The 118th edition of the U.S. Open Championship gets underway on Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. This will be the fifth time the championship has been played at Shinnecock, the only course to host the U.S. Open in three centuries.
The first time was in 1896 when the second U.S. Open was contested by a field of 35 players and James Foulis won with a total of 152 for 36 holes. In 1986 Raymond Floyd claimed the national title at Shinnecock with a 1-under total of 279. Corey Pavin beat Greg Norman by two strokes to win the 1995 U.S. Open on the Long Island course. And in 2004 Retief Goosen edged Phil Mickelson at Shinnecock Hills to win his second U.S. Open.
The historic links-style golf course will play about 500 yards longer this time and feature a treeless terrain, graduated rough bordering fairways that may play narrower than they look, 150 bunkers, small, tilting greens and routing that has all 18 holes playing in a different direction.
How will Shinnecock Hills play this week for the best golfers in the world? The club’s head professional Jack Druga offers a well-informed opinion in this video:
The U.S. Open is the marquee event of the United States Golf Association (USGA), which prides itself on making the national championship “the ultimate test in golf.” This week should be no exception.
We’re not trying to embarrass the best players in the world. We’re trying to identify them.
– Sandy Tatum, USGA
When people say they dream of playing in the U.S. Open someday, what they’re really saying is, they’d like to be good enough to play.
Trust me, the U.S. Open is not fun. – Tom Weiskopf
Nobody wins the Open. It wins you. – Cary Middlecoff
The 2018 U.S. Open Field
The U.S. Open field of 156 players includes mostly professionals (the highest ranked and otherwise best players from the major tours) as well as 20 amateurs. Half the field earned their spots through local and sectional qualifiers.
The field will be cut to the low 60 scorers (and ties) after 36 holes. If there’s a tie after 72 holes, a two-hole aggregate playoff will determine the winner. (This year marks the end of the traditional 18-hole playoff.)
The current betting favorites are:
8/1: world No. 1 and 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson
14/1: 2011 U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, world No. 2 and 2017 PGA champion Justin Thomas, 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
16/1: 2015 PGA champion Jason Day
18/1: 2015 U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth
20/1: three-time U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm
25/1: 2017 U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson
Defending US Open Champion Brooks Koepka will return to Shinnecock Hills to defend his title.
Thursday & Friday Key Player Groups
Fifty-two groupings of three players will tee off beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET on Thursday. Here are some noteworthy groupings.
Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson
Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk
Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Marc Leishman
Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Rafael Cabrera Bello
Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Brook Koepka
Louis Oosthuizen, Jimmy Walker, Justin Rose
Zach Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Reed
Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Matt Kuchar
Lucas Glover, Webb Simpson, Graeme McDowell
Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer
2018 U.S. Open Tournament Details
Dates: June 14-17
Course: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, New York
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,440
Purse: $12 million
Winner’s share: $2.16 million
Field: 156 players, including 20 amateurs
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy and overcast, with highs from 68 to 81. Light winds. Thunderstorms possible on Friday and Sunday.
Players tee off at Shinnecock Hills Golf Course during a practice round.
2018 U.S. Open TV Coverage
Date
June 14
June 14
June 15
June 15
June 16
June 17
Network
FS1
Fox
FS1
Fox
Fox
Fox
Hours (ET)
First Round, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
First Round, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Second Round, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Second Round, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Third Round, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Fourth Round, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
2018 U.S. Open Live Streaming Coverage Online
The U.S. Open will receive more than 115 hours of live streaming coverage at usopen.com and U.S. Open app channels.
Neil Sagebiel
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