5 | Ryder Cowan (a) | -2 | 68 |
| T-5 | Spencer Tibbets | -2 | 68 |
| T-10 | Rory McIlroy | -1 | 69 |
| T-10 | Ludvig Aberg | -1 | 69 |
| T-10 | Brian Harman | -1 | 69 |
| T-10 | Ben James | -1 | 69 |
| T-10 | Max Greyserman | -1 | 69 |
| T-10 | Corey Conners | -1 | 69 |
| T-10 | Angel Hidalgo | -1 | 69 |
*denotes 10th tee start
Gary Woodland also finished with a flourish to post 3-under and sit tied with Matt Fitzpatrick in third. Woodland was the third man in the group with Clark and Johnson, with that trio combining to shoot an absurd 13-under and sit 1-2-3 on the leaderboard.
Clark started on the 10th tee and made the turn at 3-under. As the conditions continued to improve, Clark kept heating up, punctuated by a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch on holes 3-5.
Jon Rahm is certainly the biggest name at 2-under, with a round that is one of particular interest due to his bogey avoidance. The entire 2018 U.S. Open was played at the Long Island venue without a bogey-free round, but the Spaniard did just that with two birdies and 16 pars.
The late afternoon wind gusts of 60 mph never materialized, and a two-hour fog delay early in the morning actually helped the afternoon wave immensely with easier scoring conditions. Sam Stevens is the only man on the leaderboard inside the top 9 that played in the morning group of players.
That puts an emphasis on the 1-under rounds of names like Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg, who played in the tougher weather early.
The weather forecast is calling for 25 mph wind gusts throughout the day in Round 2. While that's a respite of sorts from early Thursday, the heavy winds are expected to return Saturday.
