Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, sleeper contenders and more top storylines - ESPN

Eight years after Brooks Koepka conquered Shinnecock Hills during a week when no player finished under par, the U.S. Open returns to one of the toughest venues in the sport.

With its relentless wind and exposed greens, Shinnecock is once again set up to give the best players in the world fits as it tests every part of their game, especially their mental approach. Whoever stands atop the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon will have gone through one of the most formidable gauntlets in golf.

Here are five storylines ahead of the year's third major championship.

Schlabach: Sure, Scheffler has won only once on tour this season, and that victory came in his first start of the season in the American Express on Jan. 25. But he has been awfully close to winning on multiple occasions since, finishing second three times and third twice. He has finished in the top 25 in each of his 12 starts.

Scheffler still leads the tour in strokes gained: total (2.162) and tee to green (1.696) and is third around the green (.535) and fourth off the tee (.657). Obviously, he's still playing very good golf. Even his putting, which has been his Achilles' heel in the past, has been solid. He ranks 19th in strokes gained: putting (.466).

But here's the difference between this season and the previous four, in which he picked up 19 victories and four major championships: According to stats guru Justin Ray, Scheffler has hit 21.2% on his approach shots from the fairway on par-4s and par-5s inside 15 feet or less this season. From 2022 to 2025, he hit 32.5% of those shots inside 15 feet.

It's a razor's edge between winning and finishing in the top five. Given Scheffler's success in majors and his magical hands around greens, I'd be shocked if he's not a