The First Look: U.S. Open

Jon Rahm looks to defend his maiden major championship title as the U.S. Open heads from the West Coast to the East Coast for 2022.

This year’s U.S. Open will be contested at The Country Club at Brookline, a return to the Boston-area course for the U.S. Open for the first time since 1988.

FIELD NOTES: FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler looks to become just the sixth golfer in history to win both the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same season. The world No.1 has won four times already this season including the Green Jacket… Justin Thomas looks to win back-to-back majors after capturing the Wanamaker Trophy in May. Thomas is looking to join five other golfers as winners of the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in the same season… Jon Rahm returns to defend his U.S. Open title from a year ago. Only two golfers in the last 50 years have gone back-to-back at the U.S. Open… Rory McIlroy hopes to capture his first major championship since 2014. In that timeframe he’s had 15 top-10 finishes in majors… There was plenty of intrigue, drama, and suspense on the “Longest Day in Golf” last Monday, with qualifiers happening across North America. Here’s a deeper look at who got through… Tiger Woods will not tee it up as he continues to rehab his body. He returned to action after a 14-month recovery to make the cut in the Masters. He found the weekend at the PGA Championship but ultimately withdrew after the third round.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 600 FedExCup points.

COURSE: The Country Club at Brookline, par 70, 7,264 yards. One of the five charter clubs founding the United States Golf Association, 2022 marks the fourth U.S. Open hosted by the storied Massachusetts venue (the first being the 1913 edition, won in miraculous fashion by Francis Ouimet). The last time a USGA championship was played at The Country Club, Matt Fitzpatrick won the 2013 U.S. Amateur. Golfers who played the Ryder Cup in 1999 at The Country Club or even Fitzpatrick and other 2013 U.S. Amateur participants will see a very different Brookline. There’s a new sequencing of holes vs. the previous championships. The par-3 11th hasn’t been used in a major since 1913. Gil Hanse came in 2020 to put together a restoration effort at The Country Club, which was last beefed up to prepare for the 1988 U.S. Open. Hanse’s work returns The Country Club to the look and feel of the course Ouimet won on.

Curtis Strange won the last U.S. Open contested at The Country Club (1988). He won in a playoff over Nick Faldo.

STORYLINES: Matt Fitzpatrick is looking for his first major championship title – and first win in North America – as he returns to the site of his biggest amateur triumph nine years ago… Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Brandon Matthews, who's fifth on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List, are in the U.S. Open field after making the quarterfinals of the 2013 U.S. Amateur … Brooks Koepka is looking to join Tiger Woods and Hale Irwin as three-time winners of the U.S. Open… The U.S. Open has not needed a playoff to determine a winner since 2008, the longest such stretch of the majors. But each of the last three U.S. Open championships played at The Country Club have needed extra holes… Players in their 20s have won five of the last six majors… Will this be the week of a major breakthrough for Sam Burns, Cameron Smith, or Patrick Cantlay? All ranked inside the top five of the FedExCup standings, each member of the trio is looking for his first major championship… Golfers to win a major in three straight years include Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson. Collin Morikawa hopes to join that heady company with a win at The Country Club.

72-HOLE RECORD: 268, Rory McIlroy (2011 at Congressional CC).

18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Johnny Miller (4th round, 1973 at Oakmont), Tom Weiskopf (1st round, 1980 at Baltusrol), Jack Nicklaus (1st round, 1980 at Baltusrol), Vijay Singh (2nd round, 2003 at Olympia Fields), Justin Thomas (3rd round, 2017 at Erin Hills), Tommy Fleetwood (4th round, 2018 at Shinnecock Hills).

LAST TIME: To win a major things just have to go your way – and they certainly did last season at the U.S. Open for Jon Rahm. That’s not to take anything away from Rahm – who birdied his final two holes Sunday to become the first person since Tom Watson in 1982 to win the U.S. Open with birdies on his final two holes – but he had a little help along the way as past winners and other major champions fell victim to Torrey Pines’ tough back nine. Rahm stayed steady, however, and topped Louis Oosthuizen by one shot after the South African bogeyed the 71st hole. This was Rahm’s first major championship and it came just two weeks after he had to withdraw with a six-shot lead at the Memorial. Rahm’s 4-under 67 on Sunday was tied for the low round of the day. Harris English finished third while Guido Migliozzi, Brooks Koepka, and Collin Morikawa finished tied for fourth.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Television: Thursday, 6:45 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET (Peacock), 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (USA), 2 p.m.-5 p.m. (NBC), 5 p.m.-7 p.m. (USA), 7 p.m.-8 p.m. (Peacock). Friday, 6:45 a.m.-9:30 a.m. (Peacock), 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (USA), 4 p.m.-7 p.m. (NBC), 7 p.m.-8 p.m. (Peacock). Saturday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (Peacock), 12 p.m.-8 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 9 a.m.-10 a.m. (Peacock), 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (USA), 12 p.m.-7 p.m. (NBC),

Radio: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (SiriusXM 92/U.S. Open radio)

Digital Bonus: Thursday-Friday, 7:25 a.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Groups), 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Holes – 11, 12, 13). Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes), 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Groups). Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes), 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups).

For more live streaming information,click here for the official USGA Viewing Schedule.

NOTE: The USGA, who owns and operates the U.S. Open, controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. For more information on how to watch this week, please visit the U.S. Open’s website. PGA TOUR LIVE coverage will resume on Thursday, June 24 at the Travelers Championship.