The First Look: 125th U.S. Open

FIELD NOTES: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler arrives at Oakmont on the strength of three wins in his last four starts – an eight-stroke triumph at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, a five-shot win at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, and a four-shot win at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The three-time major winner is still seeking his first U.S. Open title; he has notched three top 10s in seven starts at his national open. … World No. 2 Rory McIlroy struggled mightily at last week’s RBC Canadian Open, missing the cut by 12 shots with rounds of 71-78, and he intended to fine-tune his driver (and perhaps switch drivers) over the weekend leading into the U.S. Open. McIlroy has notched six straight top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open after missing three straight cuts from 2016-18; he has credited the addition of the RBC Canadian Open to his schedule (the week before the U.S. Open) to his uptick in results. McIlroy, who won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, finished runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau a year ago at Pinehurst No. 2. DeChambeau will defend his title this week. … Ryan Fox qualified for the U.S. Open in last-minute fashion, winning the RBC Canadian Open in a playoff over Sam Burns to move inside the top 60 on the Official World Golf Ranking and punch his ticket to Oakmont. … A bulk of the U.S. Open field is composed of players who advance through 36-hole Final Qualifying, otherwise known as “Golf’s Longest Day.” Ten of 13 Final Qualifying sites were contested June 2, with the first three played May 19. Notables to advance through Final Qualifying included Cameron Young (who survived a 5-for-1 playoff in Columbus, Ohio, that included Max Homa, Rickie Fowler and Eric Cole), two-time TOUR winner Erik van Rooyen, TOUR veterans like Justin Lower and Mark Hubbard, former 35-year-old Bud Cauley who fulfilled a TOUR medical extension earlier this year to complete an inspiring comeback after being sidelined for three-plus years due to injuries stemming from a car crash, 17-year-old high school junior Mason Howell, and Indiana dentist Matt Vogt. … This marks the final U.S. Open into which Phil Mickelson is exempt via his win at the 2021 PGA Championship. Mickelson has completed three legs of the career Grand Slam, but a U.S. Open title eludes him. He has notched six career runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open.