Wyndham Clark plays his tee shot on hole 1 during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google Maybe Shinnecock Hills isn’t so scary after all.
The 7,440 links course that has humbled the world’s best was conquered by Wyndham Clark, who blew open the first round of the 2026 U.S. Open at 6 under through 16 holes.
With the sun going down, officials suspended play at 8:25 p.m. ET, so Clark will face the challenge of waking up early to finish his Round 1 before the task of another 18 on Friday.
The 2023 U.S. Open winner is now the +330 odds-on favorite at DraftKings, making a lengthy leap up the oddsboard from opening at 45/1.
He benefited from a later tee time that brought him softened wind conditions. He almost holed an albatross on his approach shot on the par-5 14th, but settled for an eagle to reach 6 under.
He holds a four-stroke lead over seven other players tied for 2 under, which includes Sam Stevens, Ryder Cowan, Max McGreevy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland and Jon Rahm.
Fitzpatrick, Johnson, Woodland and Rahm — all of whom are former U.S. Open champions — did not finish their rounds, either.
Rahm holds the next-best odds to win his third major after marking his ball location in the rough of the 13th hole.
Oddsmakers are favoring pedigree as Rory McIlroy, who fired a 1-under-par 69 and is tied with eight other players, is next available at +740. He missed out on Clark’s luxury of afternoon delight as the reigning two-time Masters winner capped off the day with back-to-back bogeys, but an eagle at the par-5 fifth ultimately kept him in contention.
It’s a step in the right direction since McIlroy shot a 10-over 80 in the first round of the last U.S. Open at Shinnecock.
Fitzpatrick, +770, will open his day with an 11-foot birdie putt, then one more hole to play.
Scottie Scheffler finished with a 2-over 72, but is still a threat with the fifth-best odds at +1275.
Jon Rahm, of Spain, waves after a putt during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert Johnson surged into a share of the lead at 2 under after opening with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 1 and 2.
The two-time major champion had struggled gravely in recent majors, missing five of his last 10 cuts with just one top-25 finish in that span.
Cowan is the only amateur of 17 players who sit below par heading into Friday.
The 21-year-old amateur, a two-time All-American at Oklahoma who survived a 3-for-2 qualifying playoff just to reach the field, hit all eight fairways on the back nine and is gaining about 1.5 strokes on the greens.
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
