With New York having the latest NBA champions in the Knicks, and the Tri-State Area hosting World Cup matches, it may have flown under the radar that the Empire State will also host a golf major this week.
The 2026 U.S. Open begins Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island. This will be the 126th edition of the U.S. Open Championship and the sixth at Shinnecock. Here are the top storylines to follow.
Tough Course
Only two of the previous five winning scores at Shinnecock broke par, with one of those being 1 under. The last U.S. Open winner at Shinnecock was Brooks Koepka (+1) in 2018.The links-style course looks like one golfers would normally see overseas at the British Open. While the fairways are extremely generous and wide, there is a penal rough cut up to 5 inches that surrounds it. Then on the greens, golfers will be met with slopes and undulation, in addition to sharp run-offs. Add in the eight acres of bunkers on the course, and it’s of little surprise that only three golfers have finished under par across the 659 combined U.S. Open starts at this course.
A Career Grand Slam in Sight
The 2025 Masters saw Rory McIlroy become the sixth golfer to complete the Career Grand Slam, and the 2026 U.S. Open could see Scottie Scheffler become the seventh. He’s placed in the top seven in four of his last five U.S. Open starts, and it’s the one major missing from his resume. Scheffler has never competed at Shinnecock Hills, and the U.S. Open has historically been his weakest major. It’s the only one he’s missed multiple cuts at, and his four top 25s there are his fewest among major tournaments.One and Done or a Repeat Contender?
J.J. Spaun somewhat miraculously won this tournament in 2025, as it was just his second PGA Tour victory and first in over three years. Spaun was the biggest longshot to win the U.S. Open in over 15 years, and while he’s not a favorite this year, he is very much on the radar, unlike a year ago. He won the Texas Open in April and has notched top 15 finishes in four of his last five overall starts.Koepka (2017-18) is the only golfer over the last 35 years to win this major in consecutive years, and Koepka’s second, coincidentally, came at Shinnecock. Before Koepka, Ben Hogan (1950-51) and Curtis Strange (1988-89) are the only others to successfully defend their U.S. Open titles since World War II.
Just Adam and Jack
Adam Scott hasn’t won on tour in six years, and his lone major win came 13 years ago. He’s not really on anyone’s radar to hoist the 2026 U.S. Open trophy, but Scott does deserve mention for his service. This week’s tournament will be his 100th consecutive start at a major, which dates back to the 2001 British Open. This streak is the second longest in history, trailing only Jack Nicklaus (146). It’s certainly noteworthy when you share company with the Golden Bear, and only with the Golden Bear.How 7 Makes 12
The good news for Rory McIlroy is that his first major victory came at the U.S. Open in 2011. The bad news is that his most recent missed U.S. Open cut came when Shinnecock last hosted in 2018. So he has a complex history with both this tournament and this course, as he seeks to win a seventh major championship. Just 11 men in golf history have won at least seven majors. The Irishman looks to make it a dirty dozen come Sunday.A First-Time Winner?
The most recent major—the PGA Championship—saw a first-time major champion in Aaron Rai, as did last year’s U.S. Open with Spaun victorious. Neither player has a name that often popped up on those lists of “Best Golfers Who Haven’t Won a Major.” Recurring names on that list include the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, and Patrick Cantlay, with more recent additions being Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young.Will one of them finally become a major champion? Will two-time champions such as Brooks Koepka or Bryson DeChambeau add to their count and become the seventh golfer with three U.S. Open titles? Or will a name we’re accustomed to seeing at the tops of leaderboards such as Scheffler, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, or Xander Schauffele claim the year’s third major?
We’ll find out on Sunday, which is Father’s Day. The USGA purposely schedules the event to coincide with the holiday, as golf is often passed down from fathers to sons and daughters. The U.S. Open will be broadcast on USA Network and NBC, also streaming on Peacock.
