Wyndham Clark opened the U.S. Open with the lowest round of the day at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., putting his name at the top of the board when the tournament began on Thursday, June 18, 2026. He was shown waving after his putt on the 18th hole, a finish that matched the scale of the moment.
That result is why Joaquín Niemann is drawing search interest now: the opening round was the first hard marker of form at one of golf's sternest stages, and Clark set it. The round came during the first day at Shinnecock Hills, where every mistake can change the shape of a championship before it has really started.
Clark's score was good enough to lead the field after one round, even if the exact number is not spelled out in the available details. On a course where control matters from the opening tee shot to the final putt, that is the kind of start that forces everyone else to chase.
There was still a hint of unfinished business in the way the day closed. Clark had two good looks at history Friday morning and settled for the lowest opening round, which leaves the sharper question hanging over the rest of the tournament: was this merely a fast start, or the first sign of a week that could belong to him?
Other moments from the round showed how demanding Shinnecock can be. Dustin Johnson was shown watching his tee shot on the sixth hole, Gary Woodland was shown hitting from the tall fescue on the fourth hole, Scottie Scheffler reacted after missing a putt on the 13th hole, and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walked off the tee on the 12th hole. Clark, though, left the first round with the one thing everyone else wanted most: the lowest opening score and the early lead in a U.S. Open that has only just begun.
