US Open 2026: How Many Golfers Attempted To Make The Field?

The silhouette of a golfer hits a drive with the sun overhead, and the US Open trophy sits top left — (Image credit: Getty Images)

The US Open, famously, is the most accessible of all four men's Major championships and regularly welcomes the highest number of entries each year.

From recent former winners to humble amateurs with a dream and handicap index of no worse than +0.4, the final tee sheet of 156 golfers begins as a much higher number.

There are 25 different exemption categories plus local and final qualifying to sort who makes it in, where stories like Orville Moody winning the 1969 US Open after coming through two stages of qualifying and Michael Campbell progressing through Walton Heath in 2005 before winning at Pinehurst can happen.

And it's through qualifying that most of the accepted entries begin their journey. There are 109 18-hole local qualifiers in the months before the US Open, with around 1,000 players then battling it out over 36 holes in final qualifying on Golf's Longest Day.

Talking about the qualification process, USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer said earlier this year: “The US Open’s two-stage qualifying process provides thousands of professional and amateur golfers worldwide an opportunity to earn their spot in the field.

"There continues to be tremendous interest in competing in our national championship as we nearly set another record with entries.”

Over 10,000 golfers entered the 2026 US Open

The 2026 US Open was, remarkably, just one entry away from equalling last year's record.

This time around, 10,201 players - which includes reigning champion JJ Spaun and each of the world's top-50 as of mid-April - submitted their names in a bid to play Shinnecock Hills.

It was the fifth time in US Open history that the number of entries exceeded 10,000, with at least one person applying from each of the 50 states in America. Almost 400 entries were received from the home state of New York.

In addition, players from 49 foreign countries provided an application alongside golfers from Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the United States Armed Forces.

The ages of entrants ranged from 13 to 71 years old, with the first person to apply being Jonathan Kaplan - an amateur from Powell, Ohio on February 18.

Almost two months later, Clark Van Gaalen from Turlock, California submitted his entry just 61 seconds before the deadline.

With the 156-player field now finalized, it's time to see who emerges as the last man standing at Shinnecock Hills.

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time.