India, May 27 -- No Indian player has yet qualified for the 126th US Open, which will be played at the demanding Shinnecock Hills next month, but it will be the first major championship in the history of golf to feature five players of Indian heritage - reigning PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, Akshay Bhatia, Sahith Theegala, Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Manav Shah.

That's more than 3 per cent of the field of 156.

While Indian fans are aware of Rai, Bhatia, Theegala, and now the self-taught Canadian Yellamaraju, who has been exceptional over the past few months, Shah is the surprise packet.

On May 18, playing the final qualifier against a stacked field at Dallas Athletic Club, Shah shot rounds of 66 and 71 to finish fourth and ahead of ...