Former world No. 1 Jason Day withdrew from the 126th U. S.
Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Thursday after completing just 10 holes due to a severe back injury.
The 38-year-old Australian golfer struggled significantly before pulling out, racking up six consecutive bogeys starting at the 13th hole to sit at 7-over par.
The United States Golf Association subsequently announced his official withdrawal, marking the 12th time Day has withdrawn from a tournament during his professional career.
Day was seen reaching for his back in discomfort during his final tee shot before being carted back to the clubhouse alongside his caddie.
The 13-time PGA Tour winner previously expressed immense frustration regarding his performance difficulties prior to entering the major championship tournament.
"To be honest, I would say that a lot of the stress and pressure that I'm feeling is because I can't get the ball on the green," said Day.
Day elaborated on his mechanical struggles following a recently missed cut at the Memorial Tournament earlier in the month.
"I'm playing to miss a shot instead of playing to a target, just because I don't know what the ball's going to really do once it comes off the club face," said Day.
The Australian golfer remained optimistic about a future turnaround despite his mounting struggles during the 2026 season.
"So I think at some point I'll get beyond it.
It's really hard to be patient right now because every tournament I typically have three decent rounds and one bad round that just puts me out of the tournament.
I'm in the 30 to 60 finish position-wise. It's been a tough year," said Day.
Brutal Scoring Conditions at Shinnecock Hills
Beyond Day's withdrawal, the opening round of the tournament presented brutal scoring conditions for the field at Shinnecock Hills, which was initially delayed for nearly two hours by a thick blanket of fog.
Current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished his opening round at 2-over par after battling a double bogey on the 8th hole and a bogey on the 13th hole.
"You had to be hitting a great shot if you wanted to avoid a punishment … I think 'good' would put you in some tough spots," said Scheffler.
Scheffler noted the volatile nature of the major championship venue as windier conditions are expected to impact the course throughout the upcoming weekend.
"Overall, yeah, it was a really challenging day," said Scheffler.
Scheffler reflected on his position heading into the second round of play.
"If you told me when I was staring at my par putt on No.9 that I would post 2-over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time.
I feel like this course can change pretty rapidly from day to day.
That's also part of the challenge of the tournament is adjusting to those conditions," said Scheffler.
