Iain Carter BBC golf correspondent

Haas spent much of day one looking down at the field

The most notable first-round performance came from Jay Haas. It's one thing for a 50-year-old veteran to lead the US Open, it's another when his son is in the field too.

His round was the epitome of know-how and it spoke volumes about the longevity of professional golfers.

Shinnecock Hills provides an exacting test of technique and patience, and those attributes, allied to experience, were all evident in Haas' four-under-par 66.

With his world number one status under threat, Tiger Woods must be throwing envious and worried glances in Haas' direction.

Ernie Els, the world number two, played the kind of tidy golf that is going to be so crucial this week, especially after his poor start saw him lose three shots in three holes.

Thereafter, the South African was faultless, and he is well placed.

Vijay Singh, ranked third, is only two shots off the lead, as is Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

Tiger, meanwhile, is two over par, six shots off the lead.

The 28-year-old American has never won a tournament after failing to break par in the first round, and 72 was the best he could have scored given his erratic play off the tee.

Price enjoys par start

Elsewhere, it was fantastic to see Phillip Price leading the European challenge.

The Welshman is normally an understated fellow but this week he has been uncharacteristically bullish about his chances.

To shoot par around this devilishly difficult course is no mean feat, and gave ample proof of the healthy state of his game.

Levin's eight-iron was even more spectacular when you consider that he only took up golf six years ago

Apart from Price, it was a disappointing day for the Europeans.

Prior to today's action, there was a naive expectation that the links-style nature of this course would help the Europeans.

But in reality, the European Tour provides little exposure to the unique demands of the kind of fast-running lay-outs favoured by the USGA.

It was particularly sad to see Nick Faldo shoot 81, as he had worked so hard to win one of the three US Open berths available at Lake Nona last week.

Another kicking himself will be Miguel Angel Jimenez. The in-form Spaniard blew his chances by racking up a sextuple bogey at the par-three 11th.

The shot of the day belonged to Spencer Levin.

Duval spent a lot of his time looking for his ball

The young amateur fired a hole-in-one at the par-three 17th with his first shot after a two-and-a-quarter-hour weather delay.

Levin's eight-iron was even more spectacular when you consider that he only took up golf six years ago.

And a final thought must go to David Duval.

It's not often that a professional golfer will leave the course feeling satisfied with a 13-over-par 83, but it was nice to see Duval with a smile on his face after his return to competition.