SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Margins and “lines” were flying through my mind during my week at Shinnecock Hills. Where exactly is the “line” and how thin is that margin really? These two questions initially focused on the golf course itself. Will the United States Golf Association be able to effectively lead the line, unlike the past two U.S. Opens at Sinek Hills?
But then things changed.
The question shifts to Joaquin Niemann, if his tantrum and subsequent club throw on the par-4 sixth late Thursday night merited a two-stroke penalty. The issue shifted to the crowds and lack of lines outside the ropes on Saturday, and back to the same people and whether they crossed the ropes on Sunday. They prayed for Windham Clark’s death. (God did not answer).
Wave conditions changed in favor Thursday, and a two-hour delay caused by morning fog gave late hitters on the golf course a break from the wind. Clarke was one of those players, as was Sam Barnes. By the end of the week, just one stroke separated the two.
Let’s talk about margins.
2026 U.S. Open prize money, prize money: Windham-Clark payout breakdown, field from record $22.5 million pool
Robbie Calland
The topic continued to swirl like the wind and came to a poetic conclusion when I first met Andy North at the media center on Sunday. North is best known these days for his role as a golf analyst on ESPN, but he achieved that status thanks to two U.S. Open championships — the first coming in 1978 at Cherry Hills. This golf course was designed by William Flynn, where Clark grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.
Both of North’s wins were by one stroke. He won only one other tournament on the PGA Tour during his career.
It was a short conversation about a myriad of topics, but eventually settled on the weather. Classic chat. We both lamented the lack of wind in the weather forecast and what the golf course would be like. Then we went our separate ways.
I didn’t remember the discussion itself, but the interaction did.
Only six players can claim to have won more U.S. Opens than North. He includes Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Lee Trevino, and Clark. He has built a successful second career on these wins, both of which came in one stroke.
Taking it home was easy. Gains that may seem small in the moment add up over time, and while this week’s focus was on the 2026 U.S. Open at Sinek Hills, the same sentiment applies to other weeks of the year and to other people.
Let’s take a look at many other takeaways from a whirlwind week in New York.
perfectly set up
USGA President Kevin Hammer and Chief Championship Officer John Bodenhamer stood on the hill above the 18th green. When Clark climbed the final fairway, the putting surface was already surrounded, leaving two putts between him and his second trophy of the U.S. Open.
They asked each other one final question. “How do we get there?”
The USGA denied the golf ball rollback idea, but answered questions about the Shinnecock Hills setup perfectly. A slow start that misinterpreted the expected wind drew scorn from some fans who were hoping for a carnage, but the organization threaded the needle with precision.
Good golf shots were praised and bad shots were punished. A question was asked, and as with the par 4 10th, multiple answers turned out to be correct. If there was anything to criticize, it might have been the quality of the putting surface as it was compared to Chambers Bay before the championship started (!), but overall it felt like a home run.
moral victory
Among the leaderboards featuring Clark, Burns, and Scottie Scheffler are those featuring Tom Kim, Keith Mitchell, and JT Poston. All three players had not qualified for the U.S. Open until the time they played. Kim and Mitchell made it through the final qualifiers, Poston made it through the final qualifiers, and Poston, who was about to do the same, won the Memorial Tournament at the 11th hour and qualified.
There is only one winner in the history of major championships, but players remember what they can do in a week. It may be physical, emotional, or spiritual. That’s especially true for a player like Mitchell, who opened with a 41 on Thursday and finished with a 29, becoming the first player in championship history to shoot even par with rounds of 70-70-70-70.
“I wasn’t lacking at the start. I may not have won, but about two hours into the round I felt like I had accomplished a lot more than I expected,” Mitchell said. “You can always think about winning a tournament, but I think I won the week after I started.
“I would say I’ve always had confidence in my physical abilities, but over the last three days my confidence in my ability to perform has increased a little bit,” Mitchell continued. “Like I said, my best performance so far in the majors may actually be my best performance this year, and it’s in a place like this.
“I never necessarily thought I was…I don’t know if it’s enough, but I was able to accomplish something this big. For me right now, T4 is a victory in my mind.”
grand slam search
Schaeffler was unable to launch an assault He had that in mind Sunday, but in his first attempt at a career Grand Slam, he gave himself a chance with nine holes left. We’ve been analyzing all year why the No. 1 in the world hasn’t played like the No. 1 in the world for the past two seasons, and for the first time this season, Scheffler opened up about it.
“It was good to be back in the arena,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes this year I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I felt like I allowed too many shots early in the week. The position I’ve been in the past few years has been leading the final group, leading after 54 holes, leading after 36 holes.”
“I haven’t really had a 36-hole lead this year. I haven’t had a 54-hole lead either. This week will be another example of what you can attribute to the first round. I think I probably lost by four strokes or something like that. Windham came into the game late in the day on Thursday and shot six under in the morning to my two over, so that’s an eight stroke lead.”
“At the end of the day, I don’t know exactly what it is. The last few years I’ve been pretty good in the first round, but for some reason I just wasn’t as sharp early in the tournament. I just didn’t have the lead that I needed to win the tournament. I’ve been playing catch-up all year. I think that’s probably kind of the story, but that being said, this was another week where I felt like I was continuing to grow.”
