The U.S. Open has a way of making fools out of the favorites.. The last four champions arrived as afterthoughts and left as legends. J.J. Spaun birdied his final two holes to win his first major last year at Oakmont. Now the championship moves to Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York. It’s the first time it’s back there since 2018, when Brooks Koepka was the last man standing on a course that made the rest of the field look lost.. Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. This year, the field is in chaos.. The world No. 1 is chasing a career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday, the back-to-back Masters champion cannot find his swing and the hottest player on the PGA Tour is a 26-year-old that nobody is really talking about.. Somebody unexpected usually wins this thing, and nothing about the field suggests this week will end that streak.. Here are some of the golfers riding a hot streak heading into the 2026 U.S. Open – and the ones looking to find a spark.. Aberg has been the best player on Tour all spring, but nobody is really talking about him. He has six top-10 finishes in seven starts, he is second on the Tour in total strokes gained and considered exceptional off the tee. Aberg is just 26 years old and has never won a major. That looks like it’s going to change sooner than later.. Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. Shinnecock’s wide fairways and ball-striking premium were built for the way he plays.. He has been here before and he knows how to win this specific tournament. The 2022 U.S. Open champion also has some momentum. He has three wins in 2026 through 12 starts, including back-to-back victories at the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic. His iron play has taken a genuine step forward this year and Shinnecock will demand it from the first tee to the last hole.. He is not a name that is getting mentioned enough entering this week.. He shot the course-record 63 at Shinnecock in 2018 and still did not win because Koepka was immovable. That round has followed him ever since, the best score in the history of this course and he had nothing to show for it. He has some momentum now. He has two quality finishes in his past three starts, including a top four at the Memorial, and his game is trending in the right direction at the right time.. 1 / 4. Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy after winning the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.. (Anna Carrington, Imagn Images). Nobody manages a major championship week better, and nobody has more riding on this one. He has four top-seven finishes in his past five U.S. Opens and yet he has never won this major. The approach play and putting he showed at Memorial last week will not cut it at Shinnecock, so he needs to be sharper. But he gets a shot at the career Grand Slam on Sunday, his 30th birthday.. Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. That is either the greatest motivation or an enormous amount of pressure.. He won back-to-back Masters and has played just two tournaments since he claimed his latest title. A driver issue cost him at the PGA Championship. He did not look major championship ready. He also missed the cut at Shinnecock the last time it hosted the U.S. Open in 2018. None of that will matter if his driver and putter show up this weekend.. When they do, nobody beats him. The question entering Thursday is whether this is finally that week.. 1 / 6. Nick Faldo raises his hands in victory after sinking his putt on the 18th green at the Augusta National Golf Course during the 1989 Masters.. (Eric Olig, The Augusta Chronicle via USA TODAY NETWORK). He won two majors in 2024 and has just one win since. He won the Baycurrent Classic in October 2025 The form that made him a must-pick at every major just two years ago has quietly gone missing. He is still dangerously talented, but he is not the same player who was unbeatable two summers ago.. Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. He is a two-time U.S. Open champion and a betting favorite entering the tournament. He won this tournament at Winged Foot in 2020 and Pinehurst in 2024. In those tournaments, you saw the version of him that is unbeatable in this format. The problem is that he missed the cut at the PGA Championship last month and has not strung together the kind of sustained play that wins U.S. Opens.. The odds say one thing, but the results suggest another.. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 US Open winners and losers entering Shinnecock Hills