👋 {{readername | Hey, golf fans}},

There is a popular Brian Reith song that we kept thinking about as players rose to the top at Shinnecock. Wyndham Clark reached 4-under, then 6-under, and now leads after a weather-delayed first round, while an amateur lurks near the top for the first time in years. We’re also covering Scottie’s amazing shot, some brutal misses, and more from the Thursday round. Oh, and we have our best- and worst-dressed golfers from the opening round.

Let’s get swinging…

Wyndham Clark arrived at Shinnecock to find redemption. And the day greatly favored him. By the time he teed up at 3:36 PM, the fog had all but disappeared. The wind had died down. The scoring average, too, fell from 73.87 in the morning to 72.88 in the afternoon.

Shinnecock was at its weakest, and Wyndham took full advantage of it. Starting on the back nine, the 2023 champion made the turn at 3-under. On the fifth, Clark made an eagle and moved four clear of everyone in the field—watch the spectacular approach that set it up.

After play was suspended due to darkness late in the evening, Clark sat at six under with two holes left to play. When he returns to complete the round on Friday morning, a birdie on either will give him a 63 and tie the course record. Moreover, according to Justin Ray, if Wyndham is still four or more strokes clear when the first round ends, it’ll be the biggest 18‑hole lead at the U.S. Open since 1933.

It won’t be easy.

Also, three LIV players are inside the top 10: Dustin Johnson (T2/-2), Jon Rahm (T2/-2), and Bryson DeChambeau (T9/-1). But none had a more dramatic round than Keith Mitchell (T18/E). He shot 41 on the front nine, followed by a 29 coming in for an even‑par 70. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy (T9/-1) posted a 69. Scottie Scheffler is tied for 49th after a 2-over 72.

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Dauntingly beautiful: Scottie Scheffler (T49/+2) found himself marooned in a tangle of fescue on the par-4 fourth. With the ball sitting on the swaying grass, he hit a gorgeous shot that checked up just a few feet from a greenside bunker. But you know what’s better? The aerial camera offered a god’s-eye view that seemed straight out of an Andrei Tarkovsky film kino. We present the dauntingly beautiful shot in all its glory below.

Like a rolling stone: After finding the left side of the fairway, Cameron Young (T49/+2) went flag-hunting from 141 yards on the first hole. Shinnecock handed him a reality check. He found the green, but the ball rolled miles away—watch it here.

This close: Shinnecock Hills has only produced two aces in the U.S. Open, and the last one came in 2004. Yesterday, amateur Vaughn Harber (T113/+5) almost made number three on the 17th. Watch how tantalizingly close the 20‑year‑old was.

Brutal: Dustin Johnson (T2/-2) is playing his best in a major in eons, yet Shinnecock couldn’t care less. On the sixth, he stood over a two‑foot putt that looked destined to drop. Look what happened instead. We feel for you, DJ.

Scorn: Billy Horschel (T72/+3) chipped to the green on the par-5 fifth. The ball went past the pin, hooked left, and then rolled away from the green toward the downslope. Horschel tried again. This time, the outcome was totally different—watch the 44-second disaster here.

Elsewhere:

Last Poll Result: 69% of you said the USGA was right to delay the golf ball rollback. Check out what your fellow readers think.

Jason Day walks out of the U.S. Open mid-round. Day was seen leaving on a golf cart following complaints of a months-long injury.

Scottie Scheffler sounds disappointed after shooting 2-over in the opening round. He also felt good shots weren’t rewarded.

LIV Golf stars finally pony up fines owed to the Tour. Previously, they had resigned their membership.

Let’s size up the sartorial winners and losers from round one.

Winner 🏅: After that poor PGA Championship choice—yes, that damn puffy jacket—Bryson DeChambeau turned up in a color‑blocked polo of pale blue and white, matched with deep‑blue trousers. He was also spotted wearing unreleased Reebok golf shoes. According to Bleacher Report, Bryson was one of the minds behind the design.

All of this, including a new driver, is done in an effort to help him with speed and power. And turns out, it did help. On Thursday, Bryson one-upped himself by shooting a 427-yard drive. Yes, 427. Take a look below.

Loser 😞: Unfortunately, Bryson’s bestie, Brooks Koepka (T72/+3), went the other direction. Someone at Nike HQ floated the idea of draping Brooks in the $100 Dri-FIT Golf Polo. It has a tacky pink‑and‑white palette with vertical stripes.

Fellow golf writer Kyle Porter tweeted that if you have five majors, you must have the power to veto Nike’s choice. We wholeheartedly second that. Just take two seconds and check this side-by-side comparison of Brooks’s polo and Seinfeld’s inside-out jacket, and you’ll feel the same. One fan likened it to the candy‑striped uniforms once worn by hospital volunteers.

We’ve got something better for you, Brooksie—here.

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