2026 U.S. Open Preview: Storylines, the course, past disasters, and predictions

It's US Open week, and we're heading to Shinnecock Hills — one of the greatest tests in all of golf. Sean Melia and Paul Burke break down everything you need to know heading into the week: the history, the course, the storylines, and of course, the picks. They revisit the infamous 2004 Sunday meltdown, debate whether the USGA gets a fair shake from tour pros, and go deep on the biggest names in the field. Then it's time for the annual snake draft. They make three picks each, plus dark horses and trunk slammers. Happy Father's Day. Let's get into it. 0:00 Intro & Mass Am qualifier recap 2:00 What's the ideal US Open winning score? 5:30 The 2004 Shinnecock Sunday disaster 17:00 Do tour pros treat the USGA unfairly? 21:30 Scotty Scheffler & the career Grand Slam conversation 34:00 Has Rory checked out of everything but the Masters? 38:00 Xander Schauffele's puzzling US Open record 43:00 Adam Scott's incredible consecutive major streak 44:00 Who's trending — and who isn't 47:30 The picks (snake draft, three rounds) 1:02:00 Dark horses 1:06:30 Trunk slammers