The third men’s major championship of the year sees the U.S. Open return to a Donald Ross North Carolina masterpiece, Pinehurst No. 2.
Brutal wiregrass awaits those who miss wildly with driver. Lightning-fast, crown-shaped putting surfaces make for a uniquely torturous test. The native areas at No. 2 have visibly matured in the decade since the world’s best convened here for back-to-back weeks at the 2014 U.S. Open and Women’s Open. Maybe the only star guaranteed to outshine Scottie Scheffler this week is the golf course.
Here are the top numbers and notes to know ahead of the 1,000th USGA championship ever played – the 2024 United States Open.
1. This is the fourth U.S. Open contested at Pinehurst No. 2, and the second since an extensive restoration by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw took place early last decade. In 2014, Martin Kaymer spent the first two rounds in a full sprint ahead of the field, setting the Open’s 36-hole record for scoring (130) and tying the largest ever second-round lead (6 shots). While Kaymer won by eight, 10 players finished the week between 1-under and 2-over, including Rickie Fowler (T2), Brooks Koepka (T4), Dustin Johnson (T4), Jason Day (T4), Henrik Stenson (T4) and Adam Scott (T9).
While fairways are accessible (the field hit them 70 percent…
