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Matt Fitzpatrick is a former US Open winner who has his mojo back
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Tommy Fleetwood was runner-up at Shinnecock the last time it hosted
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Dustin Johnson was third here in 2018 and his huge odds could tumble
Tournament: The 2026 US Open
When: June 18-21
Where: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, New York
How to watch: All four days live on Sky Sports
Shinnecock Hills in New York will be familiar to plenty of the 2026 field as it hosted the 2018 edition of this event won by Brooks Koepka.
It was also the scene of Retief Goosen's 2004 victory when scoring ballooned on the final day. Helped by one-putting the final 11 greens, the ice-cool South African shot a 1-over 71 to win by two from Phil Mickelson.
Corey Pavin (1995) and Ray Floyd (1986) also hoisted the US Open trophy there.
Reading back from 2018, the winning scores were +1, -4, Evens, -1.
Only three players ended under par across those four tournaments so Shinnecock's reputation as an ultra-tough US Open test is deserved.
The par 70, designed by William Flynn and revamped by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, is a links-style track on Long Island and very exposed to the wind.
On the official website, its yardage for 2026 is listed as 7,434 yards.
Here's the top five and their stats from 2018:
+1 Brooks Koepka (DD: 2, DA: 55, GIR: 4, Scr: 24, PA 5, AA: 3)
+2 Tommy Fleetwood (DD: 13, DA: 1, GIR: 2, Scr: 14, PA 9, AA: 1)
+3 Dustin Johnson (DD: 5, DA: 16, GIR: 2, Scr: 6, PA 37, AA: 2)
+4 Patrick Reed (DD: 47, DA: 44, GIR: 6, Scr: 57, PA 7, AA: 29)
+5 Tony Finau (DD: 9, DA: 51, GIR: 12, Scr: 54, PA 2, AA: 13)
Notes: Distance seemed more important than accuracy, the best iron players that week rose to the top and putting was also key. The US Open tests every facet and the top three for All-Around all finished on the podium.
A one-week snapshot of stats has the potential to be misleading so it's helpful to note the year-long AA stats of those top five. Fleetwood was 1st, DJ 2nd, Koepka 7th, Finau 13th and Reed 41st.
Greens in regulation was again a standout stat in 2004. Of the top 12 on the leaderboard, eight finished in the top 10 for GIR. The top five ranked 1st, 3rd, 4th, 8th and 9th for AA.
The Betfair Sportsbook is currently offering six each-way places (1/5 odds) and the top of the betting (December 17th) looks like this.
4/15.00 Scottie Scheffler, 15/28.50 Rory McIlroy, 9/110.00 Bryson DeChambeau, 12/113.00 Jon Rahm, 18/119.00 Xander Schauffele, 20/121.00 Ludvig Aberg, 28/129.00 Colin Morikawa, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, 33/134.00 Justin Thomas, Tyrrell Hatton, 40/141.00 Brooks Koepka, Cameron Young, Hideki Matsuyama, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry.
Bet 1: Back Matt Fitzpatrick @ 100/1101.00
Without doubt, the value bet at this stage has to be Matt Fitzpatrick.
The Englishman boasts event, course and current form so getting three figures looks hugely appealing.
Fitzpatrick won the 2022 US Open at Brookline, holding off Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris by a shot.
And despite moving around, the US Open seems to like a two-time winner. Ernie Els, Lee Janzen, Payne Stewart, Retief Goosen, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau all followed up their first win with another. Tiger won the event three times in that period.
It suggests some players are built for the grind and Fitzpatrick also finished 12th in both 2018 and 2019 before adding 17th in 2023.
The Low Amateur on his tournament debut in 2013, he's made 10 of his 11 cuts in the event which is no mean feat.
The 12th in 2018 came here at Shinnecock where he ranked 5th for GIR. He did most things very well but the putter wasn't hot enough.
Fitzpatrick had a poor start to 2025 but then came on really strong at the finish.
An eighth in the PGA Championship hinted at a turnaround and he backed that up with his first top five finish in the Open Championship with fourth at Royal Portrush.
After a trio of top sixes in the British Masters, European Masters and BMW PGA Championship, his year got even better.
First, he shook off a poor previous record in the Ryder Cup by banking 2.5pts from four matches in Europe's win at Bethpage (just 60 miles east of Shinnecock).
And he followed that by outlasting Rory McIlroy to win the prestigious season-ending DP World Tour Championship, ranking 1st for All-Around in Dubai.
That run of excellent play has seen Fitzpatrick rise to 10th in the Datagolf World Rankings.
And yet here he is way down the betting at 100/1101.00 (1/5 Odds, 6 Places).
Back Matt Fitzpatrick each-way (1/5 Odds, 6 Places)
Bet 2: Back Tommy Fleetwood @ 28/129.00
Scottie Scheffler is the clear No.1 in the Datagolf World Rankings.
But who is No.2? Rory McIlroy? Jon Rahm? Xander Schauffele? Bryson DeChambeau?
The answer is none of the above because that second slot belongs to Tommy Fleetwood after his late-season transformation from nearly man to winner.
Fleetwood rounded off the PGA Tour season by winning the big-money Tour Championship, his long-awaited first victory on American soil.
And in his final three DP World Tour events, the Englishman went 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the India Championship, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship.
Plus there was the little matter of him finishing as top scorer in Europe's Ryder Cup triumph at nearby Bethpage.
Fleetwood must love New York given that his best ever finish in a major came there.
And, of course, that was at Shinnecock when he shot a scintillating final-round 63 (at the time, matching the lowest score in majors history) to finish runner-up.
He said later: "I've really enjoyed the challenge. I've loved playing here. I loved preparing for it. After playing Chambers Bay and Erin Hills, everybody told me that I haven't played a traditional US Open course yet, so I'm glad I've done that now."
If Fleetwood keeps on the same trajectory and perhaps adds another PGA Tour win, his current US Open odds will surely contract - especially when the reminders of his second place at Shinnecock start to do the rounds.
Fleetwood has three top fives in the US Open and by that metric it's his best major.
Back Tommy Fleetwood each-way (1/5 Odds, 6 Places)
Bet 3: Back Dustin Johnson @ 125/1126.00
Is Dustin Johnson done? Is he just cruising around on LIV, adding a few more millions to buy speedboats?
Quite possibly, but one of the appeals of an ante-post punt is getting huge odds now and seeing them crash.
DJ recently claimed that he has his eyes on making the 2027 US Ryder Cup team.
That could be pie in the sky but at least it shows ambition. As perhaps does the news that he's entered to play in the DP World Tour's season-opening Dubai Desert Classic for the first time next month.
Speaking in October about his game, Johnson said: "I finally feel like I have my game coming back into form. I've got a lot more confidence in it and I am starting to swing it well again.
"I went through about a year where I just wasn't swinging at it very well. But I feel I am now starting to hit a lot of nice shots and feel a lot more consistent."
Can he back it up with anything?
Well, on LIV last year he had a third in Indianapolis in August, a fifth in Singapore in March and three other top 10s.
If that doesn't sound much, a 23rd in the Open Championship (69-67-69 over the final 54 holes) showed signs of promise that he could contend again in an elite field.
Building a case for Johnson also requires a look at his record in New York. It reads: 1-40-29-3-8-18-1-3-2-6-55.
The third came at Shinnecock in the 2018 US Open and he followed that with second in the 2019 US PGA at Bethpage and sixth in the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot.
The US Open has been his best major (a win and seven top 10s) so, if he does start to flash some good signs in 2026, holding a ticket at 125/1126.00 will start to generate a little excitement.
We shall see, but it's worth a little risk now.
Back Dustin Johnson each-way (1/5 Odds, 6 Places)