2026 US Open Preview: Odds, Course Guide, and How to Watch with Sling
Golf’s third major will be played on a historic (and historically challenging) course. Here’s a preview and how to watch the 2026 U.S. Open with Sling.
The 2026 U.S. Open promises to be a historic event. The third golf major of the year, this year’s tournament takes place at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States and the only course to host the event in three different centuries. That fact alone makes this year’s tournament special, but when you consider that the course is one of the most difficult on the PGA circuit, this year’s winner will treasure their victory as a career highlight.
Here’s a preview of the 2026 U.S. Open and how to watch all of the action with Sling. To watch USA Network and, in designated markets, NBC with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Blue.
How to watch the 2026 U.S. Open with Sling
https://youtube.com/shorts/RxV-0yhz3c8?si=NATDw4xG7LNWdHwk
Scheduled for June 18-21, the U.S. Open will air on NBC, USA Network, and NBCSN. Although Sling does not carry NBCSN, you can watch USA Network with Sling Blue, and NBC with Sling Blue or Sling Essentials in the markets listed below:
US Open Streaming Schedule
All times Eastern
Thursday, June 18
6:30am - 5pm: USA Network
5pm - 8pm: Streaming on Peacock
Friday, June 19
6:30am - 1:30pm: Streaming on Peacock
1:30pm - 7:30pm: NBC
Saturday, June 14
10am - 12pm: USA Network
12pm - 8pm: NBC
Sunday, June 15
9am - 12pm: USA Network
12pm - 7pm: NBC
Course and Weather
https://youtu.be/wARdU-qDc2M?si=yItZNVj8etE0ohDd
There are a number of factors that make Shinnecock Hills Golf Club such a legendary venue. Beyond its storied history, the course – which this year will play as a Par 70 at roughly 7,440 yards – is known for challenging players in a few different ways:
- The Wind: Because the course sits on a high point on Long Island, it is highly exposed to the wind coming off the nearby Atlantic Ocean. A slight change in wind speed or direction can completely alter how the course plays, meaning golfers must constantly adapt.
- Wide Fairways and Thick Fescue: Unlike typical U.S. Open venues that feature narrow corridors, Shinnecock's fairways are actually quite generous, averaging nearly 50 yards wide. However, many of the fairways are angled rather than straight, requiring precise distances and lines. If a player misses the fairway, there is no graduated rough; the ball plunges directly into punishing, five-inch grass.
- Diabolical Greens: The relatively small bentgrass and poa annua greens are arguably the course's primary defense. They are extremely firm, fast, and feature severe contours with tight run-off areas that heavily penalize missed approach shots. Some of the greens have "crowned" or "turtleback" shapes that repel balls away from the hole and into collection areas.
- Bunkers and Blind Shots: The course forces players to navigate over 150 bunkers and several blind or semi-blind tee and approach shots, which can cause players to second-guess their targets and safely bail out into bad positions. Interestingly, there is only one water hazard on the entire course—a pond on the 6th hole.
- Elite Par 3s: Shinnecock features four par 3s that are considered by some to be the toughest set of championship par 3s in the world. They range from the massive 252-yard 2nd hole to the diabolical 157-yard 11th hole.
While there’s no way to mitigate the overall challenges of Shinnecock Hills, this year’s event should be a bit easier than the conditions that some players described as “borderline unplayable” in 2004 and 2018 (Phil Mickelson was so frustrated, he hit a moving golf ball on the 13th green in 2018). The wind, however, is not so easily controlled. Gusts could reach up to 30 mph on Thursday during Round 1, and a consistent west-to-southwest wind will blow up to 16 mph during the Final Round on Sunday.
Five players to watch
https://youtu.be/IsOs5rxF0cU?si=GvJjHItNEV-7fOFw
Scottie Scheffler
Talk about a birthday gift: If world No. 1 Scheffler can pull off the victory, he’ll join Rory McIlroy on the elite list of golfers to complete the career Grand Slam on the same day he turns 30. Scottie is so good that even his below-average performances put him in the mix on the final day. He’s currently the betting favorite to win the U.S. Open…and every event he plays.
Rory McIlroy
The major championship pressure has shifted after completing his career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters and successfully defending that title in 2026. He is now chasing history rather than validation, and if he can manage the rough without trying to overpower Shinnecock, he has the elite ability to pull away from the rest of the field.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka won the U.S. Open the last time it was held at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. However, he arrives with a mysterious hand injury that caused numbness in his fingers and forced him to withdraw from the tournament ahead of the U.S. Open, the RBC Canadian Open. If he is healthy, Koepka’s major pedigree makes him a massive threat, but if his hand is still limited, the demanding course will expose it quickly.
Matt Fitzpatrick
With three recent victories, Fitzpatrick has moved all the way up to a world No. 4 ranking, and he previously won the U.S. Open in 2022. Fitzpatrick is in fantastic form, and his immaculate ball striking and elite chipping suggest he should be able to navigate the wind and firm conditions expected this week.
J.J. Spaun
Although he’s the defending 2025 U.S. Open champion, going back-to-back at a venue like Shinnecock Hills comes with its own unique level of pressure. Despite opening as a longshot on the betting boards, Spaun is highly accurate off the tee and leads the PGA Tour in approach play over his previous 11 events, making him a very dangerous contender to repeat.
2026 U.S. Open Odds
As of the Monday before the tournament, here’s a look at the 10 players with the best odds, per DraftKings.
Scottie Scheffler: +465
Rory McIlroy: +970
Jon Rahm: +1050
Xander Schauffele: +1700
Cameron Young: +2050
Matt Fitzpatrick: +2150
Tommy Fleetwodd: +2400
Ludvig Aberg: +2600
Bryson DeChambeau: +2900
Brooks Koepka: +3400
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