U.S. Open: FAQs & Tee Times

The 124th U.S. Open tees off at Pinehurst No. 2 with Wyndham Clark the defending champion – but can anyone stop world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler? Here’s our preview and tee times.

The U.S. Open is arguably the most brutal of the men’s four majors each year. The USGA, which run the tournament, usually set the course up difficult with fast-running greens – and this year’s edition will be no different.

A decade ago, when Pinehurst No. 2 hosted its third men’s U.S. Open, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s restoration of the original Donald Ross design proved to be exceptionally demanding. Martin Kaymer won that year by eight strokes with a long-putting masterclass. Only three players broke par that week.

In 2023, Wyndham Clark won this tournament by a single shot ahead of Rory McIlroy at Los Angeles Country Club, and a further two ahead of Scottie Scheffler. The American is back to defend his title and could become only the fourth player ever to successfully defend a U.S. Open title, joining Ben Hogan, Curtis Strange and Brooks Koepka. But Scheffler will be the man to beat.

When is the tournament being played?

June 13-16, 2024.

Where is it being held?

The No. 2 course at Pinehurst Golf and Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. It’s the fourth time the U.S. Open has been played here. Pinehurst is an ‘anchor’ host site with U.S. Opens in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 set to be played here.

Main contenders

The golf course will require mental fortitude as well as extremely accurate approach play. Aspects of the game which favour world number one Scottie Scheffler, who arrives off the back of winning the Memorial Tournament last week – his fifth title of the year.

Other players in contention include Xander Schauffele, who recently broke his major duck at Valhalla at the PGA Championship, and a resurgent Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa, who both pushed Scheffler close last week at the difficult Muirfield Village.

It’s now 13 years since Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open at Congressional and ten years since he won the last of his four majors – the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He has three wins this season and finished a solid 15th last week at the Memorial Tournament. He played in this event in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2, when he finished tied for 23rd. 2021 champion Jon Rahm will not be playing this week after pulling out with a foot injury.

LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau was champion in 2020 and has been in great form in the first two majors this season, finishing second to Xander Schauffele at the PGA and sixth at the Masters. Fellow LIV player Phil Mickelson, who turns 54 on Sunday, is still seeking a U.S. Open win to complete the career grand slam after six agonising runner-up finishes.

Is Tiger playing?

Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open in 2000, 2002 and 2008 and will be hoping for a 16th major victory. He returns to action for the first time since missing the cut at the PGA Championship last month. He was given a special exemption to play by the USGA, having failed to qualify automatically for the first time in his career.

The golf course

Pinehurst No. 2 is a par 70 measuring a long 7,458 yards. The ‘ultradwarf bermudagrass’ domed greens are extremely difficult, especially in dry and warm weather. If players don’t land their ball in the right spot it could easily roll off the surface. The run-offs can go for miles and can be fatal. Or players could end up three-putting. So golfers will have to be in command of their iron play.

The course is generous off the tee, though most of the rough is sandy waste areas with wiregrass, so a missed fairway can result in a terrible lie. But it’s mostly about approach play. Par this week might be considered a good score. Four times U.S. Open winner Jack Nicklaus said: “It’s the epitome of repelling golf. Donald Ross liked repelling golf, because everything there, if you miss it, off it goes.”

First round tee times

The feature group will be world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler and no. 2 Xander Schauffele grouped with world no. 3 Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds. Wyndham Clark begins his title defence alongside Open champion Brian Harman and U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap. Tiger Woods plays with Will Zalatoris and 2022 winner Matt Fitzpatrick.

Tee No. 1
6:45 a.m. Michael McGowan, Carter Jenkins, Logan McAllister
6:56 a.m. Frederik Kjettrup, Chris Petefish, Parker Bell
7:07 a.m. Omar Morales, Max Greyserman, Casey Jarvis
7:18 a.m. Corey Conners, Stephan Jaeger, Emiliano Grillo
7:29 a.m. Ryo Ishikawa, Francesco Molinari, Sergio Garcia
7:40 a.m. Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka
7:51 a.m. Rickie Fowler, Adam Hadwin, Phil Mickelson
8:02 a.m. Min Woo Lee, Sahith Theegala, Nicolai Højgaard
8:13 a.m. Si Woo Kim, Matthieu Pavon, Sungjae Im
8:24 a.m. Nico Echavarria, Robert Rock, Neal Shipley
8:35 a.m. Takumi Kanaya, Stewart Hagestad, Mac Meissner
8:46 a.m. Isaiah Salinda, Bryan Kim, Jim Herman
8:57 a.m. Carson Schaake, Charlie Reiter, Colin Prater
12:30 p.m. Jason Scrivener, Brandon Robinson Thompson, Brendan Valdes
12:41 p.m. Santiago de la Fuente, Sam Bairstow, Eugenio Chacarra
12:52 p.m. Kurt Kitayama, Taylor Moore, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
1:03 p.m. Jason Day, Harris English, Tom Kim
1:14 p.m. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler
1:25 p.m. Brian Harman, Nick Dunlap, Wyndham Clark
1:36 p.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth
1:47 p.m. Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer
1:58 p.m. Akshay Bhatia, Eric Cole, Erik van Rooyen
2:09 p.m. Brendon Todd, Taylor Pendrith, Alex Noren
2:20 p.m. Thomas Detry, Brian Campbell, Jackson Buchanan
2:31 p.m. Taisei Shimizu, Gunnar Broin, Maxwell Moldovan
2:42 p.m. Sung Kang, Riki Kawamoto, John Chin

Tee No. 10
6:45 a.m. Rico Hoey,Tom McKibbin, Matteo Manassero
6:56 a.m. Dean Burmester, Rikuya Hoshino, Séamus Power
7:07 a.m. S.H. Kim, Justin Lower, Tim Widing
7:18 a.m. Lucas Glover, Sam Burns, Cameron Smith
7:29 a.m. Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tiger Woods
7:40 a.m. Patrick Cantlay, Matt Kuchar, Russell Henley
7:51 a.m. Tony Finau, Ludvig Åberg, Dustin Johnson
8:02 a.m. Justin Rose, Gary Woodland, Webb Simpson
8:13 a.m. Daniel Berger, Ryan Fox, David Puig
8:24 a.m. Byeong Hun An, Sam Bennett, Edoardo Molinari
8:35 a.m. Austin Eckroat, Adrian Meronk, Cam Davis
8:46 a.m. Aaron Rai, Davis Thompson, Zac Blair
8:57 a.m. Willie Mack III, Richard Mansell, Ashton McCulloch
12:30 p.m. Greyson Sigg, Grant Forrest, Wells Williams
12:41 p.m. Chesson Hadley, Mark Hubbard, Adam Svensson
12:52 p.m. Beau Hossler, Victor Perez, Adam Schenk
1:03 p.m. Robert MacIntyre, Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes
1:14 p.m. Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Hoge
1:25 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa
1:36 p.m. Sepp Straka, Peter Malnati, J.T. Poston
1:47 p.m. Gordon Sargent, Jake Knapp, Cameron Young
1:58 p.m. Chris Kirk, Billy Horschel, Adam Scott
2:09 p.m. Ben Kohles, Denny McCarthy, Benjamin James
2:20 p.m. Frankie Capan III, Andrew Svoboda, Luke Clanton
2:31 p.m. Harry Higgs, Hiroshi Tai, Brandon Wu
2:42 p.m. Joey Vrzich, Chris Naegel, Otto Black

What will the weather be like?

Temperatures will be mostly hot and humid with just a small chance of rain and not a lot of wind. This will lead to very firm conditions particularly on the greens, making them even more difficult.

What is the format and how many players are in the field?

The U.S. Open is a four-round, 72-hole stroke-play championship. The 156-player field will be cut after Friday’s second round with the top 60 and ties playing Saturday and Sunday.

If players are tied after 72 holes, how is the winner determined?

The USGA sets a two-hole aggregate play-off. If still tied after two holes, players will compete in sudden death holes until a winner is crowned.

What does the winner get?

The winner lifts the U.S. Open Trophy, which does not have a particular name. Dating back to 1947, it’s 18 inches tall and made of pure sterling silver. While the trophy must be returned each year, the winner gets a gold medal to keep, known as the Jack Nicklaus Medal since 2012.

What’s the prize money?

The 2024 U.S. Open features a $20 million total purse, including $3.9 million going to the winner. Here’s a quick breakdown.

1 – $3.927m
2 – $2.16m3 – $1.7m
4 – $1.5m
5 – $1.16m
6 – $814k
7 – $608k
8 – $545k
9 – $481k
10 – $453k
60th and last place after cut: $42k

What other perks does the winner get?

The winner receives 100 world ranking points and 600 FedEx Cup points. Other benefits include a five-plus season exemption on the PGA Tour, a 10-year U.S. Open exemption, as well berths in the next five years of the other three majors

Who has won the most U.S. Opens?

Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus hold the record for most victories, each winning four.

What are the future U.S. Open venues?

2025: Oakmont Country Club
2026: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
2027: Pebble Beach Golf Links
2028: Winged Foot Golf Club