Two Stories of the Week at 2026 U.S. Open

Whatever happens with Clark and Scheffler on Sunday, let’s pause for a second and raise a glass in appreciation for two of the U.S. Open’s best stories this week: Harry Higgs and Zac Blair.

Neither Higgs nor Blair possesses the raw talent that McIlroy, Clark or Scheffler do. They would be the first to admit it. But that’s also part of what makes them so easy to root for. They’re funny, self-aware, and human. Both are fringe PGA Tour players. They’ve been bouncing back and forth between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour the last couple years, and have been honest about how thin the line is for them. They’ve been willing to open up and share the realities of being a fringe professional athlete on various platforms of new golf media, and it’s what makes them relatable.

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Neither hit the ball all that far, and neither have big sponsorship money to fall back on. If you ask them to make 25 birdies in a week, they’re probably not going to be able to do it on a PGA Tour setup. But put them on a course like Shinnecock and they can golf the hell out of their ball.

Higgs tumbled down the leaderboard on Saturday after making an 8 on the 14th hole. He started the day inside the top 10.

But Blair hung tough — despite being one of the shortest drivers in the field — with a 72. He and McIlroy have the same score, even though McIlroy ranks second in Driving Distance this week and Blair ranks 71st out of 72 players to make the cut. It’s been magic to watch him navigate such a tough course.