Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler visited Shinnecock Hills for practice rounds ahead of the 2026 U.S. Open. Both players remarked on changes to the course setup compared to previous visits.
McIlroy highlighted the generous fairways during comments at the Memorial Championship. He noted that the fairways measure wider than in 2018, though the first cut of rough remains five inches long and penalizes misses. Scheffler echoed the observation after his first visit to the property. He said the fairways surprised him with their width but emphasized that the difficult green complexes will present the main challenge. USGA course official John Bodenhamer confirmed the fairways will average 48 yards wide. This marks the widest setup in 50 to 75 years and reflects an effort to create a fair test rather than target even par as the winning score. Both players stressed that fast and firm greens could still keep scores high despite the wider landing areas.
