Saturday at Shinnecock in position to offer up unfriendly test

Wyndham Clark watches his tee shot on the 13th hole during the second round. Picture: Seth Wenig/AP

The story was seemingly always going to be about the golf course. At least in part. Too much history – a good bit of unfavorable – was lodged in the memory banks about Shinnecock Hills. How the U.S. Open venue would stack up this time would undoubtedly be part of the intrigue.

As the leaders were getting onto the storied course on Saturday afternoon on eastern Long Island, one aspect was becoming clear: the place that sometimes was known to cross the line of fairness was again in position to offer up a stern, perhaps unfriendly test.

Wyndham Clark, the first- and second-round leader, was due to face more than just a group of previous major champions chasing him. He would have to contend with his emotions, his nerves and an unrelenting Shinnecock Hills layout.

“I think the weather has been perfect,” Masters champion Rory McIlroy was saying after a second-round 71 left him in a pack of players at even par, seven back of Clark. 

“They've got everything back on track, so I'd say people should expect the Shinnecock they've gotten to know over the past couple of decades.” 

That is one that saw only Retief Goosen win with a score under par over 72 holes at a U.S. Open. He was 4 under in 2004 when he beat Phil Mickelson by two shots. They were the only players in red numbers.

In 2018, Brooks Koepka won with a total of 281, 1 over par. He shot a final-round 68 just to get that close to par.

Both tournaments were marred by course set-up issues, ones that at times overshadowed the proceedings. It’s why there was so much emphasis on it this week with weather reports suggesting gusting winds of up to 40mph for Thursday’s opening round.

Those are type of wind speeds that cause tournament organizers to worry about more than just golfers. Corporate chalets and spectator tents can be in peril with those kind of winds, and some players who had afternoon tee times simply prayed that the proceedings would be called off.

But as is the bane of a weatherman’s existence, the projected winds amounted to no more than a very strong breeze. Shinnecock was far from easy, but with the organizers taking precautions to make sure it was fair, the usual carnage did not materialize.

“I think the setup has been good ,” McIlroy said. “I think that's more -- I think that's more a reflection of the golf course rather than the setup. I would say that the storyline over the first two days hasn't really been the setup. It's been the golf course.

“Yes, they've had to set it up in some ways quite benign because of at least the expected wind (Thursday) that materialized for some part but not all of the day. Then (Friday) was, I would say, a typical day here at Shinnecock where the wind was, you know, 15 to 20, gusting to 25 to 30.

“But I would say less players in the weekend, starting a little bit later, I think you'll start to see the golf course dry out a little bit and ramp up. But I didn't really think there was any, like, borderline pins. I thought they've done a good job so far over the first couple of days.” 

McIlroy appeared prescient as the leaders were getting onto the course for the third round. He played his first three holes in 1 over par. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler bogeyed his first two holes. 

Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo was the only player on the course who was more than 1 under par, at one point getting to 4 under for his round. Three of the early finishers scored in the 80s.

Welcome to what they expect of a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.