{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/680a0159fcccdba3a5365c3e/6a34a66c4a2a3be0f4f538cc?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Wyndham Clark Leads Brutal Shinnecock R1 - June 19th, 2026","description":"<p>On June 19th, 2026, brutal 35 mph winds and baked greens at Shinnecock Hills wreaked havoc on the U.S. Open field, but Wyndham Clark defied the conditions to take a solo Round 1 lead at four-under.</p><p><br></p><h3>THE LEADER &amp; THE CARNAGE</h3><ul><li>Wyndham Clark took the solo lead at four-under, making a brutal Shinnecock Hills look simple despite 35 mph winds that forced the USGA to delay tee times to syringe the wilting poa annua greens.</li><li>Defending champion J.J. Spaun blew up with a seven-over, while Patrick Reed shot a 72 after a viral fescue-to-fescue shank on the 14th hole.</li><li>NY native James Nicholas hit the 6:35 AM opening tee shot, muscled a 7-iron from just 109 yards in the wind, and received an emotional call from Joe Namath saying, \"your father is smiling in heaven.\"</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><h3>THE STARS AT ONE-UNDER</h3><ul><li>Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm all battled to impressive 69s, surviving bizarre fan interference and utilizing massive drives and highlight-reel short game magic to stay in the mix.</li><li>Bryson unleashed a 427-yard drive off a maintenance road, prompting the broadcast to declare, \"he is literally going to have a flip into this green.\"</li><li>Rory McIlroy noted it was \"a day to stay patient\" after a 396-yard drive, while Rahm electrified the crowd with a spinner chip on 13 and a 60-foot birdie bomb on the 17th.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><h3>SCOTTIE'S BIRTHDAY STRUGGLES</h3><ul><li>Scottie Scheffler celebrated his 30th birthday by shooting a frustrating 72, continuing a troubling trend of slow starts in majors that forces him to play catch-up heading into the weekend.</li><li>Scheffler’s first-round scoring average sits at 69.92 compared to 67.50 in final rounds, leading Trey Wingo to note, \"He would shoot himself out on Thursdays.\"</li><li>Justin Leonard pointed out that Scottie consistently \"handicaps himself\" early, drawing comparisons to Rory McIlroy's infamous post-2014 major drought.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><h3>Quick Hits</h3><p>17-year-old amateur Miles Russell calls pro strategy \"boring\" and \"ho hum\" • Amateur Ryder Cowan briefly holds the lead at three-under • Jason Day suffers a heartbreaking WD with a severe back injury after a front-nine 42</p>","author_name":"Golf.ai"}