Generation game, birthday boys, home from home and a Scottish Open sit out - Martin Dempster's US Open diary

Age just a number for generational talents

There’s a 34-year gap between the youngest and oldest players in this week’s US Open field.

At 17, American Miles Russell is the youngest competitor, having secured his spot through one of the Final Qualifiers last week with Charlie Woods, Tiger’s son, caddying for him.

As for the oldest player, that honour goes to 54-year-old Padraig Harrington, who is exempt as the reigning US Senior Open champion after capturing his second senior major title last summer.

The Irishman, who recorded his best finish with a T4 in 2012, made his debut in the USGA event in 1997 - 11 years before Russell was born.

The average age of the players in the 156-strong field is 30.1 years old.

Will Scottie Scheffler get ideal birthday gift?

Three players in this week’s field will celebrate birthdays during the tournament - and it could be a special one for Scottie Scheffler.

The world No 1 turns 30 on Sunday and it will be a double celebration if Scheffler lifts the trophy to complete a career grand slam.

This is his first crack at it after adding The Open last summer at Royal Portrush to his brace of Masters wins and a PGA Championship crown.

The other birthday boys at Shinnecock Hills are American Jake Peacock, who turns 23 on Saturday, and Korean Tom Kim, who shares the same birthday as Scheffler and will be 24 on Sunday.

Home from home at Saint Andrew’s

Shinnecock Hills is one of the USGA’s founding clubs, with another of the five being The Saint Andrew’s Golf Club.

Located in Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County in New York, it was founded in 1888 by Dunfermline man John Reid and is the oldest golf club in the US.

The club crest features a Saltire and it had some Scottish visitors last week through a reciprocal arrangement with Royal Burgess Golfing Society in Edinburgh.

Fraser Pollock and Nick Penny, who were over in New York with their sons to catch some World Cup action, took the opportunity to have a hit there and said they’d enjoyed it despite it being a tad on the hot side!

Former winner opts to skip Genesis Scottish Open

Justin Rose, the 2014 winner, will not be in the star-studded field for next month’s Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

It is believed that the Englishman is skipping the Rolex Series event on this occasion to concentrate on his preparation for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale the following week.

It won’t be a decision that Rose, the current world No 7 who finished sixth behind Chris Gotterup at The Renaissance Club last summer, has taken lightly, having been a regular in the event since making his debut at Loch Lomond in 1998.

The following week, of course, he finished fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in The Open at Royal Birkdale before turning professional straight afterwards only to then miss 21 cuts in a row on the DP World Tour.