VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jonathan David scored three goals and Canada won its first World Cup match while all but securing a spot in the knockout round with a 6-0 victory over Qatar on Thursday.
Qatar was reduced to nine players because of red cards in the chaotic match. Assim Madibo was handed a red early in the second half after a tackle on Ismaël Koné, who was stretchered off with a broken left leg. Homan Ahmed was sent off in the first half for a challenge on Tajon Buchanan.
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Canada's Cyle Larin (9) celebrates after scoring his sides opening goal during World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Ismael Kone, left, falls while being fouled against by Qatar's Assim Madibo during the World Cup Group B soccer match in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Qatar's Mohamed Manai (26) reacts after Canada's Ismael Kone (8) was injured on a dangerous play during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kaleb Tatum)
Canada's Jonathan David, third from left, becomes emotional after Ismael Kone sustained an injury and was taken off the field during the World Cup Group B soccer match against Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Canada's Jonathan David, front right, celebrates with Stephen Eustaquio,left, after scoring a goal during World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Jonathan David (10) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Peterson)
With the outburst of scoring, Canada tripled its overall World Cup goal total. Cyle Larin scored in the Canadians' opening draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Alphonso Davies scored four years ago in a loss to Croatia in Qatar, where Canada also got on the board with an own goal by Morocco. The Canadians were shut out three times in the 1986 World Cup.
“No one will forget this, and no Canadian will forget this day,” said coach Jesse Marsch, who held up six fingers as he walked off the field. “It’s an incredibly seminal moment for everyone to understand that there’s talent in this country, that there’s mentality, that there’s desire, that there’s a lot of things that make this country special.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was among the 52,497 fans at BC Place after missing the game in Toronto last week because of the G7 summit in France. He sat with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Canada's triumph was marred by its anguish over Koné's injury. Teammates surrounded him in concern after he was tackled from behind and crumpled to the pitch with his lower left leg bent at a gruesome-looking angle. Madibo was clearly distraught before he was ejected.
Koné was taken to a hospital, were he was preparing for surgery. His family was with him, Marsch said.
Larin scored his second goal of the tournament on a rebound in the 16th minute. Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada punched away David’s volley but it fell to Larin, who pointed to his ears in celebration as the red-clad crowd roared.
David doubled the lead with a right-footed volley in the 29th, for his first goal in the run of play in more than a year.
Ahmed was sent off with a red card in the 33rd. The official initially pointed to the penalty spot, but after video review Canada was given a free kick just outside the box and the initial yellow card handed to Ahmed was changed to red.
Canada made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time when David scored in a scramble in front of the net off a shot that caromed off the crossbar. Qatari players stood with their hands on their hips in frustration while Canada celebrated.
Nathan Saliba, who came in as a substitute for Koné, scored on a free kick in the 64th to make it 4-0. Mohamed Manai deflected a shot past his goalkeeper for an own goal in the 75th.
David completed the hat trick in stoppage time, joining Argentina’s Lionel Messi as the only players with three goals in a match in this World Cup.
“It was a very tough match for many reasons. The players did their best. It was very difficult to face this match with two players less with this environment,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said.
Canada captain Alphonso Davies was available after he missed the opener while recovering from a hamstring injury, but he did not play. Moïse Bombito was also available after sitting out the first game and came in as a substitute in the second half.
Qatar scored a stoppage-time goal to earn a surprising 1-1 draw with Group B favorite Switzerland in its opener. The Persian Gulf country is still looking for its first World Cup win after losing all of its group matches four years ago as the host.
Switzerland defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 earlier in the day in Group B.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Canada's Cyle Larin (9) celebrates after scoring his sides opening goal during World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Ismael Kone, left, falls while being fouled against by Qatar's Assim Madibo during the World Cup Group B soccer match in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Qatar's Mohamed Manai (26) reacts after Canada's Ismael Kone (8) was injured on a dangerous play during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kaleb Tatum)
Canada's Jonathan David, third from left, becomes emotional after Ismael Kone sustained an injury and was taken off the field during the World Cup Group B soccer match against Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Canada's Jonathan David, front right, celebrates with Stephen Eustaquio,left, after scoring a goal during World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Jonathan David (10) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Peterson)
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The USGA set up a different golf course at Shinnecock Hills to keep it playable in strong wind. And when the wind subsided late Thursday afternoon, Wyndham Clark looked like he was playing in a different U.S. Open.
Clark seized on a more gentle course — slightly calmer and still soft with receptive greens — by pulling away late to reach 6-under par through 16 holes.
He left in darkness with a four-shot lead over seven players, one of them Oklahoma junior Ryder Cowan, another one the surprisingly resurgent Dustin Johnson.
Rory McIlroy thought he had made a fine effort with a 69 in gusts that topped 30 mph in the middle of the day, when the scoring average was well above 74. The afternoon started tough until the wind kept subsiding, and players began taking aim at flags. The afternoon wave was playing at least a stroke easier than the early starters who faced relentless wind.
“Everything was kind of clicking,” said Clark, who came into the U.S. Open playing as well as anyone. “We were definitely fortunate with the wind laying down. Overall a good round.”
Shinnecock was still a brute of a test, but the red numbers on the white scoreboard was an unfamiliar site for this course. When play was suspended by darkness, 17 players were under par.
The lowest opening round in the previous five U.S. Opens at Shinnecock is 66, last done by three players in 2004.
Cowan birdied his last hole for a 68 to join former Sooner Max McGreevy and former Oklahoma State player Sam Stevens, the only one of that trio who faced the harsh wind of the morning wave.
Johnson, in his final year of being exempt from the U.S. Open he won at Oakmont in 2016, ran off four straight birdies and was tied with Clark after 13 holes. But Johnson failed to get up-and-down for birdie on the easy par-5 fifth, where Clark made eagle. And then Johnson three-putted from short range for double bogey on the sixth to fall four shots behind.
Scottie Scheffler, who needs the U.S. Open to complete the career Grand Slam, battled all day and relied heavily on his short game to salvage a 72. It was his 10th consecutive U.S. Open round without breaking par, but at the time it left him only four shots out of the lead.
Clark, who won the U.S. Open in Los Angeles three years ago, changed the look of the leaderboard. He was to return Friday morning to complete the round, then head out for the second round in wind expected to be not as strong.
One key to his round might have happened some five hours before he even showed up.
Thirty minutes after the round began, play was stopped because of fog so dense it was difficult to see the fairway and the green on the par-3 11th. The two-hour delay pushed back tee times.
The forecast was for the strongest wind of the week during the brightest part of Thursday.
“I would say when I got my tee times on Tuesday, I was like, ‘Oh, could be a tough draw,’” Clark said. “That two-hour fog delay was very helpful, and it was really nice it laid down. So it definitely helped those last six, seven holes we played.”
His golf wasn't too shabby, either. Clark started on No. 10 and opened with two quick birdies. He went out in 32 to get his name atop the leaderboard. And after missing an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 1 and failing to save par from a bunker on the long par-3 second, he took off.
He hit wedge to 5 feet on No. 3 for birdie, made a 20-foot birdie putt on the next and then from 207 yards with some wind at his back, he hit his second on the par-5 fifth to 3 feet for eagle.
When Johnson faltered, Clark had plenty of breathing room — and a quick turnaround.
The wind was so strong and the conditions so severe that it took Scheffler's group nearly three hours to complete nine holes. There was a question the round could have finished even without the fog delay.
Only 27 out of the 77 players from the afternoon wave — Jason Day withdrew because of a back injury — finished the first round.
Johnson was joined by three other U.S. Open champions — Matt Fitzpatrick (2022), Gary Woodland (2019) and Jon Rahm (2021) — at 2 under, with all still having holes to play.
Rahm, who had a chance in the final hour at the PGA Championship, was bogey-free and reached 2 under by making a 60-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole.
Stevens overcame a double bogey to start his round — a hole that took him over two hours to play because of the fog — and strung together six birdies for his 68.
“The greens haven’t been too firm, the fairways haven’t been too firm, so I’ve really felt like it’s pretty scorable,” said Stevens, who had only his second sub-70 round in his fourth U.S. Open. “Obviously, it’s difficult, but overall it’s an awesome place. I think the setup is great right now.”
For half of the opening round, the USGA appeared to have the ideal test. Coming off two Opens at Shinnecock when the course got out of control, it slowed greens to 10 1/2 on the Stimpmeter — rare for any major, much less the U.S. Open — and keep plenty of water on the putting surfaces.
It was all due to the wind, which did not disappoint. The sustained wind approached 25 mph, and gusts were even stronger. And if that wasn’t enough, it shifted directions in the middle of the day.
“It was tough around here without wind, and then it was blowing pretty hard — really hard,” Keegan Bradley said after a 70. “The USGA did a great job setting the course up because if the greens were any faster or firmer, we might not be playing right now.”
But they played, it became more ideal with each passing hour late in the afternoon.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Dustin Johnson hits from the fairway on the third hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Wyndham Clark hits from the fairway on the third hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 14th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Lucas Herbert hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Scottie Scheffler hits from the rough on the fourth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Sam Stevens plays on the eighth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Jackson Suber hits from the fairway on the first hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A sign on the third hole shows play was suspended during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Matthew Jordan off the green after play was suspended during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Chase Kyes lines up a putt on the first hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
