There are few people more qualified to talk about the challenges posed by Shinnecock Hills than Jimmy Dunne.
Born and raised on Long Island into a family with Irish roots, the highly successful financier reckons that he has played the course over a thousand times. His other memberships reportedly include Augusta National, Pine Valley and Seminole.
He has previously qualified for the US Senior Amateur. He has carded a 63 at Shinnecock, where the US Open starts tomorrow, and has been a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board. He’s mates with Rory McIlroy and his dad Gerry.
“Yeah, the first time I ever played Shinnecock, back in 2014, I played with Jimmy”, McIlroy told RTÉ Sport.
“I’ve played a lot of rounds here with him. It’s like a lot of links courses at home, if you play to the front edges of greens, it’s never going to be a bad thing. If you start missing at the sides or over the back, you start making life difficult for yourself.”
Difficult might be an understatement.
In the four US Opens played at Shinnecock since 1986, only three players out of 624 have broken par – Raymond Floyd (one-under par in 1986), Retief Goosen (four-under par in 2004) and Phil Mickelson (two-under par in 2004).
Watering the greens has always been a big talking point at Shinnecock
In 2004, the green on the par-three seventh was so dry, crisp and impossible to hold that water had to be sprayed on it between groups to make it at all playable on the final day.
Phil Mickelson was so disgruntled in 2018 that he deliberately hit a moving ball as his previous putt gathered speed beyond the hole on 13th. Ultimately a ten went on his card.
Mickelson won’t be seen on the grounds this year but among the leading contenders are, of course, Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy, ranked one and two in the world respectively.
Going with the increasing trend, both did some of their scouting well in advance with visits to the course in the last fortnight.
For Scheffler, it’s a first chance to complete the career grand slam following his win at the Open Championship last year.
“For me, would it be a dream to win the U.S. Open? Of course,” said the American.
“But at the end of the day, the grand slam has never been a motivating factor for me. I always just wanted to be the best version of myself, and that got me this far.
“So when it comes to this golf tournament I’m going to step on the first tee and remind myself I’ve done everything I possibly could in order to play well, and now it’s just a matter of going out there and trying to execute and kind of going back to enjoying the competition versus feeling like you have to win for some reason.”
McIlroy, of course, already has the slam but there’s part of him that would love to win a more traditional US Open.
“I think Shinnecock is the best championship test in the country,” McIlroy opined.
“I think it tests all aspects of the game: driving, iron play, you need to have your wits about you on the greens. It’s a lot of strategy, thoughtfulness. I love that I’ve won a US Open but in my mind it wasn’t in typical US Open conditions.
“Congressional (2011) was pretty wet and it sort of played more like a PGA than a US Open. If I go out there and execute my game plan, I fell like I’ll have a good chance.”
Graeme McDowell is a former US Open champion, but needed to qualify to make this year’s tournament
McIlroy won by eight on a total of 16-under par at Congressional. You won’t see 16-under par this week.
The next likeliest Irish winner is Shane Lowry who is on a run of consistent but not spectacular finishes and it has him somewhat perplexed.
“Honestly, I feel like there’s a piece of the puzzle missing somewhere. I’ve been trying to figure it out and I don’t know what it is.
Sometimes you feel like ‘I’d love to not be getting results from doing something really bad because at least you know that’s what it is. If I wasn’t driving well, if I wasn’t putting well, I’d love if that was the case because then I could just work on that.
“It’s been difficult, I haven’t left the golf course on a Sunday evening happy in a long time. It does eat you up, but you get back up on Monday morning and go at it again and that’s all you can do.”
Pádraig Harrington is in the field as reigning US Senior Open champion, a title which he will defend in a fortnight’s time, and Graeme McDowell completes the Irish contingent, not as a former champion (2010) but because he came through pre-qualifying. Both would have to be considered long shots for ultimate success here.
Among other Europeans, Matt Fitzpatrick has to rank extremely highly. He’s the most recent non-US winner (Brookline, 2022), he is enjoying a brilliant 2026 season and isn’t looking for any let-up from the USGA, who stage this Open.
“I really like the golf course. It’s looking great already. I’m actually a little bit disappointed that they’re out there watering it right now,” Fitzpatrick said on Monday.
Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the in-form Europeans ahead of the US Open
“I think you’ve obviously got to be in control of your ball flight, I think that’s the biggest thing. When the wind is this strong in pretty much every direction, with the holes that you’re facing, you’ve got to be able to have a lot of shots in your armoury.
“I feel like it’s a great golf course for that, and it allows for that. It allows for shot making. I think that’s what makes it a great test overall.”
Ahead of this year’s championship, Dunne provided the commentary for a flyover of each hole. Highlights included: “Number 2 is a lion of a par three; number 7 is a Redan (narrow green, sloping from front to back), as difficult as there is; number 9 is a monster – if you go beyond the hole it’s brutal, left is brutal, right is brutal; number 11, if you hit it too far it’s dead.”
You get the picture.
In 2018, the most recent US Open at Shinnecock, the ultimate winner was Brooks Koepka, who was five-over par and six shots behind a group of five after the first round. Tommy Fleetwood closed with a 63 to finish just one shot behind.
There will be many swings and roundabouts but one thing is sure – the winner this Sunday evening will surely show a mixture of patience and brilliance over the next four days.
Selected tee times for Thursday and Friday, in Irish time (* denotes 10th tee start):
12.19pm / 6.14pm*: Padraig Harrington (Ire), Miles Russell (USA), Cameron Smith (Aus)
12.19pm* / 6.14pm: Graeme McDowell (NI), Patrick Rodgers, Keith Mitchell (both USA)
12.30pm / 6.25pm*: Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup (all USA)
12.52pm* / 6.47pm: Rory McIlroy (NI), Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
1.14pm / 7.09pm: Scottie Scheffler, Mason Howell, JJ Spaun (all USA)
6.25pm* / 12.30pm: Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)
6.47pm* / 12.52pm: Shane Lowry (Ire), Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Alex Smalley (USA)
7.09pm* / 1.14pm: Justin Rose (Eng), Jordan Spieth (USA), Jon Rahm (Spa)