USGA warns US Open pros of tougher setup on Saturday

During the first two days of the 2026 US Open, players used two words to describe Shinnecock Hills’ greens that likely weren’t pronounced during the last four holes on the iconic course: “slow” and “host.”

Faced with a forecast calling for strong winds, USGA tournament officials deliberately slowed and softened the competition to prevent total chaos (and perhaps to avoid complaints from the pros who highlighted the 2004 and 2018 US Opens at Shinnecock).

But on Saturday at this year’s US OpenThe USGA is set to turn up the heat with a tougher set-up they warned players about on Friday night.

Here’s what you need to know.

US Open pros face ‘stronger’ and faster field Saturday at Shinnecock

Many players have commented on the abnormally slow and soft greens they faced at Shinnecock Hills this week. But perhaps the most obvious thoughts came from Brooks Koepkathe man who won the last US Open there in 2018.

“It’s weird how soft the greens are. It’s just weird. It’s not what I remember,” Koepka said after Thursday’s opening round. “I mean, I get why they’re soft, I get that. It’s not a complaint.”

It’s important to note that amid Koepka’s win in 2018, the greens became so hard and fast that player complaints abounded. In the most infamous moment, Phil Mickelson was so frustrated that he hit the ball on the 13th green before it came to rest, resulting in a two-stroke penalty.

Unable to match the way the greens were playing this week, Koepka hit 73-77 to finish at 10 over and miss the cut.

Number 6 in the world Tommy Fleetwood echoed similar sentiments Thursday evening, adding that the lighter deployment was necessary given the windy conditions this week.

“I was surprised on Monday. The course was very, very soft and slow, but they’ve obviously judged it perfectly,” Fleetwood said.

The USGA has been transparent all week about their setup strategy. They were clear that their goal was for the greens to roll around 10-10.5 on the Stimpmeter, much slower than the greens typically rolled at US Opens and PGA Tour events.

They also watered the greens regularly, even between rounds using an innovative technique known as “syringing”. This has made the greens usually receptive, in addition to being slow, making it easier for players to hold the greens with approach shots.

But everything will change on Saturday.

In a warning to players on Friday, US Open officials warned that they intended to raise the green speed to 11 on the Stimpmeter and that the golf course would be raised to “play progressively harder”.

With winds expected to be in the 20-30mph range on Saturday, the pros can expect to face a much tougher test.

Matt Fitzpatrickwho is tied for the second round on Saturday, is more concerned about the weather and pin positions than the consistency of the greens.

When asked about the set-up for Round 3 on Friday night, Fitzpatrick said: “It’ll be interesting to see what they do. I know they’re a bit wary of the forecast tomorrow. I can’t see it getting too dry. I think with how wet it is, too, it’s just going to keep it mild. I think the greens will be interesting, but the conditions will be similar.”

World number 2 Rory McIlroyon the other hand, it thinks configuration changes will have a big impact.

“So they were starting to dry out a little bit, so I would expect them to continue to kind of trend in that direction as we go into tomorrow and as the weekend goes on,” McIlroy said Friday night.

He added: “They’ve got everything back on track, so I’d say people should expect the Shinnecock they’ve come to know over the last two decades.”

It is important to note that despite all the talk of “slow” greens at Shinnecock, only 10 players find themselves below par halfway through the US Open 2026. While Wyndham Clark’s While the seven-under total may be alarming to purists, if the USGA allows Shinnecock to be Shinnecock on Saturday, it could drive the scores up.