Second Round 2026 US Open tee times: Friday’s pairings at Shinnecock Hills
BetspertsGolf
3 days ago
Heavy fog suspended the opening round of the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday morning, with the USGA halting play at 7:05 a.m. ET before most of the field had even teed off. Just 14 players had started their rounds when officials sounded the horn, and all of them were eventually brought back to the clubhouse to wait out the dense fog that blanketed the Southampton, New York, course.
The stoppage was a non-dangerous, visibility-only suspension rather than a lightning or safety call. According to the U.S. Open, players were first asked to hold in place for 15 minutes in hopes the fog would lift, then sent indoors when it did not. Of the 14 players already on the course, eight were tied at even par at the moment play stopped, so the 2026 US Open leaderboard barely had time to form before the first round ground to a halt.
The fog could not have arrived at a worse moment for the morning wave. Thursday was already forecast as the windiest day of the championship, with sustained wind climbing into the 20-to-30 mph band and gusts topping 30 mph, plus brief gusts reported as high as 40 mph on site and roughly a 50 percent chance of afternoon storms. The early starters were supposed to play the calmest, freshest part of the day, and the fog has eaten into that edge by pushing their rounds later toward the building wind.
If the 2026 US Open delay stretches long enough, the USGA may not get all 156 players through 18 holes before dark, which would force an early Friday restart to complete the first round. Shinnecock is playing softer and longer than its usual firm self after midweek rain, but the wind is the swing factor, and a compressed schedule only sharpens it.
2026 US Open Round 2 – How To Watch
FRIDAY, JUNE 19
US Open Round 2 Coverage: 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. (Peacock)
Featured Groups: 7:29 a.m. – finish (Peacock, USOpen.com, USGA App)
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This is Shinnecock’s sixth U.S. Open and its first since 2018, when Brooks Koepka won here over Tommy Fleetwood. J.J. Spaun arrives as the defending champion after his win at Oakmont in 2025. The headline of the week is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who can complete the career Grand Slam with a 2026 US Open title and turns 30 on Sunday, the final round.
A fog-shortened opening day does not change any of those storylines, but it does add a layer of scheduling chaos to a championship that was already bracing for a brutal, wind-swept test. For more on what awaits, see our breakdown of the 2026 U.S. Open weather forecast at Shinnecock and our first-round leader picks for Thursday.
That depends on how long the fog lingers. The USGA will try to complete the first round on Thursday, but a long enough delay could push some players into a Friday-morning restart to finish their opening rounds before the second round begins. The championship still runs through Sunday, June 21.
Does the delay affect the 36-hole cut?
The 2026 US Open cuts after 36 holes to the low 60 and ties. A first-round delay does not change the cut rule, but if scheduling gets compressed, it can affect when players finish their second rounds and when the cut line is set, which matters for anyone holding make-cut or miss-cut props.
