The best golfers on the planet will be heading to Shinnecock Hills next week for the US Open, and it has proven a challenge for many players.

The last time the tournament was in Long Island was in 2018, and it was Brooks Koepka who picked up the title in difficult circumstances that year, with strong winds and rough penal meaning he only finished one-over-par.

Rory McIlroy has already predicted that this year’s winner will be under par, but how would an average golfer get on at the infamous Long Island course?

Amateur Takes to Shinnecock Ahead of US Open

Bobby Fairways is a golf YouTuber for Bob Does Sports, and was down at Shinnecock Hills two weeks before the tournament gets underway, playing off a handicap of 10.

He played alongside Fat Perez and Joey Cold Cuts in gusts of up to 30 miles per hour to understand the difficulty of the course. The three of them were playing from the forward tees, a full 1,300 yards shorter than the full length that the professional golfers will be playing next week.

The results varied for the trio. Bobby Fairways scored a round of 99 across the par-70 layout, making two triple bogys, 10 double bogeys, three bogeys, and just three pars.

Fat Perez, meanwhile, who is an 11.2 handicap, scored much better with a 75, while Joey Cold Cuts went round in 83.

While Joey was the only golfer to shoot a birdie, doing so on holes 6 and 9, Perez was more consistent, shooting just five bogeys in total.

The slope rating of the course was 135. Being a 10-handicap player, Bobby would have received 13 strokes from the blue tees. From the tips, you would get 18 shots.

Though the handicap can be forgiving, the conditions faced are incredibly difficult if the wind does not work in your favour. So, while 99 looks terrible on paper, getting that on a windy day at Shinnecock is nothing to sneer at.

US Open 2026

Scottie Scheffler goes into the tournament as the favourite. He leads the PGA Tour in approach-shot strokes gained from 150 to 175 yards, the most important distance band at Shinnecock Hills if you compare it to 2018’s edition of the US Open.

The one element of the tournament that could best him, however, is the pressure. Scheffler is looking to complete the career Grand Slam and the knowledge that a difficult course is standing in between him and the history books might prove too much mentally.

The US Open kicks off on the 18th of June and runs through to the 21st.

With the World Cup taking centre stage for the next five weeks, Premier League clubs are continuing their preparations for the 2026/27 campaign.

Aston Villa are no exception, as they look to continue their progress under Unai Emery. The Villa Park outfit lifted the Europa League last campaign and finished fourth in the table.

Winning a major trophy and qualifying for the Champions League puts Villa in a much stronger financial position as they aim to build a squad that can compete with Europe’s elite clubs.

However, there are poised to be exits as Villa still require some sales to balance the books and keep themselves on the right side of the Premier League and UEFA’s financial rules.

Emi Martinez agrees personal terms with Juventus

One player who could leave this summer is goalkeeper Emi Martinez. The 33-year-old is part of Argentina’s World Cup squad as they seek to defend their crown after winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

According to Corriere Dello Sport in Italy, Martinez has already reached a general agreement on a three-year contract with Serie A giants Juventus.

The Italian club had been interested in signing Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker but the Anfield club were resistant to losing the Brazilian this summer.

Juve have now turned their attention to Martinez, with Villa asking for £8.5million plus add-ons for the transfer to go ahead. However, the Old Lady are keen to reduce the asking price before proceeding with the deal.

Martinez is under contract at Villa until 2029, having penned a new five-year deal back in 2024.

Aston Villa should hold firm on Emi Martinez price

Rodrigo Valle via Reuters

He came close to leaving the club last summer as Manchester United weighed up a move before signing Senne Lammens.

Martinez retained his number one spot under Emery and went on to make 44 appearances in all competitions.

It was previously reported that Villa are open to selling the goalkeeper due to his £230,000-a-week wages.

However, Villa should resist any attempts from Juve to lower the £8.5million fee and the add-ons in the deal should be achievable ones.

Martinez is not getting any younger but, like many goalkeepers, he can still play at a high level for several more years. With Villa needing to sanction some sales, selling a regular starter for such a low transfer fee would be a mistake.

The Argentine still has several years to run on his contract and there will likely be more interest in the player if Villa are open to selling. A replacement is also likely to prove costly too, so Villa should be in no rush to push a deal through.

Everton remain in talks for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and are prepared to pay around £20m, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Toffees have already seen two bids rejected as Middlesbrough hold out for £25million for their highly-rated midfielder.

Although Everton are considered frontrunners, Crystal Palace are expected to make an offer in the coming days as they try and persuade the 23-year-old to join the Selhurst Park club instead.

Two other teams are also interested in signing Hackney this summer

Tottenham and Manchester United also have Hackney on their radar, but neither have yet decided to make their move as they prioritise other targets. Both clubs could go head-to-head for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who is also appreciated by Liverpool and has other English clubs starting to make initial enquiries as well.

GMS understands that Hackney is currently prioritising Everton, but Crystal Palace can also offer him game time and his pathway to regular starts will be made easier if one or both of Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada depart.

Middlesbrough wish to keep Hackney, but that has been complicated by their failure to win promotion to the Premier League. The 23-year-old started 38 of Boro’s 46 Championship games this season, missing the last eight of the campaign and all but 20 minutes of the play-off final, due to injury.

Everton open talks over new deal for star man

Former Man Utd and Leeds midfielder Godon Strachan said of Hackney: “He’s been absolutely brilliant. He takes your breath away when you watch him and he’s matured in his play. People will ask if he’s for sale and really, everyone is for sale.”

Elsewhere, Everton are in talks with Iliman Ndiaye over a new deal. The France-born Senegal international is already contracted until 2029, but the club wants to offer improved terms.

There has been no breakthrough as of now, but Everton are still in talks and hoping to fend off interest from growing interest, including from Manchester United.

Ndiaye, who has been described as ‘one of the most exciting attackers in the Premier League’, enjoyed a fine season with the Toffees in the most recent campaign, registering six goals and three assists as they finished in mid-table. It has previously been reported that Old Trafford would be his ‘dream move’.