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In the first round of his first bid to complete the career Grand Slam, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler went on a bit of a rollercoaster ride.
Scheffler's scorecard featured every number from two through six, as he made four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey to post 2-over 72 Thursday at the 126th U.S. Open on an exceptionally windy day at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, with a steady breeze of 20 mph and gusts nearing 40 mph.
"Any time you get conditions like this, I think the scores are going to be high. It's an interesting golf course," said Scheffler, who didn't qualify for the 2018 U.S. Open, the last time the event was played at Shinnecock. "Part of the challenge so far is judging the conditions as well, judging how this course is going to play. I feel like this course can change pretty rapidly from day to day. I think that's also part of the challenge of the tournament is adjusting to those conditions."
Scheffler opened with three straight pars before going bogey-birdie-bogey at Nos. 4-6. On the eighth, he broke the golden rule of Shinnecock: avoid the native grass at all costs. His tee shot found the wispy fescue, ultimately leading to a three-putt double bogey and a 3-over 38 on the front nine. The back nine was much better, as Scheffler made birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 17 to offset a pair of bogeys and come home in 1-under 34.
"It was a really challenging day," Scheffler said. "If you told me when I was staring at my par putt on 9 that I would post 2-over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time. Overall it was a good battle. Get some rest, and we'll see how the course changes over the next day."
This week marks Scheffler's first crack at the career Grand Slam after he won both the PGA Championship and the British Open last year to go along with his pair of Masters wins. He's already had several close calls at the U.S. Open in recent years, most notably at Brookline in 2022 when he finished in a tie for second, losing to Matt Fitzpatrick by one shot.
Slow starts have plagued Scheffler all season and kept him out of the winner's circle since January. While Thursday's first round certainly didn't put him in prime position to win, there's a long way to go and with windy conditions expected to persist throughout the weekend on Long Island, he's far from out of it.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: US Open 2026: Scottie Scheffler shoots 72 in first round at Shinnecock
Continue reading...
Scheffler's scorecard featured every number from two through six, as he made four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey to post 2-over 72 Thursday at the 126th U.S. Open on an exceptionally windy day at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, with a steady breeze of 20 mph and gusts nearing 40 mph.
"Any time you get conditions like this, I think the scores are going to be high. It's an interesting golf course," said Scheffler, who didn't qualify for the 2018 U.S. Open, the last time the event was played at Shinnecock. "Part of the challenge so far is judging the conditions as well, judging how this course is going to play. I feel like this course can change pretty rapidly from day to day. I think that's also part of the challenge of the tournament is adjusting to those conditions."
Scheffler opened with three straight pars before going bogey-birdie-bogey at Nos. 4-6. On the eighth, he broke the golden rule of Shinnecock: avoid the native grass at all costs. His tee shot found the wispy fescue, ultimately leading to a three-putt double bogey and a 3-over 38 on the front nine. The back nine was much better, as Scheffler made birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 17 to offset a pair of bogeys and come home in 1-under 34.
"It was a really challenging day," Scheffler said. "If you told me when I was staring at my par putt on 9 that I would post 2-over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time. Overall it was a good battle. Get some rest, and we'll see how the course changes over the next day."
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This week marks Scheffler's first crack at the career Grand Slam after he won both the PGA Championship and the British Open last year to go along with his pair of Masters wins. He's already had several close calls at the U.S. Open in recent years, most notably at Brookline in 2022 when he finished in a tie for second, losing to Matt Fitzpatrick by one shot.
Slow starts have plagued Scheffler all season and kept him out of the winner's circle since January. While Thursday's first round certainly didn't put him in prime position to win, there's a long way to go and with windy conditions expected to persist throughout the weekend on Long Island, he's far from out of it.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: US Open 2026: Scottie Scheffler shoots 72 in first round at Shinnecock
Continue reading...
