Who Controls the Course
Play at the U.S. Open was stopped by fog Thursday morning at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, after 30 minutes of the first round, with the USGA forcing the pause when low visibility made the course unplayable. Fourteen players managed to post scores — no birdies among them — before the horn sounded to stop play. They were kept on the course for 15 minutes, and when conditions did not improve, they were brought back in.
The first round resumed after a two-hour delay. It was the first time the opening round of the U.S. Open was delayed by fog since 2021 at Torrey Pines in San Diego, which is known for its “June Gloom.” That delay lasted 90 minutes and the first round was not complete until the next morning. That will be the case again at Shinnecock Hills.
Who Waits, Who Decides
James Nicholas was to hit the opening tee shot and walked over to the starter to ask if they were still on time. “I just wanted to make sure,” Nicholas said. “I can’t see the fairway.” The fairways are wide enough — an average width of 48 yards this year — that no one had any trouble finding their golf balls. But when the par-3 11th green and some landing areas were hard to see, officials had no choice.
The scene was a tidy little demonstration of hierarchy: players waiting, starters checking time, officials making the call, and everyone else adjusting to the apparatus. The course itself had been prepared by the USGA for the anticipation of strong wind, with gusts potentially approaching 40 mph. The wind Thursday morning was not strong enough to move the fog.
The Star Names Still Waited
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who is trying to complete the career Grand Slam with a U.S. Open title, and Rory McIlroy were among those on the range ahead of their morning tee times. Their presence sat alongside the stoppage, a reminder that even the biggest names are still subject to the same suspended schedule when the governing body decides conditions are not fit.
Chase Kyes lined up a putt on the first hole during the first round, Matthew Jordan was off the green after play was suspended, a sign on the third hole showed play was suspended, and Jackson Suber hit from the fairway on the first hole. The round’s start was slowed, then stopped, then pushed back again, with the day organized around the decisions of the tournament authority rather than the players on the ground.
The opening round’s fog delay at Shinnecock Hills followed the same pattern seen in 2021 at Torrey Pines, where the first round was not complete until the next morning. At Shinnecock Hills, the same timetable now hangs over the event again, with the course and its players made to wait for conditions and for the people running the show to say when the show can continue.