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The 2026 U.S. Open has arrived, which means it's time to enjoy one of the year's best four-day stretches for watching golf on television.
The ruthless Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, is the site of this year's championship, where all the world's best players will compete with the hopes of taking home a $4.5 million check and etching their name in the history books as a major champion. This year's field is loaded with intriguing storylines, and the USGA has blessed us with some must-see groupings for the first two rounds of the tournament.
To help guide your viewing endeavors, I've ranked the 10 best groups to watch on Thursday and Friday of the 126th U.S. Open. Check it out, take notes and then kick back and enjoy the action.
HOW TO WATCH: U.S. Open 2026 TV, streaming guide
It'll be a European Ryder Cup reunion on Long Island for these gentlemen, and it's the group with the highest average world ranking. Rory McIlroy is seeking his seventh major title and his first victory at the U.S. Open since 2011, which was the first major he ever won. His good friend Tommy Fleetwood is still chasing his big breakthrough at a major, and he's never been closer than he was at Shinnecock eight years ago, when he fired a final-round 63 to finish solo second at the 2018 U.S. Open. And then there's Ludvig Aberg, who has already proven he has the goods to be one of the biggest names in the sport for years to come, but a maiden major win this week would push the young Swede into superstardom. This group is truly elite.
Anytime there's a player chasing the career Grand Slam, it's must-watch television. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler gets his first crack at the rare feat this week and enters as the betting favorite despite being winless in the last six months. Meanwhile, one has to imagine J.J. Spaun is feeling good vibes as he returns to the tournament that made his name known to the sports world. He sank a 65-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont a year ago and will look to become just the fourth player to ever go back-to-back at golf's toughest test. And as is tradition, the defending champ will play alongside the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, and this year, that's 18-year-old Mason Howell. The Georgia Bulldog commit was the third-youngest U.S. Amateur winner ever and he'll look to parlay that into low amateur honors at Shinnecock this week.
Three former U.S. Open champs make up a fun group here. After a somewhat disappointing performance at the Masters, Jon Rahm bounced back with a tie for second at the PGA Championship last month and has to be feeling confident entering Shinnecock this week. And there you'd be hard-pressed to find a pair of players more hungry for another taste of major victory than Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, the latter of whom has had loads of close calls in recent years, including two straight top-3 finishes at the Masters and a T-10 at the PGA last month.
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the more fascinating subjects in golf right now. With the future of LIV Golf uncertain, there's been rampant social media speculation as to what he might do next. A return to the PGA Tour? A new career as a full-time YouTuber? Who knows? One thing is for certain: he'd like to make the cut this week after two lackluster major performances this season. But he's conquered golf's toughest test twice before, so don't be surprised if he suddenly pulls it together at Shinnecock. He'll play with the PGA Tour's hottest player in Matt Fitzpatrick, who has three wins already this year and will look to add a second U.S. Open title to his trophy case. And if that wasn't intriguing enough for you, throw in Viktor Hovland, who is always liable to provide golf fans with a rollercoaster ride.
Brooks Koepka was the last pro to hoist a trophy at Shinnecock when he won the second of back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 2018. He still hasn't found his stride since returning to the PGA Tour, but he's shown brief flashes of the dominant player he once was. Speaking of dominant players, reigning Players Champion Cameron Young is enjoying the best season of his career and enters this week on the short list of favorites to win in his home state of New York, while long bomber Chris Gotterup — who, like Young, already has two wins in 2026 — is another popular pick to break into the major winner's circle.
Another group here made up entirely of major champions. Xander Schauffele could get one step closer to the career Grand Slam with a victory this week, having already won the PGA Championship and the British Open. Two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas is enjoying a solid season thus far and contended last month at Aronimink, but he'll look to end his drought of three straight missed cuts at the U.S. Open this week, while 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama tries to right the ship on what has been a somewhat disappointing season thus far. What better place to do that than golf's toughest test?
Here's a trio of PGA Champions looking to capture a U.S. Open title. Aaron Rai unexpectedly emerged victorious at Aronimink last month and will try to become the first player to win two majors in a row since Spieth did it in 2015. Collin Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Champion, has been battling a back injury this year but is still having a stellar season, with a win at Pebble Beach and T-7 finish at the Masters. And it's been over a decade since Jason Day tasted victory at a major. The 2015 PGA Champ hasn't won since the 2023 Byron Nelson, but he'll look to change that this week at Shinnecock, where, per usual, he'll be wearing some wild outfits courtesy of Malbon.
If you follow golf even the least bit closely, you probably know who Miles Russell is. He has put together arguably the best junior golf career of all time. He beat Tiger Woods' mark as the youngest AJGA Player of the Year ever when he was 15 years old and he has numerous notable victories on junior circuits. Not only did he make it through U.S. Open final qualifying, but at 17, he's already made five starts on the PGA Tour with a scoring average barely above 71. We should always use the word "prodigy" cautiously, but it feels appropriate when talking about Russell. If you haven't seen him play, I suggest tuning in. He'll tee it up at Shinnecock alongside a pair of major champions in Irish legend Padraig Harrington and Australia's Cameron Smith, who contended at the PGA Championship last month.
Nobody would be surprised if anyone in this group, or perhaps even all three of them, were in the mix come Sunday. Tyrrell Hatton and Sam Burns both contended at the Masters, finishing T-3 and T-7, respectively. Si Woo Kim, meanwhile, is quietly putting together the best season of his career, having made the cut in all 16 of his PGA Tour starts with eight top 10s. All three of these players are accomplished pros who still have yet to break through at a major championship. Could this be the week?
Rounding out the list is another ********* of former U.S. Open champs. Wyndham Clark might just be the hottest player on the planet right now. He won the Byron Nelson with a final-round 60, then placed solo third at the Memorial and followed it up with a T-11 finish at the RBC Canadian Open last week. Gary Woodland, meanwhile, is completed one of the best comeback stories in recent memory when he rejoined the winner's circle at the Texas Children's Houston Open less than three years removed from brain surgery. And while Dustin Johnson isn't the DJ of old, he has seven career top-10s at the U.S. Open, including his win at Oakmont in 2016.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: US Open 2026: Ranking the 10 best groups to watch on Thursday, Friday
Continue reading...
The ruthless Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, is the site of this year's championship, where all the world's best players will compete with the hopes of taking home a $4.5 million check and etching their name in the history books as a major champion. This year's field is loaded with intriguing storylines, and the USGA has blessed us with some must-see groupings for the first two rounds of the tournament.
To help guide your viewing endeavors, I've ranked the 10 best groups to watch on Thursday and Friday of the 126th U.S. Open. Check it out, take notes and then kick back and enjoy the action.
HOW TO WATCH: U.S. Open 2026 TV, streaming guide
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1. Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg
- First round: 7:52 a.m. ET
- Second round: 1:47 p.m. ET
It'll be a European Ryder Cup reunion on Long Island for these gentlemen, and it's the group with the highest average world ranking. Rory McIlroy is seeking his seventh major title and his first victory at the U.S. Open since 2011, which was the first major he ever won. His good friend Tommy Fleetwood is still chasing his big breakthrough at a major, and he's never been closer than he was at Shinnecock eight years ago, when he fired a final-round 63 to finish solo second at the 2018 U.S. Open. And then there's Ludvig Aberg, who has already proven he has the goods to be one of the biggest names in the sport for years to come, but a maiden major win this week would push the young Swede into superstardom. This group is truly elite.
2. Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Mason Howell
- First round: 8:14 a.m. ET
- Second round: 2:09 p.m. ET
Anytime there's a player chasing the career Grand Slam, it's must-watch television. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler gets his first crack at the rare feat this week and enters as the betting favorite despite being winless in the last six months. Meanwhile, one has to imagine J.J. Spaun is feeling good vibes as he returns to the tournament that made his name known to the sports world. He sank a 65-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont a year ago and will look to become just the fourth player to ever go back-to-back at golf's toughest test. And as is tradition, the defending champ will play alongside the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, and this year, that's 18-year-old Mason Howell. The Georgia Bulldog commit was the third-youngest U.S. Amateur winner ever and he'll look to parlay that into low amateur honors at Shinnecock this week.
3. Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose
- First round: 2:09 p.m. ET
- Second round: 8:14 a.m. ET
Three former U.S. Open champs make up a fun group here. After a somewhat disappointing performance at the Masters, Jon Rahm bounced back with a tie for second at the PGA Championship last month and has to be feeling confident entering Shinnecock this week. And there you'd be hard-pressed to find a pair of players more hungry for another taste of major victory than Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, the latter of whom has had loads of close calls in recent years, including two straight top-3 finishes at the Masters and a T-10 at the PGA last month.
4. Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland
- First round: 1:25 p.m. ET
- Second round: 7:30 a.m. ET
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the more fascinating subjects in golf right now. With the future of LIV Golf uncertain, there's been rampant social media speculation as to what he might do next. A return to the PGA Tour? A new career as a full-time YouTuber? Who knows? One thing is for certain: he'd like to make the cut this week after two lackluster major performances this season. But he's conquered golf's toughest test twice before, so don't be surprised if he suddenly pulls it together at Shinnecock. He'll play with the PGA Tour's hottest player in Matt Fitzpatrick, who has three wins already this year and will look to add a second U.S. Open title to his trophy case. And if that wasn't intriguing enough for you, throw in Viktor Hovland, who is always liable to provide golf fans with a rollercoaster ride.
5. Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup
- First round: 7:30 a.m. ET
- Second round: 1:25 p.m. ET
Brooks Koepka was the last pro to hoist a trophy at Shinnecock when he won the second of back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 2018. He still hasn't found his stride since returning to the PGA Tour, but he's shown brief flashes of the dominant player he once was. Speaking of dominant players, reigning Players Champion Cameron Young is enjoying the best season of his career and enters this week on the short list of favorites to win in his home state of New York, while long bomber Chris Gotterup — who, like Young, already has two wins in 2026 — is another popular pick to break into the major winner's circle.
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6. Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama
- First round: 1:47 p.m. ET
- Second round: 7:52 a.m. ET
Another group here made up entirely of major champions. Xander Schauffele could get one step closer to the career Grand Slam with a victory this week, having already won the PGA Championship and the British Open. Two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas is enjoying a solid season thus far and contended last month at Aronimink, but he'll look to end his drought of three straight missed cuts at the U.S. Open this week, while 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama tries to right the ship on what has been a somewhat disappointing season thus far. What better place to do that than golf's toughest test?
7. Collin Morikawa, Aaron Rai, Jason Day
- First round: 1:14 p.m. ET
- Second round: 7:19 a.m. ET
Here's a trio of PGA Champions looking to capture a U.S. Open title. Aaron Rai unexpectedly emerged victorious at Aronimink last month and will try to become the first player to win two majors in a row since Spieth did it in 2015. Collin Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Champion, has been battling a back injury this year but is still having a stellar season, with a win at Pebble Beach and T-7 finish at the Masters. And it's been over a decade since Jason Day tasted victory at a major. The 2015 PGA Champ hasn't won since the 2023 Byron Nelson, but he'll look to change that this week at Shinnecock, where, per usual, he'll be wearing some wild outfits courtesy of Malbon.
8. Miles Russell, Cameron Smith, Padraig Harrington
- First round: 7:19 a.m. ET
- Second round: 1:14 p.m. ET
If you follow golf even the least bit closely, you probably know who Miles Russell is. He has put together arguably the best junior golf career of all time. He beat Tiger Woods' mark as the youngest AJGA Player of the Year ever when he was 15 years old and he has numerous notable victories on junior circuits. Not only did he make it through U.S. Open final qualifying, but at 17, he's already made five starts on the PGA Tour with a scoring average barely above 71. We should always use the word "prodigy" cautiously, but it feels appropriate when talking about Russell. If you haven't seen him play, I suggest tuning in. He'll tee it up at Shinnecock alongside a pair of major champions in Irish legend Padraig Harrington and Australia's Cameron Smith, who contended at the PGA Championship last month.
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9. Sam Burns, Tyrrell Hatton, Si Woo Kim
- First round: 7:41 a.m. ET
- Second round: 1:36 p.m. ET
Nobody would be surprised if anyone in this group, or perhaps even all three of them, were in the mix come Sunday. Tyrrell Hatton and Sam Burns both contended at the Masters, finishing T-3 and T-7, respectively. Si Woo Kim, meanwhile, is quietly putting together the best season of his career, having made the cut in all 16 of his PGA Tour starts with eight top 10s. All three of these players are accomplished pros who still have yet to break through at a major championship. Could this be the week?
10. Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland, Dustin Johnson
- First round: 1:36 p.m. ET
- Second round: 7:41 a.m. ET
Rounding out the list is another ********* of former U.S. Open champs. Wyndham Clark might just be the hottest player on the planet right now. He won the Byron Nelson with a final-round 60, then placed solo third at the Memorial and followed it up with a T-11 finish at the RBC Canadian Open last week. Gary Woodland, meanwhile, is completed one of the best comeback stories in recent memory when he rejoined the winner's circle at the Texas Children's Houston Open less than three years removed from brain surgery. And while Dustin Johnson isn't the DJ of old, he has seven career top-10s at the U.S. Open, including his win at Oakmont in 2016.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: US Open 2026: Ranking the 10 best groups to watch on Thursday, Friday
Continue reading...
