Padraig Harrington couldn't have asked for better setup at US Open

Harrington, 54, made his way into the US Open field due to his Senior US Open victory last year.

Padraig Harrington at Southampton, New York. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Padraig Harrington knows a thing or two about difficult conditions. He won both of his Open Championships playing in the type of weather that only the hardiest of souls could love.

So Thursday dawned a relatively balmy day for the three-time major champion from Dublin.

He didn’t play particularly well, but Harrington, 54, who made his way into the US Open field due to his Senior US Open victory last year, proved the perfect player to query at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday for the first round.

“Obviously it got quite windy, but you couldn't have asked for a better setup,” said Harrington, who shot 77. “There obviously was a couple of tough holes, but all the tees were up. The pins were as easy as can be. Greens were soft. So it was a tough test but very, very fair.” 

That, perhaps, gives you an idea of how difficult Shinnecock could have played during the first round. As the first round was still being played due to a two-hour fog delay, no player got as low as 4 under par on the par-70 course.

But it was expected to be far more difficult. Weather forecasts all week showed wind gusts of up to 35 Mph with a consistent, steady breeze that was going to cause havoc on the greens and playing shots into them.

While it was still breezy and plenty tricky, those intense winds never materialized.

Sam Stevens, 29, who has never won on the PGA Tour and whose lone professional victory came at the Holcim Colombia Classic on the PGA Tour Americas in 2021, is the clubhouse leader with a 68.

Rory McIlroy, 37, a six-time major winner after his April Masters victory, got in with a 69 after making bogeys at his final two holes, the eighth and the ninth.

Ludvig Aberg, Max Greysterman, Brian Harman and Ben James also finished at 69.

“There was a few gusts, yes,” Harrington said. “You could get the wrong gusts at the wrong time, for sure, but that's golf. As I said, they couldn't have done move with the setup really. Probably 18 is the easiest pins they'll ever put out on the golf course, and the tees were all up. The greens were soft.

“You couldn't have really asked for much more. Clearly there's no doubt there will be players who come in and feel they got a bad break here or there, they got a slight misjudgment and the wind caught it. That happens sometimes with the wind. You just catch a groove out, and all of a sudden you're 25 yards out instead of being 5 yards out.

“It's a bit like that. You're going to get some good breaks as well as bad breaks, but those bad breaks do hurt on a day like today, and players will magnify the "why me" sort of thing. To be honest, it certainly was very, very playable, especially when it warmed up. The wind isn't anywhere near as -- I'm sure it's the same strength, but it doesn't play as strong. With the heat, it's very playable.” 

It there was a bad break, it perhaps hit those players who got their rounds in Thursday. The thought was the early players might get out before the winds while those playing later in the day would battle the elements.

But it worked in reverse, actually. Once play began two hours late, the wind was as its strongest and steady throughout the day. When players were teeing off in mid to late round, the wind had settled to a good degree and the sun warmed up the temperatures.

“I can’t believe I’m saying, but I mean, it was maybe too soft,” said Graeme McDowell, who shot 76. “Like from what I saw in practice to what we’re seeing today, it’s a different golf course. Spinning golf balls back down while. But clearly, the wind forecast, they had to be safe. They had to play on the right side. The wind gusts haven’t showed up and maybe they will. It was tough to recalibrate the system a little bit.

“I think they did what they had to do. To me, they maybe slightly over did what they had to do, but you can’t err on the under of doing it. You know what I’m saying. With what the forecast has been for a week or so, pretty horrendous, and it didn’t seem to materialize. Although those flags are pumping pretty good right now.. But like I say, got to error on the side of correct. You can’t get it wrong.” 

McIlroy made an eagle at the fifth hole – his 14th – hitting a pitching wedge down wind from 190 yards to set up a putt. That got him to 3 under par and in the lead, but he bogeyed each of the last two holes to drop back to 1 under and a score of 69.

“I think with the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” McIlroy said. “It was a day to really just keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here.

“So sort of 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's always a bonus. But really just minimizing the mistakes. I did that for the most part today.

“It's so tough. It's so difficult. I didn't feel like I hit two bad iron shots on the last two holes and put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn't able to get it up-and-down, but overall a really good day.” 

McIlroy hit 10 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens and will have a long wait before his second round begins.