SHANK launches US Open coverage as 10,201 entries confirmed for 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
- Matt Hooper
- Apr 14
- 6 min read
15 Champions Among 10,201 Entries for 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
SHANK coverage to include the US Open Tonight, a daily roundup of all the news from the championship, along with several original long-form features and a Live blog covering the final round
The US Open is renowned as Golf's Toughest Test, it is also part of the fabric of the history of the sport, and visits some of the truly iconic courses of the United States of America. Often ranked behind The Masters and The Open in terms of importance and prestige, the US Open is a great reference point for history, especially for golfers on the East Coast of Scotland, with many of the early winners being emigrants to the USA from here.
This year mark's 50 years since the US Open began formally concluding the championship on Father's Day, with the only exception being 2020 when the event was delayed until September due to the Covid19 Pandemic and associated lockdowns.
The US Open has provided many of golf's most iconic moments across the last century and a quarter, and has been won by golfers from five different continents, and Shinnecock Hills has also played host to some of the truly great editions of this championship. 1986 saw Greg Norman take a single-shot lead into Sunday, and Raymond Floyd coming from three back to win his fourth and final major title; 1995 was a repeat for Greg Norman, this time he shared the lead with Tom Lehman, but Corey Pavin came from 3 shots back to claim his only Major title, aided by that legendary 4-wood to the 18th green.
2004 featured the great battle between Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson, and 2018 saw Brooks Koepka shoot a fine round of 68 to narrowly defeat the charging Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a phenomenal 63 on the final day. As with The Masters, when the year ends in 6 we have a truly dramatic championship and the leader through 54 holes NEVER wins. It is 7 decades since a 54-hole leader won the championship in a year which ends in 6, and that will be one of the many original long-form features by SHANK during the 126th US Open.
SHANK's coverage of the 126th US Open includes:
The US Open Tonight, daily round up of the news from Shinnecock Hills from Wednesday to Sunday
Final Round Live Blog
35 years of the US Open on Sky Sports, a history of the US Open on UK Television
When The Year Ends in 6
New York, the Real Home of American Golf
and more to be confirmed
Defending champion J.J. Spaun and everyone in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking® are among the 10,201 entries that were accepted by the USGA for the 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y. The U.S. Open will be contested at the historic venue for a sixth time from June 18-21.
This is the fifth time in championship history that the number of entries has exceeded 10,000. The 2026 total came within one entry of matching the previous record set in 2025, when 10,202 entries were accepted for the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. This year, entries were accepted from golfers in all 50 states, including 390 from host state New York, as well as Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the United States Armed Forces and 49 foreign countries.
“The USGA is proud to return to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, one of the cathedrals of the game and a founding member club of the USGA,” said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. “The U.S. Open’s two-stage qualifying process provides thousands of professional and amateur golfers worldwide an opportunity to earn their spot in the field. There continues to be tremendous interest in competing in our national championship as we nearly set another record with entries.”
Spaun, of Los Angeles, Calif., posted a two-stroke victory over Robert MacIntyre at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club last June, including an unforgettable 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to secure his first major victory. Spaun, now 10th in the OWGR®, leads a total of 51 players who are currently exempt from qualifying.
Nine other U.S. Open champions are fully exempt: Bryson DeChambeau (2020, 2024), Wyndham Clark (2023), Matt Fitzpatrick (2022), Jon Rahm (2021), Gary Woodland (2019), Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018), Dustin Johnson (2016), Justin Rose (2013) and Rory McIlroy (2011). Koepka won the U.S. Open the last time it was contested at Shinnecock Hills.
Scottie Scheffler, who is No. 1 in the OWGR® and a four-time major champion, will be going for the career Grand Slam. The 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur champion will compete in his ninth U.S. Open, with his highest finish coming in 2022 when he was co-runner-up with fellow U.S. Junior Amateur champion Will Zalatoris at The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass. McIlroy, No. 2 in the OWGR®, became the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam last April at The Masters Tournament and on Sunday he joined three others to successfully defend their Masters title. The 2011 U.S. Open champion will be making his 18th U.S. Open start, having finished inside the top 10 in six of his last seven starts.
Cameron Young, up to No. 3 in the OWGR®, will return to his native New York to make his seventh U.S. Open start. Young, of Scarborough, N.Y., won this year’s Players Championship, and enjoyed his best U.S. Open finish last year at Oakmont C.C. with his tie for fourth.
For those not fully exempt, local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 109 sites in 43 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, is scheduled between April 20-May 18. Those advancing players will join a group of locally exempt competitors in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 13 sites. Final qualifying will be held in England (May 18), Japan (May 25) and Canada (June 8) as well as 10 U.S. sites, one on May 18, and the remaining nine on June 8, known across the industry as “Golf’s Longest Day,” which will receive 10 hours of live coverage on Golf Channel.
Five U.S. Open champions – Jordan Spieth (2015), Webb Simpson (2012), Graeme McDowell (2010), Lucas Glover (2009) and Geoff Ogilvy (2006) – have registered for the championship and are among the 477 players exempt into final qualifying. McDowell is scheduled to play in the Dallas final qualifier on May 18. Spieth and Glover (Westerville, Ohio), Simpson (Ball Ground, Ga.), and Ogilvy (Sacramento, Calif.) will all attempt to qualify on June 8.
To be eligible, one must be an amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 0.4 or be a professional. Jonathan Kaplan, an amateur from Powell, Ohio, was the first entry on Feb. 18. Clark Van Gaalen, from Turlock, Calif., submitted his entry 61 seconds before the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 8.
The championship’s youngest entry is Niko Ameredes, a 13-year-old from Chino, Calif., who is a two-time Drive, Chip & Putt national finalist. The oldest entrant is Mike Caporale, a 71-year-old who is the head PGA professional at North Hills Country Club, in Manhasset, N.Y., approximately 70 miles from Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
The number of fully exempt players will increase with the inclusion of the top 60 point leaders and ties from the OWGR®, as of May 18 and June 15. The winner of the PGA Championship (May 14-17) and any multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the FedExCup will also earn exemptions. Also, the top five players in the 2026 FedExCup Standings as of May 18 who are not otherwise exempt will secure a place in the field.
Additionally, U.S. Open exemptions will be awarded to the top player from the DP World Tour’s 2026 Race to Dubai Rankings, who is not otherwise exempt, as of May 18, and the top player, not otherwise exempt, in the top 3 of the 2026 LIV Golf individual standings. Other exemptions determined May 18 from 2025 standings include the top two players from the final 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings, not otherwise exempt, and the top player from the top three of the final 2025 LIV Golf individual standings who is not otherwise exempt. The winner of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Golf Championship (must be an amateur) will also earn a spot in the field. That 72-hole event will conclude on June 3 in Carlsbad, Calif.
The U.S. Open was previously contested at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in 1896 (James Foulis), 1986 (Raymond Floyd),1995 (Corey Pavin), 2004 (Retief Goosen) and 2018 (Koepka).
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, one of the USGA’s five founding member clubs, is the only venue to host the national championship in three different centuries.
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