Half Of US Open Field Suffer Cruel Blow In Opening Round (And Why It's Bad News For Scheffler)

It wouldn't be a US Open without a little early weather chat - but the impact that conditions had on scoring for half of the field in the opening round was alarming.

After an early delay to proceedings due to fog, a predicted wave advantage for the early starters completely switched and instead the likes of Scheffler, McIlroy and others were faced with the an already fear-inducing Shinnecock Hills in barbaric wind conditions.

Sustained winds of 25mph and gusts of over 40mph were reported, making an already tough test even more tricky for those playing their opening round in the first wave of tee times.

Scheffler struggled to a two-over-par 72 and McIlroy battled out a turbulent round to finish with an impressive one-under-par 69, but half of the 156 man field were dealt a difficult hand.

We even saw golf balls moving on the greens at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday, highlighting how close the course was to becoming unplayable in the morning, but are things expected to balance out with more strong winds over the weekend?

Weather Conditions At US Open Creates Clear Wave Advantage

Wind conditions settled significantly for the afternoon wave, creating a much more hospitable environment that was conducive to better scoring - obviously while still providing the stiff test that Shinnecock Hills consistently promises.

Wyndham Clark ran away from the field at six-under-par, with two holes of his first round still to play, fully capitalising on the clear and perhaps cruel wave advantage which essentially handicapped half of the field.

Just six of those who played in the morning wave managed to shoot under-par, in contrast to 11 who played in the more fruitful conditions on Thursday afternoon.

The story was also told in the scoring averages. The morning wave had an average score of 73.87, a shot higher than the afternoon wave (72.88) when play finished on Thursday.

We hear the argument from portions of competing players each year that the US Open is too hard, or even unfair.

I usually disagree with this notion, as the course is the same for everyone, but this year I am inclined to feel sorry for those who were at a very clear, albeit uncontrollable, disadvantage.

The bad news for Scheffler and others who failed to navigate the tougher morning conditions is that there appears to be no intention from Mother Nature to re-balance the scales.

The US Open weather forecast shows wind conditions for play on day two are predicted to be fairly consistent throughout, with wind speeds of 13mph to 15mph and gusts of around 20mph.

That picture is expected to continue for the remainder of the tournament, meaning that Scheffler and those who posted an over-par round yesterday morning will face the same conditions as the leading pack and will need to outshoot those in the red over the final 54-holes to get back into contention.

As a Brit, I am partial to a little weather watching. I'm hoping to see the forecast shift so that those at the top of the leaderboard are forced to battle the elements in round two, if only to provide a little parity.

But, sadly, I fear we could see those who made hay on Thursday pull away from the field over the weekend - which essentially eliminates half of the field at the third Major of the season after just one day of play.