KEYS TO SUCCESS <\/p>\n
Minimizing dropped shots and blow-up holes will be the key to success, specifically:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Aggressive Driving Accuracy \u2013 The fairways at Shinnecock Hills are generous and much easier to hit than the tour average and the missed fairway penalty is high, so players must look to find a high percentage of fairways.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bogey Avoidance \u2013 More important than making birdies this week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Greens In Regulation \u2013\u00a0Having a high GIR% is THE most vital metric this week. Missing greens will cost significant shots versus the field on every hole on the course. As such, proximity to the hole doesn\u2019t matter too much as a long first putt on every hole is a better option than a miss green and a chip.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lag Putting \u2013 Excellent lag putting from outside 20 feet is vitally important here. Although three-putts are expected, players who can minimize these will beat the field on the greens.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wedges inside 100 yards \u2013 24% of approach shots will come at this distance vs. the league average of 17%. With how difficult the greens are to hit and how penal they are when missed, players must be elite with wedges this week<\/p>\n
\u2022 Approaches between 175-200 yards \u2013 Just under 30% of approach shots will be from this distance (likely six shots per round), so players need to execute well from here<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Carlos Ortiz and Jon Rahm are seen during a practice round on Tuesday at the 2026 U.S. Open. (Photo by Pedro Salado\/LIV Golf)<\/p>\n
THREE REASONS FOR EACH PLAYER <\/p>\n
Thirteen LIV Golf players are in the U.S. Open field. Here are three reasons why each player should feel confident going into Thursday\u2019s first round at Shinnecock Hills:<\/p>\n
Laurie Canter<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 4th on LIV Golf in Greens in Regulation, which is one of the biggest keys at Shinnecock where missed greens are heavily punished.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Strong Off the Tee numbers (6th) should allow him to take advantage of the generous fairways while still keeping the ball in play.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Arrives with no previous experience at Shinnecock but with a game that looks well suited to the demands of the course.<\/p>\n
Bryson DeChambeau<\/p>\n
\u2022 One of the best drivers on LIV Golf this season, ranking 3rd Off the Tee and 4th in Bogey Avoidance.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 5th from 175-200 yards, one of the most important approach distances this week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 A two-time U.S. Open champion who has shown repeatedly that tough setups suit him.<\/p>\n
Tyrrell Hatton<\/p>\n
\u2022 Strong right across the board with no obvious weakness in the key areas.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Top 20 in Bogey Avoidance, Greens in Regulation and 175-200 yard play.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Finished T6 at Shinnecock in 2018 and closed with a superb 69.<\/p>\n
Lucas Herbert<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 2nd on LIV Golf from 175-200 yards, a huge strength on this golf course.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Strong Off the Tee numbers (8th) should help him attack while still finding plenty of fairways.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 12th with wedges inside 100 yards, another area that will be important this week.<\/p>\n
Dustin Johnson<\/p>\n
\u2022 Finished 3rd here in 2018 and has already shown he knows how to play Shinnecock.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 2nd on LIV Golf in Putting from outside 20 feet, which could be a massive advantage on these greens.<\/p>\n
\u2022 His patient style and ability to stay out of trouble are well-suited to U.S. Open golf.<\/p>\n
Graeme McDowell<\/p>\n
\u2022 Former U.S. Open champion with plenty of experience in difficult conditions.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 15th from 175-200 yards, one of the most important distances this week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Shinnecock rewards patience and smart decision making, both hallmarks of his best golf.<\/p>\n
Joaquin Niemann<\/p>\n
\u2022 The best Off the Tee player in the league this season and one of the best drivers in the field.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked inside the top 10 for Greens in Regulation and 175-200 yard play.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Arrives in excellent form and has the ball-striking to thrive at Shinnecock.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Bryson DeChambeau plays a bunker shot during a practice round at the 2026 U.S. Open. (Photo by Mateo Villalba\/LIV Golf)<\/p>\n
Carlos Ortiz<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 8th on LIV Golf with wedges inside 100 yards, an area expected to play a bigger role than usual.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Solid Off the Tee and strong from 175-200 yards.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Showed last year with his Top 5 finish in the U.S. Open that he can compete on the biggest stage.<\/p>\n
David Puig<\/p>\n
\u2022 Top 13 in every one of the key stats for Shinnecock.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 6th Off the Tee and 10th in Greens in Regulation.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Also sits 7th in Putting from outside 20 feet, which could be a real advantage on these difficult greens.<\/p>\n
Jon Rahm<\/p>\n
\u2022 Leads LIV in both Bogey Avoidance and Greens in Regulation, two of the biggest keys this week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 2nd with wedges inside 100 yards and 2nd Off the Tee.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Missed the cut here in 2018, but his all-around game is much stronger and more complete now.<\/p>\n
Cameron Smith<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 3rd on LIV Golf in Putting from outside 20 feet, making him one of the best lag putters in the field.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Strong Bogey Avoidance numbers should serve him well on a course where par is a good score.<\/p>\n
\u2022 His imagination and short game have always made him dangerous on tough major championship layouts.<\/p>\n
Caleb Surratt<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 10th in the league in Putting from outside 20 feet, an important skill at Shinnecock.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Arrives with nothing to lose and the confidence that comes with a strong season.\u2022 Major championships often reward patience and resilience, two qualities he has shown plenty of.<\/p>\n
Peter Uihlein<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ranked 8th on LIV with wedges inside 100 yards.<\/p>\n
\u2022 One of the best lag putters in the league, ranking 4th from outside 20 feet.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Played here in 2018 and has experience of just how demanding Shinnecock can be.<\/p>\n
SUMMARY <\/p>\n
Shinnecock Hills is all about keeping mistakes off the card. Players who drive it well, hit plenty of Greens in Regulation and stay patient when conditions get tough are likely to separate themselves. Rahm, DeChambeau and Niemann look particularly well-suited statistically, while Johnson and Hatton bring proven Shinnecock experience. Puig is an interesting outsider, with his numbers lining up remarkably well with what the course demands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is one of the hardest major venues and over the previous U.S. Opens held…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-742858","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\/742858","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=742858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}