Scheffler was far from the only one to endure moments of incredulity.
His playing partner JJ Spaun hit his ball on to the par-three seventh green but by the time the defending champion reached the putting surface a gust of wind had sent it tumbling backwards into a bunker and into a scramble to save his par.
The notoriously tricky par-three 11th hole did for Keegan Bradley’s ball in a similar way and while it did not cost him a shot, it underlined why 2010 winner Graeme McDowell had described Shinnecock Hills as “a torture chamber” in the build-up to his first major appearance in eight years after coming through qualifying,
The Northern Irishman birdied the 10th and 11th to surge to the top of the leaderboard but his card was eventually littered with bogeys and he signed for a76.
American Keith Mitchell looked set to be another falling foul of the unforgiving terrain when he reached the turn in 41.
However, the 34-year-old became the first player in the tournament’s history to hit 40 or worse on one nine and break 30 on the other nine in the same round – his second-half 29 seeing him sign for a 70.
Meanwhile, Australian Adam Scott became only the second man to play in 100 consecutive majors – joining the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who played in 146 on the trot. The 2013 Masters champion opened with a 73.
That was the same score as two-time US Open champion Brooks Koepka, who won the last time Shinnecock Hills held this championship.
They were a shot better off than England’s Tyrrell Hatton, while Spaun failed to make a single birdie as he posted a 77.
But it is another former champion who is setting the pace in Clark, who has talked about seeking redemption for smashing a locker at Oakmont after missing the cut in this tournament 12 months ago.
A run of birdie-birdie-eagle carried him clear of a seemingly rejuvenated Dustin Johnson and potentially on course for a 64 if he can par his remaining two holes when he concludes his first round on Friday morning.
Former world number one and two-time major winner Johnson rolled back the years with four consecutive birdies to put himself into contention before carding a double bogey on the sixth.
Johnson, who will have birdie putt on the 15th hole to claw back a shot when he resumes his first round, is one of seven players at two under.
That group also includes England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the title in 2022, and Spain’s Jon Rahm, who preceded him and also has a Green Jacket to his name.
Bryson DeChambeau, who pummeled a drive a mammoth 427 yards down the 12th, after being propelled forward by a huge kick from Tuckahoe Road, is a shot further back.
Fitzpatrick will face an 11-foot birdie putt on the eighth when he returns on Friday, while DeChambeau will have a 21-foot chance on the same hole.