The U.S. Open Schedule Blew Up and Three Guys Are Still A Combined 10 Under

Holy moly, golf fans! You are not going to believe the chaos that has already hit the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. We're talking absolute mayhem. Dense fog on Thursday morning dropped a two-hour delay bomb, completely wrecking the tee times and stopping a bunch of players from even finishing their first rounds! But get this, through all the mess, there's a trio of guys absolutely lighting it up, putting together an incredible performance that nobody could've seen coming with all the delays.

Early Bird Gets... More Golf?

Yep, you heard that right. Thanks to Thursday's fog, some of these pros are hitting the course at 6:35 a.m. ET on Friday to finish their first round. Can you imagine that wake-up call? And then, just fifteen minutes later than initially planned, they roll right into their second-round tee times. Talk about a grind! The group you absolutely have to watch is Wyndham Clark, Dustin Johnson, and Gary Woodland. These guys are an unexpected highlight, combined for a ridiculous 10 under par. They're heading back to the 7th green, with Johnson and Woodland each staring down birdie putts that could get them to 3 under, just three shots behind Clark's lead. They'll wrap up Round 1 on the 9th and then practically sprint to the 1st tee at 7:46 a.m. to keep that insane momentum going. Let's go!

Chasers and Shaky Starts: Who's Making a Move?

It's not just that lead group causing a stir. Matt Fitzpatri

Trade on Every Game with Kalshi

Click Here to sign up to Kalshi — Free $10 when you sign up using our link or use code: ONTAPSEA. The only federally regulated prediction market in the US. Trade on real sports outcomes. Available in all 50 states.

ck, Bryson DeChambeau, and Viktor Hovland are finishing up their final two holes before their 7:45 a.m. tee off on No. 1. Jon Rahm, for his part, has four holes left in his first round before he kicks off his second round with Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose at 8:29 a.m. off No. 10. The afternoon wave has its own drama. Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, and Chris Gotterup all need to buckle down if they want to be around for the weekend, teeing off No. 10 at 1:40 p.m. On the flip side, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, and Tommy Fleetwood are looking solid, ready to build on their good starts when they tee off No. 1 at 2:02 p.m., clearly aiming to hunt down Clark. Even Scottie Scheffler, chasing that career grand slam, had a shaky start with a first-round 72 and needs to kick it into gear when he tees off at 2:24 p.m. off the 10th.

Did the Weather Play Favorites?

Here's the kicker: that Thursday delay actually gave the afternoon wave a massive, unquestioned advantage. The winds died down as they played later into the day. Now the big question for Friday is what the weather has in store. Will that advantage widen, giving certain players an even bigger leg up heading into the weekend? Every single shot matters. This Friday is going to be absolutely wild, with players scrambling to finish rounds, make the cut, and position themselves for a shot at the U.S. Open title. You cannot miss a minute of the action, because who knows what kind of unexpected twists and turns are coming next in this already-bonkers tournament!

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