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Chapter 1: What can we expect from the US Open at Shinnecock Hills?
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This is an Irish Independent Podcast.
Hello, you're very welcome. So, golf on the agenda today, as is the way with the golfing season these days. The majors come thick and fast. Major number three is upon us in the men's game. We are back at Shinnecock Hills, New York, for the US Open. It is Shinnecock for the first time since 2018. It's always eventful there.
This was seen of the infamous Phil Mickelson two-shot penalty on the 13th back in 2018, you'll remember.
Chapter 2: How did Phil Mickelson's 2018 performance impact the US Open narrative?
Phil was so thoroughly fed up with the greens that on the 13th he ran after his putt, which was in the process of trickling off the green, and he hit his moving ball back towards the hole, the kind of thing a frustrated child does. His speed has been terrible. Whoa.
Whoa. Whoa. Wow. That's stunning.
That was stunning. He took his very bizarre two-shot penalty, apologised and moved on. And that is what the US Open at Shinnecock can do.
Chapter 3: What challenges does the US Open present to golfers?
Meanwhile, in 2026, Mickelson has just had his membership at Farms Golf Club in San Diego revoked for, quote, non-consensual and inappropriate physical contact, end quote, towards a female staff member. So... He has more than enough trouble of his own right now. The winner at Shinnecock in 2018 was Brooks Koepka. This was back when Koepka was a freakish major winning machine.
He won two majors that year. The win at Shinnecock meant it was back-to-back US Opens. So he was on an extraordinary run. As for the course itself... Brutal.
Chapter 4: How does Rory McIlroy's driver issue affect his performance?
Kepka won with a score of plus one. Ratif Goosen in 04, that was the infamous day where the greens were baked and it got to a situation where the seventh green was being watered throughout play on the Sunday. So, as I said, eventful. Fast forward to 2026, we pitch up for the third major of the year. JJ Spahn is your defending US Open champion.
He prevailed in the torrential weather of Oakmont last year. And as for the majors this year, Major 1, Rory McIlroy has his second green jacket. Major 2, Aaron Rye, all-round good guy from England, took the USPGA. What does Major 3 have in store? Well, there are questions over Shinnecock itself.
Chapter 5: What insights can Paul McGinley provide on Scotty Scheffler's career Grand Slam pursuit?
The word is it won't be quite as brutal as in 2018, we shall see. And another big storyline... is Scotty Scheffler. Rory knows all about this predicament. Scotty is taking his very first shot at the career Grand Slam. We'll see what Paul McGinley has to say on the show today.
Our golf coverage is sponsored by Sky Sports, home to every major this year, including all four days of the US Open, with exclusive coverage from Thursday. As ever, you can watch Sky Sports on Sky, or you can stream with Now. Let's chat to Paul McGinley. And Paul is with us.
Chapter 6: What factors contribute to Shane Lowry's recent struggles?
With listeners, if you're just listening, I have to inform you, the backdrop, I mean, it looks like heaven.
Yeah, well, I'm in a prime location here, the Beverly Hills of the east coast of America, the Hamptons. It's quite incredible, this place, really. You just drive along the roads here, just one house after another. I mean, the wealth in America is just extraordinary. And Shinnecock is plonked right in the middle of it. So, yeah, this is one of the best places to be, all right, that's for sure.
You've landed on your feet in life, haven't you? The boy's done good. Goodness me.
Chapter 7: How has Rory McIlroy evolved as a golfer over the years?
I'm only visiting here, Joe. I don't live here. I wish I did.
So major number three, they're coming thick and fast, obviously, as is the way with the schedule these days. Do you like the compressed schedule? I don't know anyone who does really.
I'm not a big fan of it. It all comes too fast, too quick. There's not really time for poise in between the majors and reflection enough before you move on to the next one. And then you've got the signature events crammed in as well, too, with all the elite players playing and that.
Chapter 8: What does the future hold for golf in light of the LIV Golf impact?
So it seems to come a little bit too fast. And yeah, again, the business model of golf, I'd have a lot of questions about it. It'd be interesting to see where it all lands now that it looks like Liv could be exiting exiting the scene, you know, what top players are going to come back, what the schedule is going to look like.
Jack Nicklaus in his press conference at Memorial a couple of weeks ago made a big, big point about that. He said, you know, the compressed schedule is one of the biggest issues the tour has to face.
US Open, you played in four of them, three missed cuts and a 40 second. So I don't know, is it a stupid question to ask if you enjoyed them?
I found them the most difficult golf tournaments I've ever played in. Incredibly intimidating. And... The one I made the cut in was Pinehurst, which was a little bit more forgiving off the tee. But I never got my head around the mentality of it. I was never a big hitter. I was longer than average, but I wasn't a big hitter. And I wasn't great out of the rough.
I had kind of a flat rotational swing. So when I hit it in the rough, I paid a huge, huge price. My swing wasn't built. It wasn't steep enough to come out of that heavy rough. So I I was standing on tees with the mentality, if I miss his fairway, I'm probably going to drop a shot. So it was a very difficult test for me, mentally as well as physically. And yeah, it beat me up.
I remember playing the first one I played in was Beth Page, Tiger won around there. And it was just like, God, this is the most difficult golf course I've ever played in my life. Even to this day, I can still think of it. I've got trauma about playing around that place. Yeah. So, yeah, they're difficult, but they have evolved over time, Joe.
They're not as, you know, the ones I've been doing in TV the last 10 years. I mean, this week we've got fairways that are ranging up to 65 yards in width. I mean, I played when they were 25 yards in width. And, you know, Trevino affirmatively said you have to work single line down US Open fairways. That's not the case anymore.
They really have evolved the test that it is, but it's still going to be difficult this week.
Shinnecock was kind of talked about as a hidden gem until the USGA in the 80s started holding events there. There was Raymond Floyd in the 80s, Corey Pavin, the famous forward in 95 on the 18th to wrap up that US Open. And then Ratif Goosen in 04 and Koepke in 18. They have the winning score in common, which is plus one. Famously in 04, they let the Greens get away from them entirely.
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