Tournament: The 126th United States Open Championship, June 18-21, 2026
Course: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, par 70, 7,440 yards. In Southampton, Long Island NY.
Purse: $21.5 million in total, $4.3 million to the winner.
Defending Champ: JJ Spaun. The Aztec from SDSU had shown positive signs earlier in the year when he took Rory McIlroy to a playoff at the Players. Solid ball striking, good putting, and staying away from the big number at Oakmont kept Spaun near the lead every day, and even after a 40
on his first 9 holes Sunday. But steady as she goes and watch your fellow competitors wilt, which they did. Spaun was the only player to finish under par for the tourney.
Fun Fact: Shinnecock was one of the 5 founding clubs of the USGA in the 1890’s. It held the second US Open in 1896 at a grand total of 4,432 yards… for 12 total holes. Of course the players were wearing vests and tweed jackets, and hitting leather balls stuffed with feathers.
TV Times: NBC has the rights for USGA events, so get ready for some Dan Hicks. The plus side is we get a lot of Kevin Kisner. Another downside is swapping channels, apps, feeds, etc. because… NBC.
Thursday is 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (USA); 5-8 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, Peacock).
Friday is slightly different: 6:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, Peacock); 1:30-7:30 p.m. (NBC); 7:30-8:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, Peacock).
The weekend is thankfully a little more straightforward and available on common cable channels.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-noon (USA); noon-8 p.m. (NBC), and similarly…
Sunday 9 a.m.-noon (USA); noon-7 p.m. (NBC) **All times Eastern**
‘Dawgs in the Field and Thursday Tee Times (also displayed in Eastern Daylight Time):
Keith Mitchell #10 tee, 7:19 am EDT
Harris English #1 tee, 8:03 am
Sepp Straka #10 tee, 8:03 am
Mason Howell (a) #1 tee, 8:14 am (with Scottie Scheffler and defending champ JJ Spaun)
Brian Harman #10 tee, 8:14 am
Chris Kirk #1 tee, 12:52 pm
Davis Thompson #1 tee, 1:14 pm
Russell Henley #1 tee, 1:36 pm
So now you know when to watch, how to watch, who to root for, and where they’re playing, and what they’re playing for. It’s a very strong field with no overwhelming favourite. Yet storylines abound and I’m sure there will be new ones popping up every day that no one saw coming. Enjoy watching the best players in the world humbled and struggle to shoot even par. And as always…
GO ‘DAWGS
