US Open: Scottie Scheffler on the verge of immortality

He has just one hurdle left to clear to enter the golfing pantheon and place his name alongside the greatest legends of all time. Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the PGA Tour rankings, comes into the U.S. Open, which begins Thursday, with one goal firmly set in his mind: to win the last major to complete the career Grand Slam.

At 29, Scheffler has already won the Masters (2022 and 2024), the PGA Championship (2025) and the British Open (2025). Now, the demanding Shinnecock Hills course will determine whether he is ready to achieve sporting immortality.

The best player of the moment has never hidden his desire.

"I’d love to win the U.S. Open. It’s a tournament I love. I love my country; I’d love to win it," he said in remarks reported by AFP. "I think winning the Grand Slam is something any golfer would dream of."

McIlroy, his main rival

A victory at the U.S. Open this Sunday would place Scheffler among the golfers who have completed the career Grand Slam. This group includes Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irish player, ranked No. 2 on the PGA Tour and winner of six majors, is Scheffler’s biggest rival at the U.S. Open. McIlroy completed the Grand Slam in 2025, the year he won the Masters in Augusta.

Aside from Scheffler and McIlroy, there are other players—some of whom have even won the U.S. Open—who have proven their worth. Among them are Spain’s Jon Rahm (champion in 2021); Americans Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young and Bryson DeChambeau (2020 and 2024), and defending champion J.J. Spaun (2025); as well as British player Matt Fitzpatrick (2022).