After demolishing a locker at last year’s US Open, Wyndham Clark has returned to his national championship intent on destroying this major field.

The 2023 winner pulled further clear on seven-under after a second-round 69 on Friday. Clark, the 32-year-old from Denver, is four clear of countrymen Sam Stevens and Xander Schauffele and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and looking in calm control.

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Quite the contrast, then, to 12 months ago. Clark was so incensed after missing the cut at Oakmont in this tournament, he pathetically stormed into the clubhouse and proceeded to use a club to take his frustrations out on a locker that was more than a century old.

It was ruined and Oakmont, the proud and revered Pittsburgh club, was understandably not impressed, soon announcing that Clark was banned and that if he ever wanted to play there again, he first had to foot the bill, make a donation to charity and enrol in an anger management course. What made it worse was that Clark was not initially fulsome in his apology.

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However, wouldn’t you know it, after so much bad publicity, he was contrition personified here after a round featuring three birdies and two bogeys.

“I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so,” Clark said. “The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am. I’m hoping I can win back the fans… because it was a terrible incident. You know, I really feel like I can show people that I’m fun and outgoing, I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment. I definitely feel like I’m in a better place now.”

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In truth, Clark was hardly an angel before his Pennsylvania paroxysm. He was decidedly chippy in the build-up to his 2023 Ryder Cup debut when he basically declared he wanted to face Rory McIlroy in the singles. “I like to think I am better than him and I want to prove that,” Clark said.

Well, he had fended off McIlroy at that year’s US Open at LA Country Club. He won a couple more events and broke into the world’s top three at the beginning of 2024, but then inexplicably lost his way.

“I was on top of the world in my game when I won the US Open and then the next thing, I’m apologising for breaking a locker,” he said. “With the mental game there are big ebbs and flows. Right now I’m trending back up, which is nice.”

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Clark might be tough to stop on a track which will only get tougher as it firms up. Yet McIlroy is in the hunt on level par and has a lot of motivation, and Fitzpatrick sounded full of self-belief after his 70, which was highlighted by a birdie on the 18th.

“Even if I had finished with a par, I’d have been happy, in a nice position going into the weekend,” he said. “You can’t ask for too much more really. There are a couple of things I want to hopefully clean up for the weekend to feel a little bit more confident, but on the whole, it’s been, yeah, a really good two days.”

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Fitzpatrick has enjoyed a spectacular year, rising to world No 4 courtesy of three PGA Tour wins as well as a second at The Players and another runner-up finish in Canada last week.

“I’ve always had belief in myself with what I can achieve,” he said. “But I am definitely more confident now than I was at the start of the year.” And was he delighted by what he discovered when arriving here at the notorious Long Island layout, where in the five previous US Opens it has staged, only three players have broken par after 72 holes.

“I really thought it was going to be way more severe, almost unplayable,” Fitzpatrick said. “I was here [in May] before the Memorial. It literally was gusting 45 miles an hour, and the 11th green would not hold the ball. It didn’t matter where I put it, it would not hold the ball. Part of me was kind of expecting that.”

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That could still come to pass, but Fitzpatrick has the game and the attitude to cope as he tries to win a second major and, for his country, collect what would be the third leg of a potential “UK Slam” after the triumphs of McIlroy and Aaron Rai in the Masters and US PGA, respectively.

Two-time major-winner Collin Morikawa shot a 65 to reach two-under to stay in the hunt, with Joaquin Niemann also firing a five-under round. This was a remarkable fightback from the Chilean after what befell him earlier in the day.

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Niemann, who is an eight-time winner on LIV but has as yet failed to bring this form to the majors, was told that his behaviour on the sixth hole (his 15th) the previous evening had resulted in a two-shot penalty for “serious misconduct”.

There was no video footage, but it emerged that after slicing two drives out of bounds, he had argued with a referee who would not give him a drop for what he claimed were fire ants near his third ball and after kicking away the white flag the ball-spotter had put down to show where his ball had finished, he threw his club approximately 50 yards. Niemann did not bother to go back and fetch it and it was left to a police officer to collect it and hand it back to the irate golfer.

Inevitably, after his quintuple-bogey nine on the par four was upgraded to a septuple-bogey 11, social media was ablaze with accusations of “two tier officiating”, bringing up instances when big names had escaped punishment for similar misdemeanours.

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Last year, for instance, McIlroy had hurled a club at Oakmont. But that was before the majors got together at the start of this season and agreed to enforce a new “code of conduct”. Niemann thus made history as the first golfer to pay on his scorecard for bad behaviour. In that sense he is unlucky, but the participants were warned this could happen.

Credit to Niemann for holding up his hands. “I got pretty frustrated, but I’m not someone that likes to behave like that. That was misbehavior on my part. I felt a little bit extra penalised with a two-shot penalty, but it is what it is. I think I’m going to learn from it. It definitely helped me to have a better round today.”

It was not a good day for LIV as it continues to look for investors to fund its survival after the Saudis announced they were pulling their funding – which has so far amounted to more than $5bn (£3.7bn) – at the end of the season. The league’s two biggest names, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, both missed the cut after struggling to a 75 and 78, respectively.

01:18am

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That means Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Reed, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm and J. J. Spaun have missed out on the last 36 holes.

01:13am

With just a few backmarkers out on course, that is it from us. Thanks for reading and join us tomorrow for third round coverage. I have a feeling there are more surprises in store...

01:10am

He backed up his marvellous Thursday round with a 69 and will go into the third round with a healthy lead. While even a four-shot advantage can evaporate quickly on this maddening golf course and with anticipated windy weather, he has given himself every chance of a second US Open title. He has hardly missed an opportunity in the tournament’s first 36 holes.

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Wyndham Clark is the on-song man to beat at Shinnecock Hills - Christian Petersen/Getty Images

01:05am

He sinks a four-foot par putt after a heavy effort for birdie. The Korean’s 67 is one of the best of the day and he joins Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Sam Stevens on three under.

Alex Fitzpatrick deserves credit for 69 on his debut. Chasing his brother as well as Wyndham Clark...

12:58am

Scheffler finishes his round in golden evening light with a chance to go into the red. Breaks too far to the left, but it is a good leave under the hole. He’ll end the day three shy of the chasing pack of Schauffele, Fitzpatrick, Kim and Stevens.

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It feels strange to say after a 68, but he has not produced his best golf; this is a product of consistency, resilience and patches of quality. If a few more of the putts which nearly dropped today go in, the Texan could well be in contention come Sunday afternoon.

12:55am

Down to the last few groups out on the course. Jacob Bridgeman gets up and down in two from 35 feet on 18 and four over should be enough to punch his ticket for weekend play and a lot more prize money. Brian Harman makes a testing eight-footer for 71, level par for him. Right in the mix.

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12:42am

Story of his putting today. Gave himself a serviceable birdie chance but a few inches wide. He mutters to himself. A birdie on the last (the 9th for him) would put him in the red after a day of hanging tough.

Par for Tom Kim on 17. The form that has deserted him in the last 12 months or so seems to be back.

12:40am

Tom Kim moves to three under with a smart birdie on 16. He has impressed today, with 12 out of 13 fairways hit, only carding one bogey and giving himself every chance of being in the last group tomorrow.

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Shouts “go” as his tee shot lands to within about ten feet. Perhaps the late starter is the one who can reduce the deficit to Wyndham Clark.

12:32am

“It was tough. I feel like our side of the draw played in the windiest conditions and the scores bear that out. But I hung in there best I could, I’m only three back of second place. Obviously, Wyndham has built a bit of a lead but I’m going to keep playing the way I’m playing. I’m doing a few mistakes, but overall, two really solid days.

“I made at least two good saves on 16 and 17. Overall, I feel like it could have been a couple of shots better, but on the whole, even par is a good reflection of the last two days.

“The draw discrepancy over the first couple of days will start to even itself out as we play together. I’ve played enough good golf to know I still have a chance over this weekend ... if I can get out of those bogey runs and pick off a few birdies here and there, I feel like I still have a good chance.”

12:25am

The Scheffler we are used to seeing on the 7th, landing to within eight feet, giving himself a fighting chance of a birdie. This putt breaks viciously from right to left though, gains do not come easy and his stops just short of the hole. He has had a few of those this afternoon.

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Patrick Reed bogeys 17. Five over, he will need a birdie to make the projected cut. Rickie Fowler (+5) misses his effort for that score on the last and he will miss out by one. Ouch.

12:19am

Tommy Fleetwood’s ball stops a whisker short of the left hole and he shouts in frustration. 71 for him, one over par. Aberg finishes on the same score after a 72, his birdie putt going the other side.

Rory McIlroy has four feet for par. A disappointing and topsy-turvy back nine of 40 was his undoing, with some wild play around the greens. He goes into Saturday on level par after a 71. Far from a disaster, but he might have hoped for more.

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12:12am

All on the green at the 18th, but more so-so iron play from McIlroy, furthest of the three balls from the pin, about 30 feet away. Fat chance of a birdie from there, but prove me wrong, Rory.

Scheffler’s birdie effort comes up short on the sixth.

Playing partners Rory McIlroy (left) and Tommy Fleetwood (right) - Christian Petersen/Getty Images

12:05am

17-year-old Miles Russell cards a 71. At three over, he has made it through to the weekend. The cut line is four over; it looks like five of the 20 amateurs playing here will progress to Saturday and Sunday.

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12:04am

Rory McIlroy shows soft hands from the bunker to get within eight feet and sinks his par putt. On 18, he lands on the middle of the fairway.

Minutes later, a bogey for Sam Burns on the same hole will sting but cannot detract from a good two days at capricious Shinnecock Hills.

11:58pm

A couple under for the day after his fine showing on the fifth. Scheffler is not giving up and ought to be in the chasing pack for the weekend.

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His playing partner J.J. Spaun scores a rare eagle on five. At seven over, the defending champion needs more nifty putting like that to stand a chance of teeing off tomorrow.

11:54pm

Those grandstand flags are billowing in 25mph winds and they are forecast to be high tomorrow too. Fleetwood tosses his tee away in annoyance after his tee shot on 17 finds the bunker and McIlroy joins him, his ball painstakingly rolling off the smoother stuff.

11:48pm

He has made the green on the par five in two shots. Having hung tough, he can make hay here.

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Aberg sinks for six, doing well to recover from his busted bunker shot for bogey. A fearless chip from McIlroy to touching distance means he comes away with a much-needed par to steady the ship, his first since the ninth.

Tom Kim lofts a glorious chip back into the breeze and gets within inches on 14. Keith Mitchell birdies on the last hole to make for rounds of 70-70, which does not tell the story of his ups and downs on this tricky course. See below...

11:42pm

The wind is up, his ball is deep in the clumpy grass, 50 yards from the pin on the 16th. Very hard to get any control from the club face and McIlroy’s chip runs well through the back of the green. This is turning into an end to his round to forget.

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Aberg pitches well and will have an eight-footer for a bogey. It’s every man for himself out there.

11:39pm

Tommy Fleetwood has fallen to one over after a bogey on 15 and his playing partner Aberg clips his ball two yards forward from bunker to bunker-top long glass, betraying his frustration after the shot.

Fleetwood’s compatriot Tyrrell Hatton (+2) has had a fine round, but has just found the bunker on 17. Even with a bogey, he should make the cut.

11:34pm

It has not often been pretty golf from Scottie Scheffler, but it has been effective. He is still one under for his round, with seven pars in a row as he heads onto the last holes of the front nine. Keeping himself in the hunt.

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Scottie Scheffler has shown resilience in his second round - Andrew Redington/Getty Images

11:31pm

Quite a tale from the colourful Harry Higgs, talking on Sky Sports minutes ago. A first alternate for the US Open who almost quit the game during the qualifying tournament and has barely made a PGA cut this year by his own admission, he had to borrow trousers this morning after turning up in shorts, contravening the rules. One of eleven men in the red, shooting 68 today, he has every chance of having a career-changing tournament and rising up the rankings.

11:24pm

Double bogey on 15. In trouble off the tie, McIlroy then thinned his third shot across the green, straight onto the downslope beyond the pin and into the bunker. He hacks out to give himself another 20-yard footer but no dice.

This back nine has had no fluency: three bogeys, then two birdies and a double bogey. Back to level par.

11:13pm

From bad to worse as he bogeys 13. Two shots outside the cut line, the former Masters champion and former LIV golfer will need something special to be a part of the weekend’s action.

Tom Kim is having no such problems, he putts in from the fringe at the 12th to join McIlroy, Burns and Morikawa on two under.

11:04pm

After his big slice of luck to get onto the green, McIlroy shrugs and grins after holing a birdie from 20 feet. Up to two under, the topsy-turvy round continues. Two birdies in a row, his best putt of the day. The Shinnecock Hills faithful showed him how much they liked that.

11:03pm

The iron play has been so-so today from the American. Sometimes, you aren’t on your best form and you are fighting yourself too, not just the course. Scheffler has not stopped vying, but he has given himself a lengthy one to move to level par.

11:00pm

A rare missed fairway for McIlroy on the 14th. It could easily have been a nightmarish ball but the ground had been trampled by spectators and he could loft it onto the green from there. Lucky man.

The wonderfully-named Maverick McNealy moves into the red while Theegala very nearly finds the hole with his shot from a greenside bunker on 11.

10:50pm

Brian Harman with a dynamite long putt on 11 puts him under par. Over on fifteen, Keith Mitchell lands a monster to only come away with a bogey. In any other scenario, he’d be deliriously happy with that.

10:46pm

McIlroy almost holes with his approach shot on 13. Just what the doctor ordered after a torrid run on the back nine. Back to one under.

10:45pm

The late starters are fading and making a few more errors as afternoon turns to evening. Can McIlroy, Fleetwood, Scheffler, Aberg or Burns finish with a flourish and reduce the gap to Wyndham Clark?

10:41pm

It took Tommy Fleetwood two minutes to find his ball in the thick stuff on the 13th. The ball rolls off the back edge of the green but that is an excellent recovery from a wayward tee shot.

Patrick Reed to within a foot at the eleventh, which will get him to four over. Might need to find another shot somewhere if he is to tee off on Saturday and Sunday.

10:33pm

Keegan Bradley’s turn to squander one, his par putt on 12 not finding the target. Burns drops a shot at 13 too.

With the breeze up, it may be about consolidating for the remaining golfers out at Shinnecock Hills. As if backing that point up, Fleetwood sprays his tee shot left into the thick long grass. He will not be on one under for long. No such trouble for McIlroy.

10:30pm

Grayserman’s double bogey on nine sends him back to one under. Tommy Fleetwood will join him, getting back into the red with a birdie on 12.

10:29pm

The wind is blowing the trees on the 12th, gusting around, as McIlroy lines up a long putt for par. How did that not go on? Turned right late and looked in, but lipped left off the cut.

Down to even par. Now he is fighting just to find some positives and momentum, not to move out of the chasing pack on three under as he was an hour ago.

10:18pm

Just take a look at this shot from a grassy slope over a bunker. Ridiculous skill, par saved and how.

10:14pm

Quite incredible. Max Greyserman tries to tap in on nine at close quarters and the ball ricochets out of the hole and almost six feet away, not helped by the break of the green. Have never seen that before. That one will get in his head if he is not very careful and resilient.

A second bogey in a row for McIlroy, as expected. It was asking for a once-a-round putt, if that. Back to one under, where he started on the first hole.

10:09pm

Fleetwood somehow lands his ball on the steep grassy slope above a bunker on 11, which Aberg himself found. McIlroy’s tee shot has too much heat and the ball slides off the back of the green. His chip back past the flag leaves him a 20-footer for par.

All the good work of the front nine could quickly evaporate if he is not careful. Shows just how difficult it is to make a surge on this golf course, underlines just how impressive Wyndham Clark’s two rounds were.

10:04pm

His first of the round and it is back to two under. Snakes and ladders, this sport, just ask Dustin Johnson. The Northern Irishman’s chip from way off the green on 10 was too conservative and he left his par putt short. Takes his medicine, grimaces and moves on.

10:01pm

Sam Burns pops in for two at 11 and joins McIlroy and company on three under. All made by a tee shot which almost rolled in. He can certainly go all the way here; he almost won this tournament at Oakmont last year, the leader after both the second and third round. No doubt some valuable lessons learned.

09:55pm

Fleetwood over-shoots the green on ten, as does McIlroy. He is even further past it and shouts an expletive after making contact with the ball, knowing what he had done.

Undoing all the good work of a 335-yard monster tee shot when the flag was visible, 80 yards away. Scheffler has also found the bunker with his tee shot on 18.

09:52pm

Justin Rose got to his accommodation at nine o’clock yesterday evening and was up at four in the morning to finish his round. He carded a 70 and is one over.

“Today was 70 but finishing my last few holes today with a couple of birdies really helped me … I had a little bit of a sluggish back nine in the end, but a good day’s work for sure.

“Yesterday, I was surprised how soft the greens stayed all day, We’ve had plenty of wind to dry out the course but it’s felt humid and that and the cloud cover kept it tough.

“I’d like to see the course get tough now, to make a run from a few shots back, to play two great rounds and see where that puts me.”

Justin Rose during his second round - Seth Wenig/AP

09:46pm

Max Greyserman’s bid to go alone in second ties up short. He, Sam Stevens and McIlroy have a chance to get closer to runaway leader Wyndham Clark; Schauffele and Fitzpatrick are already in the clubhouse.

It is looking like the cut will be +3. Far from certain yet, mind. Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson and penalised club thrower Joaquin Niemann, who hit a septuple bogey score of 11 yesterday, all finished there...

09:43pm

Aberg’s ball was furthest and slips away to the right. Fleetwood finds the hole and advances to one under.

McIlroy is last to go, wondering how much the ball will break. He misses, over-reading it and expecting it to move more to the right. Still, he can be content with his front nine.

09:38pm

Three great wedge shots from Ryder Cup team-mates McIlroy, Aberg (-1) and Fleetwood (E) on nine. You could throw a blanket over their balls, all within eight feet of the flag.

09:36pm

Sam Stevens has had two birdies in a row and gives himself a chance of another at 13, getting to six foot, pin high.

Trouble for Scheffler on 17, finding the bunker on the par shot from the tee. He just cannot get going, this round is one step forward, one step back.

09:32pm

Scheffler takes par on the par-five 16th, but it could and should have been better. It was trouble-shooting all the way: his second shot was five yards shy of the pin and spun further back and he did not get close with his long first putt.

09:25pm

No missing that putt. Straight down the middle, it did not break much. He acknowledges the crowd after their cheers and continues his blemish-free round. Mature golf so far.

McIlroy moves into joint second with Schauffele, Fitzpatrick, Higgs, Stevens (who just birdied 12) and Greyserman on three under, his round coming to the boil nicely.

09:22pm

Younger brother Alex birdies the fifth, his second of the day, to move to level par. What a year he is having, barely out of the top ten in recent months. He would no doubt love to emulate his brother and lift the trophy.

09:18pm

Harry Higgs squanders a very gettable five-footer on the 13th and glares at the hole as if it’s a ne’er-do-well who has called him a bad name.

Over on five, Tom Kim almost sinks his eagle putt. He’ll join the likes of Thomas, Bradley and Aberg on one under.

09:13pm

He got his birdie putt all wrong but did not blink on the par putt. Rock solid.

Max Greyserman misses two on the fifth. That would have moved him onto four under and second by himself. Wasteful. Still, he is flying. Sam Burns slots his shot on the green to move to two under.

09:09pm

Scheffler has narrowly missed a couple of shorter birdie putts, but he is back in business, moving to one over.

09:05pm

No heroics, no matter what a player’s pedigree. Better to be steady, hit the fairways and greens, play a strong short game and take the few available chances on this testing course.

That said, the par four eighth and ninth holes are playing among the best for the field today. Chances ahead for McIlroy, Fleetwood and Aberg to move further into contention.

08:58pm

McIlroy finds another green without trouble although it is asking too much for birdie from 15 yards on six. Still, a fifth par continues his steady start. Par for playing partner Ludvig Aberg too, whose effort rolled a few inches past his marker.

08:52pm

Another birdie putt dies off in the final throes for Scheffler, wriggling away from the hole on 14. These need to start dropping if the world No 1 is going to be a factor this weekend.

Trouble for Higgs on 12, whose shot has landed right by the out-of-bounds fence, close to a car driving by. But he finds the green from way out to the left. The adrenalin must still be pumping from that putt.

08:42pm

Harry Higgs take off his cap to salute them holeing from off the green on the par three 11th hole with a monster putt. He points at the ball and beams in disbelief. That must have been a full 50 feet. Putt of the day contender right there.

He and Max Greyserman have started strongly, joining Fitzpatrick on three under.

08:39pm

A ballsy par for Keegan Bradley, who stays in the black and bogey-free.Tommy Fleetwood shows his chipping touch from just off the green to get within several inches of the hole on five. Birdie guaranteed.

But what can playing partner McIlroy do? He hit the longest drive of the day (393 yards) to help him to get here in two... the eagle putt slides just to the right. He is open-mouthed in surprise that it did not break more. Had the pace and the line looked right.

The six-time major winner spends time looking at the line of the short return putt before sinking it for birdie. Two under for McIlroy. He is on the move.

08:31pm

Rory McIlroy with a dainty wedge bounces onto the first part of the green on five, high enough to not slink down the slope. He has two putts for a birdie; sink it in one and it would be another eagle and a move into joint second. He has pep in his step as he walks towards his ball.

08:30pm

Finding the greenside bunker, the Texan is down on his haunches, removing little stones around his ball before playing the shot. Out it comes and onto the down slope to be pin high for a six-foot par putt, which just lips out of the hole to the left. Agonising miss and he is back on two over.

The cut line could move from four over to three, by the way. Robert MacIntyre is currently on +4, right in that danger zone, as is Hideki Matsuyama.

08:22pm

Some of these holes are about being conservative and taking your par, others you can attack. This reachable 592-yard hole is very birdie-able, especially after that wallop off the tee.

Maybe even an eagle like yesterday, which kickstarted his round.

08:20pm

Sahith Theegala has been more like three-gala this afternoon on Long Island. Three-three-three on 10-11-12 at the start of his round and the man from Orange County moves to level par.

08:16pm

17-year-old amateur Miles Russell moves to level par on 15, having started on the back nine. He is having a fairytale US Open, inside the top 20.

Harry Higgs ought to join Schauffele and Fitzpatrick on three under but he misses a short, straightforward birdie putt on nine. The kind you lie awake thinking about.

08:12pm

“I was comfortable on the front nine, it felt like I was playing solid enough, giving myself some kind of chances. I didn’t really get going, I kind of lost my way a little bit on the back nine, I had to do a little bit of scrambling and lost the feel with my driver.”

[On chipping in at 14] “It was very important, given where I was and the shot I hit, it wasn’t the place to be, I can assure you. Sometimes you need that if you want to go all the way.

“It’s been a great [season], I think I’ve lots of confidence which is nice. The big thing is it doesn’t feel as much pressure as normal to go out and perform … it feels like there’s a little bit more freedom. That’s a great thing, it can only help.

“Not yet, don’t get me wrong, it’s a really tough golf course … i think we share slight concern about tomorrow’s forecast. You can make a double in a heartbeat if you’re not switched on.”

08:08pm

Trouble for the titans: Scheffler goes over the green on 12 with his lay-up, McIlroy does not have enough on his second and his ball trickles off the green on the fourth onto the fringe. He plays an awkward shot well to within four feet though.

It is all about being clean and consistent on this front nine to give oneself a chance of grabbing a few birdies on the back nine.

08:02pm

Tyrrell Hatton, three over, throws up his hands on four. It looked like his putt down the hill had a chance at going in until it dived right at the last moment and kept on going a bit, leaving him a five-footer for par. He cannot believe it.

07:58pm

Scheffler absolutely creams his tee shot and it trickles from fairway into the thicker stuff. Far from ideal, but he can see the ball, at least.

His playing partner JJ Spaun is on eight over after a bogey on their opening hole, by the way. He has flattered to deceive since pipping Robert MacIntyre 12 months ago.

07:55pm

No birdie for Rory McIlroy on three. Too much speed, never looked like it had room to turn and go in. Not a gimmie going back up the hill, but he sinks it without any trouble. Three pars on the trot.

07:53pm

The crowd goes “aah” as Scheffler’s birdie effort on the second runs over the edge of the hole. That looked on for the world No 1 until the very last moment.

Keegan Bradley cannot sink his birdie putt on the fourth either.

07:50pm

After minutes of his discussion with his caddie, Tommy Fleetwood puts too much sauce on his iron from the roughish stuff and overshoots the pin on the second hole. He didn’t like that, looking down at the divot left disconsolately.

Rory McIlroy lands his shot 18-feet shy of the pin, though it trickles a little down the slope away from the flag. Solid stuff so far.

07:42pm

That putt was never missing, on track the whole away. Well, we know he can play a bit. A few more of those and Scheffler will be back in contention.

07:40pm

First hole, happy times for Max Greyserman. He moves to two under with a 30-foot birdie and Brian Harman is a whisker away at a similar length.

McIlroy is dead centre on the fairway of the 501-yard par four third hole.

Rory McIlroy tees off on the opening hole - George Walker IV/AP

07:35pm

Scheffler gives himself every chance of a birdie with a well-judged approach at 10, back spin on the skipping ball making it come to a halt just wide of the pin. Just what the doctor ordered. Masterful control.

McIlroy cannot sink his long birdie putt on the par three second but a couple of feet wide, he will hole that for par.

07:30pm

Harry Higgs moves to two under after three birdies in the first six holes. No bogeys yet. What a name that is, very American.

07:26pm

“From Dallas, Texas, please welcome, Scottie Scheffler”.

He is playing with defending champion JJ Spaun and amateur Mason Howell. At two over, there is work to do. It could be worse: Spaun is seven over, playing in the foulest of the weather conditions yesterday. Fairways found for all three.

07:24pm

Jack Schoenberger chips in to finish his round on 18. At six over, he probably won’t be around for the weekend, but that is a heck of a way to sign off.

07:21pm

There are nine players lurking on one under as Sam Stevens bogeys four to continue his tumultuous times on the front nine. Greyserman, Harman and James are set to start their rounds in five minutes. Let’s see who can detach themselves from that group and stay in contention, or even get closer to Wyndham Clark than Morikawa and Fitzpatrick.

07:18pm

He misjudges his second shot into the breeze and flies over the back of the green. The Northern Irishman bumps a chip delicately up the slope to about 12 feet and then sinks a gutsy par putt. What an up and down, that will give him confidence.

Meanwhile, playing partner Aberg’s birdie putt does not drop and Fleetwood is just off line with his too.

07:08pm

Keegan Bradley with the finishing touch to some gorgeous iron play and birdies the first to move into the red. That makes it eight major champions in the top 12 by my reckoning. All killer, no filler.

07:05pm

He finished on one under yesterday, what can he do today? Onto the fairway – wider than an American freeway, to be fair – with his tee shot. That will do nicely. Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Abert follows suit, finding the middle of the lush green stuff.

Fleetwood tees off to a shout of “It’s coming home!” from a wag in the crowd. Better than “mashed potatoes”, at least.

06:56pm

Ay carumba! The cut will likely be plus four and the Spaniard is on +6. He has had a woeful back nine, going bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-double bogey on 12 through 16. Also dropped the f bomb after missing a putt on nine. To cap it off, he misses his birdie putt on 18 and puts his hand on his capped head in frustration and befuddlement.

It has all unravelled for him. And to think, he had a bogey-free round yesterday and a chance to move to three under early in the round. A 78 today, this course takes no prisoners.

06:53pm

The course is drying out quickly and is set to be more difficult this afternoon for the players. A test for the likes of McIlroy, Scheffler, Fleetwood and Koepka to get stuck into, all teeing off soon. The wind is picking up a bit, but at least there is not the fog and gusts of 24 hours ago.

Rory McIlroy keeps his eye on the ball - Kate McShane/Getty Images

06:43pm

His eight-foot birdie putt on 18 was always going too low, a rare so-so putt on his round today. Still, par will certainly do and makes sure of a 66. He and Matt Fitzpatrick are four shots off the leader.

06:39pm

The outstanding player at Shinnecock Hills has just been chatting to Sky Sports:

“Gosh, I’ve just hit a lot of quality shots and when I got into trouble, I put it back into position and made some nice par saves and some nice long ones. It’s been very boring golf, which is really nice.”

“I was playing ok all day, I didn’t really make any putts, a bad bogey on nine but knew my turn was going to come and hit a nice shot on 12.

“I’m going to have to clean up a little bit with a couple of putts, I didn’t make many from eight to 15 feet. And I started losing my driver a bit, so I’m going to work on that. And then patience, you’re going to get bad luck and bad breaks so you just need to move forward.”

“Having a terrible year last year then getting motivated to work really hard, I worked on my swing, I was hitting it way better but just not getting results. I got the putter, then the confidence came. I’m just in a happy place, usually when you don’t have clutter, you play good golf.”

06:36pm

Surely he cannot keep up this supreme level of play?

06:29pm

McIlroy is working on his iron play on the range, Scheffler is practising his short putts. They are the most illustrious of the 50-or-so 50 players yet to begin their rounds. Some selected round two tee times below, all BST:

Hole one:
19:02 Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood.

Hole ten:
18:40 Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup.
19:24 Mason Howell, Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun.

06:22pm

I thought he had not hit it, but the runaway leader’s putt picks up pace down the slope on 18 and he ends his round in ideal fashion.

That is a 69 and currently a four-shot lead for the 2023 champion, who impressed on the back nine and backed up his sublime opening round. The clubhouse leader will take some beating. Well might Clark smile as he walks off the course and kisses his partner. A lot of golf left to be played, but it is his to lose.

06:17pm

A fine second shot from the bunker from Schauffele flies to within 30 feet on the 17th. He has finished in the top 15 here for the last nine years, what consistency and shots like that tell you exactly why. The birdie putt goes within a whisker but does not quite turn left late enough to drop.

Xander Schauffele shows his good hands from the sand - Christian Petersen/Getty Images

06:13pm

Justin Rose did not like his putt on 15 and was up on it as soon as he had hit it. One over, unable to save par despite giving himself a chance with a bunker shot landing on a sixpence and staying put, despite the treacherous slope on

06:07pm

Matt Fitzpatrick joins Schauffele on three under and moves into joint second with a birdie on 18, his second in three holes. He cards a patient, level-headed 70, finishing strongly on the back nine. Right in the hunt.

Cannot say the same for big hitter Bryson DeChambeau. He misses his birdie putt by millimetres on 18 and cards a 75. He might have a chance of making the cut at five over, but has a nervy wait. Playing partner Viktor Hovland holes his par putt for a 69 to finish on the same score as the American.

06:03pm

Wyndham Clark doesn’t have enough pace on his uphill birdie putt on 17 and holes a seven-foot nerve-jangler to keep his three-shot lead. He made that a lot harder for himself than it needed to be.

05:59pm

The cut line is four over and a bogey at 15 takes the Irishman a shot over that. Will the 2019 Open champion be gracing this links-style course tomorrow?

05:57pm

Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa sinks a nervy five-footer for par on 18. He is one of the day’s big movers and shakers. Carding a 65, the lowest round of the day so far, right in the mix for the weekend’s rounds. The heavyweights of the game are queueing up on this leaderboard.

05:51pm

An absolute doozy of a long putt up the slope on 15. He hits it with beans, the ball bobbles around in the hole before dropping. The man from San Diego is up to three under.

Clark’s lead is cut to three shots as he misses his par putt on 17.

05:44pm

Wyndham Clark catches his bunker shot fat on 16 and finds another sand trap. With a nasty downhill lie, he pops his third shot sideways onto the fairway to get it back in play. He gets to within 25 feet, but has left himself a lot to do for par. Methinks he won’t have a five-shot lead in the Shinnecock Hills clubhouse tonight.

Meanwhile, playing with the runaway leader, Dustin Johnson makes it to the green on the 615-yard in two. From the ridiculous to the sublime.

05:34pm

Matt Fitzpatrick is moving up the leaderboard on the second day of the US Open - Seth Wenig/AP

05:28pm

He is up to second, four under for the last eight holes after birdies on 15 and 16, but he will have his work cut out to get par on 17 after finding the green-side bunker with his tee shot.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s misery is finally over. He three-putts after the bunker palaver and cards an eight on the par four.

At the top of the leaderboard, Clark’s putt for birdie on 15 rolls an inch or two wide of the hole to the left. He throws his right hand up in the air, but it is all good. Par secured.

05:24pm

Oh dear. Dustin Johnson hooks his bunker shot on the 15th green, it zips across the green and rolls into the other sand trap. Groans from the crowd. Then, attempting it out, it does not get far enough and rolls back down the slope.

On his second try, he hits it thick and it rockets over the green. He chips from the fringe but it is still 15 feet short. What a nightmare, this round is going from bad to worse. In 90 minutes, he has gone from being a shot off the lead to the cut line.

05:19pm

Wyndham Clark is a lucky boy. He hit his tee shot into the spectator area into long grass trampled down so it is almost as soft as a fairway. Again, he shows his canny iron play, playing to pin high, about 30 feet away.

If the 33-year-old rounds out the second day with pars, he will be in a dream position.

05:16pm

Bogey for Jon Rahm on the par four 12th hole after blasting his second shot over the green and leaving himself too much to do. His fourth bogey of the day drags the 2021 champion down to one over. Work to do.

05:10pm

Clark gets his par on 14 to maintain his four-shot lead before teeing off the next hole into the spectator area. A decent lie and a big stroke of luck, potentially.

Par too for Matt Fitzpatrick, the leading Englishman at one under. He plays to within eight feet from the sand and gets up and down. Dustin Johnson holes his short putt for a much-needed par after dropping three shots in the last two holes, stopping the rot.

05:03pm

Good evening from Andy McGrath, taking over from Kieran after his sterling coverage. It’s all going Clark’s way – on 14, from way out in the dusty rough, he gets to within about 20 feet of the pin. Even better from his playing partner Gary Woodland, who almost chips in from the bunker, the ball bouncing off the flag and a few inches away.

Joaquin Niemann holes a long birdie putt at 13. That will make him feel a little bit better about the two-shot penalty. Perhaps it has fired him up.

04:53pm

Wyndham Clark might be flying but that does not mean it is easy for everyone. There are now just 13 players under par, with only three men better than one under; Clark (-7), Xander Schauffele (-3) and Sam Stevens (-2).

04:51pm

Matt Fitzpatrick hit the turn at three under having made nine straight pars to start his second round. However, since the turn, things have unravelled to some extent for the Englishman. He made back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12 and is now making a hash out of the par-four 14th. However, just as it looks like he will drop another shot with poor second and third shots, he chips in from off the green to save par so stays at one under.

04:47pm Key moments

Wyndham Clark’s first 31 holes of this year’s US Open could not have gone much better. He sinks a lengthy birdie putt on 13 to move to seven under and he now holds a five-shot lead at the top.

04:45pm Key moments

Without video evidence of Joaquin Niemann’s costly club throw having emerged as yet, it is being left to eyewitness accounts to describe the flagrancy of this misdemeanour which saw the Chilean make history as the first golfer in major history to be hit with two penalty shots for “serious misconduct”.

And The Athletic is reporting that a police officer was actually involved in the incident on Thursday night.

Niemann sliced two drives out of bounds on the sixth (his 15th) before firing a third into fescue. He apparently asked an official for relief due to fire ants being in the area but he was denied. It was then that his temper boiled over and he was described as kicking away the white flag which the ball-spotter had used to mark where the ball had finished.

Then came the club toss, which travelled approximately 50 yards. “It was a pretty impressive throw, actually,” Tristan Chang, the volunteer,  told the publication. A police officer picked up the club and returned it to Niemann.

Despite the players having been warned that a new, stricter code of conduct is being enforced at the majors this year, the controversy inevitably attracted accusations on social media of two-tier officiating. Rory McIlroy threw a club at last year’s US Open at Oakmont and went unpunished. Niemann is a member of LIV Golf and the affair threatens to create a new divide.

Niemann’s resulting 11 meant he shot a first-round 78 and left him well outside the cut mark. However, he was putting up a gallant fight, going through his first 12 holes in four-under leaving him one off the cut mark. There is bound to be a stink if he missed out on the weekend because of the two-shot sanction.

04:39pm

Leader Wyndham Clark finds some thick rough off the tee at the 13th and his initial reaction to the shot as the ball was in the air was “Oh my, sit!”. However, he need not worry as the ball finds the green and that is a great shot.

04:31pm

Things are getting better by the minute for our leader Wyndham Clark. A superb approach to the 12th hole sets up a birdie chance, which he takes. That takes him to six under and his lead is up to four shots. There are only three players on two under and they are the closest to Clark right now.

Wyndham Clark in a strong position during his second round - Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

04:29pm

About half an hour ago, Dustin Johnson cut Wyndham Clark’s lead at the top to just one shot. Two holes later, Johnson is now four shots off the lead on one under. It shows just how much this course can bite if you get things slightly wrong!

04:22pm

Moments after Matt Fitzpatrick’s issues on the 12th, it is also proving problematic for Dustin Johnson, whose tee shot has gone a long way right. He is trying to get a free drop next to a fence but he will not get one. His backswing hits a tree he is stood under, which impacts how far the ball goes, and he cannot advance it anywhere near the green and it is still in some rough.

Meanwhile, leader Wyndham Clark has played a stunning second shot from the fairway to give himself a decent shot at birdie.

04:19pm

Matt Fitzpatrick has a monster putt, 37 feet to be exact, to save his par and so nearly does so but the ball hangs over the edge of the hole.

Fitzpatrick’s Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm is having a tough second round, with three bogeys on his front nine dropping him back to even par.

04:15pm

Matt Fitzpatrick is experiencing an interesting hole at the 12th. His tee shot leaks out to the right and then makes a mess of his second out of the rough, ending up on the road that runs through the middle of the fairway. He does get a free drop but has a job on his hands to save par.

04:08pm Video

It has not been the round thus far that Gary Woodland was looking for; having started the round at three under, he has made five bogeys and two birdies to drop back to even par.

Wyndham Clark fails to take the chance to return to six under. However, his lead at the top grows without him even having to make a birdie as Dustin Johnson has had a shocking hole, registering a double bogey to drop from four to two under. Clark’s lead is now at three shots.

04:00pm

The Englishman had made 10 straight pars to begin his second round but a bogey on the par-three 1th sees him drop back to two under, three off the lead.

03:55pm

Just in the last 10 minutes, Wyndham Clark’s lead has been cut from three shots to just one. Dustin Johnson’s birdie on the tenth has taken him to four under, one behind Clark. It has been 10 years since Johnson’s US Open victory and six years since his last major victory at The Masters in 2020.

Wyndham Clark’s lead cut - Gerald Herbert/AP

03:48pm

There is a very American feel to the top ten. Three of them in particular are flying in this second round. Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele are both three under for their rounds, two under in the tournament, and Collin Morikawa is four under today, one under in total.

03:43pm

It had been plain-sailing for our leader Wyndham Clark for the first eight holes but he has now dropped a shot for the first time today at the ninth after a costly three-putt. That bogey sees Clark drop back to five under and his lead is cut to two. One of his playing partners Dustin Johnson will be gutted to walk away with only a par having played a sublime tee and second shot. Johnson remains at three under.

03:34pm

One man having a terrific second round is Collin Morikawa, whose fifth birdie in his first 10 holes has taken him to one under. A couple of shots ahead of him is Canadian Corey Conners, whose second birdie of the day has put him at three under, three off the lead.

03:32pm

Jon Rahm should drain his par putt on six but it lips out. The Spaniard seemed to suggest the ball did not behave the way he wanted to but it looked like a misread. He drops back to one under.

03:29pm

Up on the ninth tee, the notoriously big-hitting Dustin Johnson has just smashed his drive right down the fairway. The ball keeps running down the fairway and nearly rolls into some people going across the walkway. The total distance of that drive? A mere 391 yards! Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau hit some monster drives yesterday and Johnson joins that list.

03:23pm

The 2024 US Open champion is trying to fight his way back into this tournament after terrible back-to-back double bogeys at three and four. He has made two birdies and a bogey in his last four holes so currently sits at three over, which would as it stands be enough to make the weekend. DeChambeau has failed to make the cut at a major this year.

03:14pm

Justin Thomas has made a fine start to his second round, registering his third birdie of the round to get to two under.

On the sixth tee, Jon Rahm nearly gets himself in huge trouble. He does not like his tee shot and nearly whacks the tee marker but just refrains from doing so at the last minute. His tee shot ended up finding the fairway! Talk about an overreaction.

03:11pm

Justin Rose, who won this tournament 13 years ago at Merion Golf Club, started his second round at one over but birdies at four and now at five have taken him to one under.

Justin Rose moving up the leaderboard - Warren Little/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Rose’s European Ryder Cup buddy Jon Rahm has bounced back from a bogey on four with a birdie at five to return to two under.

03:06pm

A good tee shot at the par-three seventh from Wyndham Clark presents the leader a birdie opportunity and he is so close to taking it but the ball stays above ground. He remains at six under.

Matt Fitzpatrick also has a birdie chance on that green but, like Clark, it does not drop.

02:54pm

Wyndham Clark has a tricky par putt on the sixth to save par but it just tucks inside the left edge and drops. The leader remains at six under after six straight pars to start the day and is still three shots clear.

02:51pm

Justin Thomas, whose best finish at the US Open was a tie for eighth back in 2020, came into today at one over after a round of 71 yesterday. However, two birdies in his first six holes of the day have taken the American to one under.

02:41pm

The Spaniard had just passed 20 holes in this tournament without a bogey but that run comes to an end as he cannot save par on the par-four fourth to drop back to one under.

02:40pm Analysis

Joacquin Niemann’s punishment is inevitably causing disquiet here. We have seen so much club throwing over the years, including Rory McIlroy at last year’s US Open at Oakmont, but never before has the miscreant been hit with a two-shot penalty. The players were warned about the stricter policy, but Niemann, a LIV pro who has been unable to bring his fine form into the majors, has clearly been made an example of. A video of the incident has yet to emerge, but the US Golf Association has released another statement to explain the decision. “Serious Misconduct: If a player’s (or their caddie’s) behaviour is so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf, in accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Championship Director, may apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking account of the frequency, impact, intent and severity of the misconduct.”

02:35pm Video

On the par-five fifth, Gary Woodland is just off the green in two. However, this tough golf course bites back at him, with his chip shot not staying on the green and pretty much rolling straight back to where he was. His next attempt is much better, leaving him five feet for par, and he will be wondering why he could not have played that shot first time around.

However, he blasts his par putt past the left edge and it will be at least a bogey. He sinks the bogey putt but that is now three bogeys in four holes to drop the American back to one under.

02:30pm

Collin Morikawa carded a three-over round of 73 yesterday but is fighting back today. Birdies at three, five and six have led the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open champion to even par.

02:26pm

Currently there are 18 players under par, with Wyndham Clark out on his own on six under and then a number of players between one and three under. As it stands, and this could shift over the coming hours, it feels like five over could be the cut line, maybe four over.

02:21pm

Up on the third, Jon Rahm has the chance to move to three under but his birdie putt slides just past the edge of the hole.

Meanwhile, his European Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick has six feet for birdie on the par-five fifth but makes a costly error, which means he has to settle for a par. He stays at three under.

Bryson DeChambeau’s malaise is halted with a birdie on five to move to three over.

02:08pm

I am not sure I could pull this look off! - Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

01:58pm Analysis • Key moments

This is interesting. The US Open organisers have just revealed that Chilean Joaquin Niemann was penalised two shots - for throwing a club. The majors have introduced a ‘code of conduct’ policy and Niemann is the first to pay on the scorecard. His misdemeanour, after sending two balls out of bounds, was considered egregious enough for the referees to skip issuing a warning and go straight to direct punishment. It turned LIV man’s quintuple-bogey nine on the sixth hole into an 11. The LIV man’s first-round 78 has left him with a mountain to climb to make the cut. An official statement was released: “This act was determined to be serious misconduct under Rule 1.2b.” Rule 1.2 states: “The Committee may set its own standards of player conduct in a Code of Conduct adopted as a Local Rule. The Code may include penalties for breach of its standards, such as a one-stroke penalty or the general penalty. The Committee may also disqualify a player for serious misconduct in failing to meet the Code’s standards.”

01:52pm Key moments

Bryson DeChambeau follows up a double bogey on three with another double bogey on four to fall back to four over. Again, like the previous over, he is just short of the green but his short game and putting let him down. That is pretty atrocious from the 2024 US Open champion.

01:49pm

Dustin Johnson found the green in two at the par-four third but a three-putt means he walks away with a bogey to put him back to three under, which means Wyndham Clark’s lead grows out to three shots. That is extra annoying for Johnson as his second shot into the green did not land that far away from the hole but the spin took it a long way away from the pin.

01:39pm

At the par-four third, Bryson DeChambeau has had a bit of a shocker. Despite coming up just short of the green in two, he somehow takes another four shots to get into the hole and walks away with a double bogey to drop back to two over.

01:35pm

After carding an opening round of 70 in round one, Bob MacIntyre has got his second round up and running in style. He has started on the tenth and has made a birdie, set up by a fine second shot into the green that left him a short putt for birdie. The Scot moves to one under.

01:29pm

After a birdie on the first, Gary Woodland makes a bogey on the second to drop back to three under. He is ultimately punished for an errant tee shot, which found the bunker and made trying to get a par all the more difficult. His two playing partners, Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson, manage to walk away with pars.

Wayward tee shot punished - Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

01:25pm Video

Ryder Cowan of Edmond, Oklahoma, has made a birdie at the par-five fifth to move to three under and a tie for fourth alongside Matt Fitzpatrick.

The Justin Rose/ Jordan Spieth/ Jon Rahm group is about to go out for their second rounds.

01:16pm Video

That is fantastic from Bryson DeChambeau to stay at even par. His tee shot at the second left him a very tricky second shot from the thick rough, just above a bunker. The chip onto the green is sublime though, giving him a decent shot at par, which he takes. That par will probably feel like a birdie to be honest.

01:15pm Analysis

The pins look a little trickier for the second round, but am expecting more of the same today. The winds are again forecasted to reach 30mph, so the USGA will keep the greens soft. They will firm up, however, and the weekend should be a much more severe test.

01:10pm Video

Dustin Johnson had a few holes to finish up from his first round this morning and secured two birdies. He has now nearly begun his second round in the same way he finished his first but the birdie putt narrowly slides by the hole. He stays at four under but is joined at that mark by Gary Woodland, who birdies the first. Wyndham Clark stays at six under with a par.

01:07pm

Bryson DeChambeau (E), after a par at the first, is at the long par-three second, which is playing 262 yards. However, the 2024 US Open champion pulls the tee shot to the left and his ball ends up in the thick stuff. That will be almost impossible to go up and down to save par.

12:58pm

Shortly after finishing their first rounds, Dustin Johnson (-4), Wyndham Clark (-6) and Gary Woodland (-3) are back out on the course to start their second rounds. Can they replicate what they did in their opening rounds in the second?

12:55pm

Jon Rahm has finally concluded his first round with a par to close out on two under. It could have been three under but his birdie putt just slid by the left edge of the hole. That was so close to dropping but it stays up. He is the only player to be bogey-free in his first round and will begin his second round in just over 30 minutes’ time.

12:46pm

Up on the first tee, the trio of Bryson DeChambeau (E), Viktor Hovland (+6) and Matt Fitzpatrick (-3) are starting their second rounds, not long after finishing their first. Hovland really struggled in his first round and has gone for some wild trousers today. They need to be seen to be believed!

In around 10 minutes’ time, it will be the turn of Dustin Johnson (-4), Wyndham Clark (-6) and Gary Woodland (-3).

12:38pm

12:30pm

The Spaniard still is yet to finish off his first round and is currently at the par-four eighth (his 17th hole). The 16 holes he has played thus far have yielded two birdies and 14 pars. His group, which includes Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth, will then go back out around 1.30pm BST.

12:24pm

Some of the groups who had to finish up their first rounds this morning will be back out on the course very shortly:

12:45 Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland , Matt Fitzpatrick. 
12:56 Dustin Johnson, Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland.

12:19pm Video

Dustin Johnson has been rolling back the years this morning. A birdie on seven (his 16th) is followed up two holes later with a birdie on the ninth to finish up his first round on four under, two shots behind current leader Wyndham Clark. Speaking of the leader, Clark has also finished up his opening round with two pars to head into the clubhouse at six under.

12:16pm

2024 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau makes bogey at the par-four ninth to close out his opening round at even par. He has half an hour to then prepare for his second round.

12:11pm

Matt Fitzpatrick has concluded his opening round at three under and it will be a relatively quick turnaround for him. Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark are still going.

12:10pm

12:02pm Video

Matt Fitzpatrick and Dustin Johnson have been joined on three under by Gary Woodland, who has one hole remaining in his first round. The former US Open champion Woodland won the Houston Open earlier in the season and the last few years have been extremely challenging to say the last, struggling with PTSD after brain surgery to remove a tumour.

11:45am Video

We already have some birdies early! At the par-four eighth, 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick has made birdie to move to three under and has just one hole remaining in his first round. He has been joined at three under by 2016 US Open champion Dustin Johnson, who is one hole further back at the par-three seventh. A stunning tee shot from Johnson gives him just a few feet for birdie.

11:35am

For the 50 players yet to finish their first rounds, their day begins now. Our current leader Wyndham Clark has two holes left and is four clear of the field on six under. The likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm also need to finish their rounds.

11:29am

50 players still have to finish off their opening rounds but these are some of the tee times (BST) to look out for later from the first and tenth tees:

Hole one:
12:34 Aaron Rai, Collin Morikawa, Jason Day.
12:45 Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland , Matt Fitzpatrick.
12:56 Dustin Johnson, Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland.
13:29 Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm.
19:02 Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood.

Hole ten:
13:07 Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele.
18:40 Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup.
19:24 Mason Howell, Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun.

11:24am

11:20am Key moments

A disrupted and unfinished opening day at the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills sees 2023 champion Wyndham Clark out in front, four shots clear of the field. Play early in round one was delayed by two hours due to fog, which meant that 50 players were unable to finish their first rounds due to light running out at the end of the day. Clark is on six under with two holes of his first round left to play and is four shots clear of a host of players on two under, which includes 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and 2021 US Open champion Jon Rahm, who are also yet to finish their opening round as conditions became easier the longer the first round went on.

Rory McIlroy finished his first round on one under but it could have been better had he not bogeyed the last two holes to card a round of 69. His opening round did include a stunning eagle at the par-five fifth after a 396-yard drive and he did a decent job of fighting through windy conditions.

“With the conditions today [during round one yesterday], anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” McIlroy said. “It was a day to really keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here [a 10 over opening round of 80]. I went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that is always a bonus. It really is just minimising the mistakes and I did that for the most part today.”

Rory McIlroy’s hat fell off a few times yesterday due to the wind - Warren Little/Getty Images

McIlroy begins his second round alongside European Ryder Cup teammates Ludvig Aberg (-1) and Tommy Fleetwood (E) at 7.02pm British time (2.02pm local time). Meanwhile world number one Scottie Scheffler, who is chasing the career Grand Slam this week, struggled in his opening round and is two over coming into today. Scheffler could become just the seventh player to complete the career Grand Slam but has work to do.

“It was a really challenging day,” Scheffler said. “If you told me when I was staring at my par putt on the ninth that I would post two over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time. Overall, it was a good battle. Any time you get conditions like this, I think the scores are going to be high. I think that it is an interesting golf course. Part of the challenge so far is judging the conditions as well, judging how this course is going to play. I feel like this course can change pretty rapidly from day to day. I think that is also part of the challenge of the tournament is adjusting to those conditions.”

Scheffler gets his second round under way at 7.24pm British time. 50 players have to finish their first rounds from 11.35am (6.35am local time) this morning, with groupings for the second round pushed back by 15 minutes.