We head to major number three of the year on the men's side, this time taking the Long Island Rail Road out to Southampton for this year's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Shinnecock is a truly great and historic venue that has rightfully earned its spot in the unofficial USGA rota of courses, and played a major role in how the USGA sets up its courses with their well-documented issues in 2004.
While there have been many complaints from players and fans alike about pushing these courses to their limits, I hope the USGA loses the course again this weekend and lets things get crazy. These guys should be challenged. They're the best in the world! Let them face some adversity!
Beyond the course, the main story this week will be Scottie Scheffler getting his first crack at completing the career Grand Slam with a victory. Of course, the world No. 1 hasn't had a banner 2026 by any means, but he's still going to dominate headlines.
It's a weird spot we're in coming into Shinnecock, as it feels like none of the big names are really in their peak form, so there's a bit of a sense that this week could end up like Aronimink, with a long shot coming through and taking the spoils.
No matter what, we're in for a memorable weekend, and I can't wait to see who joins the ranks of U.S. Open champions. We're coming off of yet another victory in the rankings thanks to Bud Cauley in Canada, so let's pick up our second major of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Wyndham Clark, Alex Fitzpatrick, Max Greyserman, Xander Schauffele, Jackson Suber
9. Ryan Gerard
After a pretty lengthy fallow period through March and April, Ryan Gerard has started to put things together again, with a T10 at the Charles Schwab and a solo second at the Memorial. Shinnecock is going to test the shorter half of their bags, and Gerard has been one of the best iron players on Tour over his last 20 rounds.
His short game hasn't been the best lately, which does raise a bit of concern in picking him over someone like Alex Fitzpatrick, but I've seen enough out of Gerard when he has everything clicking that I think he could post a strong finish like his buddy Ben Griffin did last year at Oakmont. Speaking of Griffin...
8. Ben Griffin
What skillset always pays off at U.S. Opens? Having a strong short game and being able to scramble to avoid the big numbers. There may not be a better set of hands around the green on Tour than Ben Griffin's. Much like Gerard, Griffin has been showing better form in recent weeks.
In his U.S. Open debut last year at Oakmont, the 30-year-old posted a T10 finish, just staying on the outside of true contention all of Sunday. Some players are just built for certain types of tournaments, and I think Ben Griffin could just be built to be a good U.S. Open player.
7. Jackson Koivun
I know, an amateur hasn't won the U.S. Open since 1933, so picking one here might seem like a waste of a pick. However, there hasn't been an amateur at Koivun's level since maybe Viktor Hovland in 2019 at Pebble Beach.
He's coming off another NCAA Championship at Auburn, he's turning pro after the U.S. Open, and he's shown in his previous Tour starts that he has the skill level to challenge these guys. Especially after the craziness that was Aronimink, anything can truly happen at Shinnecock. Why not another amateur champion?
6. Ludvig Aberg
Another major, another hope that Ludvig Aberg actualizes the immense talent that he possesses into a major championship win. A disappointing week at the Memorial snapped Aberg's top-25 streak that stretched back to the Genesis in February, but one bad week is not enough to deter my optimism for the Swede.
Aberg finished T12 at the U.S. Open two years ago at Pinehurst while being below field average around the greens, and I think if he's able to be around average this week, he should be a major storyline come Sunday afternoon.
5. Russell Henley
There are a lot of major setups that I don't like Russell Henley at because of the length requirement off the tee to really contend. However, since Shinnecock is one of the shorter U.S. Open courses in the last few years, I think Henley has a good shot at contending.
We saw Henley take the lead on Sunday at Augusta, and we've seen him close out a win earlier this season at Colonial. Consider those along with his U.S. Open form in recent years being very strong, and I think you have the makings of a potential champion.
4. Patrick Reed
So now that he has his Tour card through the DP World Tour basically wrapped up with two wins early in the season, I guess we are only going to see Patrick Reed at the majors. He doesn't have the greatest track record at the U.S. Open by any means, but do you know where Reed's career-best finish in the U.S. Open came? Right here at Shinnecock in 2018, when he finished solo fourth.
Captain America has finished in the top-12 in six of his eight worldwide starts this year, including at both majors so far. He's a big game hunter, plain and simple.
3. Matt Fitzpatrick
For someone who has won a U.S. Open, Matt Fitzpatrick's track record at the major is pretty spotty. He only has four career top-25s, including his 2022 victory in Brookline, with the first of those finishes coming at Shinnecock in 2018.
After cooling down a bit following his triumph at Zurich with his brother, Fitz showed his top form again last week with a runner-up finish in Canada. If he maintains the form he showed last weekend, then the Brit should be a major threat.
2. Rory McIlroy
What a surprise, we're talking about Rory McIlroy at a major. That's for good reason, as McIlroy has been one of the most consistent players at the U.S. Open since 2019, and he just hasn't been able to capture one of them in that timeframe.
His last truly poor U.S. Open, ironically, came at Shinnecock in 2018, where he missed the cut. Since then, he has not finished outside of the top 20 in any U.S. Open. He feels due for another non-Masters major, and I think going back to Long Island after last year's Ryder Cup is a great spot for McIlroy.
1. Scottie Scheffler
What a surprise, we're talking about Scottie Scheffler at a major. Understandably so, as he is chasing the career Grand Slam this week. Data Golf posted a write-up discussing Scheffler's slump this season, and it really comes down to expected slight regression after a couple of seasons straight of being the guy to chase in golf.
With that being said, I think Scheffler can cruise around Shinnecock this weekend like Retief Goosen in 2004. He still leads the Tour in scoring average, birdie average, total strokes gained per round, greens in regulation, and a host of other stats that show Scottie is still a truly great player; he's just gotten unlucky this year. Don't be surprised by another historic golf moment this wekeend.
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