Welcome to US Open week, where we’re headed Shinnecock Hills on Long Island for the sixth time in National Golf Championship history. What’s your biggest US Open story you’re looking forward to seeing?
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I like Shinnecock and I like that the US Open goes there even though it makes no earthly sense, logistically. I look forward to learning from the best players alive why it is so different from the rest of the golf courses they play every year. Normally, I’m not the course type, but here I am.
Zephyr Melton, Associate Game Improvement Editor (@zephyrmelton): Can Scottie Scheffler Complete the Career Grand Slam? It would be a great achievement if he can do it before he turns 30. I can’t wait to see him take on Shinnecock.
Jack Hirsh, equipment editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I’m with Zephyr on this one. Scottie Scheffler’s first career Grand Slam hit breaks it all. But we were given a surprise on the eve of the US Open on Sunday morning with Brooks Koepka’s WD in Canada. We wish Brooks a speedy recovery, but he was a huge story, coming in on trending form as a winner when the Open was last at Shinny.
The top-ranked players in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, have not finished outside the top 20 at a tournament since March (both in The Players). How does Shinnecock Hills create for them? And who are you picking to have the best week?
Colgan: I think it’s great for both of them, especially considering that Scheffler and McIlroy are two of the best iron players in the world. Shinnecock has changed since the last US Open – it’s wider and more forgiving now – but it’s no less difficult to score well. It looks like these changes will make Shinnecock even more of a second-shot golf course than it already is, meaning it will benefit the likes of Scheffler and McIlroy over the more pedestrian hitters.
Melts: I’m going to lean slightly towards Scottie on this one. As the best iron player in the world, the test Shinnecock presents should be perfectly suited to his abilities. He seems to like the USGA’s setup for this championship, too, having finished inside the top 10 in all but one US Open since he’s been out on Tour.
Hirsh: I think Scheffler is going to have a better week just because, as silly as it sounds, he has to be. He’s a machine at the US Opens even though he hasn’t scored a win. What better place to do it than one of the sport’s most historic venues. He’s also been a top-5 finisher this season, but has just one win in his first start of the year.
For those unfamiliar with Shinneock Hills, why is it known as such a quality test of the US Open? What are you looking for from the players and what are you looking at once the tournament starts?
Colgan: As someone who played there in non-stop 35 mph winds a few weeks ago, I can answer this question from memory. What makes Shinnecock great is that there is nowhere to lose. The greens and fairways may be large, but the actual spaces that allow you to safely advance your ball are small. When the course is playing hard and fast (which it will be), spin control and ground movement will be at a premium. In other words, it’s terribly impossible in the best of conditions… and only a player with an otherworldly sense of accuracy and confidence will be able to survive a US Open.
Melts: Having never set foot on the property, I can’t give a very nuanced explanation of why Shinnecock is great, but from the stories I’ve heard I can say this: It’s very difficult. Perfect for a US Open.
Hirsh: James have you played? How rude of you not to invite Zephyr and me.
Scene outside the club in Shinnecock.
Getty Images
The last time the tournament was played here, in 2018, Brooks Koepka beat Tommy Fleetwood by one to win his second consecutive US Open. The leaderboard that year was stacked as well – guys like DJ, Reed, Finau, Hatton, Xander and Rose all finished in the top 10. Can we take any lessons from that tournament as we go through this week?
Colgan: Yes, the lesson is that there probably won’t be a random winner here. Only the largest branches will be in the running.
Melts: Famous last words, Jimmy. I hope you are right! And what can we expect? I’ll say it again: He’ll play hard.
Hirsh: Yes, amazingly, all but two of those guys can take it home this year. Fleetwood is now a PGA Tour winner, Reed is in good form, although he has only played PGA since the Masters. Rose is having one of the best seasons of his career. Hatton and Schauffele need no explanation. The only question marks would be DJ and Koepka with his injury.
LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau hasn’t made any big cuts this season. Does that change this week? Where does Bryson end up and who are you picking as a low LIV player?
Colgan: I don’t like the way DeChambeau’s bomb-and-gauge strategy is set up for Shinnecock, especially after McIlroy and Scheffler showed that the wider-than-usual fairways have decided to make it extra penal for those who hit. Miss the freeway. I think Bryson is a player to get the result, but I’m more skeptical of his chances at a third US Open win here, given the structure.
Melts: I think he makes the cut, but I don’t think he’ll be a serious contender at the weekend. You have to be firing on all cylinders to compete at the US Open, and this year he just hasn’t been in that kind of form.
Hirsh: I don’t think he makes the cut. I think he’s in over his head. I expect Jon Rahm to play well and end up as the player with the lowest LIV.
Bud Cauley won the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, although big-name players such as Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Wyndham Clark all had good weeks. How much US Open stock are you putting on players trending in the right direction right now, and who is the hottest player entering the week?
Colgan: Putting some stock in it! It’s funny how recent form can help avoid a big mistake in a major championship. And the US Open feels like a place where you want to avoid making a big mistake.
Melts: Form is always nice and nobody has more than Wyndham Clark with a win, a top-three and another solid showing in Canada over the last few weeks. I’ll keep an eye on him as we head to Shinnecock.
Hirsh: We define the placement of shares in it. Speaking of Clark, he won a month before his advancement to the US Open 2023. Clark is hot again this year, but god looks like Tommy Fleetwood can fight back and do it this week. The knock on the door the last two weeks after the tire change. That would be a tremendous victory.
;)
