Background: The 126th US Open heads to Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, the last time it was held there was 2018, when Brooks Koepka won and not a single player finished under par for the week. Shinnecock doesn't do favours. It punishes anyone who tries to overpower it.

What happened: Scottie Scheffler enters the week needing a win to complete the career Grand Slam, with Rory McIlroy winning the Masters and Aaron Rai taking the PGA Championship as the year's first two majors. It's setting up perfectly for Scheffler to close out the Grand Slam quest on his 30th birthday, which falls on Sunday. Almost too perfectly. Matt Fitzpatrick is the only golfer on tour with three victories this season and is the only player in the field to have already won this exact tournament back in 2022.

What else: Cameron Young is the play everyone's quietly backing a three-time winner this year, priced at three to four times higher than the three favourites, despite playing just as well, if not better. Russell Henley just won the Charles Schwab Challenge, has finished top 14 in four of the last five US Opens, and leads the tour in driving accuracy at 71.9% exactly the skill Shinnecock rewards most. Shinnecock asks for patience, elite ball-striking, creativity in the wind, and the emotional maturity to accept a bogey without chasing it with another one.

What's the key learning?