World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy lead the opening round at the season’s third major, with the historic Shinnecock Hills links already separating contenders from pretenders.
S. 1 Rory McIlroy followed at 2 under at Shinnecock Hills. ’s round included five birdies against just two bogeys, with key pars at the par-4 14th and par-3 17th helping him navigate the course’s notorious wind and firm turf.
McIlroy, playing ahead of the leaders, posted a bogey-free 68, his only dropped shot a rare three-putt at the par-5 2nd. Both players capitalized on the softer morning conditions before gusts picked up mid-afternoon, when the rest of the field faced a stiffer examination. Xander Schauffele, the 2024 PGA Championship runner-up, sits alone at 2 under after a 68 that featured a late eagle at the 16th, while Viktor Hovland matched McIlroy’s score with a 68 of his own.
S. Open champion, sits at 1 under after a 70 that included a double bogey at the 13th but was rescued by birdies at the 15th and 18th. 3 in the world, opened with a 71, his lone bogey coming at the 8th, while defending champion Wyndham Clark struggled to a 73 with three bogeys in his first seven holes.
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The pair will play the final two holes in the dark if their rounds extend past sunset, as Shinnecock’s evening light fades quickly under the trees. The forecast calls for clearing skies and steady winds up to 15 mph, with gusts potentially reaching 20 mph by late afternoon. " Scheffler, meanwhile, downplayed the significance of the early lead, noting that "a lot can change in a major," especially at a venue where even the best players can find trouble in the rough or among the undulating bunkers.
The opening round at Shinnecock Hills underscored the tournament’s reputation for brutal scoring conditions. S. Open’s most iconic venues—Oakmont, Pebble Beach, and now Shinnecock—reward precision over power, and Thursday’s results reflected that trend.
Scheffler and McIlroy’s ability to avoid major mistakes while capitalizing on manageable pin positions set them apart from a field that included multiple major winners and top-ranked players. The early struggles of defending champion Wyndham Clark and the missed cuts of several high-profile names reinforced the idea that Shinnecock’s par-70 layout demands a specific skill set: iron play that can thread the needle between aggression and caution, and a putting stroke that can handle slopes that break at angles unseen elsewhere on the PGA Tour. Shinnecock’s greens, baked hard by a week of dry, windy conditions, punished even subtle misreads.
Players who tried to overpower approach shots found themselves chasing putts from 30 feet uphill, while those who dialed back their expectations and focused on two-putting were rewarded. S. Open: the course isn’t just tough—it’s actively hostile to inconsistency.
With the field thinning out over the weekend, the players who survive will be the ones who treat every shot like it’s the only one that matters. Thursday’s round also revealed the psychological toll of Shinnecock’s layout. The course’s undulating bunkers and exposed greens force players into uncomfortable decisions on nearly every hole.
Even top-ranked players like Rahm and Hovland, who thrive on aggressive play, were forced into conservative strategies to avoid compounding errors. S. Open is as much about managing frustration as it is about executing shots, and Shinnecock’s design amplifies both.
The early leaderboard also exposed the vulnerability of even the most dominant players. Scheffler’s lead, while commanding, is built on a round played under ideal conditions. The forecasted 20-mph gusts on Friday could erase that advantage overnight, turning a three-shot cushion into a single-shot lead—or worse.
McIlroy’s bogey-free 68, meanwhile, masks the fact that he left at least two birdie chances untapped, a reminder that even the best players are being held to a near-perfect standard by Shinnecock’s design. The stage is set for a weekend where the smallest misstep could derail a major contender. Read at NewsAPI.org
Early leaderboards at a major set the narrative for the entire tournament, and Thursday’s results at Shinnecock Hills already show the depth of the field. With Scheffler and McIlroy in contention, the pressure is on the chasing pack to keep pace, while the defending champion and past winners face an immediate test of their major credentials. For fans, the live scores and tee times provide a real-time gauge of who’s rising and who’s fading in the season’s third major. The brutal conditions at Shinnecock have forced the best players to confront their own limitations, making this a tournament where even the smallest mistake can derail a round—and a career-defining major. The psychological pressure of Shinnecock’s layout adds another layer of difficulty, ensuring that only the most mentally resilient players will survive the weekend.
NewsAPI.orgsports.yahoo.comBy Ryan YoungJun 18, 12:30 PMen
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