SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Rory McIlroy has played a lot of golf in June. Nearly all of it was for fun.

He played at National, Friar’s Head and Garden City. Although that wasn’t exactly designed as preparation for the U.S. Open that begins Thursday at Shinnecock Hills, it can’t hurt as McIlroy seeks his second American title. He won it in 2011.

McIlroy said Wednesday that he played 18 out of 19 days, taking off Saturday to recharge his batteries.

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He played with friends from the area as he stayed on Long Island. His accommodations for the U.S. Open are close to Shinnecock Hills.

He says, ”it’s not a bad place to spend a couple of weeks in the summer.”

He was particularly impressed by Friar’s Head and National, both of which he’d never played. And perhaps picked up some tips on wind and grass conditions.

Outside the world's most prestigious golf clubs sits a mom-and-pop driving range. And it's quite the scene.

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On a day when all Americans are entitled to a free taco from Taco Bell thanks to a recent Golden State Warriors win, Arby's announced a similar promotion. Only it involves roast beef sandwiches and Andrew “Beef” Johnston winning this week's U.S. Open. Beef is a lovely bloke, but at 300-to-1 odds, we're not counting on cashing in.
RELATED: Our 13 top picks to win the 2018 U.S. Open
No matter how the affable Brit plays this week, though, he's already won the award for most interesting/aggressive towel at Shinnecock Hills:
FacebookPinterestWe're getting the meat sweats just looking at that thing.
Anyway, if Beef does pull off the unlikely win this week, Arby's will be handing out free bacon, beef n' cheddar sandwiches on July 4. May the best Beef man win.
RELATED: Bubba Watson is a burrito-wielding menace
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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Tiger Woods brought his yacht, Privacy, to a U.S. Open in New York and missed the cut for the first time in a major.

That was 12 years ago when the Open was at Winged Foot.

He can only hope for a different outcome at Shinnecock Hills.

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”Staying on the dinghy helps,” Woods said with a grin.

The 155-foot yacht is said to include a Jacuzzi, gym and movie theater. It doesn’t sound as though Woods has spent much time ashore except for being at Shinnecock Hills for his first U.S. Open in three years.

”Sag Harbor is a cute little town,” he said. ”I’ve only been there for a few days now. I haven’t really got a chance to walk about a little bit, but certainly will this week. So far, it’s been nice to kind of get away from the tournament scene and go there to my dinghy, and just really enjoy it.”

Woods at least has been able to avoid the traffic that has led to commutes of close to two hours from the official hotel depending on the time of..

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Daddy’s little girl is waiting. Patrick Reed would like to deliver her a nice present – on Father’s Day, no less.

”The biggest thing is try to get trophies,” Reed said Tuesday ahead of the U.S. Open. ”I keep on promising my daughter that I’m going to bring her home a trophy every time I leave the house.”

The last one Reed presented 4-year-old Windsor-Wells was from the Masters. That was only two months ago, his first major victory. Reed finished at 15-under par at Augusta National to beat Rickie Fowler by a stroke and Jordan Spieth by two.

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”To be able to come to the U.S. Open, especially after winning the last major, definitely gives me a little more confidence and gives me that self-belief as well as a comfort level that whatever comes down Sunday, if we have a chance to win the golf tournament, I’ve done it before,” Reed said.

Before this year, Reed’s best major finish was a tie for 12th in the 2016 British Open. He closed out l..

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Jordan Spieth considers himself lucky.

As hard as he made it look, winning the U.S. Open three years ago felt easy. He was two months removed from his victory at Augusta National. No matter what happened at Chambers Bay, he was the Masters champion for the rest of the year, and a major champion for life.

”House money,” he described that week.

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And then he won another major with a birdie-double bogey-birdie finish, helped by Dustin Johnson three-putting from 12 feet to lose by one. Spieth was 22 when he became the first player in 74 years – Craig Wood in 1941 – to win his first major and then add a second major in his next try.

It didn’t come that quickly for Tiger Woods, even after a 12-shot victory at the 1997 Masters in his first major as a pro. Woods played 10 more majors, half of them while overhauling his swing, before he won his next one.

Winning one major is great. Winning multiple majors commands a new level of respect.

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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Brooks Koepka scoffs when told this week’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills will be a far different challenge than the tournament he won last year at Erin Hills.

Koepka, who scored his first major in Wisconsin, sees little difference in this traditional layout at Southampton and the far newer Erin Hills.

”To be honest with you, I think they’re actually kind of similar,” Koepka said Tuesday after some practice work. ”The fairways are obviously not as wide, but I think the fairways out here are pretty generous. I feel like you’ve got the second shot, a couple of runoff areas around the greens where you’ve got the option to putt it if you want or you could chip it.

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”Erin Hills, it’s a second-shot golf course. That’s how I see it. I feel like you’ve got to position your iron play, put it in the right spots, put it below the hole, things like that. And if it keeps firming up the way it has over the last two days, it could be a little links..

Jack Nicklaus joins Joe Buck to discuss the 1986 US Open at Shinnecock Hills and preview the 2018 US Open.