Shinnecock Hills is the only golf club to host the U.S. Open over three centuries. In the five previous championships, only three players have finished under par.
That's what awaits Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the field for the 126th edition of golf's second-oldest championship. And if they are not on edge about the toughest test in golf, the USGA might be.
The last two U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills are remembered for more than
just the winners. The greens were so firm and fast in 2004 officials had to spray water on the seventh green between groups because golf balls wouldn't stay on the putting surface. The greens and pin positions were so severe in 2018 that none of the last 45 players to tee off in the third round broke par.
What awaits this year? The USGA is promising to let Shinnecock Hills be itself, with the hope that the wind and the course is enough to identify the best player.
Here's what you need to know going into the U.S. Open:
The 126th edition of the U.S. Open is June 18-21. Dating to 1976, the U.S. Open plays the final round on Father's Day. The lone exception, except for a Monday playoff, was in 2020 when the U.S. Open was held in September because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There will be wall-to-wall coverage when the U.S. Open starts Thursday, a total of of 47 hours.
It begins at 6:30 a.m. Thursday on USA Network and goes to 5 p.m., when Peacock takes over until 8 p.m. The second round Friday starts on Peacock from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with NBC Sports picking it up until 7 p.m. and then another hour on Peacock.
USA Network is the channel Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, and then NBC until 8 p.m. Coverage of the final round will start at 9 a.m. on USA Network until noon, and then NBC takes it to the conclusion.
The 156-man field has everyone from 17-year-olds Miles Russell and Giuseppe Puebla — Nos. 1 and 2 in the American junior ranking — to 54-year-old Padraig Harrington, who qualified as the U.S. Senior Open champion.
The USGA is saving seven spots for late qualifiers. When the field is set, it is likely to have about 68 players who had to go through 36-hole qualifying and 88 players who were exempt through various categories. It remains the major that requires the most players to qualify.
Scheffler is the favorite at every major as the No. 1 player in the world for three straight years, and the winner of three of the last 10 majors. BetMGM Sports book has him at +550, followed by Masters champion Rory McIlroy at +1000.
They are followed by Jon Rahm (+1200), Cameron Young (+1800) and Bryson DeChambeau (+2000).
All eyes will be on Scheffler, who can become the seventh player to complete the career Grand Slam if he wins the U.S. Open. This will be his first chance at that. In the modern era of the slam that dates to 1960, Tiger Woods is the only player to get the last leg on his first try.
Scheffler got into this position by winning the PGA Championship and British Open last year.
A victory by Xander Schauffele would give golf three active players with three legs of the Grand Slam. Schauffele already has won the PGA Championship and the British Open. Jordan Spieth has every major but the PGA Championship. The other would be Scheffler.
For everyone else, a U.S. Open champion gets the Jack Nicklaus gold medal, a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open, a five-year exemption to the other three majors and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour. The prize money hasn't been announced, but last year the winner received $4.3 million.
Just like the other three majors, the format is 72 holes of stroke play. If there is a tie between two or more players at the end of regulation, there will be a two-hole aggregate playoff, and if it's still tied, a sudden-death playoff after that.
The two-hole system has never been used. In fact, there hasn't been a playoff at the U.S. Open since Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines in 2008. It's the longest any major has currently gone without a playoff.
Yes. The top 60 players and ties advance to the weekend. The U.S. Open used to include anyone within 10 shots of the lead, but that was scrapped in 2012.
A long one. Shinnecock Hills dates to 1891 when members of the Shinnecock tribe were paid to help shape the golf course. The current design was by William Flynn in 1931 when the club obtained more property. But it's claim is the oldest golf club in America that never moved off its original site.
Shinnecock Hills hosted the second U.S. Open in 1896, and then waited 90 years for another one. It is the only golf club to host the U.S. Open in the 19th, 20th and 21st century.
New York has the richest history of U.S. Opens. Shinnecock Hills will host it for the sixth time, tied for most in the Empire State with Winged Foot. The other New York courses that have held the U.S. Open are Oak Hill (three times), Bethpage Black (twice), Fresh Meadow, Inwood, Country Club of Buffalo and Garden City Club. That's a total of 21 times the U.S. Open has been in New York.
A few showers are in the forecast for parts of Thursday and Sunday, and temperatures should be on the pleasant side. Key to the forecast is the wind, which is expected to be about 15 mph for most of the week. That's all Shinnecock Hills needs to challenge the best players.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
