Here are the golfers to watch as the U.S. Open gets underway at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday:
Never mind that he hasn’t been his dominant self this year and recently showed frustration at the Memorial as he struggled, Scheffler has been ranked No. 1 in the world for three years and has won 14 times since the beginning of 2024 — seven in ’24, six in ’25 and once earlier this year. This is the first try for Scheffler at winning the career Grand Slam, the U.S. Open the only major championship trophy missing in his man cave back in Texas. Scheffler is not to be counted out. Shinnecock is very much about ball striking and few are better at that than Scheffler.
McIlroy doesn’t have to worry about completing the career Slam, because he did it last year with his first Masters victory, which he defended in April. McIlroy, the world No. 2 behind Scheffler, is playing with house money, seemingly unburdened and liberated after climbing every mountain in golf. His career is now all about big-game hunting, the way Tiger Woods’ career became after he’d won everything.
The Englishman’s form has cooled slightly after winning three PGA Tour events earlier in the year, but his steady, weakness-free game and patience are made to win U.S. Opens — as evidenced by his victory at Brookline in 2022. Fitzpatrick has gained length and strength in recent years as well as confidence.
The pride of Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Westchester County has had a big year, winning the Players Championship and the Cadillac Championship at Doral, two tournaments with stout fields. As a local of sorts, he thrives on courses in the Northeast, as he did at Bethpage Black in the Ryder Cup last fall. Young is long off the tee, which always helps at a U.S. Open, and his putting has greatly improved, which is why he’s won twice this year.
Sure, he’s in the midst of re-entry to the PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf, but Koepka cannot be discounted in the big events, particularly one like this at a venue where he’s won before, capturing the 2018 U.S. Open the last time it was played at Shinnecock. That was Koepka’s second consecutive U.S. Open victory. Course comfort and familiarity go a long way for golfers.
Is this his time? Fleetwood nearly stole that 2018 U.S. Open from Koepka with a final-round 63 to finish runner-up by one stroke. The popular Englishman has won only once on the PGA Tour (the 2025 Tour Championship), but he’s almost always in contention. He has six top 10s this year, including three top five finishes. Two of those came recently, at the Memorial two weeks ago and at the Truist Championship in early May. Fleetwood, however, finished T-33 at the Masters and missed the cut at the PGA.
Like Young, a local of sorts as a Jersey Shore native, Gotterup has already had a hot year with two victories earlier in the season. He has four victories in the past two years. He finished tied for 10th at the PGA last month. Gotterup is a big hitter who strikes it low and accurately in the wind, which could be a help at Shinnecock.
The defending champion, winning at Oakmont last year. Spaun has had a representative year after his breakout in ’25, winning the Valero Texas Open and recently finishing T-12 at Memorial, T-6 at Colonial and T-5 at the Truist. But Spaun missed the cut at both the Masters and the PGA. Defending major championships isn’t easy.
Where has the player who won the British Open and the PGA Championship in ’24 gone? Schauffele has been lurking but hasn’t gotten over the line despite playing well. He finished third at the Players, tied for ninth at the Masters and tied for seventh at the PGA. Is this his week to win the third leg of a Grand Slam? He’s steady, mentally tough and one of the best ball strikers in the game. Those things usually play well at U.S. Opens. It cannot be overstated that Schauffele has nine consecutive top 15 finishes in majors and seven of those are top 10s.
At 45, the Englishman refuses to fade from contention. Rose is already a U.S. Open winner, in 2013 at Merion. He has won once this year, at Torrey Pines. He finished tied for third at the Masters, tied for 10th at the PGA and was tied for 12th at the Memorial. So he remains in form and should not be counted out this week, because he always seems to occupy a place high on the leaderboard in the big events despite his age. Rose is one of few players in the field who have played two U.S. Opens at Shinnecock (2004 and 2018) and he finished T-10 in ’18.
Of all the LIV Golf players in the field, Rahm would appear to have the best chance to win — based on talent, form and history. The Spaniard, who’s been playing well on LIV, has a great history in U.S. Opens, having won it in ’21 and finishing T-3 in ’19, T-10 in ’23 and T-7 last year. Rahm, too, finished runner-up to Aaron Rai at the PGA Championship last month.
Speaking of LIV players, DeChambeau is a two-time U.S. Open champion, winning in ’20 at Winged Foot and in ’24 at Pinehurst. He’s played well on LIV, saying recently he’s “close” to playing “the best golf” of his life. But he’s struggled in the majors this year, missing the cut at the Masters and the PGA.
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