Rory McIlroy opened the 2026 U.S. Open with a one-under-par 69 at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday, giving himself a platform after the first round of the season’s third men’s major.
The Northern Irishman’s start matters because of the venue as much as the score. McIlroy shot 80 in the opening round when the U.S. Open was last staged at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, but this time produced an 11-shot improvement to sit firmly in touch after a weather-hit first day.
The 126th U.S. Open is being played at Shinnecock Hills from 18-21 June, with difficult conditions again central to the early storyline. DP World Tour reported that McIlroy’s 69 came after he set out simply to avoid the kind of early damage that wrecked his previous visit to the Long Island course.
McIlroy Gives Himself A Weekend Platform
Wyndham Clark set the first-round pace, but McIlroy’s position is the more important takeaway for his own campaign. At Shinnecock, avoiding a Thursday blow-up can be as valuable as chasing the lowest number on the board.
McIlroy now has room to build rather than repair. With scoring likely to remain volatile, his opening round keeps him close enough to apply pressure if the leaders come back towards the field, according to the DP World Tour’s report from Shinnecock Hills.
