US Open 2026: Scheffler and McIlroy warn of Shinnecock greens

Shinnecock Hills has a reputation that precedes it. The course on Long Island, New York, has already hosted a US Open four times - and only three of the 624 players taking part have managed to stay under Par in that time. It's a statistic that says more than any course description. So the interest was all the greater when the two best golfers in the world - world number one Scottie Scheffler and current Masters champion Rory McIlroy - made a trip to Southampton, New York, in the days before the Memorial Tournament in Ohio to see for themselves.

An unusual breadth

What both players encountered there surprised them in a way that is not very characteristic of a US Open course: generous Fairways.

For McIlroy, it was a return to a place that does not bring back fond memories. At the last US Open at Shinnecock in 2018, he missed the cut with rounds of 80 and 70. Nevertheless, he was pleasantly surprised at a press conference before the Memorial Tournament: "The Fairways are very generous. They are more generous than in 2018 [...] The Fairways are really, really generous. So whoever misses the Fairway, I don't begrudge them the bad location."

Scheffler, who entered Shinnecock for the first time in his life, shared that impression. At the same press conference, he said, "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."

Their surprise is understandable: According to John Bodenhamer, the USGA's course superintendent in charge, the fairways at Shinnecock will play an average of 48 yards wide at this US Open - the widest fairways at a US Open in the past 50 to 75 years. Bodenhamer and USGA CEO Mike Whan are pursuing a deliberate change of course: it's not about aiming for Even Par as a winning result, but about offering the fairest and toughest test of golf.

The Rough as a corrective at the US Open 2026

However, anyone who assumes the wide Fairways mean easy conditions is wrong. Because a tough penalty awaits just beyond the generous fairways.

McIlroy described the situation precisely at the press conference: the first area of Rough is only around three steps wide and five inches long - around 12.7 centimetres - before you run into the heavy fescue grass. If you even just miss the Fairways, there are hardly any options left.

Scheffler sees this as a deliberate and coherent design decision: "In my opinion, the Rough was also a good punishment for the width. As soon as you miss the Fairways there, you no longer have a chance. But the Fairways are generous enough to provide room to maneuver - and that's exactly why the Green complexes are so extraordinarily difficult."

The message is clear: if you hit it, you have a chance. If you miss, you have none.

The greens - the centerpiece and biggest concern

The real issue that concerns both players, however, is the Greens. Shinnecock is notorious for its treacherous putting surfaces - and for good reason.

McIlroy, who completed a full round on Monday, measured the current stimp values at around 11 to 11.2. By comparison, a green is considered fast from 12; at the 2025 US Open in Oakmont, the values were between 13 and 14. For McIlroy, the message to the USGA is clear: "I really don't think they need to get much faster. It's about really keeping the Green speeds where they are and not letting them get out of control - then it'll be a great week."

The background to his warning is the recent history of the course. At the 2004 US Open, the par-3 7th hole became a scene of loss of control in the final round: the greens were so hardened that players could not keep the ball on the putting surface and the USGA was forced to water the Green between groups. in 2018, the situation escalated further when Phil Mickelson hit his still-rolling ball back with his Putter on the 13th green to prevent it from disappearing off the front green - a scene that earned him a two-stroke penalty and a permanent place in the tournament's history. Winner Brooks Koepka needed +1 over 72 holes to secure the title.

Bodenhamer sums up the special nature of the course: "Golf demons are simply up to mischief at this place. They rise up from these putting greens - devilish, wonderful, charming."

Scheffler adds the strategic dimension: from the right side of the fairway, you do have a chance of holding the green - but often only on an area the size of a hula hoop. "They can place the flags wherever they want and make the scores as high as they can imagine."

High personal stakes for both players

The scouting interest of the two world-class players is also motivated by personal ambitions. Scheffler is competing in a Career Grand Slam. The world number one has already won the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Open Championship - the US Open is the missing title that would catapult him into an exclusive group of just six players. For him, the scouting was also his very first encounter with the course.

McIlroy, on the other hand, knows Shinnecock - even if his memories are mixed. The Northern Irishman, who already has the Career Grand Slam in the bag since his Masters victory in April, is aiming for further major successes in the later stages of his career. He is deliberately playing selectively this season and has only played a few tournaments since April. "I pick and choose my tournaments," he said at the press conference. "It brings balance to my life and lets me enjoy things outside of golf."

Find out all about the men's golf majors here.

Outlook: Weather is a deciding factor

The weather could end up being a decisive factor. The forecast for Southampton shows almost continuous sunshine until the start of the tournament, temperatures in the low to mid double-digit range and only one day of rain. If it stays that way, the greens are likely to harden further and become faster - despite the currently still moderate stimp values.

This is exactly what McIlroy is worried about. But if the USGA keeps the conditions under control, he is convinced: "If it's set up right, I think it's one of the best Championshiptests in the country. It's an incredible golf course."

The 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills begins in two weeks' time. The scouting report from the world's best players is that "The Fairways are fair. The rough is brutal. And the greens could once again decide between victory and defeat - or mastery and chaos.