The U.S. Open Returns to Shinnecock Hills
Every June, the U.S. Open brings together the world's best golfers for one of the game's four major championships.
First played in 1895, the tournament has become a fixture of the American sporting calendar and the national championship of golf in the United States.
The first U.S. Open took place at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, with just eleven competitors, ten professionals and one amateur. The winner, Horace Rawlins, earned a gold medal, $150 in prize money, and a trophy for his club.
As golf grew across America during the early twentieth century, so did the championship. New courses appeared across the country, public golf expanded access to the game, and legendary players such as Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods helped elevate the tournament into one of the sport's most celebrated events.
Shinnecock Hills and the Hamptons
This year, the championship returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.
Founded in 1891, Shinnecock is one of the oldest golf clubs in the United States and one of the five founding clubs of the USGA. Often regarded as America's earliest links-style course, it has been shaped by some of golf architecture's most influential figures, including C.B. Macdonald and William S. Flynn, whose routing remains largely intact today.
The course's open fairways, rolling terrain, and natural dunes have made it one of the most respected venues in championship golf. A restoration led by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw helped return many of its historic features ahead of the 2018 U.S. Open, won by Brooks Koepka.
The 2026 championship marks the sixth U.S. Open contested at Shinnecock Hills, with another already scheduled for 2036.
Located in the Hamptons on the eastern end of Long Island, Southampton has long been synonymous with summer on the East Coast. Beaches, sailing, tennis, golf, and generations of family traditions have helped shape the area's enduring appeal. For one week in June, however, attention turns to the fairways of Shinnecock Hills.
The Style of the East Coast Summer
The Hamptons have long been associated with a distinctly East Coast approach to dressing, one rooted in classic American sportswear rather than passing trends.
Linen shirts, tailored shorts, lightweight knitwear, woven belts, and well-worn loafers have become as much a part of the landscape as the golf courses and beaches themselves. Influenced by country clubs, sailing culture, tennis, and golf, the style is built around versatile pieces that feel just as appropriate on the course as they do at dinner by the water.
That same philosophy informs the way we design at Williams Athletic Club. We believe in building wardrobes, not chasing trends. Pieces that can be worn season after season, whether you're teeing it up on a summer morning, spending an afternoon in Southampton, or gathering with friends as the sun goes down.
Much like the U.S. Open itself, great style endures because it stands the test of time.
