Bobby Jones was born on March 17, 1902, in Atlanta, Georgia, and became one of the greatest amateur golfers in history. As a teenager, he reached the third round of the U.S. Amateur at age 14, showing early promise. He went on to win 13 major championships, all as an amateur, a record that still stands. In 1930, Jones achieved the "Grand Slam" by winning the U.S. Open, British Open, U.S. Amateur, and British Amateur in the same year. He retired from competitive golf at age 28, at the height of his career. Jones later co-founded Augusta National Golf Club and helped create the Masters Tournament, which began in 1934.

The third major championship of the year is upon us, and as the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills for the first time since 2018, the USGA has gifted golf fans a plethora of marquee pairings for the first and second rounds.

A total of 156 players will tee it up this week, trying to conquer the brutal test that lies on Long Island. The last time the game's best took on Shinnecock, Brooks Koepka found the winner's circle at 1-over par. The 2018 U.S. Open was the first, and lone edition of the major, to crown a winner with an over-par score since the 2013 U.S. Open, when Justin Rose won at Merion at 1-over.

*denotes 10th tee start, (a) denotes amateur player

Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup: 7:30 a.m./1:25 p.m.* ET

You'll be hard-pressed to find another threesome on the tee sheet that puts on a better show off the tee than these three.

Koepka enters the week with huge question marks after withdrawing from last week's Canadian Open with an elbow/hand injury. Young, being both a New York native and a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, is among the favorites both in the hearts and the books of many golf fans this week. Gotterup is also a two-time winner on Tour this season and has the capabilities with both a driver and putter in his hand that could make him a very serious threat at Shinnecock.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER'S FIRST ATTEMPT AT THE CAREER GRAND SLAM TOPS US OPEN STORYLINES TO WATCH AT SHINNECOCK

Chris Gotterup of United States of America hits a tee shot at the second hole during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday 2026 on June 07, 2026 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Tommy Fleetwood: 7:52 a.m.*/1:47 p.m.

Not only is this a group many will circle as one that could feature the winner come Sunday, but it's also a comfortable one with all three being past teammates on the European Ryder Cup team.

Fleetwood nearly won the 2018 U.S. Open here after posting a final-round 63. McIlroy missed the cut at Shinnecock that year, but the career grand slam winner followed that up with six straight top-10 finishes in U.S. Opens plus a T-19 in last year's edition. As for Aberg, it's the same thing each week. The Swede's game should fit this difficult track, but contending or not will rely on what is going on between the ears.

Rory McIlroy hits his shot tee on the second hole during the 2024 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. (Adam Cairns-Imagn Images)

Mason Howell (a), Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun: 8:14 a.m./2:09 p.m.*

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, defending U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, and last year's U.S. Amateur winner Mason Howell. This one doesn't need too much explanation.

This week marks Scheffler's first attempt at completing the career grand slam. If he were to win on Sunday, he'd make history not only on Father's Day, but on his 30th birthday as well.

ONE OF THESE SEVEN GOLFERS WILL WIN THE 2026 US OPEN AT SHINNECOCK HILLS GOLF CLUB

Scottie Scheffler of Team United States reacts at the 14th tee prior to the 126th 2026 U.S. OPEN at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 15, 2026 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) ((Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images))

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick: 1:25 p.m.*/7:30 a.m.

DeChambeau may be a two-time U.S. Open champion, but he has missed the cut in the first two majors in 2026. Professional golf appears to have also morphed into a side hustle for DeChambeau this season.

Fitzpatrick has undoubtedly been a top-3 player on the planet in 2026 and has the advantage of knowing what it takes to win this event, having done so in 2022. Viktor Hovland has been a mystery man in 2026, but is in form after a solo third in Canada a week ago, the same spot he finished in the 2025 U.S. Open.

Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm: 2:09 p.m.*/8:14 a.m.

A past champion's pairing never hurt nobody. One would think Shinnecock would be too large a ballpark for a soon-to-be 46-year-old Justin Rose, but doubting him on the biggest stages hardly ever works out well.

Then you have two versions of a roller coaster in Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm. Spieth is a Tower of Terror that could literally snap at any second, but somehow recovers in the form of literal magic. Rahm is a more tame thrill ride who should be licking his chops at a venue like this, but could succumb to the conditions and never recover. He could also win by multiple shots.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Jon Rahm of Legion XIII celebrates after winning the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on April 19, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Mark Harris is a writer for OutKick.

Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox

Subscribed

You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!