James Nicholas did not need long to give this U.S. Open a human thread.
After Shinnecock Hills spent the morning hidden under fog, Nicholas moved into the first knot of players under par in the opening round, a small early number with a decent amount of meaning attached to it. At a championship where the weather, the course and the waiting superstars had dominated the build-up, the first flicker of scoreboard life came from a New York qualifier who had already earned his place the hard way.
It is still far too early to make sweeping claims about a U.S. Open leaderboard. But that is not the point. The opening hours at Shinnecock were never going to tell us who would win. They were going to tell us who could settle fastest after a strange, stop-start beginning, and Nicholas was one of the first to do it.
A Local Qualifier With The Right Kind Of Nerve
Nicholas, from Scarsdale, N.Y., came through Golf’s Longest Day for the second straight year, with the USGA noting before the championship that he had also advanced from local and final qualifying in 2025 before making the cut at Oakmont.
That background matters because Shinnecock does not usually reward players who arrive hoping simply to enjoy the week. It asks for immediate competitive clarity. Nicholas had the added layer of hitting the opening tee shot in conditions so murky that he told the Associated Press, “I can’t see the fairway.” That is a pretty honest way to begin a national championship.
Once play resumed after the opening fog delay at Shinnecock, the rhythm of the day changed. The leaderboard began to move, but slowly, and with the course already warning players against impatience. Nicholas making an early birdie and sitting among the first players at one under was not a declaration. It was a reminder that the first round often belongs to the players who accept the awkwardness quickest.
Shinnecock Is Already Refusing To Be Tidy
The broader story remains the same: this is a U.S. Open that looks ready to make every simple thing feel slightly complicated. The official championship site was still carrying a weather watch for high winds, while live scoring showed only a handful of players under par in the early stages.
That makes Nicholas’ start more interesting, not less. At a venue where pars can begin to feel like progress, getting under par before the day has found its full shape is a useful marker. It is also the kind of early line that can disappear quickly if Shinnecock hardens, the wind arrives, or the afternoon wave gets the wrong side of the draw.
ReadGolf had already noted how the championship had moved from forecast to fight once play finally began. Nicholas’ start fits that transition neatly. It was not about power, theatre or reputation. It was about getting on with the job while everyone else was still recalibrating the day.
The Bigger Names Still Have Their Say Coming
There is no shortage of weight still to arrive. Scottie Scheffler’s career Grand Slam chase, Rory McIlroy’s latest major test, Brooks Koepka’s return to a course where he won in 2018 and Bryson DeChambeau’s equipment subplot will all pull the championship back towards familiar gravity soon enough.
That is why a start like Nicholas’ is worth catching while it is still fresh. The U.S. Open has a way of briefly lifting unexpected names into the frame before deciding whether they are passing visitors or genuine parts of the week. Nicholas has not proved the latter yet. Nobody could after a handful of holes.
But on a day when Shinnecock has already made timing, visibility and patience part of the test, he has given the championship its first properly grounded story. Around him, the Shinnecock wind test still waits to define the round. For now, Nicholas has done enough to make the early leaderboard feel less like a data point and more like a golf tournament beginning to breathe.
