Shinnecock was also the hardest putting course on Tour as well -- putting inside 5 feet, 5 to 15 feet, putting greater than 15 feet all ranked hardest on the PGA Tour that year and were among the hardest in the entire DG database, although a lot of that had to do with pin positions that I doubt the USGA roll out this year. I will get much deeper into what I think the wider fairways will do to the predictive and descriptive landscape of Shinnecock in the What Actually Matters section below, but on the surface, I don’t agree with this move, and that is coming from someone who is generally a huge advocate for width.

I think there is a sweet spot where width really tests accuracy in a meaningful way, Muirfield Village being a good example, and I worry that the extra width may devalue both distance and accuracy in exchange for approach and around-the-green play, which is not necessarily a bad thing, unless you firmly believe that U.S. Opens need to be a great test of total driving.

I think the general concept of allowing the course to play how it was designed makes loads of sense to me, but we are not playing with 1931 equipment, and I would question the efficacy of making a golf course that featured a 71% driving accuracy rate even wider. I suppose an interesting counter-point would be that widening the fairways may bait players into hitting more drivers, which perhaps could make the golf course more strategic off the tee, but players were always going to hit more drivers in 2026 anyway.

The game has changed significantly even in just 8 years. Players have gotten more aggressive, and technology has improved. I am never in favor of manipulating the course, but I would also question if it’s even possible to play a golf course how the architect intended with modern technology.

The weather remains the canary in the coal mine here, where it’s almost impossible to judge the value of such a change until we understand firmness and wind, so let’s dive into what I’m expecting from a forecast standpoint.

To read the rest of Andy’s preview article, click here.

In case you missed any of our shows, here are some of our most insightful clips from the week:

I am on a cold streak in OAD after the last two weeks I had Ludvig Aberg at the Memorial, who finished 39th, and Nicolai Hojgaard at the RBC Canadian Open who missed the cut.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s time to bring in the big guns.

My pick for the US Open is Patrick Reed, aka Captain America, aka Pushin P.

If we are trying to identify players that are coming into this week trending on approach, have an elite short game, and has a pedigree of playing well in major championships, Patrick Reed is on the list.

Reed has only played two professional tournaments over the last two months, which were the Masters and PGA. He finished T12 at the Masters and T10 at the PGA Championship. 

At the PGA, he gained 6.32 strokes on approach and gained 3 strokes around the green in both major championships this year. Reed finished 4th in the 2018 US Open here at Shinnecock.I trust Reed to maneuver his way around this hard golf course and believe he will make some noise in the 3rd major this year.

2026 OAD total: $10,516,481

Closing Stretch

Josh Segal

Will the players influence the USGA on the conditions at Shinnecock?

The last time Shinnecock hosted the US Open was back in 2018, where Brooks Koepka won back to back US Opens at +1. Comparative to previous major championships over the last 10 years, the 2018 US Open has played as the hardest major championship of them all.

In that event, the USGA was ridiculed for how they set up the golf course, most notably by Zach Johnson, who said after the third round that the USGA “lost the course”. In round one, golf played 6 strokes over par and round 2 played 5 strokes over par. The USGA decided it was a good idea to water the greens during the third round after seeing that balls were not staying on the green properly. This was one of the reasons why people had an issue with the tournament setup and the decisions by the USGA. 

In my opinion, the main storyline is how will the USGA bounce back after 2018 and will players have any influence on how they set up the course throughout the week. 

At this year's PGA Championship, we had a situation where players shared their thoughts on the course set up, with many saying that Aronomink was going to play very easy. Kerry Heigh of the PGA of America heard these comments and decided to place pins in challenging positions, with many saying that certain pin locations were “unfair”. 

Players have already said that certain holes at Shinnecock, for example the par 3 11th, is going to be impossible, especially with anticipated high winds.

The USGA made some changes already to the golf course by widening some of the fairways compared to 2018 to increase drive usage. If you go back and watch Brooks Koepka’s final round in 2018, his club choices off-the-tee were primarily less than drivers. 

Additionally, The Golf Channel is reporting that the USGA is already watering these greens throughout the Monday practice round. Are they already worried about the speeds and firmness of these greens after the 2018 debacle? Sounds like they are.

The one thing the USGA can’t control is the weather. What I am seeing right now is high winds all week, with severe winds Thursday PM and Saturday PM. Obviously the weather is subject to change, but the USGA watering these greens is to combat the high winds that will firm up the golf course.

All in all, I do believe that the USGA is going to try to set up the golf course easier, however, my prediction for winning score is -3. It will be interesting to hear players' reactions to the course conditions throughout the week and if their opinions will dictate pin locations. It will reveal a lot about the USGA and the influence that professional golfers have. 

It’s going to be such a great week watching the best players in the world play one of the most challenging golf courses in the world. It’s for sure a treat and I can’t wait.

Josh’s Top 10 Player Rankings

1. Scottie Scheffler

Over the last couple of months, we have seen Scheffler express his frustration with the state of his golf game both on the golf course and in press conferences. To Scheffler’s standards, it hasn’t been his best year, after winning 6 times in 2025 and 7 times in 2024. His lone win was at the American Express back in January, with 6 top 4 or better finishes.

He is still the best iron player in the world with a world class short game. He is a great all around driver of the golf ball, and has been consistently a well above average putter this year. Is this the best Scottie Scheffler course on paper? I would argue no. Is Scottie Scheffler due for a win? Certainly. There’s been a ton of chatter with how immature he has acted on the golf course, especially when he was going at Ted Scott, but he might use this as motivation. Will Scheffler capture the career grand slam? We shall see. 

2. Rory McIIroy

We haven’t seen much of Rory after winning back to back green jackets, however, he is still playing solid golf. He is coming off a T7 at the PGA Championship and T12 at Memorial. His approach play has been great this year, but has been struggling finding fairways recently with the driver.

I believe he’s one of the most fascinating players because I am very interested in how he attacks the golf course off-the-tee. Will Rory just hit the driver everywhere or will he club down and hit more fairways at a higher rate? You need to hit fairways here. I can’t wait to hear from Andy from the course on what Rory is doing. He is one of the best US Open players of our generation so without a doubt he comes in at 2 behind Scheffler.

3. Jon Rahm

After a disappointing T38 at the Masters, Rahm bounced back and finished T2 at the PGA Championship. He didn’t have the best final round at the Mink, but he is hitting his irons great and has an elite short game to get around Shinnecock. I trust Rahm to get around this golf course and play smart major championship golf. Like Rory, Rahm has great US Open history, winning at Torrey Pines back in 2021. He’s due to win a major championship. If it’s not here, it can certainly be at Royal Birkdale. 

4. Matt Fitzpatrick

The 2022 US Open Championship has had an exceptional year, claiming victory three times (Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic). He has the player profile I am looking for this week: elite iron player and great around the green game. His last couple tournaments have been pretty mid, but he has extraordinary major championship history and trusts his golf IQ to get around a tough golf course. 

5. Tommy Fleetwood

He might be one of the most popular guys talked about this week due to his performance at the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock when he shot a 7-under 63 in the final round. It was one of the best major championship rounds in the history of golf. His golf game is in proper form and is one of the best course fits at Shinnecock in the field. Can Tommy finally breakthrough and capture his first major championship victory? Or… Will Tommy Fleetwood do the same Tommy Fleetwood thing and back door a T10 finish? 

6. Cameron Young

The reigning Players and Cadillac Championship champion has slowed down a tiny bit, but is still in solid form. He has the hometown narrative being a fellow New Yorker and has played well on these tough northeast golf courses. There’s not much to hate about his game right now. He is still one of the best drivers and iron players in the world. Can NY get another big sports victory after the Knicks won the title?

7. Xander Schauffele

If you look at Xander’s resume this year, it’s pretty good, despite not winning this year. Many will argue that Xander hasn’t truly contended this year. He finished solo third at the Players Championship, but that tournament was mainly a two horse race down the stretch between Cam Young and Fitzy.

His game seems slightly off right now, but in major championships and this difficult setup, I trust Xander to maneuver his way around the property. In his nine US Open starts, he has finished inside the top 14 in ALL OF THEM. Of those finishes, he has finished inside the top 7 in 6 of them. 

8. Ludvig Aberg

Ludvig is honestly one of the most frustrating golfers to watch and bet on, and I don’t believe its particularly close right now. He choked away the Players Championship after having the 54 hole lead and fell off at the PGA Championship on Sunday despite finishing T4. His stats on paper are phenomenal but I just don’t trust him to play clinical major championship golf down the stretch. 

9. Patrick Reed

In these rankings, you can’t just take all the chalk. I am putting my balls on the table and placing Patrick Reed number 9 in my US Open power rankings. Is Patrick Reed the 9th best player in the world? No.

If we are identifying players who are trending with their irons, an elite short game, and can make big putts, Patrick Reed is one of those players. His last two starts are only the major championships: T12 at the Masters and T10 at the PGA Championship. He finished 4th in 2018 here and had a chance to win the tournament. Patrick Reed’s game is suited for major championships and believes he will be in the mix on Sunday to maybe win his 2nd major championship of his career. 

10. Russell Henley

He disappointed many, including myself, at the PGA Championship missing the cut. However, its not enough to place him outside the top 10. This is a great golf course for Henley who is one of the most accurate golfers off-the-tee in the field and a great overall iron player. His major championship resume has been stellar over the last couple of years. What it’s missing is a win and i believe he has a great shot this week. 

Congrats to our CEO Andy Lack for finally hitting the New York Knicks Championship future at +1200. He followed that up with a winning Bud Cauley ticket at the RBC Canadian Open at 50/1. Great weekend for our man Andy and hope for a successful week at Shinnecock.