For the 126th time, the USGA will be crowning a national champion when the governing body holds the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, June 18-21. The famed course in Southampton, N.Y., is hosting the major championship for the sixth time, with today’s best looking to join James Foulis (1896), Raymond Floyd (1986), Corey Pavin (1995), Retief Goosen (2004) and Brooks Koepka (2018) as previous Shinnecock winners.
Among the early anticipated storylines will be following Scottie Scheffler, who wins at last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship mean has the chance to close out the career grand slam for the first time at this year’s U.S. Open. Sunday’s final round at Shinnecock also falls on Scheffler’s 30th birthday.
The USGA began accepting online entries on Feb. 18, with a deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 8 to apply. Any professional or amateur whose Handicap Index does not exceed 0.4 can file an entry. Local Qualifying will be conducted over 18 holes at 108 sites in U.S., and one each in Canada and Mexico, taking place from April 20-May 18. Those players who advance will join a group of locally exempt players in Final Qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 10 U.S. and three international sites. The final stage will be held in England and Texas on May 18 and Japan on May 25, with 10 more qualifying sites in the U.S. scheduled for Monday, June 8.
Since 2004, an average of 77.9 players in the U.S. Open field have advanced through one or both stages of qualifying. A year ago at Oakmont, 70 players earned their spot through qualifying, 15 of whom made the cut, including four finishing in the top 20 overall. The top qualifier was Carlos Ortiz, who finished in a tie for fourth and is exempt into this year’s championship.
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Generally considered to be the earliest links in America, heavily remodeled by C.B. Macdonald, then replaced (except for three holes) by William S. Flynn in the early 1930s, it’s so sublime that its architecture hasn’t really been altered for nearly 60 years. Stands of trees that once framed many holes have been removed, and in 2012, the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw did make a few changes, mostly greens and fairways expansions and new mowing patterns, though those were modified in preparation for the 2018 U.S. Open, won by Brooks Koepka. Shinnecock will again host the U.S. Open in 2026. View Course
Upon the opening of entries in 2026, 50 golfers were exempt through local and final qualifying into the 156-player field that will play at Shinnecock Hills (they each must formally apply to compete). The USGA has 25 exempt categories in which golfers can continue to earn their way into the championship.
Below are the players who already know they have a tee time waiting this summer. Two golfers notably not fully exempt: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods’ 10-year exemption for the last of his three U.S. Open wins ran out in 2019. His five-year exemption for his 2019 Masters win ran out in 2024. He competed that year at Pinehurst, however, after the USGA granted him a special exemption. If Woods is healthy enough to play in June, it is expected that the USGA would award him another exemption for 2026.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Open is the only major Mickelson hasn’t won, having famously finished second a record six times, including at Shinnecock Hills in 2004. He also famously ran afoul of the USGA at Shinnecock in 2018 for hitting a moving golf ball on a green. Mickelson’s five-year exemption into the U.S. Open for winning the 2021 PGA Championship ended last year. Mickelson received a special exemption to play in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, but then qualified on his own after winning the PGA at Kiawah Island. It is less certain if he would receive another special exemption in 2026.
U.S. Open Full Exemption Categories 1. U.S. Open winners (last 10 years; 2016-25) 
Warren Little
J.J. Spaun (2025) Bryson DeChambeau (2020, 2024) Wyndham Clark (2023) Matt Fitzpatrick (2022) Jon Rahm (2021) Gary Woodland (2019) Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018) Dustin Johnson (2016)
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2. Low 10 and ties, 2025 U.S. Open
J.J. Spaun Robert MacIntyre Viktor Hovland Cameron Young Tyrrell Hatton Carlos Ortiz Jon Rahm Scottie Scheffler Sam Burns Ben Griffin Russell Henley
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3. 2025 U.S. Senior Open winner
Padraig Harrington
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4. 2025 U.S. Amateur winner 
Thien-An Truong
Mason Howell (a)
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5. 2025 U.S. Junior and U.S. Mid-Amateur winners, and 2025 U.S. Amateur runner-up (must be an amateur)
Hamilton Coleman (a) (U.S. Junior champ) Brandon Holtz (a) (U.S. Mid-Amateur champ) Jackson Herrington (a) (U.S. Amateur runner-up)
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6. Masters winners (2022-2026)
2026 (TBD in April) Rory McIlroy (2025) Scottie Scheffler (2024) Jon Rahm (2023) Scottie Scheffler (2022)
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7. PGA Championship winners (2022-2026)
2026 (TBD in May) Scottie Scheffler (2025) Xander Schauffele (2024) Brooks Koepka (2023) Justin Thomas (2022)
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8. Open Championship winners (2021-2025)
Scottie Scheffler (2025) Xander Schauffele (2024) Brian Harman (2023) Cameron Smith (2022) Collin Morikawa (2021)
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9. Players Championship winners (2024-2026) 
Richard Heathcote
2026 (TBD in May) Rory McIlroy (2025) Scottie Scheffler (2024)
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10. 2025 BMW PGA Championship winner (DP World Tour)
Alex Noren
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11. Players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2025 Tour Championship
Ludvig Aberg Akshay Bhatia Keegan Bradley Jacob Bridgeman Sam Burns Patrick Cantlay Corey Conners Harris English Tommy Fleetwood Chris Gotterup Ben Griffin Harry Hall Brian Harman Russell Henley Viktor Hovland Sungjae Im Shane Lowry Robert MacIntyre Hideki Matsuyama Rory McIlroy Maverick McNealy Collin Morikawa Andrew Novak Justin Rose Scottie Scheffler J.J. Spaun Sepp Straka Nick Taylor Justin Thomas Cameron Young
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12. Winners of multiple winners PGA Tour events that award full-point allocation for the FedEx Cup (conclusion of the 2025 U.S. Open to initiation of the 2026 U.S. Open) 
Alex Slitz
Scottie Scheffler Chris Gotterup Justin Rose
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13. Top five players in the 2026 FedEx Cup standings not otherwise exempt as of May 18. (Note: Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after close of entries.)
TBD
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14. The points leader from the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season (combined points earned on the KFT Regular Season Points Standings and in the KFT Finals) 
Justin Edmonds
Johnny Keefer
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15. Top two players from the 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings not otherwise exempt as of May 18. (Note: Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after close of entries.):
TBD
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16. Top player from the 2026 Race to Dubai Rankings not otherwise exempt as of May 18. (Note: Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after close of entries.):
TBD
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17. 2025 British Amateur winner (must be an amateur) 
Oisin Keniry/R&A
Ethan Fang (a)
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18. 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner (must be an amateur) 
Dylan Buell
Jackson Koivun (a)
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19. 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Golf Championship winner (must be an amateur)
TBD
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20. 2026 Latin America Amateur winner (must be an amateur) 
Mateo Pulcini (a)
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21. Top 60 points leaders and ties in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 18. Players must select a qualifying site at the time of entry. (NOTE: Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after the close of entries.)
TBD
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22. Top 60 points leaders and ties in the Official World Golf Ranking as of June 15 (if not previously exempt). Players must select a qualifying site at the time of entry. (NOTE: Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after the close of entries.)
TBD
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23. Top player not otherwise exempt and in top three of the final 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 18
TBD
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24. Top player not otherwise exempt and in top three of the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 18
TBD
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25. Special exemptions as selected by the USGA. (Must have filed an entry by April 8, 2026. Deadline for submission of request: May 10)
TBD
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
