Justin Rose has discussed the playing conditions at Shinnecock Hills immediately after his final round at the 2026 US Open.
The golf course lived up to expectations by challenging the world’s best players throughout the week.
Almost every player finished over par, as the thick rough, tricky bunkers, undulating greens, and strong winds all played a part.
Rose has now explained whether the playing conditions in the final round at Shinnecock Hills provided a fair test for the US Open field.
What Justin Rose said about conditions at Shinnecock Hills
The winds were so strong in the first three days of the US Open that the USGA had to make the greens slower than usual.
A combination of windy conditions and fast greens would have made the golf course almost unplayable, even by US Open standards.
However, the wind died down in the final round, meaning the greens at Shinnecock Hills could return to their normal speeds.
Rose even described the playing conditions as “perfect”, as low scores were available to those who played well.
“I think Mother Nature added a whole different dimension this week. It’s a coastal golf course, so you do expect wind. I think the members wanted wind here,” Rose reflected.
“I just don’t think when you get 20, 25 and 30 mph gusts… I think that is when they were a bit freaked out and backed the golf course off, as we saw the first couple of days, where it was soft and slow.
“I think as the weekend went on, it was playing more as I have seen in the past, and normally when I come here, actually. Whenever you play Shinnecock, it’s in great shape and firm and fast.
“But today I think this course does change hour by hour, so the leaders will have more of a tough time, but it was still playable. There was still enough moisture in the ground; you could still be aggressive with your iron shots.
“There was a nice breeze to play with. I thought it was the perfect round of golf today, with the conditions, and if you played well, there was a score out there.”
Sam Burns was an excellent example of solid golf being rewarded at Shinnecock Hills, carding a three-under-par 67 on Sunday.
Rose also capitalised on the more lenient conditions with an impressive round of 68 (-2) to improve his overall score to +2.
The Englishman narrowly missed out on another top-10 finish at a major championship, but it was certainly a strong performance.
Rose will be looking forward to returning to England for the final major of the season at theOpen Championship next month.
The 45-year-old will be among the favourites to win the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale, and he would be an incredibly popular champion.
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