There’s something about the US Open that rouses a unique sense of anticipation in golfers and fans alike.

‘Golf’s longest day’ acts as a fascinating prelude to the main event, as punters, former greats and forgotten men vie for a shot at golfing supremacy – while murmurs of course analysis start to creep in right at the conclusion of the PGA Championship.

Yes, there are other Majors to lay siege to; The Masters boasts an unparalleled prestige while the Open provides the largely foreign challenge of links golf on some of the oldest and most weathered courses in the world.

But for many, this week is the pinnacle. Perhaps merely down to its title – the US Open – or perhaps because of its testing roughs and mammoth mileages. This is golf in America at its gruelling and romantic best.

And there are a number of romantic storylines to match the allure of the US Open. Fan-favourite Tommy Fleetwood is still in the hunt for his first major, and is in hot form heading into this week, while the mechanical Scottie Scheffler looks to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Here’s all you need to know about the week ahead.

The history of the course

It’s been eight long years since Shinnecock Hills Golf Club last hosted this event.

One of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association, the course can justly lay claim to being one of the toughest challenges in golf.

Brooks Koepka claimed back-to-back wins at the US Open last time out at Shinnecock, holding off a late surge from Tommy Fleetwood to win by one shot in 2018. He finished at one-over-par for the week.

Justin Rose meanwhile rounded out the top 10 with a final score of seven-over-par, while the likes of Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Tony Finau, Henrik Stenson, Tyrrell Hatton and Xander Schauffele occupied spots ahead of the wisened Englishman.

Shinnecock’s eminence has been a long-standing one, hosting the second-ever US Open back in 1896, won by Scotland’s James Foulis.

Now reaching its sixth stewardship of the event, the course previously undertook renovations at the hands of William Flynn in the early 1930s, having originally been designed by Willie Davis and Charles Blair Macdonald in 1891 – marking it down as the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States.

A true challenge

A Par-70 that stretches 7440 yards, the course – situated in Southampton, New York – bears a number of resemblances to a true Scottish links course.

Sat atop a peninsula with minimal tree coverage, swirling coastal winds constantly threaten to run amok – combining with exceedingly firm fairways and greens, and heavily punitive roughs, to provide a fiendish challenge.

The greens are heavily undulated, with drop-off points perched precariously over greenside bunkers. Keeping the strong winds in mind, greater accuracy into the greens will be crucial, with the slopes greatly reducing the parameters for favourable landing spots

After a comfortable start off the first tee, golfers are then met with a mammoth second hole. The par-3 ranges from 200 to 260 yards, with wind direction having a massive effect on distances.

The next par-3 arrives on the seventh hole and follows the Redan template. Playing 187 yards with the green set at about a 45 degree angle from the tee box, four large bunkers lie in wait to receive balls that fall off the putting surface, which angles from the front right to the back left.

The par-5 16th is unreachable when played into the wind, winding round the fairway at 614 yards. Its snakelike fairway is enveloped with bunkers leading right up to the green – which itself is well protected by sand.

Having begun so charitably, Shinnecock lays out one final challenge on the par-4 18th, playing 490 yards. Hitting a partially blind tee-shot, with America’s first clubhouse in the background, a significantly undulated fairway will leave golfers with a mid-to-long iron into the bunkered 18th green.

Widely regarded as one of America’s toughest courses, it would be unsurprising to see some of the world’s best struggle this week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Who to look out for

Aside from the breathless excitement around the Schefflers and McIlroys of the world, it is important to note that history will be made not on Sunday, but come the first tee on Thursday.

Adam Scott will be teeing it up in his 100th consecutive major – becoming the second person to do so after Jack Nicklaus. A T12 at the recent Memorial Tournament stands the 45-year-old Australian and 2013 Masters Champion in good stead heading into the week – but the milestone alone is a remarkable one and will no doubt be celebrated throughout the coming days.

Scottie Scheffler, looking to complete the Career Grand Slam this week, first stepped foot on the Shinnecock property two weeks ago on a scouting trip. The four-time Major champion will hope to become the seventh golfer to complete the Career Grand Slam, after Jordan Spieth’s opportunity to do so went awry at last month’s PGA Championship. Despite a number of runner-up medals, Scheffler’s streak of nearly six months without a win surely has to be broken in only a matter of time.

Tommy Fleetwood’s Major hunt continues, with two second-places in his Major career – one at Shinnecock and the other the following year at Royal Portrush’s Open Championship. Fleetwood missed the cut at last month’s PGA Championship, but since then has finished T4 and T11 in the Memorial Tournament and last week’s RBC Canadian Open.

It will also be fascinating to see if Brooks Koepka, Shinnecock’s victor in 2018, will play this week. The two-time US Open Champion pulled out of yesterday’s final round at the RBC Canadian Open due to issues and injury with his grip. It is uncertain as to whether he will play or not.

Betway’s Odds

With all the usual suspects at the top of Betway’s betting odds, note last year’s champion JJ Spaun at 40/1, alongside some exciting names in Chris Gotterup, Si-Woo Kim, and Patrick Reed.

You can ready the full list of Betway’s odds for the 2026 US Open here.

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