For most of the year, professional golf looks like a closed shop. Then, for one Monday in June, the U.S. Open kicks the door open: anyone with a 0.4 Handicap Index or better can enter, and a single brutal 36-hole day stands between a qualifier and a tee time at Shinnecock Hills. This is the page we keep pinned through all of it. Two waves are already done. The marathon is June 8.
There’s a long-standing rhythm to the U.S. Open calendar: the international and Texas-based contingents get their day first. On Monday, May 18, two venues separated by six time zones — Walton Heath in Surrey and Dallas Athletic Club in Texas — filled the first 13 seats at Shinnecock. A week later, on May 25, Hino Golf Club in Japan added the eastern gateway. Here’s how they finished.
Those tickets to Shinnecock are punched, two former major champions among them. The rest of the 156-player field — minus the exempt stars — comes down to a single day.
Monday, June 8 · Ten Sites (Nine U.S., One Canada)
Golf’s Longest Day.
Ten venues. 715 entries for a yet-to-be-announced number of spots, played across four U.S. time zones from a Georgia dawn to an Oregon dusk. Golf Channel carries 10 hours of coverage (noon–2 p.m. and 4 p.m.–midnight ET); the USGA posts simultaneous scoring; and the playoffs for the final spots routinely run into the dark.
Below is the field, site by site — the course intelligence, the marquee names entered, and a live scoring link straight to each leaderboard in our database.
Past U.S. Open Champions in the Field
Webb Simpson (2012) · Lucas Glover (2009) · Geoff Ogilvy (2006)
Chasing a return to the big stage
Oldest in Qualifying
Michael McCoy, 63
2025 U.S. Senior Amateur champ · Purchase, NY
Youngest in Qualifying
Nico Gordic-Ronderos, 14
Lone 14-year-old to reach the Longest Day · BallenIsles
June 8 · Ball Ground, GA
Hawks Ridge Golf Club
Photo: Hawks Ridge Golf Club (used with permission)
The late Bob Cupp’s self-described “consummate achievement” — 550 acres of Cherokee County elevation and towering pines that draw frequent Augusta comparisons. The drivable par-4 15th, with a waterfall down the right of the green, is the card-wrecker. This is its ninth Final Qualifying selection.
Players to Watch · 78 entries
Jason Dufner — 2013 PGA champion
Chris Kirk — 6× PGA Tour winner
Stephan Jaeger — 2024 Houston Open winner
Keith Mitchell — 2019 Honda Classic
Brendon Todd — 3× PGA Tour winner
Tommy Morrison — 2025 USA Walker Cupper, No. 18 WAGR
June 8 · Toronto, Canada
Lambton Golf & Country Club
Photo: Lambton G&CC, 1906 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Designer
Bendelow / Rees Jones
The lone Canadian venue, along the Humber River on Toronto’s west side. Tom Bendelow routed it in 1903; Tillinghast, Colt, Ross, Stanley Thompson and finally Rees Jones (2012 restoration) all left fingerprints. Four-time Canadian Open host.
Players to Watch · 61 entries
Max Homa — 6× PGA Tour winner
Rasmus Højgaard — Denmark; twin Nicolai already exempt
Beau Hossler — led the 2012 U.S. Open at 17
Ricky Castillo — 2026 Puerto Rico Open winner
Camilo Villegas — T9, 2008 U.S. Open
Garrick Higgo — 2× PGA Tour winner
LAKES
June 8 · Westerville, OH
The Lakes Golf & Country Club
Designed by Ed Sneed — yes, the PGA Tour pro who came a stroke from the 1979 Masters. North of Columbus, it rates 74.1 / 134 with water in play across multiple holes. An OGA Final Qualifying staple for nearly two decades.
Players to Watch · 54 entries
Lucas Glover — 2009 U.S. Open champion
Davis Thompson — 2024 John Deere winner
Austin Eckroat — 2× PGA Tour winner
Brian Campbell — 2× PGA Tour winner in 2025
Tyler Watts — 18; Tennessee signee
WCC
June 8 · Rockville, MD
Woodmont Country Club (North)
Designer
Tull / Hills / Weiman
An Alfred Tull original (1950) with all 18 greens rebuilt by Arthur Hills in 1999, and every bunker rebuilt — plus a brand-new 18th — by Joel Weiman in 2018–2020. Final Qualifying host since 1987. The new 18th is a do-or-die finisher.
Players to Watch · 77 entries
Blades Brown — 19; youngest to shoot 60 on the PGA Tour
Michael Thorbjornsen — 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur champ
Zach Bauchou — 2025 Durham medalist
Evan Beck — 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur champ
BI
June 8 · Palm Beach Gardens, FL
BallenIsles Country Club (East)
Designer
Wilson & Lee / Nicklaus
Opened in 1964 as PGA National’s Champions Course; Jack Nicklaus won the 1971 PGA here, then returned five decades later to renovate it (unveiled January 2023) at a beefy 7,474 yards. One of the longest layouts in the field, with water on roughly half the holes.
Players to Watch · 78 entries
Matt Kuchar — 9× PGA Tour winner
Matthieu Pavon — France; T5, 2024 U.S. Open
Luke Clanton — 2024 McCormack Medal
Miles Russell — 17; top junior in WAGR
Nico Gordic-Ronderos — 14 — youngest in qualifying
Luis Gagne — 2018 co-low amateur at Shinnecock
June 8 · Purchase, NY
Century CC & Golf Club of Purchase
Photo: Golf Club of Purchase (used with permission)
Designer
Colt & Alison / Nicklaus
Par / Yds
71/72 · 6,807/6,876
Unique on the schedule: two clubs hosting jointly. Players see a Harry Colt & Charles Alison classic (Century, 1926) and a Jack Nicklaus modern (Golf Club of Purchase, 1996) across the 36 holes — arguably the most architecturally diverse single site in the field.
Players to Watch · 79 entries
Michael McCoy — 63 — oldest in qualifying; 2025 U.S. Senior Am champ
James Nicholas — made the 2025 U.S. Open cut via L+FQ
Shane Bacon — CBS / Korn Ferry broadcaster
Clancy Waugh — regaining amateur status
GCC
June 8 · Gastonia, NC
Gaston Country Club
Designer
Ellis Maples / K. Spence
A hidden Donald Ross school: Ellis Maples worked under Ross before his 1958 original here, and Kris Spence’s 2003 restoration brought back the Golden Age bones. Three reachable par 5s offer eagles for the bold.
Players to Watch · 78 entries
Webb Simpson — 2012 U.S. Open champion
Chez Reavie — T3, 2019 U.S. Open
Bill Haas — 2011 FedEx Cup champion
Doc Redman — 2017 U.S. Amateur champ
Chesson Hadley — T9, 2019 U.S. Open
Luke Gutschewski — new PGA Tour pro
DP
June 8 · Sacramento, CA
Del Paso Country Club
Designer
J.L. Black / Kyle Phillips
Sacramento’s oldest club (1916), with enhancements by Herbert Fowler — the same Fowler who built Walton Heath — around 1922, and a celebrated 2006 Kyle Phillips reimagining. Deep USGA pedigree: host of the 2015 U.S. Senior Open and five earlier USGA championships.
Players to Watch · 78 entries
Geoff Ogilvy — 2006 U.S. Open champion
Ricky Barnes — runner-up, 2009 U.S. Open
Kevin Na — 5× PGA Tour winner
Michael Block — 2023 PGA club-pro folk hero
Stewart Hagestad — 3× U.S. Mid-Amateur champ
Kihei Akina — 20; 2026 Big 12 Freshman of the Year
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June 8 · Springfield, OH
Springfield Country Club
Photo: Tichnor Brothers postcard, c. 1920 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
One of the most original, largely unaltered Donald Ross designs in the country — and one of the shortest tracks in the field. Don’t let 6,684 yards fool you: the Ross greens and Clark County elevation make par a genuine test. Final Qualifying host since 2008.
Players to Watch · 78 entries
Tony Finau — 6× PGA Tour winner; 5th here-bound in ’18
Brandt Snedeker — 2026 U.S. Presidents Cup captain
Billy Horschel — 2014 FedEx Cup champion
Aldrich Potgieter — reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year
Neal Shipley — 2024 U.S. Open low amateur
Maxwell Moldovan — through this site 4 straight years
June 8 · Creswell, OR
Emerald Valley Golf Club
Photo: Emerald Valley Golf Club (used with permission)
Designer
Bob Baldock / Dan Hixson
On the Coast Fork of the Willamette, with a clubhouse converted from the original dairy barn and a Dan Hixson refinement (2002). As the westernmost site, it’s the last to start and the last to finish — the venue from which “Golf’s Longest Day” earns its literal name.
Players to Watch · 54 entries
Andrew Putnam — PGA Tour winner (2018 Barracuda)
Michael Putnam — his older brother; 3× Korn Ferry winner
How to Watch & Track June 8
Broadcast: Golf Channel carries 10 hours of “Golf’s Longest Day” coverage — noon–2 p.m. and 4 p.m.–midnight ET. Live scoring: the fastest way to follow every site at once is right here — each venue above links to its live leaderboard in the AmateurGolf.com tournament database, and the USGA posts simultaneous scoring at usopen.com. We publish site-by-site recaps — medalists, amateurs, and alternate-position playoffs — within hours of each finish.
The final field size and the exact number of qualifying spots per site are set by the USGA and announced Monday morning. Want the bigger picture first? Start with our 2026 U.S. Open Local Qualifying results across all 109 sites, then follow the survivors here.
The Path to Shinnecock
From the 13 Final Qualifying sites, the USGA fills a large share of the 156 spots at Shinnecock Hills, with the exact allocation per site set by field strength. The rest of the field arrives via exemption categories — major winners, top OWGR rankings, defending champions, and USGA event winners.
Historically, only two players have won the U.S. Open after surviving both local and final qualifying: Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969). Many more have won after advancing through final qualifying alone — Gene Littler, Julius Boros, Jerry Pate, Steve Jones, Michael Campbell and Lucas Glover among them. Glover, in fact, is entered again this year — at The Lakes in Westerville, Ohio.
Shinnecock Hills will play 7,434 yards at par 70 for the 2026 championship, June 18–21. One of the USGA’s five founding member clubs, it’s hosting its sixth U.S. Open — and it remains the only course to have hosted the championship across three different centuries: 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2018, and now 2026.
“The road to Shinnecock starts in April. And it starts everywhere.”— AmateurGolf.com
By the time the final group walks up Shinnecock’s 18th on Sunday, June 21, every player in the field will have a story that traces back through one of these 13 venues. The dream is wide open. The dream runs through these courses — and on June 8, all ten of them at once.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhen is Golf’s Longest Day in 2026?
Golf’s Longest Day — the main wave of 2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying — is Monday, June 8, 2026. Ten venues (nine U.S., one in Canada) host 36-hole qualifiers on the same day. Walton Heath (England) and Dallas Athletic Club played May 18; Hino Golf Club (Japan) played May 25.
Who won medalist at Walton Heath in 2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying?
England’s Nathan Kimsey won medalist honors at Walton Heath with a two-round total of 130 (−14), highlighted by a second-round 62, winning by two over Spain’s Rocco Repetto Taylor (−12).
Who advanced from Dallas Athletic Club?
Former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein earned medalist honors at −9. Among the nine to advance were four-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim (−8) and 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell (−4).
Which past U.S. Open champions are in Final Qualifying?
Three former champions are entered for June 8: Webb Simpson (2012, at Gaston CC), Lucas Glover (2009, at The Lakes) and Geoff Ogilvy (2006, at Del Paso). The oldest competitor is 63-year-old Michael McCoy; the youngest is 14-year-old Nico Gordic-Ronderos.
How can I follow live scoring for U.S. Open Final Qualifying?
AmateurGolf.com hosts live scoring and full leaderboards for every Final Qualifying site in its tournament database — each venue on this tracker links directly to its leaderboard. Golf Channel also carries 10 hours of June 8 coverage (noon–2 p.m. and 4 p.m.–midnight ET), and the USGA posts simultaneous scoring at usopen.com.
Where is the 2026 U.S. Open being played?
The 2026 U.S. Open will be contested June 18–21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. It plays 7,434 yards at par 70 and marks the club’s sixth U.S. Open — the only course to host the championship across three different centuries.
Sources & Further Reading
Image Credits
Hero “Road to Shinnecock” map — AmateurGolf.com (original)Walton Heath — Ian Capper / geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Lambton — public domain, 1906 photograph via Wikimedia CommonsGolf Club of Purchase, Hawks Ridge, Emerald Valley — club official sites (used with permission)Springfield CC — Tichnor Brothers postcard, c. 1920, public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Published May 11, 2026 · Updated June 5, 2026 · AmateurGolf.com · Live scoring powered by the AmateurGolf.com tournament database. Player and field details via the USGA.