(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
US Open 2026 Starts Slowly as Fog Disrupts Play at Shinnecock Hills
The opening round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills got off to a delayed and unusual start on Thursday morning after thick fog disrupted play just 30 minutes into the round.
Only 14 players were able to complete their early scoring attempts, and none managed to record a birdie before officials suspended play due to extremely poor visibility. Players were initially kept on the course for about 15 minutes in hopes that conditions would improve, but as the fog remained heavy, tournament officials decided to bring them back in.
Visibility issues were clear from the beginning. James Nicholas, scheduled to hit the opening tee shot, even checked with the starter before beginning play to confirm the schedule, saying, “I can’t see the fairway.”
Although Shinnecock Hills features wide fairways—averaging around 48 yards in width—players had difficulty seeing key landing areas, including the par-3 11th green. This made it unsafe to continue play under tournament conditions.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, aiming to complete the career Grand Slam with a U.S. Open victory, and Rory McIlroy were among the top players present at the practice range ahead of their scheduled tee times.
This is not the first time fog has impacted the U.S. Open. The last weather-related delay due to fog occurred in 2021 at Torrey Pines in San Diego, where “June Gloom” conditions halted play for about 90 minutes.
The USGA had prepared the course with expectations of strong winds reaching up to 40 mph, but instead, calm conditions allowed the fog to linger longer than expected.
Play is expected to resume once visibility improves.
