Eight years ago, Rory McIlroy lost his battle with Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, missing the cut at the 2018 U.S. Open after shooting an 80 in his opening round. An older, wiser McIlroy has seen his game mature tremendously since, and he put that on display in Thursday’s opening round at the 2026 U.S. Open, bettering his score by 11 shots to shoot a 1-under 69 that put him one shot back of the lead as he signed his scorecard.
McIlroy started his day two hours late due to a morning fog delay but didn’t let it throw him off his game. The six-time major champion began his day on the back nine, starting with the 10th hole that gave players fits in the morning wave, playing as the second-hardest hole on the course with a scoring average just north of 4.6.
His maturation as a player, both in mentality and the diversity of shots he’s capable of hitting, was apparent from the jump as he laid back into the fairway on top of the hill with a low drawing iron below the wind off the tee. From there, he didn’t tempt fate by trying to go at the flag on the right side of the green, wind ripping off the right, instead riding that breeze into the center of the green and two-putting for his par.
The 11th and 12th holes presented opportunities to attack, and the two-time reigning Masters champion took them, making back-to-back birdies to climb into the lead at 2 under and assert his presence early in the day. He gave those two back with a pair of bogeys on the 13th and 16th, paying the price for wayward tee shots, but he made a charge back up the leaderboard once he made the turn to the front nine.
A birdie on the 3rd got him back into red figures, but it was his par save on the 4th that was perhaps the key to his round. McIlroy missed well left off the tee on the hardest hole on the golf course and found the fescue, where he compounded his mistakes by hitting one hosel-adjacent and spraying it into the fescue on the right side of the hole. From there, he hit a smart wedge to the center of the green, trying to limit the damage, but got a bonus when he poured that in for par.
RORY PAR SAVE.
A wild 4 for McIlroy after two wayward shots. https://t.co/LcCQzzbn8L pic.twitter.com/5jrFfjbpPV
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
That had McIlroy fired up, as evidenced by his fist pump and the bomb he hit on the par-5 5th, taking advantage of the only downwind par 5 at Shinnecock Hills by roasting one 396 yards down the fairway. That left him with just over 190 yards. Staring down a 20+ mph wind, he only needed to hoist a pitching wedge in the air to ride that breeze and set up an eagle that had the place buzzing.
Nine years. Worth the wait.
Every shot from Rory’s eagle on 5. pic.twitter.com/mPiabyN6UJ
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026
That marked McIlroy’s first eagle at a U.S. Open since the first round at Erin Hills in 2017, and it moved him into the solo lead. It looked like he might create a bit of a cushion, but as is so often the case at Shinnecock, just when you think you have it figured out, it bites you back.
McIlroy bogeyed his final two holes to finish at 1 under. The first came on the par-4 8th after he misjudged the wind coming into him and sent his approach from the fairway over the back of the green. On the 9th, he tried to ride the wind with a draw from a hanging lie in the fairway and overcooked it, missing the green to the left, which leaves an extremely delicate chip that he ran by and wasn’t able to get up and down.
Despite those late hiccups, McIlroy generally handled the challenge of Shinnecock Hills well on a tough Thursday — with the course only expected to get tougher as the week continues. The growth of his game was on full display as he kept doubles off the card by limiting his mistakes and consistently put himself in good positions by hitting a variety of shots, both off the tee and with his irons.
That wasn’t part of his game eight years ago, when McIlroy wanted to overpower the course, but now he has the low, penetrating tee ball in his bag that works so well into the wind, while still being able to hoist one high like he did on the 5th when it’s at his back.
McIlroy has stated that his goals now are to win big events on iconic courses, and a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills to crack the top 10 all-time in major titles unquestionably fits the bill.
One cannot win a U.S. Open on Thursday, but as McIlroy learned in 2018, one can certainly lose it. After 18 holes in 2026, he’s firmly in contention in second place (as he entered the clubhouse), just a handful of players in the morning wave to post a round in the 60s.
