SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK — The Great Peconic Bay awoke in anger.
In her fury, she released a volley of sea mist that engulfed Shinnecock Hills Golf Club like breakfast. As I mentioned yesterdayas much as we try to resist, we are often reminded that we cannot tame what is intangible. Nature will say her word.
Despite their nature-quiet approach to course setup, the USGA did their best to resist the effects of the Great Peconic in the morning, but had no choice but to rest and suspend play, and it could be argued that they waited too long to do so.
The fog that blanketed the course could not be described as anything but hostile. This was a burst in every sense of the word. This is made extremely clear by the fact that the game was suspended for more than two hours. Such an opening feels like an omen because this was always meant to be the fate of the US Open at Shinnecock.
From a visual perspective, if you look at Long Island on a map, it looks a lot like a lobster claw. If you’re not familiar with lobster anatomy, the pincer is the smaller and narrower of the two lobster claws. Its purpose is to tear and shred whatever it chooses to eat. Shinnecock’s location on Long Island sits right in the middle of the “lobster back,” meaning its only possible fate is to be broken up and swallowed.
This tournament was destined to be very messy.
Almost immediately after the suspension of fog was lifted the winds came. As is often the case, worse begets worse.
So while the USGA didn’t want to see players struggling too much, the elements clearly felt differently. Throughout the morning and afternoon, winds picked up to 30 mph and with them came the version of Shinnecock we’ve been waiting for all along because, at its core, Shinnecock is what it is: a landscaped golf course. William Flynn understood this and left all who might dare to play Shinnecock to the elements.
If Thursday proved anything, it’s that the USGA has nailed this fix. Some will be upset by the number of red figures on the leaderboard, but riding the conditions rather than trying to recover a course was always the plan.
In conversations with a number of players and their representation during the morning round, they clearly alluded to the notion that the USGA really couldn’t have pushed the course much further without becoming unplayable. Throughout the day, the wider fairways and softer greens looked essential to ensure there wasn’t a repeat of last year’s Oakmont, where Sunday’s conditions made the course an absolute sloppier course (and not in a good way).
The main takeaway, though, is pretty simple: Despite the fog delay and strong winds, Shinnecock played “tough but fair,” in the words of MyGolfSpy senior editor Sean Fairholm.
On the one hand, the front 9 par 3s played extremely difficult. No. 2 was the sixth hardest hole on the first day (3.30 stroke average) and no. 7, the treacherous redan, was the third hardest (3.48). There were several cases, especially in no. 7, where tee shots bounced uncomfortably out of the sky.
On the other hand, Keith Mitchell’s roller coaster round, where he shot a 6-over 41 on the front nine and a 6-under 29 on the back nine, was emblematic of Shinnecock’s double. Opportunities clearly exist, and so does adversity. We usually see good rounds going south, not the other way around.
Speaking of compelling stories, we have to talk about Scottie Scheffler. The effects of the Great Peconic contributed to another slow start to the opener, a trend we’ve seen nearly all season. Scheffler finished his opening round with a 2-over 74 and, at one point, was 4-over on the day. Scheffler’s slow starts have certainly been a source of frustration and, through another lively post-round exchange with his longtime trainer Randy Smith, we’re seeing those frustrations boil over.
Another developing story is how players are choosing to attack the greens. As I mentioned yesterday, the ghost of Martin Kaymer’s 2014 Pinehurst performance is present at Shinnecock. Adam Scott, Jon Rahm and several others have repeatedly chosen to leave the greens in windy conditions.
With a number of players still on the course and having to complete their rounds on Friday morning, the leaderboard so far is stacked with the exception of Wyndham Clark at 6-under, four shots ahead of seven players at 2 under (Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick are the leaders in that group). Clark, the 2023 US Open champion, had been in the wilderness until a recent win at the Byron Nelson, followed by two strong starts at the Memorial and Canadian Open. He’s hot right now, but there’s a lot of golf left to play.
With little division among the players, one thing is clear: the main enemy to conquer is not Shinnecock. It is the Great Peconic Bay—and Shakespeare’s words again become eerily prophetic.
“When the battle is lost and won…
Right is wrong, and wrong is right:
Hover through mist and foul air.”
