Scottie Scheffler, 2026 U.S. Open field brace to battle brutal wind at Shinnecock
June 17 (UPI) -- Scottie Scheffler and the 156-player field are prepared for fierce winds at the 2026 U.S. Open, which returns Thursday to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Golfers say they will prioritize patience and imagination during the third major tournament of the season in Southampton, N.Y. Winds stronger than 20 mph -- with gusts past 40 mph -- off the Peconic Bay and Atlantic Ocean are expected on the 7,440-yard course.
"The golf course is in good shape," Scheffler told reporters. "Looks like it's shaping up to be a pretty windy week. I think the golf course will play pretty nice. The fairways are quite generous in some spots, but I think when you get wind and the firmness, they play significantly more narrow than they look.
"It should be a good test this week."
U.S. Open coverage will air through Sunday on USA, NBC and NBCSN and stream on Peacock, USOpen.com and the USGA App.
No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 8 Jon Rahm, No. 12 Xander Schauffele and No. 3 Cameron Young join the top-ranked Scheffler among Top 5 betting favorites to win the U.S. Open Championship Trophy, Jack Nicklaus medal and $4.5 million first-place prize.
The U.S. Open is notorious for its over-par scores. Winners of the major finished over par in 26 of its previous 125 editions.
Koepka was 1-over par when he won the 2018 U.S. Open, the last time the tournament was held at Shinnecock Hills. He also battled strong winds throughout that tournament. Scheffler said he watched highlights from the 2018 U.S. Open to attempt to gauge how the course will play from Thursday through Sunday.
Koepka said the course was softer, with slower greens than he remembers. He plans to "play the holes backwards" as part of his strategy, which prioritizes iron play.
"I like a tough test," Koepka said. "I like something that's usually around par winning. I think this golf course is a second-shot golf course. You really gotta control your iron play. Position off the tee is very important."
No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick, No. 6 Tommy Fleetwood, No. 13 Ludvig Aberg, No. 32 Bryson DeChambeau and No. 110 Brooks Koepka are the other Top 10 betting favorites. Defending champ J.J. Spaun, who won the 2025 crown at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Calif., is not among the Top 20 favorites in 2026.
With a win, Scheffler could become the seventh player to achieve a career Grand Slam. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Rory McIlroy are the only other men to win each of golf's four major titles.
"For me, would it be a dream to win the U.S. Open? Of course," Scheffler said. "But at the end of the day, the Grand Slam has never been a motivating factor for me.
"I always just wanted to be the best version of myself, and that got me this far."
James Nicholas, Taylor Montgomery and Caleb Surratt will tee off in the first group at 6:30 a.m. EDT Thursday at Shinnecock Hills. Koepka, Young and Chris Gotterup will tee off at 7:30 a.m. McIlroy, Aberg and Fleetwood have an 8:03 a.m. tee time and start on hole No. 10. Scheffler, Spaun and Mason Howell will tee off at 8:14 a.m. on hole No. 1. Full first-round tee times can be found here.
U.S. Open coverage
All times EDT
Thursday
First-round coverage from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on USA and 5 to 8 p.m. on NBCSN and Peacock
Friday
Second-round coverage from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on NBCSN and Peacock and 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
Saturday
Third-round coverage from 10 a.m. to noon on USA and noon to 8 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
Sunday
Final-round coverage from 9 a.m. to noon on USA and noon to 7 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 1:27 PM.