There are just about three weeks until the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and the field is already beginning to take shape. As of May 18, the top 60 players and ties in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) officially received exemptions into the championship. Prior to that, many others had already secured spots through various exemption categories.
Here’s a look at who will tee off at the third major of the year, set to begin June 18, 2026.
Full Exemption Categories
According to the U.S. Open, here are the players who currently hold exemption status for the 2026 U.S. Open. While many qualify through multiple categories, each player is listed only once in order of exemption category.
U.S. Open Winners (2016–2025)
This group includes defending champion J.J. Spaun, as well as Bryson DeChambeau, who won in both 2020 and 2024. Recent CJ Cup Byron Nelson winner Wyndham Clark, three-time PGA Tour winner this season Matt Fitzpatrick, and other major names such as Jon Rahm, Gary Woodland, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson are also exempt.
U.S. Open Low 10 and Ties (2025)
Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Young, Tyrrell Hatton, Carlos Ortiz, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Ben Griffin, and Russell Henley are all exempt thanks to their performance at last year’s U.S. Open.
Other Amateur and USGA Champions (2025)
This includes U.S. Senior Open champion Padraig Harrington, U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell (a), U.S. Junior Amateur champion Hamilton Coleman (a), U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Brandon Holtz (a), and U.S. Amateur runner-up Jackson Herrington (a).
Masters Tournament Winners (2022–2026)
Rory McIlroy is the only player in this category not already exempt through a previous category.
PGA Championship Winners (2022–2026)
Aaron Rai (2026), Xander Schauffele (2024), and Justin Thomas (2022).
Open Championship Winners (2021–2025)
Brian Harman (2023), Cameron Smith (2022), and Collin Morikawa (2021).
Players Championship Winners (2024–2026)
Cameron Young (2026).
BMW PGA Championship Winner (2025)
Alex Noren.
Players Eligible for the 2025 Tour Championship
Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia, Keegan Bradley, Jacob Bridgeman, Patrick Cantlay, Corey Conners, Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood, Chris Gotterup, Harry Hall, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak, Justin Rose, Sepp Straka, and Nick Taylor.
Winners of Multiple Full-Point PGA Tour Events
Players who won multiple PGA Tour events awarding full FedEx Cup points between the conclusion of the 2025 U.S. Open and the start of the 2026 U.S. Open.
Top Five in the 2026 FedEx Cup Standings (Not Otherwise Exempt as of May 18)
Alex Fitzpatrick, Patrick Rodgers, Matti Schmid, Sahith Theegala, and Sudarshan Yellamaraju.
Korn Ferry Tour Points Leader (2025)
Johnny Keefer.
Race to Dubai Exemptions (2025 and 2026)
The top two players from the 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings that are not otherwise exempt include Adrien Saddier and Laurie Canter. The top player from the 2026 Race to Dubai Rankings who is not otherwise exempt is Jayden Schaper.
Additional Amateur Exemptions
This category includes 2025 British Amateur champions Ethan Fang (a), 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal Winner Jackson Koivun (a), 2026 Latin America Amateur Winner, Mateo Pulcini (a), and the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Champion, which is yet to be determined.
OWGR Top 60 (as of May 18)
Players not otherwise exempt who qualified via the Official World Golf Ranking include Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth Si Woo Kim, Kristoffer Reitan, Nicolai Hojgaard, Kurt Kitayama, Min Woo Lee, Ryan Gerard, Rickie Fowler, Jake Knapp, Jason Day, Alex Smalley, Marco Penge, Daniel Berger, Michael Kim, Matt McCarty, Adam Scott, Nicolas Echavarria, Samuel Stevens, Ryan Fox, Michael Brennan, Pierceson Coody, David Puig, and Ryo Hisatsune.
OWGR Top 60 (as of June 15)
A second OWGR exemption window will finalize additional qualifiers.
LIV Golf Exemptions
The top player not otherwise exempt and in top three of the final 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings Joaquin Neimann, and the top player not otherwise exempt and in top three of the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Standings Lucas Herbert.
Special Exemptions
Special exemptions selected by the USGA are yet to be announced.
U.S. Open Qualifiers
Filippo Celli
Ugo Coussand
Cooper Dossey
Adrian Dumont de Chassart
Angel Hidalgo
Matthew Jordan
T.K. Kim
Tom Kim
Nathan Kimsey
Graeme McDowell
Niklas Norgaard
Ryuichi Oiwa
Kaito Onishi
Rocco Repetto Taylor
Taihei Sato
Manav Shah
Jimmy Stanger
Caleb Surratt
Peter Uihlein
The 126th U.S. Open
Despite the growing field, several notable names are still on the outside heading into the final weeks before Shinnecock Hills. Players such as Tony Finau, Max Homa, Aldrich Potgieter, and Max Greyserman, remain without exemptions and will need either a late surge into the top 60 of the OWGR or a successful run through Final Qualifying on “Golf’s Longest Day” to earn their place in the championship. With only a handful of spots still available, plenty of notable names are battling for an opportunity to tee it up at one of golf’s most demanding major venues.
Big Names Still Chasing Spots in the 2026 U.S. Open