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ENG v CRO post-match on SN ExtraUS Open Preview: Who will be top at Shinnecock?
Duncan Perkinson • June 18th, 2026 6:00 am
Brooks Koepka enroute to winning the 2018 US Open, when it was last staged at Shinnecock Golf Club | Photo: USGA/J.D. Cuban
While the Football World Cup is dominating the sporting landscape, the third golf major of the year, the US Open takes place at Shinnecock Hills in New York starting on Thursday evening (NZ Time.)
The course is rich in history, both from a playing perspective having previously hosted the US Open five times, and it is one of the five original founding charter golf clubs of the US Golf Association.
Shinnecock Hills is situated on Long Island in New York and while not immediately on the coast, is considered the most links-like course on the US Open rota.
It does have more rolling undulations than traditional links courses and its tricky green complexes have always made Shinnecock Hills one of the most testing US Open courses.
In the five previous US Opens played there, only three players have finished below par after 72 holes.
In 2018, Brooks Koepka beat Tommy Fleetwood by a shot and finished +1 for the tournament.
Golf fans will remember this tournament as much for Koepka’s victory as for Phil Mickelson controversially hitting his ball while it was still moving on the green.
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Mickelson was penalised two shots, but there were some who thought he should have been disqualified from the tournament.
In the previous iteration of the US Open at Shinnecock in 2006, Mickelson had finished runner-up to South Africa’s Retief Goosen.
There is concern about Brooks Koepka as he withdrew prior to the last round of the Canadian Open with a nerve injury to his left hand.
In the pre-tournament press conference, he announced that he’s "excited to be able to hold a golf club again... I don’t think the grip strength is 100 percent, but it’s good enough. There’s no pain.”
Koepka is paired with New York native, Cameron Young as well as World No. 5 Chris Gotterup. Last year Young was in contention for the first time at the US Open in six attempts, finishing tied 5th, just four shots behind J.J. Spaun.
Of the two favourites, Scottie Scheffler is hunting for his career grand-slam with a win and Rory McIlroy is looking for his second major of the year after winning The Masters in April.
Since winning the US PGA Championship, Aaron Rai has finished 19th at The Memorial and missed the cut at the Canadian Open this week.
New Zealander Ryan Fox is in prime position to defend his title at the Canadian Open | Photo: AP
Of the LIV players, Jon Rahm won the US Open in 2021 at Torrey Pines and was recently runner-up to English player Tyrrell Hatton at Valderama.
This was Hatton’s first tournament since becoming a father and he said after the win "no matter how today went, I’m still going to be home tonight, doing nappies."
Hatton was tied for third a year ago at the US Open and finished tied 6th at Shinnecock in 2018 and the new baby bounce could see him play well this week.
One player who regularly flies under the golfing radar is American Russell Henley. He has finished in the Top 20 in four of the last five US Opens. His form this season has been very good with 9 Top 25s out of 13 events played. He also leads the PGA Tour in driving accuracy this season.
Ryan Fox goes into the tournament on the back of a top 10 finish in Canada, but New Zealand’s leading golfer has never finished better than Tied 16th in a major.
Betting Tips:
Cameron Young, Russell Henley and Tyrrell Hatton to all finish in the Top 20
Paying: $14.30, so a $5 bet = $71.50
As part of a promotion, the TAB are running for the US Open, in a 3 Leg Same-Game Multi, you can get up to $50 in bonus cash if one leg fails. (One per event, terms & Conditions apply)
Click here to build your same-game-multi
All TAB odds are current at the time of publishing - R18, please gamble responsibly.
