U.S. Open 2026: Xander Schauffele keeps absolutely preposterous U.S. Open streak alive
David Cannon
Thankfully, Xander Schauffele picked off his first two majors in 2024, shedding the "always the bridesmaid..." label. Otherwise, this preposterous streak he kept alive at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock would be a punchline as opposed to what it actually is - a wildly impressive statistic.
Schauffele looked poised to win major No. 3 on Friday, when he shot 66 to thrust himself into contention. He went backwards on Saturday, though, and put himself in danger of ending his streak of top-15 finishes in the U.S. Open.
That streak—nine straight—was in imminent danger late on Sunday, too. Schauffele was three over after 14 holes, three over for the championship. Had he parred out, he would have tied for 17th, but a clutch birdie at the 15th, and three pars to follow, gave him a final-round 72 to finish at two over, tied for 11th.
Schauffele does not play for T-11s, or top 15s, but his T-11 result gave him 10 consecutive finishes inside the top 15 in this championship. For those keeping score, Schauffele has only played in this championship 10 times. In other words, he's never not finished in the top 15 in what's considered the most difficult championship on the schedule. Not when he was a PGA Tour rookie at Erin Hills in 2017, and not nearly 10 years later as a 32-year-old veteran.
As the U.S. Open's official Twitter account pointed out afterward, this puts him in some seriously elite company:
You ever hear of any of those guys?
Kidding aside, that is an incredible list to be on, and given how Schauffele never seems to have a bad season, no one would be surprised to see him make a run at Nicklaus and Hogan's streak of 12. Next stop: Pebble Beach, where Schauffele tied for third the last time the U.S. Open was held there. Shocker.
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