Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg Both Shot 69: The Wild Strategy Nobody Saw Coming

Yo, listen up! Day one at Shinnecock Hills for the 2026 U.S. Open just dropped a bombshell, and if you weren't watching, you missed some next-level chess being played out there. This course, man, it's got a rep as one of the best, a perfect championship test where good shots get rewarded and bad ones get absolutely punished. We're talking difficult as they come. Even with a two-hour fog delay early Thursday morning, which actually made the afternoon wave play more than a stroke easier than the morning, the real story was the wild difference in how the top guys were attacking it. And two of them, Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg, ended up with the exact same killer score of 1-under 69. You can't make this stuff up!

Shinnecock Hills Doesn't Play Favorites

Seriously, this course is a beast. You need sound decision-making, strategy, and execution just to stay in the game, let alone move up that leaderboard. If you were watching, the cluster of holes from Nos. 9-12 was where all the drama unfolded. It kicked off with the par-4 10th, presenting players with a straight-up fork in the road if they started on the back nine. You could send one down the hill for a wedge back up, or you could lay back, get a clear view of the green, and hit from 180 yards out. Harry Higgs, the very first player on the course, went for the "down the hill" option. And dude, it didn't take long for Shinnecock to deliver a "Welcome to the U.S. Open" moment. He chose wrong.

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This course demands respect, and it punishes even the slightest miscalculation.

Opposite Approaches, Same Score: What Gives?

Here's where it gets wild. While Higgs was learning lessons the hard way, some of the sport's biggest names were playing three different games and somehow landing almost identical scores. Rory McIlroy, for instance, chose to lay back more often than not on Thursday, playing it smart and steady. Then you got Ludvig Åberg, who believed the complete opposite approach was beneficial for his game. Get this, both of them ended up shooting a 1-under 69! Then Tommy Fleetwood, playing the middle ground with his strategy, still managed a super respectable 70. This trio, with their incredibly diverse strategies, combined to shoot the lowest rounds in the morning wave. It just goes to show you there's more than one way to tackle this monster, but it's all about making those decisions count. Oh, and let's not forget Chris Gotterup, a four-time PGA Tour winner, who ripped driver off the very first tee. Few others thought that was viable, and he ended up in the left greenside bunker, unable to get up-and-down for birdie. Bold move, but the course said "not today." So, what's next? The U.S. Open continues, and you bet your bottom dollar we'll be glued to every shot. Day two is gonna be all about who can maintain this focus, who can stick to their game plan, and who can outsmart Shinnecock Hills. Will Rory keep playing it safe? Will Åberg push the envelope even further? We're about to find out, and it's gonna be epic.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.