U.S. Open starts on soft Shinnecock course with strong wind; Sam Stevens claims early lead

Shinnecock Hills has never looked like this for a U.S. Open, not with such receptive greens and putting surfaces slow enough to keep shots from rolling off the edges and down the slopes.

About the only familiarity Thursday was the scoring, kept in check by a strong wind that finally shooed away the fog and gave Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the rest all they could handle.

Sam Stevens overcame a double bogey to start his round — a hole that took him over two hours to play because of the fog — and strung together six birdies that carried him to a 2-under 68, making him one of only six players from the early starters to beat par.

McIlroy saved par on a wild ride along the fourth hole, hit a pitching wedge into 12 feet on the downwind par-5 fifth hole for eagle, closed with two bogeys and was more than happy with a 69, particularly considering it was 11 shots better than the start he had at Shinnecock in 2018.

What a start to the U.S. Open for Sam Stevens.<br><br>A 2-under 68 with six (!) birdies, most in the field. <a href="https://t.co/IIYDRxh8a5">pic.twitter.com/IIYDRxh8a5</a>

Also at 69 were Ludvig Aberg and 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman, Max Greyserman and Ben James, the college star in his second week as a pro.

They were joined by Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., who was thru 16.

Scheffler, needing a U.S. Open title for the career Grand Slam, had to rely heavily on his short game to salvage a 72.

"The greens haven't been too firm, the fairways haven't been too firm, so I've really felt like it's pretty scorable," said Stevens, who had only his second sub-70 round in his fourth U.S. Open. "Obviously, it's difficult, but overall it's an awesome place. I think the setup is great right now."

For one day —