LIV golfer claims Shinnecock may have been too easy despite shooting well over par on day one at the US Open

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Shinnecock Hills represented an incredibly stern test for the early starters on day one of the US Open.

However, conditions improved drastically for the afternoon wave, as Wyndham Clark separated himself from the rest.

The 2023 US Open champion was six under par through 16 holes when darkness halted play for the day.

However, the next best score at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday was two-under par, and there were plenty of horror scores as well.

Four players shot 80 or higher on day one of the US Open, with many more still having to complete their first rounds and in danger of joining them.

Scottie Scheffler struggled to a 72, while the likes of Cam Smith and Chris Gotterup posted 75s.

Graeme McDowell says Shinnecock was too easy on day one at the US Open

Interestingly, LIV golfer Graeme McDowell has suggested that the setup on day one made things too easy for the players.

Now, that claim seems truly remarkable, given the fact that he posted a round of six-over par 76 on Thursday at Shinnecock.

After his round, McDowell highlighted how the greens simply were not firm enough.

“The setup was nearly, I can’t believe I’m saying it, it was nearly too soft. From what we saw in practice to what we are seeing today, it’s like a completely different golf course.

“We were spinning balls back down wind. Clearly the wind forecast today, they had to be safe, and had to play it on the right side.

“To me the wind gusts haven’t showed up, maybe they will, but it was potentially a little over soft. It was tough to recalibrate the system a bit to see balls stopping as quickly as they were on the greens.“

USGA had no choice with Shinnecock setup

That’s quite the claim when you haven’t even managed to get close to shooting even par.

The golf course was plenty hard enough.

A score of even par was good enough to squeeze inside the top 20.

Meanwhile, aside from Wyndham Clark’s round, two-under par was the best that anyone could do.

The greens had to be slightly softer and slower due to the high winds that the early wave of players experienced.

Had they been any firmer or faster, the golf course would have been unplayable.

Considering the fact that Graeme McDowell shot a 76 on day one of the US Open, he should consider himself very fortunate that the greens were softer and slower than normal!