Wyndham Clark seized a four-stroke lead during the weather-delayed opening round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills on June 19, 2026.
He capitalized on late-day calm conditions after a two-hour morning fog delay altered the course's projected behavior.
The fog delay forced tournament organizers to prepare for anticipated 35mph wind gusts that never arrived.
The diminished winds allowed late starters to find friendlier scoring conditions in the evening sunshine.
Clark moved to six under par with two holes remaining before play was suspended due to darkness.
He entered the major championship in strong form, having secured a victory, a third-place finish, and a 12th-place finish across his previous three tournament appearances.
Starting his round on the back nine, the 2023 champion recorded three birdies before the turn.
He dropped a stroke at the second hole and subsequently carded two birdies and an eagle over his next three holes.
"That two-hour fog delay was very helpful, and it was really nice it (the wind) laid down so it definitely helped those last six, seven holes we played," said Clark, a winner at The Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.
Chasing Pack and Notable Performances
A chasing pack of seven players trailing Clark includes former champions Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Gary Woodland, and Dustin Johnson.
All were scheduled to return Friday to finish their opening rounds.
Among the competitors, only American players Sam Stevens, Max McGreevy, and amateur golfer Ryder Cowan successfully completed their full rounds with scores of 68.
World number two Rory McIlroy also remained in contention by finishing his opening round under par.
That marked an 11-stroke improvement compared to his opening round performance at the same venue in 2018.
The Northern Irish golfer highlighted his round on the downwind, 597-yard fifth hole.
He utilized a 396-yard drive and a pitching wedge to 11 feet to secure his first US Open eagle since 2017.
"With the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score," said the world number two, who is seeking to win his first US Open title since making his major breakthrough in 2011.
McIlroy noted that the opening round required discipline to remain competitive rather than falling out of contention early.
He referenced his previous struggles at the course eight years prior.
"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," said McIlroy.
Two-time champion Bryson DeChambeau also sat at one under par with two holes left to complete.
Second-round tee times were delayed by 15 minutes to accommodate the 50 players remaining on the course.
