It’s been a long day and Friday will be, too.

An intriguing start to the 126th US Open. Would anyone have predicted a -6 leading score?! Will Shinnecock Hills bite back? Will Wyndham Clark maintain the pace in the second round? Join Dave Tindall tomorrow lunchtime for the resumption of action and I’ll be with you later in the day.

More debate on the 5th. Rahm and his caddie decide not to rush and mark his ball.

It does look very dark as Matt Fitzpatrick finds the green at his penultimate hole, the 8th. He marks it and will open tomorrow with an 11 foot birdie putt.

The hooter goes and players can opt to finish the hole they are on. Clark is on the par-3 7th and has found sand. Jon Rahm has teed off on the par-5 5th and found the hay. On TV, David Howell and Laura Davies are bickering amiably about whether they’d complete a hole or walk in. Clark plays his bunker shot and leaves it 3 feet from the pin. He wants to complete the hole. His playing partners are marking their putts ready to return in the morning. Clark holes for a par and that’s the day finished for him.

The round won’t finish today – maybe one more hole? Wyndham Clark looks set to grab the first round lead early tomorrow, though. It would be the fifth solo lead of his PGA Tour career and his record in such circumstances is oddly poor. He eventually finished: T34 in the 2020 Phoenix Open, T7 in the 2022 Canadian Open, T16 in the 2025 Phoenix Open and T22 in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Wyndham Clark not only saves par at 15, he very nearly holed his pitch for birdie. Dustin Johnson’s run has ended, however. He can’t save par from sand – and he then three putts woefully from 4 feet. A double bogey out of nowhere.

Clark now leads by three shots and Matt Fitzpatrick is solo second. But the Englishman has his feet in a bunker and the ball is out of it at knee height. His awkward poke at the ball leaves him with a 12 foot par putt which he can’t make.

Suddenly Clark leads by four!

Max McGreevy has joined Sam Stevens and Ryder Cowan in the clubhouse on -2. Four birdies and two bogeys for the 31-year-old Oklahoma-born player who has won in Japan but not on the PGA Tour.

Ryder Cowan completes a round of 68. It’s the joint lowest score ever recorded by an amateur at Shinnecock Hills in the US Open. It was also a fine effort after he slipped up midway through the day. He joins Sam Stevens as the clubhouse leader on -2.

Daylight update: the action will probably continue for another 20 minutes. Wyndham Clark will want to eke out every hole he can because he’s in the zone and the conditions are possibly as good as they will be all week.

His approach at 6 needs to be played into the setting sun, and it leaks right and long. A tricky par save coming up.

Many hours ago, Rory McIlroy was -3 and it was easy to believe that if he could par his way in he’d lead by the end of the day. It wasn’t to be, however. He missed the green on those final two holes and made bogey both times. It was still deemed a decent start. Clark is changing the storyline.

Wyndham Clark makes his eagle putt. But Dustin Johnson cannot complete an up-and-down for birdie. We have a solo leader and he is flying. How low can he go?

-6: Clark (14*)
-4: Johnson (14*)
-3: M. Fitzpatrick (14*)
-2: Stevens (F*), McGreevy (17), DeChambeau (14*), Woodland (14*), Rahm (10*)

Oh my word. At the par-5 5th the field is struggling to hit the green – and then Wyndham Clark takes dead aim at the flag. His 197-yard approach has left him 3 feet for an eagle-3.

You might say that he is smashing it. 12 months ago, of course, he was caught smashing something else. Namely, the lockers at Oakmont – old wooden ones, beloved by the members. It was a chastening moment and this is some way to improve his reputation.

The Matt Fitzpatrick fightback continues. He opened with two bogeys in his opening three holes, but back-to-back par breakers at 16 and 17 righted the ship. His 74 foot eagle putt at 5 comes up 15 feet short, but he drains it for birdie - a third on the front nine. He’s now -3.

Can Bryson DeChambeau follow him in for birdie? He only has 5 feet and he makes it. He’s now -2.

Big opportunity coming up for Bryson DeChambeau. He’s made a terrible mess of this year’s major championships, missing the weekend in both, but he always had too much quality and pride to let that situation fester. And he’s a pure boom or bust merchant: his last 10 majors have reaped seven top 10s - and three missed cuts.

He’s currently -1 through 13 holes and is playing the front nine. At the 597-yard 5th his drive went 381 yards and he has 207 yards to the pin. The approach looked good, but it catches a swale and is swept off the back of the putting surface. He’s a funny sausage, twitching away as he hangs over the shot – and then that inelegant but so powerful swipe at the ball.

The Wyndham Clark-Dustin Johnson group is on fire. Clark drains a birdie from 23 feet, Dustin Johnson follows him in from half that distance, and the third man, Gary Woodland, gets to -1 with his own par breaker. Clark and Johnson are now -4 for the week and two strokes clear. They’re stealing a march on the morning starters.

Further to Dustin Johnson’s major championship woes – TV’s Nick Dougherty says that DJ hasn’t opened a major with an under-par round for three years.

There’s an odd dynamic outside the ropes. In places, there are pockets of spectators in evidence. At other times, it feels quiet. And then, occasionally, there is nothing but the loud voice of someone pickled in hospitality.

Dustin Johnson has good and bad memories of Shinnecock Hills. He was the four-shot halfway leader in 2018, but faded to third at the weekend. In recent times, he’s gone 11 major championship starts since his last top 20.

-3: Johnson (12*), Clark (12*)
-2: Stevens (F), Conners (13), M. Fitzpatrick (13*), Rahm (10*)

The 3rd hole is 497 yards. Dustin Johnson thrashed a 400-yard drive, flipped a wedge close and tapped in for a third consecutive birdie. Playing partner Wyndham Clark did the same thing, give or take 7 yards on the drive, for a bounce-back birdie. They now lead the championship on -3.

The steady Canadian Corey Conners makes it a six-way tie at the top on -2. Laura Davies on TV predicts the next hour and a half will be full of birdies. It has the feel of a late Thursday or Friday at the Open, when the wind drops and moves are made.

It’s a very unusual leaderboard, but two things seem clear. Firstly, 14 of the top 20 are afternoon starters (and conditions might be easing so there appears to have been a draw bias). And secondly, 15 of the top 20, including all five leaders, started on the 10th tee.

-2: Stevens (F), M. Fitzpatrick (12*), Johnson (11*), Clark (11*), Rahm (9*)
15 players on -1

Dustin Johnson is defying his recent major championship record. He played the back nine first and in level-par 35. Back-to-back birdies to start the front nine have him in a five-way share of the lead because Wyndham Clark has been tripped up by the 2nd, and Matt Fitzpatrick, playing the course the same way, has opened the front nine birdie-par-birdie to join them, Jon Rahm and the clubhouse leader Sam Stevens.

“Be right,” says Jon Rahm as he eyes up his third shot to the par-4 18th. He does that classic golfer’s thing – the head still, the pose held, the eyes darting up and down. And it’s not for show. The ball lands past the pin and spins back towards it like a tidy lag putt. He’ll have 4 feet to save his par.

Jon Rahm is on 18 (his 9th). He has missed the fairway and also missed the five yards of first cut. He’s about two feet in the hay, and it is thick. It took the hangers on until he reached them to even find the ball, and it needs all of his strength to scuttle it down the fairway.

After his round, Rory McIlroy spoke about his experience at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. He missed the cut that week, a third US Open missed cut in a row. “I needed to change my mindset,” he said today. “I got to the Travelers Championship the next week and I felt much more in my comfort zone. I remember thinking to myself, I’ve got this backwards - I should be in my comfort zone at Shinnecock and not here. I remember flying back from Dubai at the end of 2018, and deciding to keep a journal. I wrote in it that, from 2019, I’m going to build my game to compete at the major championships and excel at the toughest tests that we have.”

His US Open results since then? 9-8-7-5-2-2-19.

We might have two more hours of action, by the way. The threat of high wind seems to have been averted so it’s all about the quality of daylight. State of play:

-3: Clark (9*)
-2: Stevens (F), Rahm (8*)
16 players on -1

Xander Schauffele has gone from hay to hay to rough at the 9th. His tee shot found fescue, and so did his second. His third, from a horribly clinging lie, produced something of a yelp and even a giggle from the two-time major champion. “Please stay in the rough,” he asked rather plaintively. It does and he pops the ball up in the air to 5 feet. An agricultural long game, but it worked. The putt misses, though, and he drops back to level-par.

Jon Rahm makes birdie from 62 feet at 17. He had to wait because of some merry cheers from the hospitality units, but he stayed calm and rolled the double breaker into the centre of the cup. He’s -2 and looks focussed, calm – and menacing for the field.

The Australian Jason Day has had to withdraw. He made a practice swing on the 1st tee and felt his back go. It’s a long-standing issue for him, forever flaring up. He looked tender as he was taken away on a buggy. Hopefully, the driver takes the bumps carefully.

Wyndham Clark has pounced. He drains a 21-foot birdie putt in 18 to turn in -3 and grab the solo lead. His form is undoubtedly superb with his last three results reading: winner of The CJ Cup, one shot outside a play off in the Memorial and T11 in the Canadian Open (when T3 with 18 holes to play). He was also, of course, the US Open champion at LA Country Club three years ago.

Ryder Cowan got that ruling in a greenside bunker and he couldn’t save par. He’s now back to -1 and we have only two men on -2. It does remain tight, however. There are 13 players on -1. And no less than 38 within two shots of the lead.

DP World Tour referee Mats Lanner gives Ryder Cowan a ruling on 4. For many of a certain vintage, Lanner and his Swedish compatriots Ove Sellberg and Anders Forsbrand were thrillingly exotic. That was the 1980s - the glory days of the then-European Tour.

The Dane Niklas Nørgaard is ticking along nicely. He’s -1 through 13 holes and has just missed a 7 foot putt to get to -2. He won the 2024 British Masters at The Belfry. That result helped him win a PGA Tour card but he lost it last year - and he doesn’t have one top 20 finish in his last 15 starts.

He seems a nice fellow. I asked him for a brief chat at Wentworth in 2024 and his manager said no on his behalf. When the manager turned away, Nørgaard came up to me, shrugged in his manager’s direction and happily chatted away for 10 minutes.

You may wish to look away now. Billy Horschel opened with back-to-back birdies. After a par at 3, he added a bogey at 4. No bother, that happens. Especially in a US Open. But his experience on the 5th will hurt. Really, really hurt. His drive landed in scrubland. His second shot found the fairway and his third was also on the fairway, just 36 yards from the hole. But he didn’t find the green with his fourth shot. Or his fifth. His sixth did the job. And then he two-putted. A triple bogey-8. Ouch.

At the other end of the leaderboard, Repetto Taylor’s compatriot John Rahm has made a bold start. But he misses a 7 foot birdie look at 15 and remains -1. He already looks a danger for the field and he was, remember, second in the PGA Championship last month.

Yikes. Spain’s Rocco Repeto Taylor is +10 through 12 holes. He’s made five pars, but his four bogeys and three double bogeys have mounted up. It’s a tough gig for a fellow who has just one top 10 on the DP World Tour. Let’s hope he can summon some Rocco Mediate vibes – the man who, remember, pushed Tiger Woods to an 18-hole play-off in 2008.

Matt Fitzpatrick coaxes his birdie putt at 17 into the hole. He’s now back to level-par after a couple of early hiccups.

Reality strikes for Ryder Cowan. He can only scratch a bogey onto his card at the 251-yard par-3 2nd. It’s his 11th and he falls back into a share of the lead on -2.

-2: Stevens (F), Cowan (11*), Clark (6*), Schauffele (6)
Four players on -1

The Bristolian twang of Matt Fitzpatrick’s caddie Dan Parratt is caught by TV. The pair are discussing the tee shot at the 185-yard 17th and, as a Bristolian might say, “She’s a good club.” Fitzpatrick has 14 feet for birdie. He’s +1 after making a birdie at the par-5 16th.

The USGA has a history of being playful with the first and second round groups - and they’re at it again this year. They’ve put the Frenchmen Adrien Saddier and Ugo Coussaud with the American Jackson Van Paris. That’s a fun group. 12 years ago another three-ball - Kevin Stadler (USA), Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) and Shane Lowry - fell flat. They were nicknamed ‘The Heavyweights’ by Stadler’s caddie. “When I saw it, I was pretty annoyed,” said Lowry. “I think it’s very cheeky of the USGA to do what they’ve done. I don’t think it’s fair to the three of us. It’s a mockery, to be honest.” Stadler called it “a little mean and insensitive”.

The “French” group are playing well. They played the back nine first, with Saddier and Van Paris completing it in level-par and Coussaud +1. Tres bien.

Here’s Scottie Scheffler on his +2 start earlier today: “It was a really challenging day. If you told me when I was staring at my (6 foot) par putt on 9 that I would post 2-over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time. Overall, it was a good battle. Get some rest, and we’ll see how the course changes over the next day.”

Ryder Cowan very nearly extends his advantage at the 1st (which is his 10th). He had 49 foot 5 inch putt to the cup, it travelled 49 feet 8 inches, and it finished 1 inch away. Nice par, though. Terrific start for the amateur.

Wyndham Clark knocks in a 14 foot par putt at 15 to stay at -2. The American changed his putter a month ago. He immediately felt able to take advantage of the good form he had been showing with his long game and promptly won The CJ Cup.

Justin Rose, of course, is a past champion of the US Open (in 2013). But he’s struggled with the USGA-set test in recent years, missing the cut in five of the last six editions.

Alas, Matt Fitzpatrick’s birdie putt slips by. Fellow Englishman Justin Rose, however, drains a 29 foot birdie putt at 13 to atone for a bogey at 10, his first hole of the day.

Sometimes the biggest threat in golf is not putting, but putting your foot in your mouth. Matt Fitzpatrick was alive to it ahead of the Masters, saying that the ideal mindset is high confidence and low expectation. Well, he was alive enough to say that – and then he talked of fancying his chances. Wack, wack, oops. This week, he told the press: “I don’t particularly like playing birdie-fests.” He’s now +2 through five, but he has an 11 foot birdie opportunity coming up at 15.

Thanks Dave. I’ve just noticed that Justin Thomas has opened with three bogeys in his first four holes. The Kentucky man has a terrible recent record in his national championship, missing the cut in his last three starts, carding 73-81, 77-74 and 76-76.

He’s got a fight on his hands to avoid making it four missed weekends in a row.

With an amateur leading the 126th US Open, I’ll make way for Matt Cooper to guide you home. Can Ryder Cowan keep it going or will the raft of major champions bubbling under just beneath him show their class as the afternoon goes on?

Amateur star Ryder Cowan now leads on his own at -3. The 21-year-old hails from windy Oklahoma so perhaps that explains his surprise position at the top of the leaderboard. He’s reached -3 after compiling red circles at 12, 14 and 17.

Back at 12, Jon Rahm drains a 25-footer to move to -1. Also on that number is links-loving Scotsman Robert MacIntyre after chipping in from off the green at 3. Could he go one better after finishing runner-up at Oakmont 12 months ago?

LIV’s other big superstar, Bryson DeChambeau, has had a curious year in the majors, missing the cut in both The Masters and PGA. But in his previous eight he’d pieced together a win, two seconds, a fifth, a sixth and a 10th so surely we’ve been in blip territory so far in 2026. It seems that way as here at Shinnecock he’s now stalking a 12-foot putt to take the lead. The arms stiffen and point down in that unique putting style of his but the stroke lacks sufficient pace and it’s only a par. Still, Bryson is a wounded animal in the majors and is definitely a dangerman in the one that’s given him the most success.

Jon Rahm has to sink a couple of testy par putts to stay evens for the first two holes. The Spaniard won this event at Torrey Pines in 2021, was runner-up in last month’s PGA Championsip and also took second at LIV Golf Valderrama on home Spanish soil two weeks ago. Many fancy him for a big week and rightly so.

Xander Schauffele’s US Open record is quite frankly ridiculous. Even the very, very best have blemishes on their record in this event but these are Schauffele’s US Open finishes, starting with his top five on debut in 2017:

5-6-3-5-7-14-10-7-12

Yep, nothing worse than 14th in nine starts, seven of those top 10s. After making the big breakthough with two major wins in 2024, he’s been a bit subdued this year. But this all a long-winded way of saying he’s at it again in a US Open, two early birdies moving him into a tie for the lead. Eight players share top spot.

-2: Stevens (F), Cowan (6*), Stout (4), Rai (4*), DeChambeau (4*), Clark (3*), Schauffele (3), Horschel (2)

Aaron Rai is leading a major again! The man from Wolverhampton, who pulled off a shock win in the PGA Championship at Aronimink last month, has started par-birdie-par-birdie to share top spot. The 31-year-old has finished 19th (2024) and 33rd (2025) in his two US Open so has shown he can perform in this event too. Since that breakthrough win at Aronimink he’s played just twice, finishing 19th at Memorial and missing the cut in last week’s Canadian Open. It’s very early days but Rai may just have another huge week up his sleeve.

As I write this, there’s now a six-way tie for the lead after the contrasting figures of Bryson DeChambeau and amateur Preston Stout also hit -2.

Wyndham Clark may have extra motivation to play well this week. Sure, he wants to win the US Open for a second time after taking the title at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. But there’s also last year’s memory to expunge when he smashed up a locker at Oakmont Country Club after missing the cut.

“That was a really challenging time and something I’ve deeply regretted and feel awful that I did that,” Clark said on Monday, looking down, picking at his shirt.

“But there were so many good lessons in that that really taught me a bunch. I’ve really come a long way. I’m excited for this year’s (US) Open for some redemption and to move forward and enjoy the challenges of Shinnecock.”

It’s a birdie-birdie start for Wyndham Clark and that puts him tied for the lead. Here’s the latest. You’ll notice several major winners have made a quick start to their afternoon rounds – Rai, DeChambeau, Schauffele and Lowry.

-2: Stevens (F), Cowan (6*), Clark (2*)
-1: McIlroy (F), Åberg (F), Greyserman (F), Harman (F), James (F), Stout (3), Rai (3*), Fox (3), DeChambeau (3*), Schauffele (2), Lowry (1*)

Adam Scott marks his stupendous tally of 100 straight majors with a 3-over 73, the same as Brooks Koepka. Not the best but not too bad on a day like this. Matt Cooper tells me that the player with the second longest active streak of majors is Jordan Spieth with 53. Which makes Scott’s ton look even more remarkable.

Mention of Spieth, who tees off in five minutes, reminds us that this year’s Open Championship is at Royal Birkdale. Spieth won the last Open held there in 2017.

We have a new joint-leader and it’s amateur Ryder Cowan. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Parents obsessed by a certain biennial team event? Or maybe they were Doors fans. Then again, google tells me that Ryder is in the top 250 names for boys in the United States. His bio says: “The rising University of Oklahoma senior qualified for his first US Open by posting 6-under 138 at BallenIsles C.C. and then surviving a 3-for-2 playoff for the final spots.” He’s made a superb start to the day with birdies at 11 and 13 in his first five holes.

Scottie Scheffler is approaching the clubhouse and he has the chance to do the opposite of McIlroy’s bogey-bogey-finish. The World No 1 birdied 17 from 12 feet to get back to +2 and will be hoping to splash some more red at 18. It’s a long shot, literally, as he has 226 yards for his second but you never know. Regardless, a par will complete a decent day’s work with a 72 just four more swings than Sam Stevens’ pacesetting 68.

A quick analysis of McIlroy’s round. The Strokes Gained stats, the most accurate measure of who did what well, show that he was not great off the tee, hit his irons extremely well and rode a red-hot putter.

SG: Off The Tee – 59th (-0.17)
SG: Approach – 9th (+1.82)
SG: Putting – 1st (+3.19)

There are two ways of looking at that, of course. It’s great that he’s putting well but is it sustainable?

One of the marquee three-balls of the afternoon wave is hitting off. That’s Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick. Fun fact: between them they’ve won the last three even-numbered year US Opens: DeChambeau 2020 (Winged Foot), Fitzpatrick 2022 (Brookline), DeChambeau 2024 (Pinehurst No 2).

Matt Cooper talked earlier of Keith Mitchell’s round of two halves. He’s now completed it and what a remarkable contrast: out in 41, back in 29. Dodging the 30s on both nines somehow makes it seem even more extreme. You’d think a scorecard of 3-3-3-3-34-3-4-3 coming home would have put a spring in his step. Nope, Mitchell looked absolutely shattered as he walked off. Like a boxer who had spent the second half of the bout dodging, weaving and running away from Shinnecock’s barrage of heavy punches and yet somehow landing a bunch of his own.

McIlroy gives one back at 8, his 17th. His approach bounds over the green and a modest chip leaves a 16-foot par putt. It won’t go and Rory drops back to -2 after a third bogey of the day. Two clear not so long ago, he’s now tied for the lead with Sam Stevens, who has just birdied his final hole (the 9th) to sign for a superb 2-under 68.

McIlroy responds with a 325-yard drive to the right side of the 9th fairway. He’ll have 162 yards for his second.

We must pay tribute to Adam Scott who is playing in his 100th straight major today. That phenomenal streak started at the 2001 Open. Since then, he’s won The Masters and racked up no less than 45 top 25s. Nine of those were top fives. If he could have one back it would surely be the 2012 Open at Lytham where the Aussie bogeyed the final four holes and lost by a single shot to Ernie Els. Anyway, forget that, let’s celebrate the century. Raise your bat, Adam. Well played mate.

Ouch, 2018 Shinnecock hero Brooks Koepka finishes with a double bogey. A potential 71 turns into a 3-over 73. It’s still a fine effort but that closing hole will sting.

As Matt Cooper hands over, I notice that there is a Cooper Dossey in the field this week. It’s always good to go on the profiles of these unfamiliar players and a click on Cooper’s page reveals that his grandparents, Nub and Carolyn Donaldson, were USGA Rules officials. It’s easy to imagine the family scene on Christmas morning with 10-year-old Cooper excitedly ripping open his presents to discover that Nub and Carolyn have got him ‘The Rules of Golf’. Again. Grandpa, in his rocking chair, beams widely. Grandma leans in and whispers that it’s been signed by three different USGA officials. “Isn’t that swell, Cooper!” Cooper’s heart sinks further as Grandpa adds that he’ll be doing one of his “special quizzes” later.

With that, I’ll hand you back to Dave Tindall. The leaderboard looks like this, and here’s a question: Is it significant that the top five all played the back nine first?

-3: McIlroy (16*)
-2: Stevens (F*), James (14*)
-1: , Åberg (16*), Harman (14*)

Rory McIlroy’s tee shot at the 7th finds sand. From there, he leaves himself 8 feet for par and he jams it in. Two par-4s between the Northern Irishman and his lunch.

Scottie Scheffler’s up and down round continues, this time with a wonderful approach to 14 that leaves him 4 feet for birdie. He’s seeking a third birdie of the day to make up for three bogeys and one double bogey. And he makes it. He’s 2-under for the round and ever-determined to squeeze whatever he can from a bad day at the office.

As the morning wave rounds complete, the afternoon starters are beginning to leave the 1st and 10th tees. The revised times are two hours later than they were prior to the morning disruption.

Look, waggle. Look, waggle. Look waggle. Look, waggle. Look, waggle. Yep, 2023 Open champion Brian Harman makes birdie at 5. He’s 1-under through 14 holes.

Rory McIlroy has 28 feet for birdie at the 6th. He sets it out to the right and neither the contours of the green or the wind brings it back to the hole. A safe par, however.

Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, taps in for a birdie and that’s two in a row for him. He’s back to level-par for the round.

Sam Stevens is the clubhouse leader – and a birdie at 9 gets him back to 2-under. His 68 included six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. The latter came on his first hole of the day which would show great resilience in any normal week, but up against the toughest test in golf that is remarkable.

Last year’s US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has made birdie at 15 to join the little group on 1-under. He won the Travelers Championship the week after last year’s US Open and was soon afterwards T7 in August’s Tour Championship. But that difficult Ryder Cup followed and he has not found a top 10 since.

Meanwhile, a solid blow to the heart of the 6th green for Rory McIlroy.

The answer to the pub quiz question (17.43)? It was “Which Continental European nation can (kind of) lay claim to 176 professional wins, including no less than 21 major championships?” The World Cup was the clue and the country has just drawn with South Africa.

We had multiple shouts for Germany and France. But the answer is Czechia and this is why: Bernhard Langer (126 professional wins, 2 majors, 12 senior majors) is the son of a Czech father. Alex Cejka (19 professional wins, 3 seniors majors) and his father fled Czechia by foot and water in a manner that calls to mind a John Le Carre plot. Sandra Gal (1 professional win) is the daughter of Czech parents. Jessica (6 professional wins) and Nelly Korda (24 professional wins, 4 majors) are the daughters of Czech parents. And Klara Spilkova (2 professional wins) actually is Czech. It’s obviously a sneakily trick question but it’s quite an intriguing one. Quietly, Prague might be a secret golfing hotspot. Nelly, of course, has just won the US Women’s Open.

Ludvig Åberg cannot make birdie at 5 and Stevens misses his par putt at 8. Rory McIlroy is two clear and only five golfers in this morning wave are currently under-par, as Rickie Fowler joins the small party.

-3: McIlroy (14*)
-1: Stevens (17*), Fowler (15), Åberg (14*), James (12*)

Suddenly, Rory McIlroy’s eagle putt could be for a two-shot lead. That’s because the leader Sam Stevens has 6 feet for par on his 17th hole of the day. So what of the Masters champion? He prowls the hole, settles behind the ball and then pops the putt over the front edge! He’s 3-under through 14 holes. It’s also a first US Open eagle for him in nine years. So far, at least, this is a great start.

Back to the par-5 5th and the wind is whistling again. Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Åberg find the edge of the green in two. But Rory McIlroy, with what David Howell suggests is an 8 or 9-iron, gets the ball to settle just 11 feet from the flag. A two-putt from there will tie the lead of Sam Stevens on 2-under. One putt will vault him into the lead all on his own.

This time last year the American Ethan Fang had just won the Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s in Sandwich. When told that his surname was gold for headline writers, he smiled and cried: “That’s the aim!” Alas, there will be no headlines for him today. Still an amateur, his opening round of 74 was solid though.

To the 597-yard par-5 5th. “I get the feeling Rory McIlroy is going to actually send this drive,” says Mel Reid and Paul McGinley adds that he suspects we will see a 400-yard drive this week. “We might just have seen it,” chuckles Ewen Murray. Nearly. 396 yards, in fact. It’s the easiest hole on the course today and a birdie would see him join the lead.

Last night Harry Kane said England’s opening World Cup encounter was a “game of two halves”. Tennessee’s Keith Mitchell is almost certainly unaware of the footballing cliché, but he’d understand. He played the back nine (his first) in 6-over and he’s 5-under through five holes of the front nine.

A potentially key moment for Tommy Fleetwood at 4. He’s 2-over and faced with a 20-foot par putt … and he makes it. Rory McIlroy then follows him in on the same line for another par, and he stays at 1-under. Ludvig Åberg cannot save his par from closer than both his playing partners. He drops back alongside the Northern Irishman.

This is not a day for the commentary team to speak too soon. Earlier, Paul McGinley said that JJ Spaun had safely found a green. Rich Beem was worried it would not stay there. And it didn’t, dribbling, one dimple at a time, into a bunker. Now McGinley praises Scottie Scheffler for finding the 11th green. Whereupon, you’ve guessed it, it slowly pootled into sand.

The US Open – a patience game both inside the ropes and inside the TV booth.

The 4th hole is the most difficult hole on the course today. It’s a 474-yard par-4 and Rory McIlroy gets lucky from the tee, avoiding the high rough, finding grass trodden-down by the galleries. But his blow from there gets very lucky as it squirts a long way right. It takes a huge hop on a path and looks like it might evoke memories of Richie Benaud’s famous commentary of Ian Botham’s six at Headingley in 1981 (“Into the confectionery stall … and out again”). But it somehow settles down on more trodden-down and sun-bleached dry grass. “A hard pan, tight lie,” says Mel Reid. “About 55 yards. All about strike this.” The result, a high pitch, is safe, but he has 15 feet for par.

Birdie for Sam Stevens at the par-5 5th. It gets him into a tie at the top on 2-under with Ludvig Åberg who misses a par-breaking chance from 15 feet at the 3rd (his 12th). Stevens is yet to win on either the first or second tier, but he is a three-time runner-up on the PGA Tour, including twice last year.

The Reitan tale was ill-timed – he promptly dropped a shot at 13. Better news for Rory McIlroy whose wedge approach at the 3rd (also his 12th) sets up a tap-in birdie to return to 1-under. He’s looking calm and controlled today. Scheffler, however, has missed yet another green at 10. All is not well with the World No. 1 – he’s 3-over and struggling to stay on that mark.

In early November 2024, Norway’s Kris Reitan was ranked 617 in the world and was playing on Europe’s second tier. He had only just decided to stick with tour golf rather than turn himself into a YouTube influencer. Turns out it was a good decision. A very good decision.

That month, he won the HotelPlanner Tour Grand Final. In May, he won the DP World Tour’s Soudal Open. He spent the rest of the year in superb form and claimed a PGA Tour card. Last month, he claimed the Truist Championship. He has overtaken his compatriot and friend Viktor Hovland in the world rankings (26 against 28). Today, he is contending in the US Open. Daft game, lovely tale.

The 10th hole trips up Patrick Reed and he drops out of a share of second. Updated leaderboard:

-2: Åberg (11*)
-1: Stevens (13*), Reitan (12*), Burns (12*) James (9*)

Only seven golfers have ever successfully defended the US Open. Brooks Koepka was the most recent man to do so, at Shinnecock Hills eight years ago. Last year’s winner JJ Spaun is being introduced to the difficulty of the task this week and is 3-over through eight holes.

As noted by Dave Tindall earlier, there are some lovely railroad sounds floating across the course this week. I’m a big fan of the mournful cry of an American train, but we’re also being treated to little toots and poops that are reminiscent of Manchester’s trams or the Island of Sodor. Fun fact: Charley Hull is a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine. We once shared our fondness for James and irritation with Gordon.

A fourth dropped shot in eight holes for Scottie Scheffler. The 8th is wide – 65 yards wide – and he missed it. He eventually makes a double bogey-6. He did circle a birdie at 5, but he’s 3-over for the day, and his quest for a Career Grand Slam-completing win this week has got off to a rough start.

It’s been a tough day for the Irish veteran Padraig Harrington. He said this week that, even in (genuine rather than golfing) old age, he could be wheelchaired out to a major championship and he’d still feel like he could win it. Can even his legendary resilience be thinking that right now? He’s played 11 holes and scratched a bogey on seven of those holes.

Ludvig Åberg has rattled in another birdie at the 1st (his 10th) to hit 2-under and he has the solo lead. Playing partner Tommy Fleetwood’s trousers are flapping away – and unfortunately so is his putter. A three putt bogey for him while Rory McIlroy opens their second nine with a par.

Weather update. TV’s Anna Jackson explains that we can expect gusts of up to 30mph and there is a possibility of rain, maybe heavy, and maybe involving thunder. So, more disruptions are likely, and we won’t be finishing the first round today. Leaderboard update:

-1: Stevens (12*), Reitan (11*), Burns (9*), Reed (8), Åberg (9*), James (7*)
(11 players on level-par and another 13 on +1 )

Here’s a pub quiz question for you. Which Continental European nation can (kind of) lay claim to 176 professional wins, including no less than 21 major championships? Two clues: the majors include senior majors, and the nation is playing in the World Cup.

The last time Tommy Fleetwood played the 18th hole at Shinnecock Hills, he had an 8-foot putt for a 62. Alas, he missed it, and his 63 came up one shot shy of forcing extra holes with Brooks Koepka. This time his approach comes up shy of the green and he chips close enough to secure his par. A level-par first nine for the Englishman.

Rory McIlroy leaves his birdie putt on the edge - a level-par first nine for him, too. Ludvig Åberg found the heart of the green but his birdie putt came up 5 feet shy and he … makes it! He stays 1-under through 9.

Mel Reid on TV reveals that she’s just had a word with Rory McIlroy about conditions. His response? “Not bad.” His reasoning? The wind is consistent rather than swirling or gusting. We can hear it on TV, whistling around the mics.

I’ve just taken a spin down the leaderboard. There are 33 Europeans in the field. Consider this: 50 years ago there was only one European in the field – Peter Oosterhuis. Imagine telling that generation how things would change. And imagine telling them that there’d be a first Icelandic golfer playing in 2026.

The Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart is nicely placed on level-par through 10. It’s a wonderfully aristocratic name and fits nicely alongside the DP World Tour’s Nicolai Von Dellingshausen (Germany) and Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño (Spain). They sound like the signatories of the 1625 Treaty of Bruges.

Bogey for Åberg at the par-3 17th and we have a five-way tie for the lead on 1-under. Any score in the red today will be a very fine one. Tyrrell Hatton might be up against that target. He’s just hooked an approach into a grandstand. It’s popped out onto scrubland, but he smashes his club down into his bag in frustration.

A double bogey for Brooks Koepka at 8. It always used to be his great secret to playing the US Open (he won it back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, the latter on this week’s course) – avoiding making double bogeys. Modern day Koepka can’t quite manage it and he’s 1-over for the day.

“I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for these guys out here,” says Mel Reid, on-course reporter. “Almost but not quite. It’s really quite nasty out here,” she adds. The Englishwoman has been a really good addition to TV coverage: smart, strong delivery, a nice line in humour.

Ouch. Aussie Cameron Smith - the 2022 Open champion, remember - was pummelled by the 180-yard par-3 7th. His tee shot found sand. So did his second shot. And his third could only find the fairway. His fourth left him 16 feet from the hole and he missed the putt. Smith is now 5-over through 8.

From thick rough 120 yards short of the 620-yard 16th, Tommy Fleetwood has thrashed at the ball with his third blow. It’s not pretty, playing into a blustery wind, but the swing was under control and he has crafted it beautifully to about 10 feet from the flag. Not much in the way of reaction from the galleries but that was the equivalent of sticking a 200-yard shot to 12 inches in a normal PGA Tour week. Can he make the putt and get to level-par for the day? Yes he can!

An update of the leaderboard and Patrick Reed has joined the handful of players under-par. The 7th green is already causing problems, by the way. Balls are oscillating and, if the wind picks up, that might cause a delay to the action. We don’t want that – it should have been both predicted and acted on.

-2: Åberg (6*)
-1: Koepka (7), Reitan (7*, Burns (7*), Reed (5), McIlroy (6*), James (4*), Onishi (3)

At the 620-yard 16th Rory McIlroy clears a bunker from the tee but finds a horrible lie. His feet are perched on a nasty slope high above the sand and there is thick, swaying rough all around him. He hacks it down the fairway. Mel Reid is reporting from the course and notes that the bunker would have been easily cleared in practice. The wind is testing the field – and it is forecast to become more of a factor as the day wears on.

A bogey for Sam Burns at 7 leaves Ludvig Åberg alone at the top o 2-under.

“This is not a true links, but it’s playing like one,” says David Howell as he joins the TV coverage. Ewen Murray is suggesting that 73 will be a good score today and that seems to be a widely held view. The course has been watered, there was fog early and yet the greens are still not receptive so it’s going to get tougher as the day goes on.

Clean cut Ludvig Åberg finds a birdie at 15 by rattling in a 30-foot putt at pace to get to 2-under and join Sam Burns at the top of the leaderboard. Playing partner Rory McIlroy didn’t learn about the line and makes par to stay at 1-under. Tommy Fleetwood cannot save his par and slips to 1-over.

Back on the front nine, Scottie Scheffler joins Fleetwood on 1-over after a bogey.

Scottie Scheffler finds the hay to the right of the 4th. Camera footage from directly above the World No. 1 is remarkable, showing him thrashing the ball from long fescue grass that is swaying in the wind. He misses the green and clips his pitch to the heart of the green, but is not threatening the hole – he’s fighting to make par..

Rory McIlroy found the 1th (his 5th) green. But stopping his lengthy birdie putt was tricky. Like Fleetwood’s approach, there was no resistance in the putting surface and it slips 6-feet by the hole. He makes the par, however. Fleetwood completes his up-and-down for another par. The third man in the group Ludvig Åberg drains a 10-footer for another four.

Tommy Fleetwood, dressed in three shades of beige, takes aim at the green on 5. He and caddie Ian Finnis talked long and hard about the challenge. The ball intially found the putting surface but there was no resistance and the ball just didn’t want to stop. It was like knocking a ball down the M6 and hoping to stop it by the entrance to Sandbach Services. Alas it slipped on and on, leaving him a tricky pitch back to the pin.

Thanks Dave. Sam Burns has flirted with quite a few major championship first round leads in recent times. Dave noted (15.55) that he was right in the thick of things in last year’s US Open. He was also the first round pace setter in this year’s Masters and one shot back of the 54 hole lead in the 2024 Open. Such log books always beg two questions: 1. Is he learning lessons about contending? Or 2. Is there scar tissue?

Meanwhile, at the 523-yard par-4 5th, Rory McIlroy pipes a wonderful drive down the right side of the fairway.

Time now to hand you over to Matt Cooper for more coverage. Here’s the latest leaderboard as the wind continues to pick up:

-2: Burns (4*)
-1: McDowell (5*), Bradley (3), Novak (3), McIlroy (4*), Aberg (4*), N Taylor (3), James (2*)

Sam Burns was the 54-hole leader in last year’s US Open at Oakmont. It got away from him on a tough Sunday there but his tied seventh represented a second straight US Open top 10 after tied ninth at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. His bid for a third straight big finish – and perhaps even a first major – is off to a strong start after two birdies in his opening four holes (11 and 13). He converted them from six feet and seven feet respectively and, in fact, Burns now leads on his own after Rory fails to get up and down at 13.

Sounds of day one: gusting winds and the mournful wail of locomotive horns. They’re the backdrop as Scheffler’s tee-shot at the meaty 251-yard par-3 2nd creeps onto the green. At 13, Rory’s hat blows off as he fires from the tee. Both find the rough. But while it’s a simple task to pop the Nike headwear back on his bonce, Rory can’t control his ball from the thick grass and it bounds off and away after a hard bounce on the green. Short-game skills required now.

Sunset time in New York this evening is 20:30 so it’ll be a struggle to get round one completed. Meanwhile, at the top of the leaderboard, Nicholas drops two shots at the par-3 7th, carelessly missing a tiddler for his bogey.

But while Nicholas spirals down to even par, we have a new leader on -2 and it’s a certain Rory McIlroy! The Northern Irishman drains a birdie putt from 25 feet at the 12th, his third, to hit top spot. On the same hole (a 472-yarder), Fleetwood balances the books with a birdie to wipe out his opening bogey.

Solid par for Scheffler at 1. Fairway (tick), green (tick), two putts from 20 feet (tick). Classic US Open par golf. But current champ, Spaun, can only manage the first of those ideals and misses a seven-foot par putt to drop a shot at his opening hole.

Earlier, McDowell’s bid to for a birdie-birdie-birdie start just failed after his putt at 12 lipped out. But he’s followed that par with a bogey at the par-4 13th after a play-by-play that shows “native area” off the tee and taking three swipes to reach the green.

McIlroy bellows at his tee-shot at the par-3rd 11th to “sit”. But there’s no need to feel any anxiety as his ball lands safely on the green and pulls back to around 11 feet. Rory steadies himself and pops in the putt. Birdie! Then he’s into his conserve energy in tough conditions routine: head down, look at marking on ball, short acknowledgement to crowd, walk to next tee.

-2: Nicholas (6)
-1: McDowell (4*), Reitan (3*), Burns (2*), Novak (2), McIlroy (2*)

“From Dallas, Texas, please welcome Scottie Scheffler.” A fairly low-key introduction for the World No 1, who can become just the seventh man in history to complete the Grand Slam of all four majors if he wins the US Open this week. Scheffler, dressed exactly the same as McIlroy with white hat, grey jumper and dark slacks, hits an iron 260 yards into the fairway. Scheffler is part of a three-ball featuring current US Open champion J.J. Spaun and US Amateur champ Mason Howell.

Great lag putt from McIlroy at 10 results in a tap-in par. You’ll take those all day here in these conditions. A nice way to start. But it’s been a testing opening hole for Fleetwood. After a drive that missed the fairway, his second bounds away into a hollow left of the green. The pitch is decent but his 11-footer for par stays above ground and that’s a dropped shot out of the gate.

The wind is really whipping off the right as McIlroy plays his 173-yard approach to 10. He backs off, unsure. But when Rory finally does pull the trigger, he finds the heart of the green. The Masters champ will have two putts from 40 feet for his par.

Up ahead, McDowell is making a mockery of the conditions. After a birdie at 10, he adds another from just inside nine feet at 11 to hit -2. And after an excellent approach at 12, the Pebble Beach hero could make it a hat-trick of opening birdies if he can sink a 12-footer.

Here goes Rory! Like his fellow Northern Irishman, Graeme McDowell, McIlroy is teeing off at 10. He takes iron and safely finds the fairway. He has Shinnecock runner-up, Tommy Fleetwood, and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg for company today. Perhaps a bit of Ryder Cup chat between that trio as all played in Europe’s victory at nearby Bethpage Black last year. As I write that, defeated Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley misses a six-footer for par at his opening hole.

Half the field is starting at 10 today and that includes former US Open champ Graeme McDowell. G-Mac won this event at Pebble Beach in 2010 so enjoys a windy, coastal test. And he can still putt too, draining a 25-footer for an opening birdie. Kristoffer Reitan, surely on the current Mount Rushmore of Norwegian sports stars after his Truist Championship win, also makes a 3 at the 10th.

-1: Nicholas (4), B Wu (2), McDowell (1*), Reitan (1*)

Koepka, whose pink and white horizontal striped shirt makes him look like a boiled sweet from the 70s, finds sand with his approach at 1. But he plays a sugary bunker shot to kick-in range and saves par. Cam Young produces an even better up and down to make his 4, launching a giant flop shot that sits down four feet from the flag.

We have the first big group of the day hitting off. That’ll be Brooks Koepka, the winner the last time Shinnecock staged this event in 2018, Players Championship winner Cameron Young and current Scottish Open, Sony Open and WM Phoenix Open champ Chris Gotterup. Koepka and Young find the short grass with irons but Gotterup ends in a greenside bunker after taking a more aggressive approach by smashing driver. The 1st is a short par-4 measuring 396 yards so a fairly gentle introduction to a fearsome course.

James Nicholas sounds more like a county cricketer than a man leading the US Open. But the 29-year-old has an interesting background and his family are well known in some local New York circles.

From Nicholas’ US Open profile: “His grandfather and father are both noted orthopaedic surgeons who served as team doctors for the N.Y. Jets, N.Y. Knicks, N.Y. Islanders and N.Y. Rangers. Each has performed surgeries on Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath. His father, Stephen, played football and baseball at Harvard. James Nicholas qualified for a pair of U.S. Amateurs and was the 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year. In 2024, he won the New York State Open at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, a two-time U.S. Open venue.”

James Nicholas is the first man under par. Just off the green at the 497-yard par-4 3rd hole, he’ll be happy to get down in two from 50 feet away. But his putt, up and over a ridge, always looks on a good line and it has the perfect pace too. In it goes for an unlikely birdie.

Sixteen players have completed at least one hole and they’re a collective 12-over. That, and the style of the bunkers, remind us that we’re watching a US Open and not at Open.

The flapping flags, the grey skies, the fescue, the big greens with steep run-offs, players in jumpers to keep the chill off. This has more the look and feel of an Open Championship than a US Open in June.

England’s Matthew Jordan has a birdie putt from 14 feet at No.1 to become the first player in red figures. It’s bang on line but comes up just short. The greens were being watered during the weather break due to fears that strong winds later today would make them unplayable. Add in some morning dew in the foggy conditions and perhaps putts will be underhit until players start to adjust.

The horn blows and play resumes. Rory McIlroy currently on the range. He’s due to tee off two hours later than scheduled so that’ll be 14:52 BST.

With the delay precisely two hours in duration, let’s relist the tee-times. I’ve basically gone into them and added two hours. I think that’ll work. If somehow it’s not quite this neat, l apologise. Let’s see how we go.

14:08 Carl Yuan (Chn), Brandon Wu, Jimmy Stanger
14:19 Padraig Harrington (Ire), Miles Russell (x), Cameron Smith (Aus)
14:30 Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup
14:41 Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler
14:52 Patrick Reed, Andrew Novak, Kurt Kitayama
15:03 Harris English, Adam Scott (Aus), Nick Taylor (Can)
15:14 Mason Howell (x), Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun
15:25 Sahith Theegala, Jackson Koivun (x), Michael Kim,
15:36 JB Holmes, Filippo Celli (Ita), Jackson Ormond (x)
15:47 Jake Peacock, Vaughn Harber (x), Kaito Onishi (Jpn)
19:30 Niklas Norgaard (Den), Rocco Repetto Taylor (Esp), Sudarshan Yellamaraju (Can)
19:41 Laurie Canter (Eng), John Parry (Eng), Bryan Lee (x)
19:52 Chris Kirk, Max McGreevy, Jake Knapp
20:03 Harry Hall (Eng), Michael Brennan, Andrew Putnam
20:14 Davis Thompson, Preston Stout (x), David Puig (Esp)
20:25 Ryo Hisatsune (Jpn), Corey Conners (Can), Ryan Fox (Nzl)
20:36 Ryan Gerard, Russell Henley, Ben Griffin
20:47 Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Xander Schauffele
20:58 Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Nico Echavarria (Col), Robert MacIntyre (Sco)
21:09 JT Poston, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel
21:20 Arni Sveinsson (x) (Ice), Taihei Sato (Jpn), Marcelo Rozo (Col)
21:31 Nick Hardy, Cole Hammer, Jack Schoenberger, United States.
21:42 Marek Fleming (x), Tom Kim (Kor), Giuseppe Puebla (x)

Starting at Hole 10

14:08 Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Bel), Ben Silverman (Can), Emiliano Grillo (Arg)
14:19 Patrick Rodgers, Keith Mitchell, Graeme McDowell (NIrl)
14:30 Sungjae Im (Kor), Lucas Herbert (Aus), Kristoffer Reitan (Nor)
14:41 Sam Burns, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Si Woo Kim (Kor)
14:52 Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
15:03 Alex Noren (Swe), Maverick McNealy, Sepp Straka (Aut)
15:14 Max Greyserman, Brian Harman, Jacob Bridgeman
15:25 Alex Fitzpatrick (Eng), Tom Kim (Kor) Ben James
15:36 Brandon Holtz (x), Ryuichi Oiwa (Jpn), Dylan Wu
15:47 Greyson Leach, Logan Reilly (x), Robbie Higgins
19:30 William Mouw, Ryder Cowan (x), Hennie du Plessis (Rsa)
19:41 Adrien Saddier (Fra), Jackson Van Paris, Ugo Coussaud (Fra)
19:52 Neal Shipley, Matti Schmid (Ger), Bud Cauley
20:03 Pierceson Coody, Zac Blair, Kevin Roy
20:14 Aaron Rai (Eng), Collin Morikawa, Jason Day (Aus)
20:25 Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland (Nor), Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)
20:36 Dustin Johnson, Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland
20:47 Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Alex Smalley, Shane Lowry (Ire)
20:58 Akshay Bhatia, Carlos Ortiz (Mex), Min Woo Lee (Aus)
21:09 Justin Rose (Eng), Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm (Esp)
21:20 Ben Kohles, Johnny Keefer, Matt McCarty
21:31 Angel Hidalgo (Esp), Mateo Pulcini (x) (Arg), Spencer Tibbits
21:42 Matthew Robles (x), Jake Sollon, Manav Shah

Weather delay in the golf but they’re playing at the Oval. Should be the other way round surely?

While we wait, have a read of this Shinnecock scene setter from Bryan Armen Graham.

Official update: There’ll be another update shortly. That will tell us when the next update is. Basically, the USGA are posting updates every 15 minutes to tell us another update is 15 minutes away. Nothing they can do really. At least we’re being informed.

Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington says: “I just want to go back to bed.” The three-time major winner, now 54, needs to get those joints loosened up these days so isn’t thrilled about the prospect of having to go through a second warm-up … whenever that is.

Rickie Fowler is one of the morning starters waiting for the skies to clear. He’s just given a shrug-laden interview. “Kind of just sit and wait. There’s nothing we can do about what we can and can’t see out there. I wasn’t expecting some low-hanging clouds like this, so sit and wait.

“Good to see some of the shots this morning, roughly how the golf course is playing. And yeah, kind of just wait. I know we’re supposed to have wind and gusts that are supposed to pick up as the day goes on. And yeah, hopefully get it moving forward out there.”

Fowler was runner-up in the US Open at Pinehurst in 2014 while in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club he started out with a remarkable 62, the joint-lowest score in the history of men’s majors.

Exactly an hour since play was suspended. Still looks pretty foggy.

Official US Open weather update: “Round 1 remains suspended. Next update: 8:00am. ET.” That’s 1pm UK so we’ll know more in around five minutes. Players currently in the practice areas, working on some chipping and putting.

The very early starters did get a couple of holes in at least. No-one is under par though with the eight-way tie for the lead on evens including Jackson Suber and amateur Ethan Fang. Last June, American Fang won the 130th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s. Both have played just a single hole. Fellow Americans James Nicholas and Caleb Surratt occupy the top two slots on the leaderboard after both managed to par the first two holes.

Let’s go! Oh, maybe not. The weather on Long Island isn’t behaving and play is currently suspended. Players were taken off at 12.05pm UK time due to fog.

The official line is that we’ll get another update in just under 10 minutes.