SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark shattered the 36-hole U.S. Open scoring record at historic Shinnecock Hills on Friday, carding a gritty 1-under 69 t
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark shattered the 36-hole U.S. Open scoring record at historic Shinnecock Hills on Friday, carding a gritty 1-under 69 to reach 7-under par and build a commanding four-stroke lead heading into the weekend.
Shinnecock Hills showed its teeth early on Friday as shifting, gusty winds swept across Long Island. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph battered the early wave of golfers and as a result approach shots routinely ballooned or drifted offline into penal fescue.
The already lightning-fast surfaces dried out rapidly under the midday sun, par became a premium as pins tucked on ridge lines penalized even slightly offline shots.
The chief challenge of the day was managing distance and controlling spin into rock-hard greens. Players struggled to hold the greens with anything longer than a 7-iron, missing the fairway meant guessing how the ball would come out of thick rough. Shifting crosswinds repeatedly knocked short, testy par putts offline.
Clark conquered these elements by putting on a ball-striking clinic. He hit a career-high 15 greens in regulation, effectively removing the stress of Shinnecock’s treacherous green-side collection areas.
The second round was defined by massive leaderboard swings and high-profile collapses.
Xander Schauffele fired a masterful, bogey-free 4-under 66 to vault into a tie for second. Collin Morikawa answered an opening-round 73 with a spectacular 65, the lowest round of Friday.
Jon Rahm (+6): The most shocking collapse of the day. Rahm held a share of the early lead but imploded with a 78. Bryson DeChambeau (+5): Suffered back-to-back double bogeys on holes 3 and 4, missing the weekend cut line (+4) by one shot. Brooks Koepka (+10): The 2018 Shinnecock champion looked completely out of sorts, turning in a 77 to exit early.
Clark sits comfortably at 7 under par, but a formidable chasing pack consisting of Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim, and Sam Stevens sits just four shots back at 3 under. Meanwhile, heavyweights Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy lurk at even par. If the wind keeps blowing, the weekend at Shinnecock promises plenty more drama.
High winds are set to dominate the third round of the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, threatening to bake out the already lightning-fast greens and test the field’s absolute limits. The wind is flipping from Friday’s southwesterly direction to a stiff west-northwest crosswind. This shifts how every single hole plays, rendering players’ yardage notes from the first two rounds obsolete and forcing entirely new club selections off the tee. With full sunshine and zero rain in the forecast, the heavy afternoon gusts will act like a hair dryer on the greens. The USGA will be forced to balance defensive pin positions and green hydration to prevent balls from rolling off the surfaces entirely.
Leader Wyndham Clark and the final pairings will face the absolute worst of it. The wind is expected to peak in the mid-to-late afternoon, meaning the leaders must play survival golf while early starters might post a low score before the course becomes truly diabolical.
Photo: Instagram
Radu Roman
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