Happy Fathers Day!

On the Shinnecock golf course:

“I was a little surprised by the width of the fairways, but the green complexes there are extremely difficult, and I think that’s the real challenge.”

– Tournament favorite, Scottie Scheffler

If you are a golfer and a father, then this is the weekend of the year! The U.S. Open AND Father’s Day is the one-and-only weekend of the year when a guy can actually call the shots when it comes to setting the schedule – as in when you get to play golf and scheduling the meal time(s) on Sunday. With that said, I still recommend “consulting” with your family about your weekend plans.

As far as the U.S. Open goes, I have done my homework, looking at all of the usual suspects in trying to figure out who to root for and who to put a few dollars on. I read Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, SI, ESPN, The Score, USA Today and various betting platforms to gather as much information as possible.

What I have finally figured out is that these days, almost all media sources take it for granted that the average American man cares more about the betting odds and the various prop bets than actually looking at the reasons why a golfer may or may not have a chance to win a tournament – in this case the 126^th U.S. Open.

I find that to be a bit on the depressing side. Don’t get me wrong, I love betting with my friends. However, most experts are now dwelling on the best bets instead of which players seem to being playing really well at the moment and how a particular course may suit a golfer.

The word “fan” seems to have been replaced by the words “odds,” and “yields.” I guess I am old school when I say that I like reading about golf and golfers instead of where the smart money is going.

Well now that I have that off my chest, I will pass along a bit of “good to know information” about this year’s U.S. Open – the third Major of the year.

The Facts

The Club: Shinnecock Hills GC is a private links-style course in Southampton, NY, founded in (1896, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2018, and now 2026.). In 2036, the U.S. Open will return to Shinnecock.

It was one of the five charter clubs that helped establish the USGA in 1894.

The Course:

 • Par/Yardage: 7,440 yards / Par 70. The front-side yardage is 3,819 yds. Backside is 3,621.

• William S. Flynn (1931 redesign) is credited as the primary architect.

• The original architects were Willie Davis (1891), Willie Dunn (1894), C.B. Macdonald & Seth Raynor (1901).

• Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw did renovation work in 2013.

The Field: 156 competitors. Eligibility was open to any professional or amateur whose Handicap Index did not exceed 0.4. This year, 10,201 entries were accepted, one shy of the 2025 record.

The Cut Line is the low 60 scorers and ties. If there is a tie after 72 holes, there will be a 2-hole aggregate playoff. Sudden death after that.

The Winner is exempted into the next 10 U.S. Open Championships and into the next five other Majors.

Purse: $21.5 million ($4.3 million to the winner.) *2025 figures. 2026 TBA*.

The Next Five U.S. Opens: 2027: Pebble Beach; 2028: Winged Foot; 2029: PInehurst No. 2; 2030: Merion, 2031: Riviera CC.

2025 Championship: J.J. Spaun won at Oakmont CC with a 64-foot birdie putt on the final hole, edging Robert MacIntyre by two strokes.

As you can see in the chart below, the winner of the U.S. Open is rarely a big longshot. Obviously, last year was a MAJOR exception.

Current U.S. Open Betting Odds for the Top Contenders

Players in BLUE are past winners of Majors.

LAST 12 U.S OPEN WINNERS

RECENT MAJOR WINNERS

Masters: 2026 – Rory McIlroy; 2025 – Rory McIlroy; 2024 – Scottie Scheffler; 2023 – Jon Rahm; 2022 – Scottie Scheffler; 2021 - Hideki Matsuyama; 2020 – Dustin Johnson; 2019 - Tiger Woods.

PGA: 2026 – Aaron Ray; 2025 – Scottie Scheffler; 2024 –Xander Schauffele; 2023 -- Brooks Koepka; 2022 – Justin Thomas; 2021 – Phil Mickelson; 2020 - Collin Morikawa; 2019 - Brooks Koepka.

U.S. Open: 2025 – J.J. Spaun; 2024 – Bryson DeChambeau; 2023 – Wyndham Clark; 2022 – Matt Fitzpatrick; 2021 – Jon Rahm;2020 - Bryson DeChambeau; 2019 - Gary Woodland; 2018 - Brooks Koepka.

The Open Championship: 2025 – Scottie Scheffler; 2024 – Xander Schauffele; 2023 – Brian Harmon; 2022 – Cameron Smith; 2021 – Collin Morikawa; 2020 -- Cancelled; 2019 - Shane Lowry; 2018 - Francesco Molinari; 2017 - Jordan Spieth.

Next Major Venue: The Open, Royal Birkdale, July 16 – 19, 2026.

WHO THE EXPERTS ARE PICKING

Ryan Ballengee (Golf News Net); To-win: Scottie Scheffler. He can complete the career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday on Sunday. I'm not a fate guy, but I'm sure this more-than-capable player is well aware of what's possible.

Alan Bastable (Golf Magazine): To-win: Cameron Young, Just about all of the favorites -- Scottie, Rory, Bryson, Ludvig -- give me pause for one reason or another (spotty form, mostly) … except for one: Cameron Young. Chalk up the local(ish) boy for his first USO title. (Note: His father, David, was the head pro at Sleepy Hollow CC in Westchester County. He went to Fordham Pred in the Bronx.)

Adam Christensen (Golf Magazine): To-win: Tommy Fleetwood. This is more of a heart pick than a head pick, but he is up there for "best player without a major" status -- and why not get one at a place where he shot the best round of his career? Fleetwood is an absolute flusher and he just flashed some form at the Memorial, which is enough for me to pick him heading to a place where a good approach game will be rewarded.

James Colgan (Golf Magazine): To-win: Scottie Scheffler. I've thought about this. I've grinded on it. I've questioned the intelligence of picking the best player of the past five years to win the event he MOST wants to win while his game seems to be in the midst of a rare lull. It all seems a little bit too silly -- too nonsensical to work out. But then I remember that Scottie's entire career has been defined by his capacity to win anticlimactically. It's pretty much what he does. And winning the career grand slam less than 12 months after setting up the dominoes for it -- before any of us in the media can begin the long journey of questioning his competitive integrity or aura or "ability to win the big one?" It strikes me as too perfect NOT to happen. Add in the fact that Shinnecock has historically picked all-time winners, and I'm officially out of alternative options.

Steve Coulter (Golf Channel): To-Win: Cameron Young. So, if we’re out on Scheffler, who are we in on this week to win? It certainly seems like 2026 is the year of Cameron Young. At +2000, the three-time Tour winner has a big enough number pre-tournament to gain our support as the recommended play. He’s playing just as good -- if not better -- than the three favorites (Scheffler, McIlroy & Rham) this year and is getting priced at three to four times higher. Nonsense!

Maddi MacClurg (Golf Magazine): To-win: Matt Fitzpatrick. To win at Shinnecock Hills, you need precision off the tee, elite ball-striking and the ability to scramble when greens are inevitably missed -- all strengths for Fitzpatrick. If the putter gets hot, I think the Englishman will be in the mix on Sunday.

Alex Myers (Golf Digest): To-win: Cameron Young. Arguably the guy who has been the best player on the planet the past 10 months, playing a major championship in his home state at 18-to-1 odds. Yes, Please!

Keith Stuart (Golf Digest): To-win: Scottie Scheffler. For those who believe Scheffler is in a slump, may I remind you the No. 1 player in the world (by a wide margin) has four top-three finishes in his last six starts. T-14 at the PGA and runner-up at the Masters, when conditions get challenging, Scheffler surfaces. Ranked first in strokes-gained total and scoring average on the PGA Tour in 2026 … the skill set is so perfect for this property. Does Scottie need to improve his mid-iron play? Yes, but so does 95 percent of the tour! Let’s put it this way, I would be more surprised if Scottie didn’t win. What a 30th birthday present that would be; a career Grand Slam.

Well, it’s my turn to make a pick. I am going with Swede Ludvig Åberg, who is currently rank No. 14 in the world and finished 4^th in this year’s PGA. Why? He has a beautiful swing and he has a great demeanor. As Rory McIlroy said, “Once he gets over the ball, he's really decisive. He's obviously got a beautiful swing. Looks like he plays with a lot of freedom." In addition, he can putt. He is an especially good lag putter, which will be imperative on Shinnecock’s huge and sloping greens.

And just for the record, Scheffler is my second choice.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ONE AND ALL!

Allan Stark

Photo credits:

Scottie Scheffler: Debby Wong, Shutterstock.com

Tommy Fleetwood: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Fleetwood

Cameron Young: Empower Press Release; April 12, 2026.

Ludvig Åberg: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.