SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The 2025 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club delivered a weekend of surprising results, dramatic upsets and historic firsts for the global golf community, as top-ranked stars and rising amateur talents turned in performances that will be remembered for years to come. Six-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the winner of this U.S. Open title 15 years ago, outlasted many of his fellow past major champions this week — but a series of inconsistent rounds kept him far from contention for a second win at the event.
Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and J.J. Spaun, all previous U.S. Open champions, failed to make the cut after struggling through the opening two rounds. McIlroy advanced to the weekend, but two consecutive rounds of 73 on Saturday and Sunday left him at 6 over par for the tournament, tying for 32nd place overall. Reflecting on his performance after the final round, McIlroy pointed to a collapse on the back nine of Saturday’s third round as the turning point that ended his title hopes. After climbing to 2 under par early in the round, “The wheels came off,” McIlroy said. “I sort of shot myself out of the tournament then.”
Looking ahead to the 2025 British Open in July, the 37-year-old Northern Irish star, who won the Claret Jug in 2014 and has finished close to a second victory multiple times in recent years, announced he will skip the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship scheduled next week in Hartford, Connecticut, to pursue a unique preparation plan. Instead of competing on the Tour’s regular course, McIlroy will head to the United Kingdom to play links golf in his home region ahead of the year’s third major. “It’s my favorite time of the year to go back home and play, play the Open, and I get to spend a bit of time back there,” he said. McIlroy also noted that the firm, fast playing conditions Shinnecock Hills presented over the weekend provided valuable preparation for links-style golf, adding, “This was not too dissimilar to an Open Championship in terms of how the golf course started to play over the weekend.”
Beyond McIlroy’s underwhelming finish, the tournament featured a breakthrough performance from 22-year-old South Korean star Tom Kim, who matched a historic national achievement at the event. Kim fired a 2-under final round of 70 to finish at 1 under par overall, securing third place. That result ties the best ever finish by a South Korean player at the U.S. Open, a mark previously set by Y.E. Yang, who tied for third at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. As a top-four finisher, Kim automatically locked in his qualification for the 2026 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and next year’s Masters Tournament, and the young qualifier called the week a transformative experience for his career. “For the first time, I was able to really taste a major championship right in front of my fingertips,” Kim said. “I can go back this whole week and just see how close I actually am.”
One of the most historic storylines of the weekend came from 21-year-old amateur standout Jackson Koivun, who capped off his amateur career with a record-breaking finish before turning pro. Koivun birdied his 18th hole to card a 2-under 68 on Sunday, making him the first amateur ever to break 70 in the final round of a U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills. He finished the tournament at 5 over par, tying Oklahoma amateur Ryder Cowan for low amateur honors — marking the first time the award has been shared at the U.S. Open since 2018.
Koivun, who led Auburn University to two national collegiate championships in three seasons, has one of the most decorated amateur careers in modern golf. He became the first freshman since Justin Thomas in 2012 to win the Haskins Award, given to the top men’s collegiate golfer in the U.S., and claimed the Southeastern Conference individual title all three of his college seasons, spending months as the world’s top-ranked amateur. Earlier this month, he announced he would skip his senior season, having already earned enough points through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program to secure his PGA Tour membership. He will make his professional debut at the upcoming John Deere Classic. After finishing his final round, Koivun said he was proud to end his amateur run on a high note. “Shinnecock was so much fun this weekend,” he said. “Just happy to walk away with a birdie on the last hole, but the golf course is so good, so much fun. A lot of thinking to do, and can definitely mentally wear you down. But just happy to be able to say I went out there and tried my hardest.”
Asked if he could now consider himself a professional after signing his final amateur scorecard, Koivun joked, “Not sure, but yeah, that’s a good way to go out. We’re on to the next leagues now.”
The tournament also delivered a heartwarming family storyline for English golf fans, as brothers Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick teed off within minutes of each other on Sunday. Both brothers carded final rounds of 73, with older brother Matt finishing 22nd at 4 over par, and Alex tying for 23rd at 5 over par alongside eight other competitors.