Cover Star Cameron Young Returns to Shinnecock Hills for a Landmark U.S. Open

WHEN THE 126TH U.S. Open arrives at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton this June, the championship will bring with it the full theater of Hamptons summer: the sea air, the gallery hum, the sense of occasion that turns golf into something close to civic ritual. The 2026 U.S. Open will be contested June 18 to 21 at Shinnecock Hills, marking the sixth time the historic Southampton course has hosted the championship. For Cameron Young, though, the week carries an added resonance. It is not merely another stop on golf’s grandest stage; it is a return to the terrain where the game first entered his life.

“It’s a full-circle perspective for sure,” Young says. “New York will always be a special place for me, and I’m excited for any opportunity, let alone a U.S. Open, to come back and compete near where I grew up.”

“I TRY TO EMBRACE THE ENERGY AND ROWDINESS AROUND US, WHILE NOT ALLOWING MYSELF TO GET TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW.” –CAMERON YOUNG

Young’s story has always had a certain New York cadence. The son of a golf professional, he was raised with an insider’s view of the sport—its discipline, its etiquette, its obsessive attention to detail. His father’s years at Sleepy Hollow Country Club left a lasting imprint. “I was able to learn a lot from my dad during his time at Sleepy Hollow Country Club,” Young says. “He worked incredibly hard, treated people with respect and paid close attention to the details.”

Those lessons feel particularly apt at Shinnecock, a course where details become destiny. Young describes it simply but reverently: “Shinnecock is a tremendous design and a golf course I enjoy playing regardless of the circumstance. When you throw in the challenge of a U.S. Open, it’ll be a really good test of golf to find out who the best player is that week.”

That test comes wrapped in the singular energy of the East End. The Hamptons in June have their own rhythm: polished yet unpredictable, rarefied yet rowdy when the stakes rise. For Young, the region’s golf identity is inseparable from its landscape. “The Hamptons area has many great golf courses, which adds to the long list of strong golf throughout the Northeast,” he says. “For me, the enjoyment piece is always the summertime weather and the golf piece is the type of grass we get to play on.”

“NEW YORK WILL ALWAYS BE A SPECIAL PLACE FOR ME, AND I’M EXCITED FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY, LET ALONE A U.S. OPEN, TO COME BACK AND COMPETE NEAR WHERE I GREW UP.” –CAMERON YOUNG

Still, Shinnecock is not merely beautiful; it has character. “This course certainly does have its personality, which players usually enjoy and can feel when they step foot on property,” Young says. His own approach, however, is deliberately steady. “When it comes to tournament golf, I try to maintain the same level of focus and preparation each week. The mindset will be consistent: Focus on each shot at hand.”

That composure will matter when the crowds swell and Southampton becomes the center of the golf universe. “The buzz in the Hamptons will be very, very evident throughout the week: the area, the fans, the energy, the loud environment,” Young says. “When it comes to being inside the ropes, I try to embrace the energy and rowdiness around us, while not allowing myself to get too high or too low.”

Off the course, Young’s grounding force is family. “Family is very important to me,” he says. “Having my dad on the road as both my friend and my instructor is really enjoyable and rewarding. And having my wife and children to come home to every night makes it easier to separate from the demands of professional golf and traveling each week.” That foundation gives this return an emotional undertow. “New York will always have a more special and sentimental meaning to me than any other place in the world,” he says. “It brings back lots of great childhood memories, both on and off the course.”

There is style here, too, as there always is in the Hamptons. Young’s long-standing relationship with Peter Millar has suited his polished, understated presence. “Peter Millar has been a pivotal partner for me, and they have been there to support me since I turned professional in 2019,” he says. “The quality of the apparel, the brand recognition and the people behind the curtain are the difference-makers.” His current on-course favorite? “The Excursionist Flex polo—awesome material and breathability.” Off-duty, he adds, he has “enjoyed sporting the Peter Millar bomber jackets during the colder months.”

At Shinnecock, though, the wardrobe becomes secondary to the walk itself. For Young, the week will be a collision of memory and ambition, hometown sentiment and major-championship steel. The setting may be grand, the galleries loud and the Hamptons energy unmistakable, but the mission remains elemental: one shot at a time, on a course built to reveal exactly who is ready.