Shinnecock Hills is not a golf course that lets you shoot 64. It’s a golf course that laughs at you for trying. Wyndham Clark didn’t get the memo. In Round 1 of the 2026 US Open, in the wind, interrupted by fog thick enough to suspend play for hours, he shot the lowest opening round in Shinnecock Hills US Open history. Six under par. The record books had to be updated.
How It Unfolded
Play at Shinnecock was suspended Thursday due to heavy fog, with Clark sitting at 6-under through 16 holes when the hooter sounded. He returned Friday morning to par the final two holes and complete his 64. The two-hour fog delay, the wind, the restart — none of it seemed to matter. He finished two shots clear of the field.
The Record
Clark’s 64 is the lowest opening round score in the history of US Opens held at Shinnecock Hills, and the second-lowest score in any US Open round at the venue — one behind Tommy Fleetwood’s closing 63 in 2018. Given what Shinnecock typically does to people, that context matters. This wasn’t a soft, receptive course playing short. This was Shinnecock, in the wind, doing what Shinnecock does — and Clark doing something it rarely allows.
Why It’s Ballsy
Clark is the 2023 US Open champion. He’s been here before in the biggest moments. But this round at Shinnecock in fog and wind is a different kind of statement — the kind that sets the tone for an entire major. Eight players sit at 2-under including Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, and Matt Fitzpatrick. They’re four shots back. Four.
Shinnecock gives nothing for free. Clark took six birdies anyway. That takes some balls.
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