The 126th U.S. Open golf tournament begins June 18 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, with world number one Scottie Scheffler seeking his first U.S. Open win to complete the career Grand Slam [1, 2, 3, 4]. Scheffler has four major titles to his name, including two Masters (2022, 2024), the 2025 PGA Championship, and the 2025 Open Championship [1, 2, 5, 6]. A victory this week would make him only the seventh man to win all four majors, joining Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen [1, 5, 7, 6].
Scheffler, 30, enters the event as a +455 betting favorite despite some dip in form this year. He has recorded 7 top-10 finishes in 12 PGA Tour starts in 2026, including a win at La Quinta and three runner-up finishes at the Masters, Cadillac Championship, and RBC Heritage [1, 2, 8, 3, 9, 6]. This is his 15th consecutive major as the oddsmakers’ favorite or co-favorite dating to 2023 [9].
Scheduled to tee off Thursday, June 18, at 8:14 a.m. ET from the first hole, Scheffler’s group includes defending U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun and amateur Mason Howell [5, 10, 9, 6]. Australian Adam Scott will play in his 100th consecutive major, teeing off one group ahead [1, 5, 7, 10]. Other top contenders include Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jordan Spieth [1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 3]. Brooks Koepka’s participation is doubtful because of a hand injury sustained at the RBC Canadian Open [1, 7].
The Shinnecock Hills course is renowned for its difficulty and history as a U.S. Open venue. Players must navigate tough conditions, including strong winds. Jim Furyk described it as a place with "no place where I felt like you could be aggressive," recalling long uphill putts [2].
Scheffler said the prospect of completing the Grand Slam is not a primary goal. "For me, would it be a dream to win the US Open? Of course. But at the end of the day, the Grand Slam has never been a motivating factor for me. I always just wanted to be the best version of myself," he said [6]. He added, "It's kind of a funny thing... if I win this tournament, that would be amazing, but then I show up the next week, and it’s like, OK, now Scottie’s won the Grand Slam, he’s won all these golf tournaments. Now where do we go from here?" [11].
Scheffler has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five U.S. Opens, including a tie for 2nd in 2022 and third in 2023 [9, 6, 4].
The U.S. Open runs through June 21 at Shinnecock Hills, where the field will test their skills against one of golf’s most demanding layouts.
