2026 U.S. Open takeaways: Margins thinner than ever as Shinnecock Hills shines and Scheffler squanders chance

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- The whole week at Shinnecock Hills, margins and "the line" bounced around my brain. Where exactly is "the line" and how razor thin are the margins truly? These two questions were initially focused on the golf course itself. Would the United States Golf Association be able to tow the line effectively, unlike the last two U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills?

But then it shifted.

It shifted to Joaquin Niemann and if his temper tantrum and subsequent club throw on the par-4 6th late Thursday evening was worthy of a two-stroke penalty. It shifted to the crowds on Saturday and the lack of lines outside the ropes and then back to those same individuals on Sunday and whether they had crossed it as they prayed for Wyndham Clark's demise (no god answered).

It shifted to the wave advantage on Thursday where thanks to a two-hour delay due to fog in the morning, those out on the golf course late received a reprieve from the wind. Clark was one of those players, while Sam Burns was one who dealt with the brunt of it. Only one stroke separated the two by week's end.

Talk about margins.

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The topic continued to swirl much like the wind and it came to a poetic conclusion on Sunday when the first person encountered in the media center was none other than Andy North. Most know North these days for his role with ESPN as a golf analyst, but he reached that point because of his two U.S. Open titles -- his first in 1978 at none other than Cherry Hills, the William Flynn designed golf course Clark grew up at outside Denver, Colorado.

Both of North's wins were by one stroke. He won only one other tournament on the PGA Tour in his career.

It was a brief conversation about a myriad of subjects that ultimately settled on the weather. Classic small talk. We both lamented about the lack of wind in the forecast and how the golf course might play. We then went our separate ways. 

The discussion itself was not memorable but the interaction stayed with me. 

Only six men can claim they have won more U.S. Opens than North. He has as many as Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Lee Trevino and Clark, among others. He has made a successful second career on the back of those triumphs -- triumphs that both came via one stroke. 

The takeaway was simple. Margins that may seem small in the moment add up over time and while the focus this week was on the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, that same sentiment rings true any other week of the year for any other person out there.

Let's get into a number of other takeaways from a whirlwind week in New York.

Set up to perfection

USGA president Kevin Hammer and chief championship officer John Bodenhamer stood atop the hill above the 18th green. The putting surface was already surrounded as Clark crested up the final fairway with two putts standing between him and this second U.S. Open trophy.

They had just one last question for each other, "How do we get down there?"

While the USGA kicked the can down the road for the proposed golf ball rollback, they answered questions about the setup of Shinnecock Hills to perfection. A slow start that misinterpreted forecasted winds brought disdain from some fans who wanted carnage, but the organization threaded the needle with precision.

Good golf shots were rewarded, bad ones were punished. Questions were asked, and like on the par-4 10th, multiple answers proved to be the correct one. If there was an area to criticize it may have been the quality of the putting surfaces as comparisons to Chambers Bay were made before (!) the championship had even started, but all in all, it felt like a homerun.

Moral victories

Lost in a leaderboard that features Clark, Burns and Scottie Scheffler is the very same one that features Tom Kim, Keith Mitchell and J.T. Poston. All three of these players were not qualified for the U.S. Open until they played their way in. Kim and Mitchell went through final qualifying while Poston -- who was about to do the same -- won the Memorial Tournament at the 11th hour to earn his place in the field.

There is only one winner that history remembers in major championship, but players remember what a week can do for them. It could be physical, emotional or mental, especially for someone like Mitchell who opened with a 41 on Thursday, closed with a 29 and became the first player in championship history to shoot even par with rounds of 70-70-70-70.

"I wasn't short on myself after the start. I might have not won, but I felt like I achieved a lot more than potentially I thought I was going to after about two hours into the round," Mitchell said. "You can always look at winning a tournament, but I think I won the week after the start.

"I would say the confidence in my physical ability had always been there, but the last three days the confidence in my ability to perform has gone up a little bit," Mitchell continued. "Like I said, my best finish in a major by far, might be the best finish of the year, actually, and it's at this kind of place.

"I've never necessarily believed that I was…I don't know if it's good enough, but was able to accomplish something this big, and for me right now, a T4 is a win in my book."

Grand slam search

Scheffler was unable to mount the charge he envisioned on Sunday, but in his first attempt at the career grand slam he gave himself a chance with nine holes to go. We have spent all year analyzing why the world No. 1 isn't playing like the world No. 1 of the last two seasons, and for the first time this season, Scheffler opened up about it.

"It was good to be kind of back in the arena," Scheffler said. "I felt like at times this year I was, you know, on the outside looking in. I felt like I had given up too many shots early in the week. The positions I put myself in the last couple of years I was in the final group, in leads, holding leads after 54 holes, 36 holes.

"This year I haven't had many 36-hole leads. I haven't had any 54-hole leads. This week will be another example where you could chalk it up to the first round. I think maybe I lost by four shots or something like that. Wyndham went out late in the day on Thursday and shot 6-under to my 2-over in the morning. That's eight shots right there.

"At the end of the day, I don't know exactly what it is. I've been pretty good in first rounds over the last few years, and for some reason, the sharpness just hasn't been there early in tournaments. I haven't had those leads that I've needed in order to win tournaments. I've been playing catch-up all year. I guess that's maybe kind of the story, but albeit, this was another week where I feel like I'm continuing to improve."