The traffic is a nightmare, and the prices are insane. But it’s still nice to spend a weekend in the Hamptons — it’s even better when you’re playing for a national championship.
Who will enjoy that privilege at Shinnecock Hills?
As of noon Friday on the tip of Long Island, with the second round of the U.S. Open well underway, that picture was coming into view.
A reminder of how this works: the cut at a U.S. Open comes down to the top 60 players and ties after 36 holes. Everyone else packs up and heads back to the bottlenecked Long Island Expressway. Or a private jet. But you get the point. Not everyone gets to stick around.
According to DataGolf, the current projected cutline sits at three over, a number that puts a bunch of big names in jeopardy.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who doesn’t tee off until 2:24 p.m. local time, is sitting one shot inside the projected number at plus-two. Brooks Koepka, who won the U.S. Open the last time it was held at Shinnecock in 2018, is living right on the number after an opening-round 73, and he’s got company there: Hideki Matsuyama and Patrick Cantlay are both at plus-three as well.
A notch below sit a trio of major champions: Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry and Jordan Spieth. DeChambeau sits at five over while Spieth and Lowry are at four over, on the wrong side of the line for now. Joaquin Niemann is at plus-four, too, and if he ends up spending the weekend on his couch, he might blame his own temper. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty for a club-throwing incident in the first round.
Then there’s defending champion J.J. Spaun, who has a steep climb ahead of him. He’s at plus-seven and will need something special when he tees off alongside Scheffler this afternoon.
Of course, cutlines are like the winds at Shinnecock: they can shift. And this one still has plenty of golf left to move. Check back here for updates as the number shakes out.
