Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the venue of the 2026 U.S. Open, was billed as one of the toughest courses known to man, and it certainly lived up to the hype. The first two rounds of the U.S. Open 2026 are in the books, and, outside of leader Wyndham Clark, the course wreaked havoc on the best golfers in the world.
Clark is at 7-under-par as he seeks his second U.S. Open win in four years. He has a four-stroke lead over the rest of the field, and just 10 golfers in the 156-man field broke par. The cut is 4-over-par, and a number of notable golfers, major champions, and future Hall of Famers missed the cut. Here are the most notable golfers who will watch the final two rounds of the U.S. Open on TV just like you and me.
Brooks Koepka
The five-time major winner was the last person to conquer this course, courtesy of Koepka winning the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock. However, a week that started off in a rough way finished even worse for Koepka. Last Sunday, Koepka withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open before teeing off in the final round due to a hand injury, and you have to wonder if that affected him this week at Shinnecock. Koepka shot 10-over-par through his two rounds, with 10 bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys. He’s now missed the cut more often (four times) than not (three times) over his last seven majors.JJ Spaun
J.J. Spaun going home after two rounds means there will be a new U.S. Open champion in 2026, as the Los Angeles native’s lone major win came at this event last year. He was the third-biggest longshot (150-1) to win a major championship since 2010 at last year’s event, and while he was on everyone’s radar this year, his game didn’t travel from year to year.A tough opening round did Spaun in as he broke par in zero holes but had five bogeys and one double. With Spaun out of contention, the number of back-to-back U.S. Open champions remains at seven, with Koepka the last to pull it off (2017-18).
Bryson DeChambeau
Speaking of seven, Bryson DeChambeau was hoping to become the seventh golfer to win this major three times. Instead, his performance continued a puzzling trend as he’s now missed the cut in three straight major starts. DeChambeau was at even par entering Saturday, but then had back-to-back double-bogeys on Holes 3 and 4. He could never recover after putting himself in that hole and will hope to salvage his major season at next month’s Open Championship. However, history isn’t on his side as his five made cuts at the British Open are his fewest amongst any major.Jon Rahm
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club isn’t scheduled to host another major until 2036, and Jon Rahm’s probably asking himself, “That soon?” The Spaniard missed the cut at Shinnecock at the 2018 U.S. Open and didn’t show much improvement at this year’s edition. Rahm, who won the 2021 U.S. Open in sunny San Diego, shot a 78 in the windy conditions of Long Island, N.Y., on Saturday. Just four golfers had worse Round 2 scores, with half of those being amateurs.Rickie Fowler
The uber-popular Rickie Fowler is now 0 for 57 in his major career. Some thought this tournament could be when Fowler’s drought finally came to an end, considering the U.S. Open has, historically, been his best major. He has both his most career top 5s (three) and top 10s (four) of any major at the U.S. Open and just missed out on at least giving himself a chance this year.
Rickie Fowler of the United States plays a shot from the 17th tee during the second round of the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., on June 19, 2026. Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Fowler shot 5-over-par, meaning he missed the cut by a single stroke, as bogeying his third-to-last hole did him in.
Viktor Hovland
Wyndham Clark shot a 69 in Round 2 and currently sits atop the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Viktor Hovland shot a 69 in Round 2 and is headed back to his home in Oklahoma. Of course, the differing results of their respective Round 1s are the reason for the disparity between Clark and Hovland. The former shot six birdies/eagles in his opening round, while Hovland carded six bogeys in Friday’s Round 1. The Norwegian is a seven-time PGA Tour winner and was the 2023 FedEx Cup Champion, but he’s still searching for his first major after coming up short in his first 27 attempts.Mason Howell
Mason Howell is a name not known to most golf fans, yet, but he’s an amateur who qualified for the U.S. Open by winning the 2025 U.S. Amateur. At 18 years old, he became the third-youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur, an honor previously held by Tiger Woods.Howell finished his 2026 U.S. Open at 8-over-par, and while it’s unsurprising that an 18-year-old amateur missed the cut, it is surprising that someone even younger than Howell did make the cut. Miles Russell, a 17-year-old amateur who only got into this tournament via regional qualifiers, shot 3-over-par and will see the weekend. Of the 20 amateurs in the U.S. Open 2026 field, Russell is one of five who made the cut, while Howell is one of 15 who missed the cut.
