Shinnecock Hills, host of the 2026 US Open, is an extremely difficult golf course on a calm day. Looking ahead to the weather forecast, it appears golf’s stiffest test will have plenty of wind to complicate matters further
The third major of the men’s season returns to Long Island at one of the sport’s most iconic venues. And while plenty of work has been done at Shinnecock Hills over the years, the elements remain its best defense. This year should be no different, especially at the start of the week.
US Open Weather: Wind in Forecast Could Cause Shinnecock Hills Carnage
Shinnecock Hills is a wide-open piece of Long Island property situated directly on the water. The wind is the No. 1 variable, and when it blows, a difficult golf course can feel borderline impossible to solve. An early look at the forecast shows some considerable gusts during Rounds 1 and 2.
Forecast from WindFinder.com.
First round (Thursday, June 18)
Slight chance of rain early- to mid-morning … Highs of 74, winds from 22-28 mph, gusts up to 45 mph
Second round (Friday, June 19)
Mostly sunny … Highs of 73, winds from 14-18 mph, gusts up to 26 mph
Third round (Saturday, June 20)
Sunny … Highs of 73, winds from 16-20 mph, gusts up to 28 mph
Fourth round (Sunday, June 21)
Sunny … Highs of 71, winds from 10-17 mph, gusts up to 22 mph
At first glance, Thursday could be treacherous, especially if the rain stays away. The USGA will likely do all it can to keep things relatively fair, and that includes watering the greens as necessary. But if the wind is blowing, and there’s not much moisture, the putting surface could become glass-like, especially with the sun in the forecast just about all weekend.
At this point, just surviving the first two days, particularly the first round, is going to be an achievement on its own. The most docile day of the bunch is Sunday, which is honestly all you can ask for. The perfect situation might be a brutal test of the first couple of days that gets slightly easier on the weekend, allowing for players to chase.
US Open Weather: How Wind Direction Might Be Major Factor
Here’s the thing: Not all wind is created equal, at least not at Shinnecock Hills. The Fried Egg’s Garrett Morrison offered some fascinating insight as part of the outlet’s US Open live blog coverage.
“Right now, the forecast for the rest of the week says (south) on Thursday (expected to be the heaviest wind day of the championship), W on Friday, WNW on Saturday, and W on Sunday,” he wrote. “The dreaded NE wind, which turned Thursday in 1986 into a slaughter, is not currently in the forecast, but it looks like players will have to adjust to a few different variations of a west wind.”
Morrison also noted the wind will blow in different directions for early-week practice rounds than for the tournament itself. That’s something for players to consider, too.
“Always tricky when the windin the practice round is the opposite of the tournament round,” Michael Kim said on X following his Tuesday practice round. “Gotta use (your) imagination a bit.”
Kim also shared the players’ perspective on what they’ll face, insisting it doesn’t take much wind to be a factor.
“There’s nothing stopping the wind here,” he tweeted earlier in the week. “It forecasted as only 15-20 mph but you feel ALL of it. There’s really no trees or anything stopping it. With how small some of these greens play, it’s very tough to hit (your) numbers and hit greens.”
US Open Weather: Winds in Forecast Could Lead to Carnage