SOUTHAMPTON, NY – Just an hour or so after he finished up a stellar opening round 64, Wyndham Clark turned around and posted a solid 69 to lead the 126^th U.S. Open at 7-under. Among the other early finishers among the leaders are a gaggle of former major winners, including Xender Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick at 3-under, Colin Morikawa and 2-under and Justin Thomas at 1-under. Meanwhile 2016 U.S. Open winner Dustin Johnson and back-to-back winner in 2017-18 Brooks Koepka bith shot themselves out of contention with disastrous rounds

“I'm tired,” Clark quipped after the round. “I Didn't get to bed until 10:30. Had to wake up at 4:00. So, not much sleep. I'm going to really be looking forward to a nap and watching USA hopefully win a game.” (They did, 2-0 over Australia to advance to the knockout phase after just two games…)

Post round Clark once again groused that he missed some short putts, but for the second day in a row, anyone else would gladly have taken his stat score before the round: 10 of 15 fairways, and 15 of 18 greens. The greens in reg stat is especially important, as is putting, and although Clark’s 32 putts Friday round looks mundane on paper, on the course he drained a stupefying 214 feet of putts...214 feet.

That is really annoying to the players behind you. Especially when you’re leading.

He made four putts of over 20 feet including a 35-foot exclamation point on 18 for birdie, his third of the day against a mere two bogeys.

“My goal was to try to get to 10 or 11. Unfortunately some missed putts, short one on 9, and didn't birdie 7, and unfortunate bogey on 6,” he said frustratedly. “I mean, I really felt like I could be in double digits, but you know, the great thing about that is I didn't feel like I had my best, and I still am leading as of right now. Hopefully I can bring my A-game on the weekend.”

Of all his pursuers, Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick seem most poised to put the most pressure on Clark as we go to press. Schauffefe, who bagged the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon and the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla fired a sizzling 66 to post 3-under for the tournament.

“I played great today. Pretty motivated after last night. Winds are laying down, and being in that easier wave and not taking advantage of it was a big bummer. Pretty pumped to come out and shoot something low,” Schauffele remarked briskly. It's just a lot of patience and good golf shots, for the most part. I feel like U.S. Opens, the championship itself just wears you out. It's a long way, and you really feel it after.”

Schauffele sizzled all day, carding five birdies, including three in four holes at 15, 16, and 18. That will sure boost his confidence coming down the stretch on the weekend. He was solid in every statistical category:  11 or 14 fairways, a spectacular 15 of 18 greens and a stingy 30 putts. But for the blemish at 16, his card would have been clean…and at Shinnecock, that’s a marvelous accomplishment. Nevertheless, Schauffele issued a war4ning to us all.

“Over-par will win this golf tournament again, sitting at whatever all these guys are under par now,” he predicted darkly. “I do believe this course can be that way. Really the cliche ‘You grind on every single shot,’ really matters when you think of it…and when someone tells you ‘Even-par is going to win,” you are, like, ‘Oh, well, that's kind of crazy, but it goes without saying.’ You try to focus as much as you can for the six hours you're out there, five and a half hours you're out there to really hit every shot, whether it's a driver, a 2-foot putt with full attention.”

It was a loss of focus and attention that bedeviled Dustin Johnson, who followed a sterling 66 with a ghastly 77, including a five hole stretch where DJ went 8-over including a snowman:  a horrible quadruple-bogey eight on the par-4 15^th. He actually went bunker-to-bunker-to-bunker greenside before blading one over the over the green like it was my old Aunt Sally playing and not a former U.S. Open winner.

Similarly Brooks Koepka has only hit 59% of his greens for the week and has foundered below the cut line, in the dim nether-reaches of the leaderboard for the week. Look for him to leave Southampton earlier than he - and Jenna – wanted with a trunk slam, a sour grunt, and a screech of tire.

Instead, the round of the day belonged to Collin Morikawa. The winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s scorched mighty Shinnecock to the tune of a 5-under 65, putting him at 2-under, five shots behind Clark.

“I chipped it a lot better than I did yesterday. I mean, I went through my round yesterday, and I had at least four, probably five, maybe six up-and-downs, pretty basic up-and-downs, that I just flubbed. Then that's the difference of kicking yourself out of a tournament, keeping yourself in it, he admitted, kicking himself mildly for a moment. Typical of Morikawa, he was honest and talkative. “Thankfully today, you know, got off to a good start, hit a couple of good iron shots, but at the same time, made the up-and-downs. Then that was kind of the big change, I think, for today.”

Right now, though, Clark is in the driver’s seat. Granted, four strokes is just one bad swing and one bad decision. But Clark is fierce and precise on the course. More importantly he won the Open before and that gives him a leg up on any player who hasn’t. That mental calm is crucial in the crucible of a U.S. Open back nine battle.

“I just think with the mental game there's ebbs and flows. If you think of it as climbing Everest, sometimes you go up, sometimes you have to go down to go back up,” he confided earnestly. “I think that's kind of what happens both on the golf course and off the golf course. Right now, I'm trending back up, which is nice.”

The post Wyndham Clark, 2023 Champion, Continues to Lead at Shinnecock Hills, 126th U.S. Open first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The US Open permanent first-tee starter is one of the most important club professionals in recent memory.

Bob Ford, who retired in 2016 as head club professional at Oakmont Country Club and has been the seasonal pro at iconic Seminole in Florida, was named the new first-tee starter by the U.S. Golf Association in 2017. The USGA made the announcement when Ford was awarded with the Bob Jones Award, the governing body's highest honor.

Ford, who also hosts a show on SiriusXM's PGA Tour Radio, was thrilled to take the job, which is his as long as he wants it.

"Very cool," Ford said Wednesday. "It's an incredible privilege and honor that I've been asked to do that. And as President (Diana) Murphy said last night, I can do it as long as I want to, and that's very cool. It will bring a little stability and continuity to the position."

His voice is quite distinctive, and he's been in the position now for 10 years, traversing venues across the United States for the national championship.

The post Bob Ford is the U.S. Open first-tee starter first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 US Open Thursday tee times and groupings for the first round have been released, with threesomes featuring the best golfers in the world competing at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

The 2026 US Open format features a field of 156 players competing in the third major of the year. For the first two rounds, the players will compete in threesomes off the 1st and 10th tees.

After the first two rounds, there will be a cut to the top 60 and ties for the final two rounds.

The 2026 US Open first round is set to start at 6:35 a.m. local time -- or 6:35 a.m. Eastern time -- with the first tee times of the day going off the 1st and 10th tees. Tee times run through 2:42 p.m. local time -- or 2:42 p.m. Eastern time -- with the final groups of the day.

However, a two-hour fog delay forced all tee times after the first three groups on both sides to be moved back by the length of the delay. This will almost certainly force Round 1 play into Friday, and that's before any potential additional weather delays due to expected high winds.

2026 US Open tee times: Round 2

2026 US Open Thursday: How to watch, TV times, streaming schedule

You can watch the 2026 US Open first round on TV starting at 6:30 a.m. Eastern on USA Network.

Viewers can watch the 2026 US Open live stream through US Open.com and the US Open apps starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

2026 US Open tee times for Round 1

All times local and Eastern

Click header to sort

The post 2026 US Open tee times and pairings: Thursday’s Round 1, updated after fog delay first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 US Open is the 25th event of the 2026 PGA Tour schedule, with Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, hosting the USGA-conducted major on the PGA Tour calendar.

The event starts with a field of 156 players playing for a $21.5 million purse that will determine the third men's major winner of the year.

The 2026 US Open field cut will be made after two rounds to the top 60 and ties for the closing two rounds on the weekend. Every player who makes the cut can complete the tournament.

The US Open TV schedule is packed with hours of coverage, with NBC and USA Network airing the championship Thursday through Sunday with live golf action from the Hamptons and Long Island.

USA Network airs coverage on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. USA Network coverage is from 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Thursday, with early weekend coverage from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Sunday.

On Friday, Peacock and NBCSN (available on Peacock and YouTube TV) will air early second round coverage from 6:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Peacock and NBCSN will also have exclusive coverage on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. Eastern.

NBC will air coverage on Firday, Saturday and Sunday, showing the event until the completion of each day's play, starting at 1:30 p.m Friday and 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This coverage is also available through Peacock.

The USGA is also offering Featured Groups coverage on usopen.com and in the US Open app from 8:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, with a start time to be determined on Saturday and Sunday.

2026 US Open viewing schedule, times, channels

All times are Eastern

• Thursday, June 18: US Open Featured Groups from 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. on US Open platforms, TV coverage from 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on USA Network and 5-8 p.m. on Peacock and NBCSN
• Friday, June 19: US Open Featured Groups from 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. on US Open platforms, TV coverage from 6:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Peacock and NBCSN and 1:30-7:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
• Saturday, June 20: US Open Featured Groups TBD on US Open platforms, TV coverage from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on USA Network, 12-8 p.m. on NBC
• Sunday, June 21: US Open Featured Groups TBD on US Open platforms, TV coverage from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. on USA Network, 12-7 p.m. on NBC

The post 2026 US Open PGA Tour TV and streaming schedule: How to watch on USA Network, NBC, Peacock first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic is the 16th event of the 2026 LPGA Tour schedule, with Blytheville Country Club in Belmont, Michigan, hosting the latest event of the year.

The event has a field of 144 players playing for a $3.25 million purse in a 54-hole event that will determine the latest LPGA Tour winner.

The field features Jeeno Thitikul, Minjee Lee, Aki Iwai, Hannah Green and more taking on the Michigan test, which has hosted since 2014.

The Meijer LPGA Classic TV schedule is packed with hours of coverage, with Golf Channel airing the championship Thurssday through Sunday with live golf action from Michigan.

Golf Channel airs coverage on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Coverage on Thursday, Friday and Saturday is live from 3-6 p.m. Eastern, with coverage also viewable on Golf Channel's website and the Golf Channel app.

On Sunday, CBS has coverage from 1-4 p.m. Eastern.

2026 Meijer LPGA Classic viewing schedule, times, channels

All times are Eastern

• Thursday, June 18: TV coverage from 3-6 p.m. on Golf Channel
• Friday, June 19: TV coverage from 3-6 p.m. on Golf Channel
• Saturday, June 20: TV coverage from 3-6 p.m. on Golf Channel
• Sunday, June 21: TV coverage from 1-4 p.m. on CBS

The post 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic LPGA TV and streaming schedule: How to watch on Golf Channel first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic format remains unchanged from last year's event, with the event being played at Blytheville Country Club in Belmont, Michigan.

The 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic field is 144 players. The field is made up of LPGA Tour players, including Hannah Green, Jeeno Thitikul and Brooke Henderson.

Meijer LPGA Classic format

The Meijer LPGA Classic format is a 72-hole event. The field is divided into morning and afternoon waves for the first two rounds, with players competing in threesomes each day. The same threesomes play together in each of the first two rounds, starting on the first and 10th tees. There's one round in the morning wave and one round in the afternoon wave.

A cut is made after 36 holes to the top 65 players and ties. The tourament runs from Thursday through Sunday.

For the third and fourth rounds, pairings and tee times are made based on each player's total score through two and three rounds, respectively. Players with the highest total score go first, then in descending order until the two players with the lowest total score in the final group.

The player with the lowest total score after 72 holes is the winner and earns the winner's share of the $3.25 million purse.

A playoff to settle any ties after 72 holes will be played under LPGA Tour rules. The Meijer LPGA Classic playoff format is a sudden-death format, with playoff holes being 18 played again and again by any qualifying players. The players compete hole-by-hole until a winner is determined by a player scoring the lowest among the remaining players.

The winning player will get a two-year LPGA Tour exemption and earn the 15 percent winner's share of the purse. The winner gets a two-year LPGA Tour exemption. The winner earns 500 Race to the CME Globe points.

The post 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic format, cut rules and LPGA Tour playoff format first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic purse is set for $3.25 million, with the winner's share coming in at $487,500 -- the standard 15 percent payout according to the LPGA Tour's prize money distribution chart.

The Meijer LPGA Classic field is headed by Jeeno Thitikul, Hannah Green, Minjee Lee and more.

This is the 15th event of the 2026 LPGA Tour schedule, with the LPGA having their second Michigan event. This is a 72-hole event wit a cut to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes. There are 144 players in the field.

The event is played this year at Blytheville Country Club in Belmont, Michigan.

What else is on the line: Race to the CME Globe points, WWGR points, exemptions

Beyond money, there are important points, perks and benefits on the line for the field -- in particular, the tournament winner.

The winner of this tournament earns 500 Race to the CME Globe points and Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking points.

The top 60 players in the standings at the end of The Annika in November got into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The winner of that tournament wins the Race to the CME Globe and a $4 million first-place prize.

Winning comes with other big benefits, including a two-year exemption on the LPGA Tour, as well berths into other big tournaments.

2026 Meijer LPGA Classic purse, winner's share, prize money payout

The post 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic purse, winner’s share, LPGA Tour prize money payout first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is home to the 2026 US Open and the classic William Flynn design is again home to a major national championship, making it one of the best-known golf courses in the United States and the world. It's home to one of the best golf tournaments on the planet.

The Long Island course is the home to the third of four PGA Tour major championships this year.

Not only is Shinnecock Hills Golf Club an incredible golf course, but it is also home to the USGA-run US Open in 2026.

Naturally, a big course hosting a major golf tournament leads fans to wonder where Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is located.

Where is Shinnecock Hills Golf Club located?

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is located in a town called Southampton, New York. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is located in the Hamptons of Long Island, out toward the end of Long Island on the south portion of when the island forks.

Neighboring towns to Southampton include Tuckahoe, Art Village and Shinnecock Hills.

Which airports are near Shinnecock Hills Golf Club?

Since the biggest city in close proximity to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is New York, particularly Long Island, the Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is frequently where golfers who are playing at the course will fly into before making the trek. It's an approximately 60-minute drive from the airport to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

What other famous golf courses are near Shinnecock Hills Golf Club?

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is an iconic golf course in the United States, but it has some incredible neighbors in the golf world. Some neighbors include Sebonac Golf Club and National Golf Links of America.

The post Where is Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and the 2026 US Open located? first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 US Open format remains unchanged this year, with the PGA Tour-sanctioned and USGA-conducted major championship event played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

The 2026 US Open field is 156 players.

The US Open field is made up of a variety of players, namely the players who qualified via 25 different exemption categories and those who got through USGA final qualifying.

US Open format

The US Open format is a 72-hole event. The 156 players -- pros and amateurs -- are split into threesomes for each of the first two days.

The field is divided into morning and afternoon waves for the first two rounds, with players competing in threesomes each day. The same threesomes play together in each of the first two rounds, with each group getting one time in the morning and one in the afternoon, as well as one starting on the first tee and one starting on the 10th tee.

A cut is made after 36 holes to the top 60 players and ties. All players who make the field and make the cut are eligible to finish the event. Amateurs, though not paid for their finish, are part of the cut count.

For the third and fourth rounds, the pairings and tee times are made based on each player's total score through two and three rounds, respectively. Players with the highest total score go first, then in descending order until the two players with the lowest total score in the final group.

The player with the lowest total score after 72 holes is the winner and will earn the 2026 US Open winner's share of the purse.

The winning player will get a five-season PGA Tour exemption. The winner is exempt into other tournaments as well, including the US Open for 10 years, as well as the other majors for five years. The winner earns 750 FedEx Cup points.

US Open playoff format

A playoff to settle any ties after 72 holes will be played under USGA rules. The US Open playoff format is a two-hole, aggregate-score playoff, with playoff holes being 17 and 18 played by any qualifying players. In the event of a tie after two holes, the tied players compete hole-by-hole until a winner is determined by a player scoring the lowest among the remaining players.

The post 2026 US Open format, cut rules and playoff format first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

SOUTHAMPTON, NY – Isn’t it great when something, anything lives up to the hype?

Happily, this week at the U.S. Open, no one will have to worry ancient and venerable Shinnecock Hills won’t stand up to the formidable talents of the world's greatest golfers, nor live up to the hype.

No, this will be a throwback to the glory days of the Open, when level-par 280 takes home the trophy, but the golf course wins the Open.

Shinnecock deserves to be enshrined in the metaphoric Pantheon of the America’s greatest golf courses, full stop. It’s golf architecture features quintessential Golden Age strategy. It’s drop dead gorgeous; it glimmers like an emerald in a sea of amber and hard by the edge of Peconic Bay, nestled cozily between National Golf Links of America and Sebonack. It’s one of the five founding clubs of the USGA. But it also belongs on the short list of the toughest major championship venues as well, along with Oakmont, Winged Foot, The Olympic Club and Carnoustie.

In the modern era, the winning scores at Shinnecock Hills have seen 4 under, 1 under, even par and 1 over. That’s right; brawny, brutish Brooks Koepka failed to break par the last time the storied course hosted the Open in 2018, and he still walked away as the champion with a winning score of 1-over 281. Only two Shinnecock Hills US Open champions have broken par: Retief Goosen (4 under) in 2004 and Raymond Floyd (1 under) in 1986.

Opened 1891 as a 12-hole golf course designed by Willie Dunn, who returned four years later to expand the layout to 18. Then in 1916, Charles Blair Macdonald, notorious rakehell, but a fine player and golf architect, with the help of Seth Raynor, updated that course. However, plans for a new road running through several of Macdonald’s holes south of the clubhouse were announced in 1927, and so Shinnecock Hills purchased 108 acres of land to the north and east. This led to a full redesign of the course by William Flynn, completed in 1931.

Architects Bill Coorse and Ben Crenshaw completed a full restoration-renovation in 2013. According to the USGA, “Flynn created a trio of routing triangles that expose a variety of wind directions. Today, Shinnecock’s setup remains true to Flynn’s original design from 1931.This will be the first U.S. Open played at Shinnecock without modifications to Flynn’s 1931 design.”

“I personally love this place because I grew up at Cherry Hills, and that's a William Flynn course. So is Shinnecock. There's little connections that way. Already before I came here, I was already excited to play it just because of that connection,” noted 2023 U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark, who is rounding into form well heading into the Open. He won The CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament just a few weeks ago after closing with a sizzling, final-round 60.

“Shinnecock is [also] known for being very windy, and it can be breezy,” added defending champion J.J. Spaun, who triumphed at Oakmont last year. “So, I’ve worked a lot on my technique on flighting my shots and understanding what it feels I've got to feel when I need to flight certain clubs, and what shape that takes to hit, like, a flighted draw.”

Spaun is talking about “hold” shots, those moments in a crosswind where you have to hit it into the teeth of the wind and let the howling current push it safely back to the fairway. Those triangles of routing that the USGA was talking about mean that golfers will face every different wind direction during the round, much like the final six holes at England’s Royal Lytham, where the zig-zag of the closing holes means the wind changes from shot to shot. And that happens just as often at Shinnecock, where the Long Island sound is often just as windy as the Irish Sea.

“Carry numbers are going to be the most critical figures then…. just really worked hard on how to get comfortable with a template as far as how to execute those shots,” Spaun concluded.

With wind being a factor, and the course both looking and playing like a U.K. links, the advantage clearly shifts to golfers who play well on links course and on Golden Age courses. That puts England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, winner of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Massachusetts firmly in the mix.

“I think you've obviously got to be in control of your ball flight, that's the biggest thing. When the wind is this strong in pretty much every direction, as well, with the holes that you're facing, you've got to be able to have a lot of shots in your armory. It allows for shot making.,” Fitzpatrick stated.

“When I think of U.S. Opens, that's what I think of. You think of these historic golf courses that have got such great memories of great championships and great past winners and whatnot. To me, that's what a U.S. Open is. You go to these historic golf courses, and they're set up a certain way. You grew up watching U.S. Opens. It was tough. It was tight off the tee. It was firm. It was really hot. I feel like Shinnecock summarizes that very well.”

Finally, you can’t write off a five-time major winner and a former champion at Shinnecock. Brooks Koepka has the brawn to power through the rough, has critical experience at Shinnecock, and is powering into competitive form at the right time. He has no head and no heart, so that means he has no nerves to get jangled in the crucible of the final holes. HE should play well this week.

The course sits directly between National Golf Links of America on one side – the first design of Charkes Blair Macdonald and indisputably the font from which all great American Golden Age design flows – and Sebonack, a modern masterpiece by Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus on the other.

Everyone loves Shinnecock and so will the millions of television viewers this week. Gorgeous, historic, dramatic, ancient, iconic, wondrous – it is impossible to overstate the importance and impact of Shinnecock Hills on American golf. And it’s only fitting that the National Open return to where the second Open ever contested was held. If only those folks could see us now. What a wonder the game has become in those 125 years.

NEWS, NOTES, AND QUOTES

By the way, you notice how no one is picking Aaron Rai to win this week? That’s because of the “First Major Hangover,” you get after you win your first, and also because Shinnecock is far, FAR less forgiving than Aronimink. It’s also much prettier.

The post Shinnecock Hills is more than worth every superlative first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 US Open purse is set for at least $22.5 million, with the winner's share coming in at $4,500,000 -- the standard 20 percent payout according to the USGA's prize money distribution chart.

The 2026 US Open field is headed by Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Bryson DeChambeau and more of the world's best players.

The 156-player field competes in the latest event of the 2026 PGA Tour season, with the tournament representing the USGA-run national championship in the United States and the third men's major of the year.

A cut will be made after 36 holes to the top 60 players and ties. All players who finish four rounds of the tournament will earn money.

The PGA Tour's prize-money payout is typically based on exactly 65 players making the cut and finishing the tournament. However, in USGA events with a standard cut to the top 60 players and ties, the payout formula is adjusted to account for the exact number of players making the cut and will often include adding money to the stated purse to account for additional players. The winner earns 20 percent of the purse, which is a change that was instituted in 2024.

The event is played this year at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

This is the 25th PGA Tour event of the 2026 PGA Tour schedule.

What else is on the line: FedEx Cup points, OWGR points, exemptions

Beyond money, there are important points, perks and benefits on the line for the field -- in particular, the tournament winner.

The winner of this event earns 750 FedEx Cup points, as will be the case for major events. The winner gets 100 Official World Golf Ranking points, with the points available based on field strength.

The champion will enjoy the benefits of winning PGA Tour event, including a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and an exemption into next five years of the Masters, PGA Championship and British Open Championship -- as well as a 10-year US open exemption.

2026 US Open purse, winner's share, prize money payout

The post 2026 US Open purse, winner’s share, prize money payout first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

Getting an invitation to the US Open is quite an accomplishment. It means you've done something special in men's golf, garnering an opportunity to play in the national championship in the United States.

While the US Open is a major tournament, the USGA determines who gets invited at their sole discretion, there are 25 different ways a golfer can earn an invitation to the US Open. (And then there's final qualifying, which determines approximately one-third of the field.)

The best way to earn a US Open invitation is to win the US Open. US Open tournament winners earn a 10-year exemption into the event -- which is the shortest exemption of the four men's majors. All three others offer what are effectively a lifetime exemption to the winner.

The next best way to earn a US Open invitation is to win one of the other three major championships. Winners of a major championship get invited to the other three majors for five years after winning, meaning a guaranteed 20 consecutive major starts after taking a major title. While not on the level of a major, The Players Championship is a huge tournament, and winners of the PGA Tour's crown jewel get a three-year exemption across the majors.

After those three ways, all the other paths to a US Open invitation come with one-time invites that have to be earned back the next year. The qualification criteria range from winning or getting to the final of a prestigious amateur event, to winning on the PGA Tour multiple times, to reaching the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking by certain cutoff dates.

Then, the US Open could always simply choose to invite who they would like, which they do from time to time.

If a player satisfies multiple criteria to earn a US Open invitation, they don't get multiple years' worth of invitations, just an invite under the criteria with the greatest weight and longest counting period.

The 25 different ways to qualify for a US Open invitation

1. Winners of the US Open Championship in the last 10 years
2. The top 10 players and ties from the 2025 US Open leaderboard
3. Winner of the 2025 US Senior Open Championship
4. Winner of the 2025 US Amateur Championship
5. Winners of the 2025 US Junior Amateur and US Mid-Amateur Championships, and the 2025 US Amateur runner-up (must be an amateur)
6. Winners of the Masters Tournament in the last five years
7. Winners of the PGA of America Championship in the last five years
8. Winners of The Open in the last five years
9. Winners of The Players Championship in the last three years
10. Winner of the DP World Tour's 2025 BMW PGA Championship
11. Those players who qualified and were eligible for the 2025 Tour Championship
12. Multiple winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the FedEx Cup, from the conclusion of the 2025 US Open to the initiation of the 2026 US Open
13. The top 5 players in the 2026 FedEx Cup standings as of May 18, 2026, who are not otherwise exempt
14. The points leader from the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season
15. The top two players from the final 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings, who are not otherwise exempt as of May 18, 2026
16. The top player on the 2026 Race to Dubai Rankings as of May 18, 2026, who is not otherwise exempt
17. Winner of the 2025 Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
18. Winner of the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal (must be an amateur)
19. Winner of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Golf Championship (must be an amateur)
20. Winner of the 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship (must be an amateur)
21. From the current Official World Golf Rankings, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of May 18, 2026
22. From the current Official World Golf Rankings, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of June 9, 2026
23. Winner of the 2025 Olympic men's gold medal
24. The top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 18, 2026
25. Special exemptions selected by the USGA, with requests submitted by May 12, 2026

The post Here are the 25 different ways to qualify for a US Open exemption (before final qualifying) first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The US Open 36-hole cut rule is one of the strictest in golf, limiting the weekend field to the top 60 players and ties -- a big difference from the PGA Tour 36-hole cut rule of the top 65 and ties.

So, in a field of 156 players at the US Open, more than half are going home after the second round. Do US Open players get paid if they miss the cut?

Actually, they do, if they're a professional golfer. At the US Open, the professionals who miss the 36-hole cut are also paid. In 2024, those professionals who missed the cut were paid $10,000. Amateurs are not paid, and it's paid out of the total purse. This means that although the stated purse may be $22.5 million in 2026, nearly $1 million of that prize money could go to paying professional golfers who missed the cut.

At all four majors, players who miss the cut get paid:

• At the Masters, the players who miss the 36-hole cut are paid. In 2026, every professional who missed the cut was paid $25,000.
• At the British Open Championship, the players who miss the 36-hole cut are also paid, but they're paid on a sliding scale. The first 10 professionals (and ties) to miss the cut earned $7,200, while the next 20 professional golfers and ties got $5,750 and the remaining professional golfers took home $4,850.
• At the PGA Championship, the players who miss the 36-hole cut (usually the PGA of America professionals all lumped in there) each earn $4,300.

Most weeks, when PGA Tour players miss the cut, they don't get paid. No PGA Tour event that's not a major pays out to players who miss the cut, though there are events where there's no cut.

The post Do US Open players get paid if they miss the cut? first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

At the end of the second round of the US Open, a cut is made to reduce the field for the final two rounds. The US Open cut rule is determined is a little bit different than the three other majors and from week-to-week on the PGA Tour.

The US Open cut line is that the top 60 players and ties make the cut. There is no 10-Shot Rule, which would also include any player within 10 shots of the lead.

The US Open cut rule is among the strictest in the majors. The PGA Championship cut rule is to the top 70 and ties, while the Masters cut rule is to the top 50 and ties, meaning more than half of most Masters fields makes the cut. The Open Championship cut rule is also to the top 70 and ties.

Week-to-week, the PGA Tour cut rule is to the top 65 players and ties after two rounds. The cut line is the same on the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, while LIV Golf doesn't have a cut in their tournaments.

The US Open cut rule doesn't account for a difference between professionals and amateurs. They're treated the same by the US Golf Association. While amateurs are not paid for their finish, they do count toward that top 60 and ties number for the final two rounds. In the event that less than 60 professionals make the cut, the prize money distribution changes on the bottom end of the scale to reflect having fewer pros cashing in than anticipated.

The post What is the US Open 36-hole cut rule, and how is the cut line determined? first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

SOUTHAMPTON, NY – Nowhere will Shinnecock Hills reveal its slavering jaws as a US Open venue more than at its formidable par 3s.

For mere mortal golfers, the par 3s can often be a welcome refuge from the course. Occasionally -- not often, but occasionally -- the shortest golf holes are the deadliest:  like the 12th at Augusta National, the 17th at Pebble Beach, or the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon. But at Shinnecock, the par 3s are waiting to sink your scorecard and tumble you down the leaderboard like the earth opened beneath you.

Shrouded in controversy, with success and failure balanced on a knife edge, these are the holes at Shinnecock that make golfers’ stomachs ache with consternation. “What appalling disaster may befall me?” they ask, knowing full well the gut-wrenching history of the past. The 2004 disaster where four-, five-, and even six-putts were recorded multiple times, before the seventh green had to be watered between groups playing the hole...on Championship Sunday no less.

That’s on Tom Meeks of the USGA. He was resident comedian...err...he set up the golf course that year.

But then they didn’t get it right again in 2018, and the 11th green saw hockey games break out like the Islanders and Rangers were playing instead of Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. Mickelson refused to speak to journalists for the rest of the week. Some journalists, in turn, wrote that eh should have been DQ’d for poor sportsmanship.

Irrespective of shenanigans with watering and rolling and press baiting, the holes are tough enough themselves without getting “tricked up” as writer Marino Parascenzo called the US Open set up. And not only are they difficult, they are strategic marvels featuring gorgeous contours and bunkering. Better still, not one of them uses water as a hazard, proving that Golden Age golf principles still shine through in the modern age. And without question they will knock more than a few golfers from the top of the leaderboard.

Hole 2, Plateau, 252 yards

The longest par 3 on the course depending on hole location, it can play anywhere from around 200 yards to over 250, forcing players to hit anything from a long iron to a fairway wood. The green may be deep, but plateau greens feature significant swales and sections. If you’re on the wrong sections, you’re lagging from 35-45 feet over a severely sloped and treacherously angled ascent or descent to the next level.

While most golfers will choose the aerial route, for some hole locations, the entrance to the putting surface is open, so one bounce and run is an option the restoration Hanse left for the players. Yes, we even may see some ground game! Especially since the wind swirls at this little corner of the course, and judging it is confusing. Thet hole may well play over par for the week. Have fun watching walks of shame as balls roll back to the players’ feet. But then again, watch also for excellent contour feeding to the hole from players who gauge the distance control and runout perfectly.

Hole 7, Redan, 190 yards

One of the most famous and infamous par 3s in American golf. The Redan is the most copied hole in the entire world, with the green angled diagonally from front right to back left and featuring a ginormous kickplate to feed the golf ball left and back. Players are required one way or the other to use the contours rather than firing at the flag. Allow the natural slope of the terrain to feed the ball to the hole.

But at true Redans, the putting surface slopes away from the tee, always bringing trouble behind the green into play, in the case of Shinnecock, a steep slope and ankle-deep fescue. Any miss long or right leaves delicate, awkward pitches played down the slope, while short is buried in the deep Redan bunker. Shorter than most Redans – they usually cover between 175-210 yards – the green contours hat Shinnecock’s seventh are so severe, the lack of distance does not lessen the holes defenses significantly.

Hole 11, Hill Head, 157 yards

Thought the shortest hole on the golf course, what 11 lacks in length it makes up for in a steep, ascent, a shallow green, and a dramatic left to right tilt. Called a “Short” hole in the golf architecture vernacular, the hole nonetheless contains some of the golf course’s most curvaceous green contours.

Depth perception is the biggest problem at 11, as the shot plays two or three clubs uphill under windless conditions. But with no depth perception, just the lonely flag fluttering against the blue sky, players will have to visualize the shot internally, and totally trust the swing with regard to both accuracy and distance control. Once again William Flynn, the original architect used optical illusions and deception as defenses, and nerve-wracking ones at that.

When the wind blows hard in this little corner, the golfers will certainly feel the same way they do at 12 at Augusta, where the winds tend to gust at random moments as well as swirl. A wrong club selection here can be the difference between birdie and double bogey.

Hole 17, Eden, 176 yards

The 17th hole, but also the 71st hole, and by then the pressure on a golfer is white hot. The US Open is within reach. Just three good swings from the tee and fairway and a couple of putts, and you could go home with the trophy! And besides the mighty 18th, only an “Eden” hole stands between you and victory, but Eden holes are notoriously tricky, and 71st holes at major championships are crucibles no matter how short or long.

Here at Shinnecock, the 17th green sits at an angle to the prevailing crosswind, so any shot off line will billow further off line. Hold shots into the crosswind are tricky to judge if you haven’t been hitting them all day. Trouble awaits in the form of both bunkers and sloped runoffs.

And for those of you wondering how mere mortals would do? A convention of state judges taking continuing education classes, all rank amateurs, played Shinnecock after the renovation - from the regulation tees, nowhere near the tips - and the scores were astronomical, especially at the par 3s.

“On the second hole, we gave this one guy his eighth putt, and he was still seven feet away,” laughed one competitor. “And on number seven, we gave him a seventy-foot putt for a 10!”

The post Tiny executioners, Shinnecock Hills’s par 3s may decide the winner of the US Open first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

On this episode, Ryan Ballengee and Brendan Sweeney look behind the scenes at The People's League golf event at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif., as the creator league competes in their latest event. Brendan talks to Alexa Melton, Malosi Togisala and Eric "Sherm" Schuermann as they compete.

For our readers, click here to watch the video.

Make sure to subscribe to Golf News Net on YouTube!

Watch The Road to French Lick, 2026

• Episode 1: https://youtu.be/9qZigq-QSVM
• Episode 2: https://youtu.be/v5mDFeQ1WU8
• Episode 3: https://youtu.be/7hPhHEsTxgE
• Episode 4: https://youtu.be/d9ZikJRJHOU

The post On the Road with The People’s League in Tahoe: The Road to French Lick, 2026, Ep. 5 first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

On this special US Open preview edition of the show, Ryan looks at Shinnecock Hills, talks about who should do well at the US Open and what to expect in terms of conditions and setup at the national championship. Rory McIlroy also openly questions the new-look PGA Tour schedule after the Canadian Open, wondering if the old way of doing things -- pre-LIV -- is the right way to go. Finally, kudos to Bud Cauley for his 1st PGA Tour win after a long path back.

Here's the full slide deck from the show, with all the data shared.

For our readers, click here to watch to the episode.

Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on:

• iTunes
• Spotify
• iHeartRadio
• Amazon Music
• Stitcher
• PlayerFM

The post 2 Off the 1st: Who will win the 2026 US Open, and Rory questions the new PGA Tour schedule first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

Welcome to The Break, my twice-weekly newsletter talking about the biggest stories in golf and sharing links out to the content and information that will keep you up to date. You can subscribe here.

The US Open is this week, and Shinnecock Hills is no doubt going to be an exacting test.

Sign me up for Shinny

The US Open is this week, and the best US Open venue (in my opinion) in Shinnecock Hills welcomes the world back to the Hamptons for the national championship for the first time since 2018. That was when Brooks Koepka went back-to-back, Zach Johnson said the USGA had lost the course, Tommy Fleetwood somehow had a putt for 62 and when Phil Mickelson hit a moving putt.

Shinnecock Hills is such a tough golf course. The sandy soil makes the place play firm and fast, with rolling land that makes bounces impossible to control at times. The wind will dry out the course, forcing the USGA to gameplan green speeds and watering regimens to take the property to the absolute edge of playability. The course may already be there on Tuesday, and the hoses are in full force to keep the water flowing on the putting surfaces.

The wind is going to blow in upwards of 30 mph on Thursday and at least 15 mph the rest of the way. The fairways are wider, sure, but the rough that awaits errant tee shots could break someone’s wrist.

Yeah, Oakmont is really, really tough. But Shinnecock just seems a step tougher. It’ll be great to have had the two toughest championship courses in the world in back-to-back Opens.

There are so many questions to answer. Can Rory’s high ball flight work in the wind? Can Scottie plot his way around a place without many good bailout spots? Can Bryson’s bomb-and-gouge style win him a third Open? Will Matt Fitzpatrick thrive in another difficul setup?

I’m so excited.

For more on Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour schedule critiques and concerns, scroll down!

2 Off the 1st: Who will win the 2026 US Open, and Rory questions the new PGA Tour schedule

On this special US Open preview edition of the show, Ryan looks at Shinnecock Hills, talks about who should do well at the US Open and what to expect in terms of conditions and setup at the national championship. Rory McIlroy also openly questions the new-look PGA Tour schedule after the Canadian Open, wondering if the old way of doing things -- pre-LIV -- is the right way to go. Finally, kudos to Bud Cauley for his 1st PGA Tour win after a long path back.

Rory: The PGA Tour was better pre-LIV

My son has been watching “The Office” all the way through — he just finished a week or two ago, now we’re on to “Arrested Development” — and Andy Bernard’s quote from the finale got me again. You know the one about wishing you knew when you were in the good old days instead of finding out long after they were gone?

I thought about that listening to Rory McIlroy today, as he described the difficulty of the RBC Canadian Open trying to fit into what might be the new-look PGA Tour schedule. The reality is that event isn’t going to become a Signature tournament or fit into the top-tier (of two) that CEO Brian Rolapp wants to create. RBC already spends a ton on the Heritage as a Signature event, and they’re not ponying up another ghastly sum to make the Canadian Open, a fabulous and important event, into another Siggy.

So what becomes of that event if it becomes a second-tier event? McIlroy called those events “glorified Korn Ferry events,” as Rolapp wants to prevent top-tier players from competing in those second-level tournaments. He would effectively ruin a national open because top players couldn’t compete, including Canadians like Nick Taylor and Corey Conners. That sounds like a terrible idea.

Frankly, the more thought that’s put into this idea, the more it seems, as McIlroy astutely noted on Tuesday, that the old, pre-LIV Golf way of running the PGA Tour was pretty good. If anything, the demise of LIV as we know it should encourage the PGA Tour to look at shortening the schedule, yes, but also flattening it. Instead of codifying and building a wall between the two tiers we already know exist, bring more tournaments and players into the fold by spreading out the money. If every event is $12 or $15 million instead of eight $20 million tournaments, more markets and players can benefit from the PGA Tour.

A second tier really is going to fail to work in the long haul. It’ll fail because the Korn Ferry Tour is where the up-and-comers play, and they play for $1 million purses today. Will they be needed to fill out Tier 2 events, or are those fields just going to feature players with marginal status that may be out of their depth? The fields will be weak, so the purses will be unsustainable at those rates, eventually falling to or below FedEx Cup Fall levels. Fans won’t be as drawn to these events, both on TV, with tournaments relegated to the dying medium of cable TV, and in person.

The argument is becoming clearer that the old schedule and format — tightened up to some degrees that are necessary — is the better choice. Back to the Future, I guess.

The Links

We have the US Open this week, of course, and there’s no shortage of Golf News Net articles, videos and podcasts covering the national championship. ALL of our US Open content is available here, and all of our US Open fantasy and betting tips and picks are here.

Here are some specific articles I think you’ll be interested in:

• US Open TV and streaming schedule
• US Open 1st and 2nd round tee times, pairings
• Weather forecast for US Open at Shinnecock Hills
• Shinnecock Hills course preview and scorecard
• Projected 2026 US Open purse and prize-money payout
• A history of US Open winning scores

Our buddy Josh Gaunt has a great profile on Chad Fribley, who just qualified for the US Senior Open out in Oregon, doing so in his first year of eligibility

Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages. I post lots of stories in graphical form over there, as well as great video from players talking at tournaments — it’s more than I can post on the website!

Also, you can get a free Golf News Net membership and see less ads on the site when you’re logged in! Head on over to the site and create your account, and you won’t see our floating video player, as well as another ad or two.

From the GNN Clubhouse

• Sweetens Cove Golf Club Announces Groundbreaking Of New Short Course And Expansion Plans
• The Record Rise of Female Golf
• Kawonu Golf Club Reveals Clubhouse Designs by Architect Joel Newman

If you’d like your news included here and futher shared with our audience, I invite you to check out and join GNN Clubhouse.

The post The Break: Who Will Win the US Open? first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 US Open Friday tee times and groupings for the 2nd round have been released, with threesomes featuring the best golfers in the world competing at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

The 2026 US Open format features a field of 156 players competing in the third major of the year. For the first two rounds, the players will compete in threesomes off the 1st and 10th tees.

After the first two rounds, there will be a cut to the top 60 and ties for the final two rounds.

The 2026 US Open 2nd round is set to start at 6:35 a.m. local time -- or 6:35 a.m. Eastern time -- with the first tee times of the day going off the 1st and 10th tees. Tee times run through 2:42 p.m. local time -- or 2:42 p.m. Eastern time -- with the final groups of the day.

2026 US Open tee times: Round 1

2026 US Open Friday: How to watch, TV times, streaming schedule

You can watch the 2026 US Open 2nd round on TV starting at 6:30 a.m. Eastern on Peacock and NBCSN, with TV coverage starting on NBC at 1:30 p.m.

Viewers can watch the 2026 US Open live stream through US Open.com and the US Open apps starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

2026 US Open tee times for Round 2

All times local and Eastern

Click header to sort

The post 2026 US Open tee times and pairings: Friday’s Round 2 first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

The 2026 US Open weather forecast looks to show some significant chance of windy conditions at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Thursday.

Thursday's first day of tournament action see partly cloudy conditions, though the temperatures will be in the mid-70s. There is a 50-50 chance of rain in the area, and that rain is likely to be part of a pattern of thunderstorms. However, the bigger problem is the wind, with gusts up to 30 mph and a steady wind out of the south that increases through the day. It's at least a two-club wind.

On Friday and Saturday, the forecast is good, with some cloud cover on Friday and mostly sunny conditions on Saturday. Temperatures remain in the same band, going to 75 on Friday and 80 on Saturday.

The Sunday weather forecast features some clouds, but, more importantly, the wind remains in the westerly direction at 12 miles per hour.

However, if the weather and timing of the week is thrown off such that the tournament would need to finish on Monday (and the USGA will do everything in their power to avoid that), the Monday weather forecast is poor, with a 70 percent chance of rain.

2026 US Open updated weather forecast

• Thursday, June 18: 76 degrees, overcast, 50 percent chance of storms, S 20-30 mph winds
• Friday, June 19: 75 degrees, partly sunny with clouds in the morning giving way to afternoon sun, WSW 14-20 mph winds
• Saturday, June 20: 80 degrees, mostly sunny, W 16-20 mph winds
• Sunday, June 21: 78 degrees, partly sunny, W 12-15 mph winds

The post 2026 US Open weather forecast shows windy conditions, potential rain at Shinnecock Hills first appeared on Golf News Net.

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.