Scottie Scheffler endured a difficult opening round in his pursuit of a career Grand Slam at the US Open, finishing with a two-over-par 72 after play on Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

The world-class American, who has already won the Masters, PGA Championship and British Open, battled challenging weather conditions and inconsistent putting throughout the day.Strong winds, with gusts reaching nearly 55kph, made scoring difficult across the field and contributed to several mistakes from leading players.

Scheffler recorded one birdie, two bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine before improving slightly on the back nine with three birdies and two additional bogeys.He acknowledged that adapting to changing course conditions was one of the biggest challenges facing competitors.

At the top of the completed leaderboard, Americans Sam Stevens and Max McGreevy shared the clubhouse lead with amateur Ryder Cowan after each posted impressive two-under-par 68 rounds.Stevens recovered well from an early double bogey after a lengthy fog delay, while McGreevy produced a strong back-nine performance.Cowan impressed with four birdies despite his limited major championship experience.

Defending champion Wyndham Clark was the overall leader at six-under par when play was suspended because of darkness, although he still had two holes remaining.Rory McIlroy, another major contender, finished at one-under par after producing an eagle and several key birdies despite windy conditions.The demanding nature of Shinnecock Hills once again lived up to the US Open's reputation as golf's toughest test.Organisers had taken measures to soften and slow the greens in anticipation of strong winds.Play was scheduled to resume early on Friday morning to complete the opening round.