US Open TV coverage shifts to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Thursday, and Scottie Scheffler is the name at the center of it. The 126th U.S. Open starts at a venue that has repeatedly punished scorecards, with Scheffler trying to become the seventh man to complete the career Grand Slam.
That chase comes with a complication: Scheffler has not won in his past 11 starts. He still arrives as the leading favorite, backed by three runner-up finishes and seven top-10s on the PGA Tour, plus four top-10s in his past five U.S. Open starts.
Shinnecock Hills and the score
The setup at Shinnecock Hills has historically separated the field fast. In five previous U.S. Opens there, dating back to 1896, only three golfers finished under par: Raymond Floyd won in 1986 at 1 under, Corey Pavin won in 1995 at even par, and Retief Goosen won in 2004 at 4 under while Phil Mickelson posted 2 under.
Brooks Koepka won the last U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills at 1 over, then became the first back-to-back winner since Curtis Strange in 1988-89. The final round in 2004 was even harsher: 28 golfers could not break 80 on Sunday, and the average score was 78.7.
Matt Fitzpatrick on the setup
Matt Fitzpatrick put the course in plain terms. “[It's a] second-shot golf course,” he said, and added, “The fairways are a little bit wider this time.” He also said, “Obviously, [the] U.S. Open tests all aspects of your game, I feel like.”
Then he pointed to the green complexes. “But Shinnecock, in particular, with how severe the greens are, you've got to do a good job of managing that.” For players in this field, that means the scoring margin will hinge on controlling approaches and avoiding extra shots on the greens, not just driving the ball into position.
McIlroy, Rahm and Young
Rory McIlroy adds another major name to the week. He won the Masters and has three straight top 20s, and his lone U.S. Open title came at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, 15 years ago.
Xander Schauffele has seven top-10s in nine U.S. Open starts and has not finished worse than a tie for 14th. Jon Rahm, who won the 2021 U.S. Open, has won twice in the LIV Golf League this season and tied for second in the PGA Championship two weeks ago in Spain. Cameron Young, with two wins and six top-10s in 2026, will again play in front of a home crowd after doing so at Bethpage Black during last year's Ryder Cup.
By Sunday, the question is not simply whether Shinnecock Hills will play hard. It is whether Scheffler can turn a difficult week into the one result that would finish the Grand Slam conversation.
