Fog delays U.S. Open opening round at Shinnecock Hills

Heavy fog turned Shinnecock Hills into a waiting game before Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler could even begin their U.S. Open work. The opening round was suspended roughly 30 minutes into play Thursday on eastern Long Island, with only 14 players completing a hole before officials pushed most tee times back about two hours.

The interruption made the 126th U.S. Open feel less like a sprint and more like an examination of nerve, patience and precision before the day had really started. The championship runs June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, with a 156-player field and more than 200 hours of live coverage across NBC, USA Network, Peacock, NBCSN and Golf Channel.

The weather only sharpened the sense that Shinnecock was ready to punish impatience. High winds were also forecast, and the course carries its own history of demanding exacting shot-making in major championship conditions. When the U.S. Open last visited Shinnecock in 2018, Brooks Koepka won and no player finished under par for the week, a reminder of how quickly the venue can turn small errors into large numbers.

The stoppage also froze a championship that had been built around marquee pairings and layered storylines. McIlroy was grouped with Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Åberg, a trio that brought a European edge to the first two rounds. Another featured group included Koepka, Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup, while Scottie Scheffler waited to start as one of the game’s central figures in a major that rewards control more than bravado.

The early delay did more than interrupt a tee sheet. It underscored how little room Shinnecock leaves for improvisation, especially when the weather can change the course before the leading names have even reached the first green. The USGA raised the purse to $22.5 million, up $1 million from 2025, but the real premium at Shinnecock remained something harder to buy: four days of discipline under pressure.