3 Things to Know: 126th U.S. Open, Round 3

T he cut was made, third-round tee times are set, and the remaining field of 72 players – 67 professionals and five amateurs – can focus on making a run at the 126th U.S. Open title.

To do so, they will have to solve the riddle that is Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and maintain their poise on a course whose architectural features are designed to fluster. Friday, which began with a resumption of Round 1 at 6:35 a.m. followed by the entirety of Round 2, answered a number of questions. Chief among them: Would Wyndham Clark be able to sustain the momentum he built before his first round was halted due to darkness after 16 holes on Thursday? (An emphatic yes). Would the combination of lower humidity and typical East End winds combine to make Shinnecock Hills play firmer and faster than it did in Round 1? (Another yes). Would any of the big names who were lurking within striking distance of the lead improve their position? (Some yes, some no).

As we head into a day where the strongest winds of the week are blowing, here are three things to know for Round 3:

It's Still Anyone's Ball Game

Yes, Wyndham Clark is unquestionably in the driver’s seat. However, the path between going to sleep with the lead on Friday night and raising the trophy on Sunday evening is anything but straightforward.

In the history of modern U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills – removing the 1896 U.S. Open because the entire championship was 36 holes (in one day!) – the number of 36-hole leaders who went on to raise the trophy is exactly zero. That includes Dustin Johnson, who held the very same four-stroke lead in 2018 that Clark enjoys this year but ended up in third place behind champion Brooks Kopeka. Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama co-led at the halfway mark in 2004 but finished solo 2nd and T-4, respectively, behind Retief Goosen. Finally, there is Greg Norman, who held the 36-hole lead at Shinnecock Hills in both 1986 and 1995 but faded each time on the weekend. 

Hockey fans know the adage that a three-goal lead is the most dangerous to hold. The team with the lead might take their foot off the gas, while the team trailing is in desperation mode. Clark, who brazenly donned a Jack Hughes USA Olympic hockey jersey on the “Rink Hole” during last week’s RBC Canadian Open, surely knows this. It will be fascinating to see how he responds and whether he is able to continue the sterling play that has gotten him into this position.

Wind Machine

Saturday is shaping up to be perhaps the most challenging day of the championship so far in terms of the conditions. Low humidity, coupled with stronger sustained and gusty winds from the west and northwest, will likely result in firmer conditions as the day progresses. Holes that played downwind in previous rounds will play into the wind, requiring extra thought and consideration by the players and their caddies. 

The winds are forecasted to peak in the morning and up to roughly 3 p.m., before easing a bit later in the afternoon. This could lessen the chances of a player farther back in the pack posting a low score early, as often happens on Saturday at a major championship. If the forecast holds, the later starters could have an advantage and make it difficult for the chasers to close the gap.

Of course, U.S. Open pressure also ramps up when the weekend arrives. There is a different feel to a championship once more than half the field exits. The thoughts swirling in a contender’s head can be as intense as the wind buffeting Shinnecock Hills. 

Higgs Chooses Confidence

Harry Higgs, a 34-year-old journeyman pro from Dallas, is playing in just his second career U.S. Open this week. The fact that the player affectionally known as Big Rig is here – and in contention with a 36-hole total of 1-under-par 139 – was far from certain less than two weeks ago.

Playing in 36-hole U.S. Open Final Qualifying on June 8 in Gastonia, N.C., Higgs was struggling on his first nine holes and considered walking off the golf course, and perhaps even walking away from the game entirely. He was 0 for 6 in PGA Tour cuts in 2026 and things were looking bleak. Instead, he stuck with it and turned things around enough to shoot 64-66, good enough for first-alternate status. When five alternates from qualifying sites were added to the U.S. Open field on June 14, Higgs landed the fifth and final spot in the allotment, and he has made the most of the opportunity.

Higgs spoke after Friday's round about “choosing” to be confident. “I'm doing all the right things. I'm doing the stuff that I know has helped me play the best golf for as long as I've done this, so why not believe in myself, right? Why not think that I can do well at this?”

Why not, indeed.