SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Stand at the 13th tee at Shinnecock Hills, the uppermost point on one of America’s oldest golf clubs. Look out at the spread of the holes spilling down and away from this point, the windmill in the distance, the clouds strolling across the impossibly blue sky above.
It’s all gorgeous … as long as you don’t have to play the ******* thing.
Shinnecock is the most revered and fearsome test in major championship golf, a windswept brute capable of bringing anyone and everyone in the field to their knees. It’s one of America’s true legacy clubs, hosting the second U.S. Open in 1896 and joining with four other old-money institutions to form the United States Golf ******* ociation. This is as elite as golf gets, from every measure, and anybody who hoists the trophy here has earned it.
“If everything is going the way everyone wants it in terms of weather, setup, I think it's the best championship test in the country,” Rory McIlroy said earlier this week. “I think it tests all aspects of the game: driving, iron play, you need to have your wits about you on the greens.”
Play Golf Pick 'Em now to make your predictions for the U.S. Open!