Southampton, NY. After winning this year’s Masters Rory McIlroy re-established himself as a man on a mission – building a lasting legacy in golf. Defending his title at Augusta was a clear moment of accomplishment — only three other players have accomplished that rare feat (Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods).

The win also pushed him to six total majors — placing him alongside the likes of Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson.

The return to Shinnecock Hills for McIlroy was also something etched in his memory banks from what he failed to do when competing in the 2018 championship hosted there.

McIlroy scored an opening round 80 and even though he improved by ten shots the second day with a round of 70, he was heading home after missing the cut.

The McIlroy who arrived at the 2026 US Open has a fixed mindset — stay focused on the biggest of events (hint / hint – the majors).

McIlroy is 37 years old now and while he’s still in his competitive prime, it’s also fair to say he’s already played more majors than he has left to play as a primary contender.

His opening round at the 126th US Open was a combination of superior shots mixed in with a few head-scratching blunders that cost him bogeys late in the round.

A superlative eagle at the par-5 5th (his 14th hole of the round since he started play on the 10th) pushed him to -3 for the championship and into the solo lead.

But his respective approaches to the 8th and 9th were poorly executed and he concluded play with consecutive bogies for a final score of 69.

McIlroy played the opening round with fellow Ryder Cup players Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Åberg with the Englishman scoring 70 and the Swede 69 respectively.

In winning the 2025 Masters the burden in not having won a major since the PGA Championship in 2014 was finally lifted.

McIlroy was keen enough to admit that you don’t win major championships in round one but can certainly take yourself out of contention with a poorly played opening score.

***

Round 1 of the 126th US Open was suspended due to darkness at 8:25 p.m.2023 US Open champion Wyndham Clark is at the top of the leaderboard at -6 through 16 holes of play. He has two remaining holes to play at the 8th and 9th. His play started on the back nine.

Four players at -2 will need to complete their rounds Friday morning. That quartet includes Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick and Gary Woodland. An interesting side note – all of the aforementioned golfers have won past US Opens.

***

McIlroy won his only US Open in 2011 with a record 72-hole score of 268 at a slow and wet Congressional CC in Maryland.

That will not be the case with Shinnecock Hills this week. The weather forecast for the balance of the championship calls for sunny conditions and steady wind – at times with velocities exceeding 25 mph. Remaining patient and playing golf shots with the highest percentage of success will be needed.

The Rory McIlroy of 2026 is well aware of what he will need to do with 54 holes of golf remaining.

The mission for round one was to keep himself in the fray. That has happened. Round two will have him play in the afternoon period and conditions during that time could be as challenging, if not more so, than what he encountered Thursday.

There is little doubt Shinnecock Hills will be a relentless foe. McIlroy’s test will be to remain patient — curbing his desire in attempting shots his talent can pull off but often times are far too risky given the penalties that can happen.

The Rory story.

Like any good book it’s a page turner.

***

What’s next?

50 players will return at 6:35 Friday morning to complete their first rounds, with all second-round tee times pushed back 15 minutes. The Top 60 golfers (and ties) will advance to Saturday’s third round.

While winds are expected to ease slightly, history suggests the course won’t get much easier — only three players have ever finished under par for 72 holes across the venue’s five previous US Opens.

Notable

• The only players to lead a US Open by 4+ strokes at the conclusion of the first round are Olin Dutra (4 shots in 1932) and Tommy Armour (5 shots in 1933). Neither player went on to win, finishing T-4 and T-7, respectively.

• The last player to lead any major championship by 4+ shots at the conclusion of the first round was Justin Rose at the 2021 Masters. He ended up in seventh place. In fact, 10 players in history have led a major by at least 4 shots at the end of the first round — only two went on to win (Craig Wood at the 1941 Masters and James Barnes at the 1925 Open Championship).

• The average score in the early wave of players was 73.87, while the late wave players were averaging more than a stroke less, at 72.67, when play concluded Thursday evening.

• Twenty-four of the last 27 US Open champions were either leading or were within four shots of the lead at the conclusion of Round 1. Each of the last five champions were either leading or were within two shots of the leader at the end of Round 1.

• James Nicholas, a Korn Ferry Tour member from Scarsdale, N.Y., had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot. Nicholas is a Yale University alum who briefly played football at the Ivy League school before focusing on golf. Nicholas is also credited with the first birdie of the championship, which came from 49 feet on the third hole.

• Jon Rahm has a chance to post the first bogey-free round at Shinnecock since the 2004 US Open. He currently has two birdies and 11 pars. He is facing a 72-yard third shot on the par-5 fifth hole.

• Keith Mitchell became the seventh player in US Open history to shoot a 29 for nine holes, and the second to achieve it at Shinnecock Hills (Neal Lancaster on the second nine in 1995). What’s remarkable is that Mitchell, who started on No. 10, opened with a 6-over 41 on the back nine, then turned around and shot 29 with four birdies and an eagle 3 on the par-5 fifth. He closed his round with a 9-footer at the 9th hole. He’s also the first player in championship history to play nine holes in the 20s and nine holes in the 40s during the same round.

• There were no bogey-free rounds in the morning wave with Ben James, a member of two victorious USA Walker Cup Teams (2023, 2025), going the longest without a blemish (15 holes). In the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills, not a single bogey-free round was registered. James, a Connecticut native, turned professional last week after starring at the University of Virginia for the past four years.

• Professional Jackson Suber is the lone Ole Miss Rebel in this week’s field. Among those supporting from the gallery on Thursday was former Mississippi guard Sean Tuohy, who is better known for his role in the Blind Side (movie and book). Sean (played by Tim McGraw in the movie) and Leanne (played by Sandra Bullock) “adopted” Michael Oher, a football player who went on to play at Ole Miss and eventually in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.

• Viktor Hovland wore a black ribbon on his golf hat on Thursday to honor the recent passing of Norwegian National Team coach Hans Åberg, who had played a prominent role in the country’s development of elite players since 2019.

Related: US Open 2026 – Round 2 Teetimes

The 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, NY.

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