Recent tournament winners like Kristoffer Reitan and Alex Fitzpatrick have crashed the 2026 U.S. Open field, and then there’s the slew of qualifiers recently locking in a position for the year’s third major.
The Charles Schwab Challenge offers such opportunities — one of the very last ways in, if we can be totally blunt — to players still not in the U.S. Open.
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Beside the Charles Schwab, there’s next week’s Memorial Tournament at Muirfield (a limited, signature-event field) and then the Canadian Open on the schedule to aid and assist. Here’s a look at the two remaining pathways:
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Get inside the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking on June 15, the day after the RBC Canadian Open
Now here are the top names playing at Colonial this week who need help getting into Shinnecock Hills and where they stand on the official rankings:
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Rasmus Højgaard (No. 70)
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Michael Thorbjornsen (No. 75)
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Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (No. 78)
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Austin Smotherman (No. 89)
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Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 91)
Cauley, Mitchell and Thorbjornsen are three of the listed favorites to win the tournament outright this week, with Greyserman, Hojgaard and Meissner given a fair-to-considerable chance to go the distance in a field lacking any of the top eight-ranked players in the world. Their odds for making it to Shinnecock in less than a month vary considerably though.
Greyserman has been in remarkable form over the last month, finishing in the top 40 in his last four events. His 14th place finish at Aronimink is worth noting here, too, as it doesn’t get him into the next major field. And in case you were wondering: an inside the top 10 finish at TPC Craig Ranch last weekend moved him up just one spot in the OWGR and he is not exempt to play at the Memorial.
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Translation: If he does well this week in Texas, the rankings should theoretically fall his way but it’s not guaranteed. A missed cut could force him into a difficult spot as the calendar flips over but he’s already kind of there: Play well in Texas or Canada or in the Final Qualifying or become this year’s highest-ranked player not in the U.S. Open field.
U.S. Open – Final Round
U.S. Open 2026: Site-by-site results from final qualifying for Shinnecock
The USGA is contesting 13 final qualifying sites to help determine the field for the U.S. Open at Shinnecock.
Højgaard is the only player from the 2025 Ryder Cup (see: either team) that’s not currently exempt to play in Shinnecock.
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He began the season inside the top 40 in the OWGR but has struggled to stay consistent with just a sole top 20 finish at the Cognizant Classic this season.
The Masters – Round Two
2026 U.S. Open early odds: DeChambeau serious threat to win third title in seven years
Bryson DeChambeau is a betting favorite over fellow LIV Golf star Jon Rahm and a half dozen other past U.S. Open winners entering Shinnecock next month.
And then there are Tour mainstays Finau and Homa.
Finau failed to qualify for the 2026 Masters, snapping a streak of seven straight appearances at Augusta. He’s at risk of losing that same number of consecutive U.S. Opens played. And what’s worst? He was in the final grouping in 2018 when Shinnecock last hosted the tournament.
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Finau bogeyed three of his first four holes and finished in a tie for fifth, one of just five top-five major finishes in his career.
Homa is also in a precarious situation after being knocked out of U.S. Open contention during a playoff during Final Qualifying last year.
The six-time Tour winner must find a way into the winner’s circle over the next three tournaments.
He’s flashed moments this year, including a T-9 finish at Augusta, but given his current ranking there’s no viable path to Shinnecock beside an outright win or testing his hand at Final Qualifying again.
THE PLAYERS Championship 2026 – Round Three
Charles Schwab Challenge 2026: Tee times, groupings and how to watch Round 1
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Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, and the tartan jacket await a field of 132 players. Here’s when the Charles Schwab Challenge tees off Thursday.
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