Thickening fog brought an abrupt halt to the opening round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, causing a postponement just half an hour into play on Thursday.
While high winds had been the anticipated challenge for later in the day, it was a dense blanket of mist, coupled with an existing 18mph breeze, that proved to be the immediate obstacle to visibility.
The first group, teeing off on the back nine, reached the par-five 12th hole only to find the fairway obscured by the heavy fog.
Following a consultation with officials, play was initially paused for 15 minutes, with players held on the course, before a further 15-minute delay was called.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy appeared to have secured a more favourable draw, with a 7.52am local tee time (12.52pm BST) alongside Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, making his first attempt at securing the career grand slam – a feat McIlroy achieved last year – also had an early start at 8.14am (1.13pm BST).
However, prospects looked less bright for those scheduled for later tee times, when wind gusts were predicted to reach up to 36mph.
This group included newly-crowned US PGA champion Aaron Rai, his English compatriot Justin Rose, two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, and 2021 champion Jon Rahm.
Organisers, concerned about golf balls being blown off the super-fast greens at the Long Island, New York, venue, had already taken preventative measures.
These included slowing the pace of the putting surfaces and planning to syringe the greens with water during the short interval between morning and afternoon starters.
The early signs of the course’s formidable challenge were evident, with half of the initial 12 players already over par and not a single birdie recorded before play was suspended.
