The tour on Tuesday unveiled a new partnership with Tennis Australia, organizers of the opening Grand Slam on the annual tennis calendar, ahead of the 2028 Presidents Cup, which will also be staged in Melbourne at Kingston Heath. For the Presidents Cup, Tennis Australia will assist with the organizing and delivery of ticketing, local and global sponsorships, corporate hospitality, fan experiences, food and beverage, retail and larger event operations. The tour, under 2028 Presidents Cup director Joe Tomek, will run the competitive aspects and overall event strategy. After the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah this fall, the 2028 edition will be held in Australia for the fourth time. It will debut at Kingston Heath after the 1998, 2011 and 2019 editions were staged at Royal Melbourne.
Showing results for
That's the question Grant Horvat and the Bryan Bros seek to answer in a new episode of their popular Major Cut series this week. Earlier this summer, the trio tee'd it up at legendary Long Island links in 20-mph winds hoping to finish +8—the cutline when the U.S. Open was last held at Shinnecock in 2018—or better. How did they fare? Check it out and see for yourself.
We don't want to spoil too much, but overall it's a strong performance from the group and a great look at how Shinnecock may play this week. If you're hoping for carnage, don't panic yet, however. It's worth noting that the group did include a former PGA Tour winner in Wesley Bryan and we all know weather conditions will play a huge role as the week goes on. Perhaps it won't be the bloodbath we saw eight years ago, but Shinnecock will have its say. That much is certain.
Long Island has the best golf in the U.S., and it’s not particularly close. Folks will argue for the Monterey Peninsula, which has amazing courses near the top. Chicago and Philly, too. But nowhere can match the depth of Long Island. In our most recent Best in New York rankings, 26 courses from Long Island made the list. They’d all be in the top 15 or 20 of most other states.
I broke down the incredible lineup of courses in the below video.
Yet in some ways, Miles Russell is already showing some signs that he’s mature beyond his 17 years. The top-ranked junior golfer in the country has played in five pro events to date and offered a bit of a surprise when asked what he’s picking up by watching the pros. “I mean how boring they play,” Russell said. “You watch them play and you're, like, man, this guy plays pretty boring, and at the end of the round, you're seeing the score and he shoots like 65. You're like I did not see you shooting 65 out there, but it's just so kind of ho-hum and a lot of fairway greens. It's nothing special. Then when they have those special rounds, they'll go out and shoot 63, 62, and you say, that was fun to watch, and you shake their hand at the end of the day."
I've got more on Russell and the other 19 amateurs competing this week my annual primer on the amateurs who qualified for the U.S. Open.
Though it’s hardly accurate to call Shinnecock Hills’ rough … rough. Aside from a few paces of traditional rough, fairways are lined with swaths of fescue. Shots from the fescue are hack and hope, but what about that traditional rough? How will the ball react? As part of our MythBusters series, we tested how thick rough affects shots with a short and mid-iron. We concluded that “It depends on … a lot,” mainly due to the two most common types of lies you get in the rough: The sitting-up flyer and the nestled down buried lie.
Our test confirmed that the ball comes out hot and tumbles from a flyer lie, while carry numbers are far less from a buried lie. Our Lie Detector series helps you identify when you’ve got a flyer and when you should expect the ball to come out dead.
... the 17-year-old delivered it on Thursday at Shinnecock. During his press conference on Wednesday, the junior golf phenom was asked if he had any memories of watching the U.S. Open when it was last held at Shinnecock in 2018. His answer sent a shiver down the spine of every 30-something in the room.
For many of us, Tiger Woods' 2019 Masters triumph was the final chapter in a storied career. For Russell, who was 10 years old when Woods donned his fifth green jacket, it was the preface. There's no shame in that, of course. One day Russell will feel old because some 17-year-old kid doesn't know what "6-7" means, but it's a fascinating point of reference and a reminder that no matter how well the Florida State commit plays this week, he's still just a kid.
During the USGA's all hands on deck presser on Wednesday, John Bodenhammer, the Chief Championship Officer, pointed out that tee times are a full 10 minutes earlier in 2026 than they were for the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock (from 6:45 a.m. ET to 6:35 a.m.). That was a strategic, long-term play by the USGA that leaves them with extra time in between the AM and PM waves, if needed, to "syringe" the greens. Given the winds forecasted, this will likely wind up being a brilliant move, and it's something Rory McIlroy discussed, and ultimately agreed with, on Tuesday:
"You're not good enough to be upset." While technically true, it can be tough to remember in the moment. The motivation behind our feature capturing our editors' shots at Shinnecock—a tee shot, an approach shot, a bunker shot, a long putt, etc.—was to showcase how those shots compare to the PGA Tour average, and golfers of different levels. Why? Because many golfers don't really know what a good shot is in many situations, which explains why they often get upset.
Alex Fitzpatrick has his mind on two majors this week, rocking an England soccer jersey ahead of the squad's opening World Cup match on Wednesday against Croatia.
The good news for Alex, Matt and the rest of the English contingent at the U.S. Open? England's schedule couldn't have timed out better. Today's game is at 4 p.m. so they have plenty of time to get final tournament prep in and then England's next game won't be until Tuesday.
Golf fans don't ask for much. Live shots (and more of them), less commercials and player-caddie convos. It sounds like we'll be getting at least one of those things in the second round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, per Josh Carpenter of the Sports Business Journal:
Now, the question is, will the commentators be able to not talk over these conversations while they happen? We can only dream ...
The most recent example is Ping signing 2023 U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark to a pact to use its Scottsdale Tec putter. Specifically, Clark uses a custom-built Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset putter measuring 38 inches with a 17-inch Superstroke Zenergy 3.0 grip. The head weighs approximately 400 grams. The lie angle is 20 degrees, and the loft is 3 degrees. Clark’s putter has several strips of lead tape on the bottom of the sole to counterbalance the weight of the long grip. In winning the recent CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Clark made 13 putts over 10 feet for the week. He ranked first in strokes gained-putting, picking up 12.565 shots on the field and first in feet of putts made at 112 per round, including 158 feet in the final round.
ClubGlider travel bags were awarded Golf Digest’s top honor for some eight years running, and actually made its splash as an independent product on the old Golf Channel reality show, Fore Inventors Only. Along with its trademark load-lightening ease of use, this latest version adds a handful of new features. Those include: ripstop 900D polyester outer lining wrapped in a protective TPU film, water-repellent coating added to the outer fabric, an integrated TSA lock and an internal AirTag pocket, a Thermoform-molded casing and internal as well as external pockets for expanded storage. $450, with a larger staff bag sized model to come later this year.
The World No. 1 got on the board with his first birdie at Shinnecock in spectacular fashion. After being just off the green in two on the par-5 fifth, Scheffler delivered a spectacular pitch that had so much backspin (going into the wind didn't hurt, either) that it backed up to set up an easy putt. Have a look—and then check out some of Scottie's tips to play better as well as more advice on hitting downgrain chips. Just don't expect to be able to pull this shot off.
A fog delay slowed the early action at Shinnecock on Thursday morning, but when the veil lifted just after 9 a.m. local time, the wait proved worth it. That's when Korn Ferry Tour pro James Nicholas—born in New York City just a short LIRR ride away—sunk the tournament's opening birdie from just off the third green. Take it away, kid.
Birdies won't be easy to come by this week, but there's something about a New York kid making the first birdie of a New York U.S. Open on the same day as the New York Knicks' championship parade that makes this one a little extra special. Nicholas also struck the very first ball of the 2026 U.S. Open on Thursday, having the honors in the day's first grouping. In the now-immortal words of Alicia Keys, let's hear it for New York!
when the play was suspended for fog at 7:05 a.m., just a half hour after the first round began. The USGA chief championship officer had warned that Thursday’s forecast would make uninterrupted play a long shot, even with all the precautions the USGA decided to implement due to the windy, rainy forecast.
Two hours later, at 9:05 a.m., play resumed, but the predictions of rain and strong wind the rest of the day linger. Here’s what the USGA has for the weather report on Thursday.
The reigning Players champ bombed a drive right down the middle on Shinnecock's par-4 12th—and nearly wound up on a road that cuts through the hole. But now we know what's possible when you combine Cam's pop with the strong winds players are dealing with in Thursday's opening round of the U.S. Open.
Despite the unusual result, Young was happy to have less than 100 yards for his approach on the 472-yard hole. He found the green and wound up making a pretty ho-hum par.
The U.S. Open is underway, which means Yanni's iconic "In Celebration of Man" tournament theme is back. Thankfully. For a few years, golf fans didn't hear this beauty when Fox took over coverage of USGA events, but NBC smartly brought it back in 2020. "'In Celebration of Man' is kind of like a statue," Yanni told Golf Digest way back in 2014. "And it stands for golf." Here's more on how the song came to be.
For the first time in nine years, McIlroy has made an eagle at the U.S. Open. And it just so happened to give him the early lead at Shinnecock Hills. After pummeling a 395-yard drive on the par-5 fifth (McIlroy's 14th hole of the day), the six-time major champ hoisted a 9-iron to 11 feet and converted the putt to move to three under par. It remains to be seen if McIlroy can win his first U.S. Open in 15 years, but he's certainly off to a great start.
Which is exactly why Sungjae Im was spotted eating a corn dog at the turn at Shinnecock Hills. After three bogeys over his first nine holes, the two-time PGA Tour winner went with a fried delicacy to attempt to get his game back on track. We’ll see if this turns the tide (another bogey on No. 1 isn't the best start), but it’s nice to know that Sungjae will remain Sungjae … even at the U.S. Open.