U.S. Open field 2026: Ranking the top 25 golfers playing at Shinnecock Hills, from Scottie Scheffler to Patrick Cantlay

U.S. Open field 2026: Ranking the top 25 golfers playing at Shinnecock Hills, from Scottie Scheffler to Patrick Cantlay originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With the 2026 U.S. Open returning to Shinnecock Hills, the best golfers in the world will be tested to their fullest.

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Shinnecock is known for fierce winds, thick rough and fast greens, a combination that could lead to some high scores over the weekend. The combination of these conditions mean that even multi-major winners could struggle to to keep up with the field during the week.

Of course, Scottie Scheffler’s search for a career grand slam will highlight the week, but many of the big names are looking to get etch their name in history. The U.S. Open is known for being the most difficult of the four men’s majors, and that should especially be the case this week.

With that in mind, here’s a ranking of the top 25 players participating in the 2026 U.S. Open.

MORE:Complete list of U.S. Open winners by year

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Ranking the 2026 U.S. Open field

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1. Scottie Scheffler (OWGR: 1)

The No. 1 player in the world enters the U.S. Open with his first chance to join an exclusive club. Scheffler’s 2025 victories at the PGA Championship and British Open mean that this U.S. Open will be his first chance to secure a career grand slam.

Scheffler’s lone victory this year came at the first tournament of the year in January, but he has still been great with five top fives, including a runner-up at the Masters. However, Scheffler’s putting has been shaky, which has prevented him from continuing his dominance from last year. For him to make history on his 30th birthday, Scheffler will need to putt well.

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2. Rory McIlroy (2)

When McIlroy won the 2025 Masters, he followed that up with an uninspiring major season as he struggled to maintain that rhythm. This year, McIlroy seems more prepared for major season after his 2026 Masters victory, as he had a top 10 finish at the PGA Championship.

In 2018, the last time Shinnecock hosted the event, McIlroy had a rough U.S. Open tournament as he missed the cut at +10. McIlory’s determination to win more majors, though, could lead him to being a threat to take his first U.S. Open since 2011, which also marked his first ever major win. However, McIlroy’s driving accuracy is the big question this week.

3. Cameron Young (3)

In the past year, Young has quickly taken the mantle as the best player without a major, winning three tournaments since last July including The Players Championship in March. Young gave McIlroy a run for the Masters in April, and that experience should only help him compete for the U.S. Open.

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Young is a New York native who would provide a great story if he won his first major title in his home state. Like with most of the best players in the world, the key for Young will be keeping up the putting improvements he has made in his rise up the rankings.

4. Jon Rahm (8)

Rahm’s season has been strange with LIV Golf’s tumultuous last few months, but the two-time major champion is playing his best golf since he joined LIV. Rahm finished second at the PGA Championship last month and has two wins on the LIV tour before it lost its funding.

Rahm is as talented as any player in the world, but his lack of high-level experience since leaving the PGA Tour has hurt him in the past few years. If he can overcome that and keep his emotions in check, Rahm is capable of getting his second U.S. Open victory.

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5. Matt Fitzpatrick (4)

No player has been hotter this year than Fitzpatrick, who has two tournament wins and two more runner-up finishes. Fitzpatrick finished last year ranked No. 22 in the world, but has moved all the way up to fourth and is consistently playing some of the best golf of his career.

Fitzpatrick won the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline in a close tournament, so he doesn’t have the pressure of getting that first major title. That could help him in a tournament that is expected to feature difficult conditions at one of the toughest U.S. Open venues.

MORE: Ranking the 5 toughest golf courses in U.S. Open history

6. Xander Schauffele (12)

Schauffele’s results this year say he’s close to returning to his form from 2024, when he won the PGA Championship and British Open for his first two majors. Schauffele finished in the top 10 at each of the first two majors this season, and he has two top-five finishes including one at The Players in March.

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The challenges that come with playing Shinnecock means Schauffele’s experience in the biggest tournaments should help him navigate this event. A win would mean he is in line to go for the career grand slam at Augusta next Spring.

7. Russell Henley (5)

Henley is known for not driving the ball as far as his competitors, but he makes up for it with exceptional accuracya and a strong approach game. That lack of power could limit Henley’s success depending on the conditions, but he has produced a strong season thus far show he could finally get that first major.

Henley won the Charles Schwab Challenge last month and finished tied for third at the Masters, but he did miss the cut at the PGA Championship. Henley’s last two finishes at the U.S. Open were tied for seventh and tied for 10th, both of which represent his best two finishes at the major.

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8. Tommy Fleetwood (6)

Fleetwood is still in search for that first major, but he’s finished as the runner up at a major twice in his career, including once at Shinnecock. That came thanks to a final round 63, but his 78 on Saturday prevented him from outlasting Brooks Koepka at the top of the leaderboard.

Fleetwood’s chances will once again require him to play four consistent rounds, something that he hasn’t been able to do much in his major career. While Fleetwood has three top fives this year, he didn’t finish in the top 30 at either of the first two majors this season.

9. Ludvig Aberg (13)

Aberg’s talent says it’s only a matter of time before he wins a major, but the Swede has struggled to perform at the highest stage. Aberg was in contention at the PGA Championship and The Players this year, but underwhelming performances on the weekend kept him from picking up his biggest tournament win.

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During majors, Aberg either misses the cut or is in contention with very few results in between. Tough conditions at Shinnecock will test the golfers, but Aberg’s pure abilities should give him a chance to come out on top in a crowded leaderboard.

10. Collin Morikawa (10)

Morikawa began the year strong, getting a win at Pebble Beach and producing five-straight finishes in the top 10. However, a back injury has limited his production recently, failing to finish better than 29th at any of the last three tournaments.

Morikawa enters the U.S. Open with two majors two his name and as one of the most accurate drivers on the PGA Tour. For him to get his first U.S. Open title, Morikawa will need to find some magic in his putter, which has failed him at some of the biggest tournaments in his career.

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MORE: Highest scores to win the U.S. Open

11. J.J. Spaun (9)

The defending champion opened the season out of sorts, as he’s missed the cut six times since the beginning of the year, including at both majors. However, around those missed cuts beginning in April, Spaun has three top 10 finishes, including a victory at the Valero Texas Open.

The win at Oakmont last year proved that Spaun can win in difficult conditions, which once again could be necessary at Shinnecock. The last back-to-back U.S. Open champion was Brooks Koepka, who defended his title at this Shinnecock course in 2018.

12. Justin Rose (7)

At 45 years-old, Justin Rose has seemingly defied logic by playing high level golf, especially at the sport’s biggest stage. However, even though his lone major win came at this tournament in 2013, the U.S. Open has been his biggest kryptonite lately with three missed cuts in each of the last three tournaments.

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Rose did finish in the top 10 in the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and he even competed in the 2004 event at Shinnecock Hills as well. That level of experience could come in handy if the play is extremely tough this weekend.

13. Chris Gotterup (11)

Gotterup began the season with two wins in his first three tournament and primed for a big year. He’s followed that up with a consistent stretch, missing just one cut on the year, and he recently tied for 10th at the PGA Championship.

The key for Gotterup will be keeping the ball in the fairway enough to avoid Shinnecock’s thick rough. If he can do that, Gotterup’s putting has been strong enough where it’s not hard to believe he can come away with the championship.

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14. Bryson DeChambeau (32)

Two years ago, DeChambeau was on top of the golf world with a thrilling U.S. Open victory at Pinehurst. Since then, the star golfer has slowly fallen back, struggling to even contend at majors while playing the rest of his tournaments for LIV Golf.

DeChambeau has missed teh cut at three of his last four major appearances, and first two performances at the Masters and PGA Championship this year were extremely underwhelming. Another set of difficult conditions will especially test DeChambeau, but the two-time U.S. Open champion cant be counted out.

15. Harris English (22)

English is basically Mr. Consistency on the PGA Tour, making the cut in all but one tournament this year and making the top 30 in all but two of his starts. When it comes to majors, English has never missed a U.S. Open cut, and he has made 10-straight major cuts in the last 2.5 years.

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English does have a game that could play well, as he usually drives the ball accurately and putts the ball well. English should be able to hang around to the weekend, at which point he could find himself in play for his first major title.

16. Si Woo Kim (18)

Kim has not won on the PGA Tour since 2023, but his performance recently shows that he is close to returning to the winner’s circle. This year alone, Kim has six finishes in the top six, which includes two runner up finishes in that span.

Unfortunately, some of Kim’s worst performances have come at the biggest tournaments. Kim finished tied for 50th at The Players, 47th at the Masters and tied for 35th at the PGA Championship, and he’s only ever finished top 10 in a major once in his career. At some point, Kim’s talent is too good to keep underwhelming.

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17. Justin Thomas (16)

A two-time major champion, Thomas is looking a non-PGA Championship victory to really cement his place in the game. Thomas has missed the cut in each of the last three U.S. Opens, and outside of the PGA Championship, he hasn’t finished top 10 in any of the other three majors since the 2022 Masters.

Thomas began the year on the shelf with an injury, but he’s had a solid season since he returned. However, Thomas’ game doesn’t lend itself great to Shinnecock’s test, so he will have to dig deep to find himself at the top of the leaderboard.

18. Ben Griffin (15)

Griffin won three tournaments last year to put himself on the map, helping him make the American Ryder Cup team. He’s followed that up with a more uneven seasons, but he does have two third-place finishes in the last month of play.

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Griffin’s success around the greens will be huge for a surface as difficult at Shinnecock, but his driving accuracy needs to be better. This will be just his second U.S. Open, but he was tied for 10th last year at a similarly difficult Oakmont.

19. Hideki Matsuyama (24)

Matsuyama has made the cut at 20 of his last 21 major tournament appearances, which includes when he one his only major title at the 2021 Masters. While Matsuyama’s game can be a little all over the place, he has found consistency within that to remain a contender more often than not.

Matsuyama has not missed a cut this year, but he’s also really threatened to win one of those tournaments since January. For Matsuyama to grab his second major, he will need to find a way to avoid underwhelming days within the tournament.

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20. Sam Burns (30)

At one point, Burns wasn’t known for his major performances, but he’s quietly changed that in recent years. Burns has eight-straight made cuts at majors, and although he blew chances to win the 2025 U.S. Open and 2026 Masters, he still finished tied for seventh in each of those tournaments.

Burns can putt with the best on the PGA Tour, but his driving accuracy is what could prevent him from making that next step. His recent experience playing deep into majors should help him at this difficult test.

MORE: Who has won the most U.S. open majors?

(Getty Images)

21. Wyndham Clark (34)

The 2023 U.S. Open champion seemingly lost his way until a few weeks ago, when he one the CJ Cup Byron Nelson for his first victory since 2024. In the last three weeks, Clark has that victory along with a third-place finish and an 11th-place finish, putting him in the right shape entering the this major.

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Last year, Clark made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he damaged Oakmont’s locker rooms, so he should be on his best behavior at Shinnecock. A win would make Clark one of the more unlikely two-time U.S. Open victors in the tournament’s history.

22. Viktor Hovland (28)

Hovland finished third at the RBC Canadian Open last weekend, his best finish of the year and his best finish since the 2025 U.S. Open. That should give Hovland some momentum entering this tournament, especially since he’s been non-competitive at majors more often than not since 2024.

The question for Hovland is typically whether he can avoid those disaster holes, which could be tough at Shinnecock Hills. This doesn’t seem to be the course that will host Hovland’s first major win, but Hovland has surprised before.

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23. Robert MacIntyre (17)

MacIntyre’s last two months have been a struggle, failing to finish better than 42nd and missing both major cuts before getting a 15th-place finish in Canada on Sunday. The followed a stretch of much stronger golf, as he had three top-five finishes from January to the first week of April.

MacIntyre did have a backdoor second-place finish at Oakmont last year, which remains his best finish at any major appearance. The lefty has everything it takes to get back on track at majors and potentially earn his first major victory.

24. Tyrrell Hatton (21)

Before missing the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship, Hatton had a strong stretch of five-straight majors with two finishes within the top four. He was right there at Oakmont last year before letting the tournament slip away late in the rainy conditions.

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Hatton’s most recent tournament was a win at the LIV Golf Andalucía during the first week of June, marking his first win on the LIV Tour. The Englishman is very used to playing in high stakes tournaments at this point in his career.

25. Patrick Cantlay (36)

At this point in his career, Cantlay is one of the more successful players on the PGA Tour without a major to his name. Cantlay has eight career PGA Tour wins, none since 2022 though, and he hasn’t alwasy come close to a first major victory.

Cantlay’s best major finish was for third at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, but since then he hasn’t finished better than 12th. Since The Players this year, Cantlay has been on a solid roll, producing five top-17 finishes in his last six tournaments.

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MORE:Breaking down how to qualify for U.S. Open

U.S. Open Field 2026