At Shinnecock, the forecast calls for a windy, wild US Open

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At Shinnecock, the forecast calls for a windy, wild US Open

2026-06-18 19:01 Last Updated At：19:10

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The sight of workers dragging a garden hose onto the seventh green in the middle of the final round at Shinnecock Hills in 2004 has long been remembered as the equivalent of the USGA waving a white flag. The message: We've officially lost the golf course.

This year, with the U.S. Open returning to one of the country's most difficult and windswept layouts, the USGA sent a message before the tournament began: It will be watering the greens and it's not a sign of surrender.

It is, however, the reality of what's shaping up to be a rough week at what is traditionally the season's roughest major — America's national championship. Sustained wind near the eastern tip of Long Island was expected to rise beyond 30 mph at times for the opening round.

The 126th edition of U.S. Open began ominously Thursday morning when the large American flag atop the clubhouse was crackling at 6:30 a.m. Fog began to roll in, prompting James Nicholas to ask the starter if they were on time.

“I just wanted to make sure,” Nicholas said. “I can't see the fairway.”

But he had plenty of room to see the flight of his 3-iron. To give the players a chance, the USGA has made the fairways wide and is trying to keep the greens soft and slower than usual.

That's all part of the plan to keep it tough but fair.

“When we start to talk about numbers in the mid-30s, that becomes problematic in a number of ways,” John Bodenhamer, the USGA official in charge of course setup, said in referencing the wind forecast.

Shinnecock, considered one of America's true cathedrals of golf, has also been the scene of some of its more jarring debacles.

In 2018, Phil Mickelson, frustrated with a ball he putted past the hole on No. 13 that just kept rolling, jogged toward the ball and swatted it back up the hill while it was still moving. That was a two-shot penalty that left the left-hander “embarrassed and disappointed by my actions.”

In 2004, organizers had to water the heavily sloped Redan green on No. 7 in between groups on Sunday — the signature moment on a fiasco of a day in which not a single player broke par.

Bodenhamer outlined a plan for the first two days, in which the USGA built in more time between the morning and afternoon waves to “syringe” the greens. He described that as applying a light mist on top of the surfaces, sort of like what happens when they water vegetables in the produce section at the grocery store.

He said course workers would wait until as late as possible before the start of the weekend rounds to water, in hopes they would remain receptive throughout the day. Saturday's forecast calls for heavy wind out of the north and northwest, which is the opposite of normal at Shinnecock and can blow balls from the back to front of what Bodenhamer called “the problematic greens — or the more severe greens, not problematic.”

He said the speeds of the greens could be set to measure around 10 on the stimpmeter. A normal reading for a major would be around 13. If that's the case, these could be the slowest U.S. Open putting surfaces he can recall since 1995, when Corey Pavin won at Shinnecock with a score of even par.

But when asked what this year's trip around Shinnecock could look like, Bodenhamer brought up 1992, when Tom Kite used a 6-iron on the 102-yard seventh hole, then chipped in from left of the green to set up a win in gale conditions at Pebble Beach.

“We think Thursday could look a little bit like that, with what we’re seeing in the forecast,” Bodenhamer said. “We’ve given that some thought.”

The USGA has been transparent with the players about the watering plan.

“When I first heard of it, my first reaction was, ‘That’s stupid, why are they doing that?’” Rory McIlroy said. "Then, once you actually listen and you’ve let them break it down to you, you’re, like, 'Yeah, that makes sense.'”

Since Bodenhamer took over the course setup job in 2019, the USGA has more or less stopped using par as a benchmark for a winning score. The year before he took over, Brooks Koepka won at Shinnecock with a score of 1 over. Since then, the average winning score has been nearly 7 under, even with notoriously tough courses like Winged Foot and Oakmont in the mix.

This year, the goal, in Bodenhamer's words, is to “let Shinnecock be what it's supposed to be.”

If the wind kicks up, as expected, it will be the toughest test in golf. If it doesn't and the USGA sticks with its watering plan, it could turn into something totally different.

“It is a very unique site. It is up on top of the hill. It does get battered by the elements,” Justin Rose said. “The course changes dramatically from morning to afternoon. What I’m hearing is some slightly different protocols this week make sense to me, and I think it’s set up to be a great tournament.”

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Obama Center opens in Chicago with a call to defend democracy and a celebrity crowd

Former President Barack Obama formally opened his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday with a call to defend democracy as three former presidents joined him on stage in an extraordinary event featuring politicians, A-list celebrities, athletes and other internationally known figures.

“I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens,” the nation’s first Black president told the crowd.

Bono, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Eddie Vedder took turns on the stage ahead of Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, who closed the show singing “Higher Ground” as the former presidents, world leaders and others danced along.

President Donald Trump was conspicuous both in his physical absence and by not being mentioned by any of the speakers or performers. Trump called the $850 million center a “total disaster” in a social media post in February.

Obama voiced his support for character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion and sense of duty, praising both Democrats and Republicans, including those he defeated.

“Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did,” Obama said. “It is our greatest inheritance.”

Reflecting on his arrival in Chicago in 1985 as an untested political organizer, he said he could not have built the Obama Presidential Center anywhere else. He met his future wife Michelle nearby, their wedding reception was within walking distance, his children were born in the neighborhood and he launched his first candidacy not far away.

“It’s an expression of thanks, an acknowledgment that so much of what I hold most dear I owe to the people of this city and the people of the surrounding neighborhoods,” Obama said.

The Obamas and their daughters shared the stage with former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton along with former first ladies Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and many other leading Democrats were in the audience.

Michelle Obama spoke directly to her husband when she stepped up to the podium. “Eight years in the crucible and not once did you melt in the heat. Not once did you let it harden you.

“Instead, you used it to reveal your truest essence,” she said. “Your stubborn optimism and unflinching courage. Your dazzling brilliance and unpretentious decency. Your ferocious work ethic and absolutely unshakable moral fiber. And to do it all as a first.”

She ticked off highlights from her husband's eight years in office, including ordering the raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, “standing up for marriage equality” and “listening to science.”

“And you did it all with such grace and class and cool,” she said. “You made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful park.”

Obama appeared to wipe away a tear as she praised him.

Michelle Obama also referenced the current “anxious and divisive times” and warned against being cynical or complacent as “everything feels so upside down.” She pitched the center as “a respite from all that.”

Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem and Aguilera delivered a rousing rendition of “What a Wonderful World.” Pearl Jam’s Vedder, joined by Chicago teenagers in the nonprofit Guitars Over Guns program, sang an original song called “Better Believe,” written just for the dedication.

Legend sang “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and was joined by the rapper Common and Uniting Voices Chicago for their Academy Award-winning song “Glory.”

Bono, who said he was representing the Irish, joined with The Edge in singing the U2 song “City of Blinding Lights.” The Roots served as the house band. And Springsteen sang “Land of Hopes and Dreams” before turning to the Obamas and saying “I love you.”

Wonder sang “All I Do” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)” before the grand finale, joined by the performers who preceded him.

The VIP crowd included several potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates; civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al Sharpton; Oprah Winfrey; comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert; actor Tom Hanks; tennis legend Billie Jean King and Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts.

Former world leaders in attendance included former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The three-hour invite-only celebration included commentary from a nearby park where thousands gathered, and it was livestreamed to many more. It kicks off a weekend of events as the center opens to the general public on Juneteenth.

“This is not a monument to the Obamas,” said Valerie Jarrett, the Obama Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser. “This is a tribute to all those who made this journey possible.”

The opening, like the ribbon-cuttings of other presidential libraries over the years, had a heavy focus on accomplishments. This former president also expressed some regrets — such as the increase in political polarization during his two terms. “It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency — that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better,” Obama said in his final State of the Union.

“Some of the exhibits reflect unfinished business,” Obama said Thursday. “In some cases, my own shortcomings and mistakes.”

General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the end of October. More than a million visitors a year are expected at the nearly 20-acre campus.

Associated Press writer Mike Catalini contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.