Scottie Scheffler opened the U.S. Open with a gritty 72 at Shinnecock Hills, where wind, fog and thick rough made survival feel like a Round 1 victory Thursday.
Scottie Scheffler’s U.S. Open chase didn’t begin with fireworks, it began with fog, wind, blind approaches, deep rough and a whole lot of patience.
The World No. 1 opened Thursday at Shinnecock Hills with a 2-over 72, a score that won’t jump off the leaderboard but might age better than it looked in the moment.
On a course made difficult by 25 mph winds and a two-hour fog delay, Scheffler walked away four shots behind early leader Sam Stevens and very much alive in his pursuit of the career Grand Slam.
That alone made the round feel like a small win.
Scheffler’s day stretched into a five-and-a-half-hour grind, and it rarely gave him a chance to breathe.
The U.S. Open setup at Shinnecock Hills was unusual in some ways, with more receptive greens and slower speeds than players often see at this championship.
But the wind kept the scoring from getting comfortable, and the rough punished anything even slightly offline.
For Scheffler, the biggest trouble came on the front nine. He made the turn at 3 over after a costly double bogey on the par-4 eighth, where a missed fairway led to a bunker recovery and then a three-putt. It was the kind of sequence that can derail a major championship round in a hurry.
Instead, Scheffler steadied himself.
He saved par at No. 9, then played the back nine in 34 with three birdies.
His short game helped keep the round from slipping away, including a sand save at No. 18 that allowed him to sign for 72 instead of leaving the course with even more frustration.
The most telling moment may have come at the par-5 16th, which played nothing like the scoring opportunity players expect from a par 5. Into the wind and uphill, the hole became one of the toughest tests on the course.
Scheffler’s fairway wood left him in a bunker roughly 150 yards short of the green, forcing him to jump just to see the flag from well below the fairway. He eventually made bogey there, one more reminder that Shinnecock was going to demand more than clean ball-striking.
Scheffler didn’t sound beaten afterward. He sounded realistic. On a day when “good” shots could still lead to uncomfortable places, posting 2 over after that rough front nine was something he could live with.
The leaderboard reflected the difficulty. Stevens recovered from a double bogey on his opening hole and shot 2-under 68 to grab the early lead.
Rory McIlroy, still chasing his second U.S. Open title, opened with a 69 that included an eagle on the par-5 fifth and a strong recovery after trouble on the fourth. Ludvig Åberg, Brian Harman, Max Greyserman and Ben James also posted 69s.
Defending champion J.J. Spaun struggled to a 77, while Jason Day withdrew during his opening round because of a back injury after reaching 7 over through 10 holes.
For Scheffler, the bigger picture is simple. He needs a U.S. Open victory to complete the career Grand Slam, and Shinnecock Hills is not the kind of place where a tournament is won on Thursday.
It’s the kind of place where contenders survive one ugly stretch, avoid the blowup number and stay close enough to strike when conditions change.
That’s exactly what Scheffler did.
He wasn’t sharp all day. He wasn’t in control all day. He certainly didn’t look comfortable all day. But he battled his way back from 3 over, protected the round late and kept himself within reach.
At a U.S. Open, especially one played in this kind of wind, that matters.
Scheffler left the course tied for 75th, but the number was more important than the position. At 2 over, he’s not chasing from the parking lot. He’s chasing from close enough to matter.
And at Shinnecock Hills, close enough after Round 1 might be exactly where a player like Scottie Scheffler needs to be.
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