{"id":742395,"date":"2026-06-17T08:49:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/742395\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T08:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:49:17","slug":"2026-u-s-open-tiers-contenders-players-to-watch-risers-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/742395\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 U.S. Open tiers! Contenders, players to watch, risers, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"first\">SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. \u2014 Do you, dear reader, have any idea how difficult this golf course is? In the last four U.S Opens here at <a href=\"https:\/\/golf.com\/news\/5-us-open-winners-at-shinnecock-hills\/\" type=\"article\" id=\"15586689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Shinnecock Hills Golf Club<\/a> \u2014 from 1986 to 2018 \u2014 exactly three players have finished under par. Phil Mickelson played hockey on the 13th green in 2018. Lee Trevino once called the 156-yard par-3 11th \u2014 with its tiny green that was already driving players nuts on Monday \u2014 \u201cthe shortest par 5 in golf.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the only thing harder than the golf course \u2014\u00a0besides battling traffic to actually get to it \u2014\u00a0might be trying to predict who wins the 126th U.S. Open. But we are going to try anyway. Welcome to our biased, slightly erratic but mostly logical U.S. Open tiers, where we\u2019ll dig through the contenders and, ultimately, pick a winner. And away we go\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The obligatory mention of the two favorites<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scottie Scheffler<br \/>Rory McIlroy<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you know when Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler last finished outside the top 20? The Players Championship, back in March. In the time since, Rory won the Masters and Scottie has four top-three finishes. Scheffler needs a U.S. Open win to complete the career Grand Slam. Rory is looking for his second U.S. Open trophy. Shinnecock sets up well for both players, who are excellent ball strikers and rarely play themselves out of majors. They are the top two players in the world for a reason. Also, Scheffler\u2019s 30th birthday? It\u2019s Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One guy we really like who shot 63 last time he played here<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tommy Fleetwood<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Tommy Fleetwood really became Tommy Fleetwood, he closed the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinny with a brilliant final-round 63, which ended up being a shot shy of winner Brooks Koepka. He finally got his first win on the PGA Tour last year and has six top 10s this season. A superb iron player who knows how to play in the wind, this is the perfect setup for him. Is this major No. 1?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some other favorites we really like <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matt Fitzpatrick<br \/>Wyndham Clark<br \/>Cameron Young<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This group has been cookin\u2019, people. Fitzpatrick and Young are the front-runners for Player of the Year (five combined wins, including Fitzpatrick\u2019s win with his brother at the Zurich, which we aren\u2019t sure should really count but whatever). Young has tuned into a legit threat every week \u2014 he also dominated 60 miles away at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup last fall \u2014 and Fitzpatrick has already won a U.S. Open and loves these types of tests while everyone else seems to get more nervous around them. Clark, another U.S. Open winner, sparred with a locker this time last year and had been searching for better results since, but he\u2019s turned things around and might be the hottest player entering the week. After his win at the Byron Nelson last month, he finished third at the Memorial and was in contention at the RBC Canadian Open last week before ultimately finishing 11th.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One sneaky pick I specifically like<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tyrrell Hatton<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He tied for sixth here eight years ago. He\u2019s wayyyy better now. He tied for 4th at Oakmont last year. U.S. Opens \u2014 especially ones at Shinnecock Hills \u2014 drive players mad (see: Mickelson, Phil). But Hatton\u2019s already mad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shinnecock Hills greens<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nos. 1-18<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By rule, someone will win this golf tournament, but the big winner until then (or even after) could be Shinnecock Hills and its devilish greens that are running slightly slower than usual due to anticipated strong winds but are actually still very hard. Fitzpatrick, who likes these kinds of setups, said he was disappointed they watered greens Monday. Regardless of who wins, the course, and greens, will always be a story here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LIV guys we are bullish on<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jon Rahm<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2021 U.S. Open winner at Torrey Pines, Rahm has played well this year and you could even argue he\u2019s out to prove he should not be forgotten about despite his league\u2019s ongoing concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LIV guys we are less bullish on<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bryson DeChambeau<br \/>Cameron Smith<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bryson has missed the cut in both major starts this year and we aren\u2019t sure Shinnecock is the perfect fit for his brawny game. (The fairways are wide, but if you miss them, it\u2019s dead.) Smith played well at the PGA, but was that too little of a sample size?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defending champs with injury issues<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brooks Koepka<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Koepka won his second straight U.S. Open the last time this tournament was played here and he\u2019ll tell you he\u2019s mentally (and probably physically) stronger than most of these nerds. [Cue Brooks stuffing the 20 amateurs in the field in Shinnecock lockers.] But Brooks withdrew before the final round of the RBC Canadian Open two days ago with a hand injury and on Tuesday said it\u2019s getting better by the day. Still, will it bother him? \u201cI don\u2019t know what I did,\u201d he said Tuesday. \u201cIt just felt like it was very weak and kind of a tingly feeling as if you kind of hit your funny bone. That\u2019s kind of how it felt in my ring finger and pinky finger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other U.S. Open winners we didn\u2019t mention yet but think they have a shot to win<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">J.J. Spaun<br \/>Justin Rose<br \/>Gary Woodland<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">J.J. Spaun is this week\u2019s defending champ and has already won this season \u2014 and, ahem, excuse the shameless plug, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZTWUfS7q6R0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">also has the most interesting coach in the game<\/a> \u2014 and Justin Rose continues to play excellent golf well into his 40s. Woodland has been solid and his win earlier this season has been one of the better stories of the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guys playing in their 100th consecutive major<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adam Scott<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One-hundred straight. Cheers to Adam. That\u2019s remarkably impressive. Here\u2019s a breakdown of his insane major longevity: 74 cuts made, 45 top 25s, 20 top 10s and, of course, that 2013 Masters win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3 guys we didn\u2019t mention who finished in the top 10 here in 2018<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dustin Johnson<br \/>Patrick Reed<br \/>Daniel Berger<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While we don\u2019t think DJ is about to turn back the clock and find that form, we do like P Reed this week. You should too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2 guys trending?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bud Cauley<br \/>Viktor Hovland<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cauley won the RBC Canadian Open Sunday, just his first as a pro, and Hovland finished third \u2014 his best finish of the season by far. But is it a sign of good things to come or an outlier?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Jordan Spieth tier<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jordan Spieth<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My first major I ever covered was won by Jordan Spieth, back at Chambers Bay in 2016. I don\u2019t think he will win this week but boy time flies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other guys who are intriguing and have already won majors<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xander Schauffele<br \/>Collin Morikawa<br \/>Justin Thomas<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Would it surprise you if any of these guys won? No, it would not. Xander has played nine U.S. Opens and never finished worse than 14th.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other guys who are intriguing and have not yet won majors<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Viktor Hovland<br \/>Akshay Bhatia<br \/>Patrick Cantlay<br \/>Russell Henley<br \/>Ludvig Aberg<br \/>Chris Gotterup<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aberg might be the most intriguing name among the intriguing names without majors. Henley won a couple of weeks ago, is ranked 5th in the world and can walk into basically any restaurant outside of his hometown and not be recognized as Russell Henley, which probably makes Rory and Jordan and Tiger extremely jealous.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guys we should probably mention but they didn\u2019t fit into other categories<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shane Lowry<br \/>Rickie Fowler<br \/>Brian Harman<br \/>Robert MacIntyre<br \/>Hideki Matsuyama<br \/>Aaron Rai<br \/>Sam Burns<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A flier on Lowry, anyone?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guys we like who are playing in their first U.S. Opens<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[blank space]<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bad news, rookies \u2014 the last player to win a U.S. Open in their first attempt was Francis Ouimet\u2026 in 1913. Not gonna happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interesting Alexes<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alex Smalley<br \/>Alex Fitzpatrick<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both have played well this year and one (Smalley) had a taste of major contention already this season (and finished T3 at the Charles Schwab two weeks after his PGA close-call). The other Alex has continued to prove he belongs on the Big Tour after becoming a full-time member a couple of months ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The oldest and the youngest players<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Padraig Harrington<br \/>Miles Russell<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t necessarily think either of these guys will win but it\u2019s always fun to point out the oldest (Padraig Harrington, 54) and youngest (Miles Russell, 17) players in the field. The oldest Open winner was Hale Irwin at 45 and the youngest John McDermott at 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Jacksons<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson Koivun<br \/>Jackson Suber<br \/>Jackson Van Paris<br \/>Jackson Herrington<br \/>Jackson Ormond<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Jackson 5 is a mix of professionals and amateurs, although it\u2019s mostly notably because 3 percent of the 156-player field is named Jackson. One, however, is worth highlighting for now, and that\u2019s Koivun, who turned pro Monday to put a bow on a sensational three years at Auburn. In his nine PGA Tour starts as an amateur, he made seven cuts and finished in the top 10 three times. There\u2019s a lot of intrigue surrounding him and we\u2019re about to see him lots more on our TVs. A fine Jackson indeed.<\/p>\n<p>And the winner is\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last time we had a European win the U.S. Open, Matt Fitzpatrick lifted the trophy at Brookline in 2022. Now he does it again, finishing one-over par and edging guys like Scheffler and Fleetwood to claim his second major title. Scheffler was my pick up until Sunday, but after Fitzpatrick finished second in Canada, it was enough to persuade me to go with the hot hand who loves these gritty conditions. Will it actually happen? Now, we wait.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. \u2014 Do you, dear reader, have any idea how difficult this golf course is? In the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742396,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-742395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=742395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}