The third major of the 2026 season is nearly here, with the 126th playing of the U.S. Open, dating back to 1895 and amazingly at the event, Australia’s Adam Scott will join Jack Nicklaus as only the second player to compete at 100 consecutive majors! Well done Scotty!

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is the lone course to have hosted the U.S. Open in three different centuries. Founded in 1891, is the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States and it is one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA, which was established in 1894.

Way back in 1896, Shinnecock Hills hosted the second U.S. Open (35 total players) and second U.S. Amateur (58 total players). Shinnecock Hills will also host the 2036 U.S. Open and 2036 U.S. Women’s Open.

The USGA accepted 10,201 entries for the 2026 U.S. Open, marking the fifth time in championship history that the number of entries exceeded 10,000. It includes five Australian’s that will carry the hopes of a nation; Adam Scott, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert and Cameron Smith.

The field will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 and ties and in the event of a playoff, a two-hole aggregate playoff will take place following the completion of Sunday’s final round

What the winner receives:

• U.S. Open exemption for the next 10 years
• A five-year invitation to the Masters Tournament, Open Championship, PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship
• Exempt status on the PGA TOUR for five years
• Qualifying for the other majors: The top-10 finishers (and ties) are exempt into the following year’s U.S. Open; the top four finishers (and ties) are invited to the following year’s Masters Tournament

The field includes:

• 61 of the top 70 in the FedExCup standings. Eric Cole (No. 38) is the highest-ranked player in the FedExCup who is not in the field
• 49 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (Marco Penge the only player missing the event)
• Past U.S. Open champions (2025/J.J. Spaun, 2024 and 2020/Bryson DeChambeau, 2023/Wyndham Clark, 2022/Matt Fitzpatrick, 2021/Jon Rahm; 2019/Gary Woodland, 2018 and 2017/Brooks Koepka, 2016/Dustin Johnson, 2015/Jordan Spieth, 2013/Justin Rose, 2011/Rory McIlroy and 2010/Graeme McDowell)
• Every PGA TOUR winner this season with the exception of Ricky Castillo and Brandt Snedeker
• All seven Signature Event winners this season: Collin Morikawa (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am), Jacob Bridgeman (The Genesis Invitational), Akshay Bhatia (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), Matt Fitzpatrick (RBC Heritage), Cameron Young (Cadillac Championship), Kristoffer Reitan (Truist Championship), J.T. Poston (the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday)
• All three multiple winners this season: Matt Fitzpatrick (3), Cameron Young (2), Chris Gotterup (2)
• Four of five first-time winners in 2026: Jacob Bridgeman (The Genesis Invitational), Alex Fitzpatrick (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Kristoffer Reitan (Truist Championship), Bud Cauley (RBC Canadian Open)
• Last week’s RBC Canadian Open winner Bud Cauley moved from No. 68 to No. 40 in the Official World Golf Ranking to qualify via the Top 60 OWGR cut-off
• Thirty-six players in the field competed in the 2018 U.S. Open when it was last played at Shinnecock Hills, including eight who finished inside the top 10: Brooks Koepka (1st), Tommy Fleetwood (2nd), Dustin Johnson (3rd), Patrick Reed (4th), Daniel Berger (T6), Tyrrell Hatton (T6), Xander Schauffele (T6) and Justin Rose (T10)
• Xander Schauffele has finished in the top 14 in each of his nine appearances at the U.S. Open. His best finish is T3/2019 and he most recently finished T12 in 2025
• 2018 U.S. Open runner-up and World No. 6 Tommy Fleetwood has six top-10s in 12 starts this season (best: T4/the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) and he’s coming off a T11 at last week’s RBC Canadian Open

PGA TOUR season notes

• Matt Fitzpatrick claimed the FedExCup standings lead with a runner-up finish at the RBC Canadian Open and holds a six point lead over Scottie Scheffler
• Justin Rose (Farmers Insurance Open) and Cameron Young (Cadillac Championship) are the only players to win wire-to-wire on TOUR this season. Martin Kaymer (2014) is the last wire-to-wire winner of the U.S. Open