Shinnecock Hills: The U.S. Open’s True Test

Temps de lecture : 5 min

Une vraie épreuve de championnat

Here’s the thing nobody talks about with Shinnecock Hills: it’s not just beautiful—it’s brutal. I’ve played that shot a thousand times? No, I haven’t. Not at Shinnecock. This course demands something different. A level-par 280 will likely win, but only if the golf course allows it. And Shinnecock doesn’t give anything away.

Bobby Jones figured this out in 1928 when he lost here. The wind, the firm turf, the subtle slopes—they all work against the player. The game doesn’t owe you anything. At Shinnecock, it reminds you of that every hole.

Un design intemporel

Walk the course. You’ll understand why William Flynn’s 1931 design remains intact. The trio of routing triangles exposes the wind from every angle, much like the closing holes at Royal Lytham. One moment you’re playing a draw into a crosswind, the next you’re backing off a hold shot that has to start left of the fairway and drift back.

Wyndham Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, grew up on a Flynn course—Cherry Hills. That connection matters. He’s rounding into form, having closed with a final-round 60 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. But Shinnecock is not a target golf course. That’s not a tip—that’s a truth.

Le vent comme adversaire

Defending champion J.J. Spaun, who won at Oakmont last year, knows what’s coming. He’s worked on flighted shots, on feeling when to hold the ball into a crosswind. At Shinnecock, carry numbers are critical because the wind shifts from shot to shot. It’s not a guessing game—it’s a template for execution.

Matt Fitzpatrick, winner of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club, grew up in England. He understands links golf. He says you need control of your ball flight, and this course allows for shot-making. That’s the kind of thinking that wins here.

Les favoris

You can’t write off Brooks Koepka. He’s a five-time major winner and a former Shinnecock champion. No head, no heart—no nerves. That’s an asset in a place like this. He has the brawn to muscle out of the rough and the memory of that 1-over 281 that won in 2018.

Notice no one is betting on Aaron Rai? That’s the First Major Hangover. Aronimink was forgiving. Shinnecock is not. It’s also a lot prettier, nestled between National Golf Links of America and Sebonack—two masterpieces of Golden Age and modern design.

L’héritage de Shinnecock

Shinnecock Hills opened in 1891 as a 12-hole course by Willie Dunn. Four years later, it became 18. Then Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor updated it in 1916. But the road came, and in 1931, William Flynn designed what we see today. Coorse and Crenshaw restored it in 2013, keeping every nuance of Flynn’s genius.

This is the first U.S. Open at Shinnecock with no modifications to Flynn’s original design. That’s how it should be. The course doesn’t need gadget fixes. It needs players who understand craft, history, and patience. Hogan would approve. Jones would smile.

If you’re watching this week, see the course first. The drama will come from the wind, the ground game, and the mental battle. That’s what makes a major. That’s Shinnecock.