Scottie Scheffler looks on towards the No. 12 green while he awaits to take his second shot during the 125th U.S. Open practice round on June 11, 2025 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. OAKMONT, Pa. — The main character at the 125th U.S. Open isn’t one of the players, but the course itself.
When the likes of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Bryson DeChambeau call it, to some extent, the hardest course they’ll ever play, people sit up and pay attention.
Oakmont Country Club will test the patience of the best professionals and amateurs in golf when it hosts its record-extending 10th U.S. Open, beginning Thursday.
“It’s not like every single hole is Winged Foot out here,” said DeChambeau, who won his first U.S. Open there in 2020 before outlasting Rory McIlroy last year at Pinehurst No. 2. “You can’t just bomb it on every single hole and blast over bunkers and have a wedge run up to the front of the green.
“I think with this golf course you have to be just a fraction more strategic, especially with the rough being so long. I’m going to be as fearless as I can possibly be out there, I know that.”
Coming off a win at LIV Golf Korea and a top-five finish at LIV Golf Virginia, DeChambeau is in fine form. So is Scheffler, winner of the PGA Championship and the Memorial Tournament.
Even the best golfer in the world cringes a bit thinking about the rough at Oakmont, grown past five inches in length.
“When you miss the green at the Masters, the ball runs away and it goes into these areas, and you can play a bump, you can play a flop. There’s different options,” Scheffler said. “Here, when you hit the ball over the green, you just get in some heavy rough, and it’s like, ‘Let me see how I can pop the ball out of this rough and somehow give myself a look.'”
USGA commissioner Mike Whan said Wednesday that 1,385 golfers have played a major at Oakmont, and a grand total of 27 finished under par.
That includes Dustin Johnson, the most recent winner here when he shot 4 under in 2016. Three players tied for second at 1 under. Other champions at Oakmont include Ernie Els of South Africa, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan.
Given the state of the rough and the fast-moving greens, it’s a bad time to be struggling off the tee, yet that’s where McIlroy finds himself.
The World No. 2 from Northern Ireland revealed that he carded an 81 on a scouting trip to Oakmont last week. His driver failed a conformance test at the PGA Championship — as did Scheffler’s — essentially because their age had made their faces too springy.
McIlroy used a backup driver at the PGA and tried a newer model at the RBC Canadian Open to disastrous results, missing the cut at 9 over. He’s back to an older model this week and downplayed it having an outsized effect on his overall game.
“It wasn’t a big deal for Scottie (at the PGA), so it shouldn’t have been a big deal for me,” McIlroy said.
Fifteen amateurs are in the field, and the star among them is Matt Vogt, a former Oakmont caddie who’s now a practicing dentist in Indianapolis. Vogt called it a “pipe dream” to make it this far.
“The old caddie shack used to be like right behind the range, where the new range is here. I don’t think it’s there anymore,” Vogt said. “… Yeah, I’m proud to be representing the caddie yard this week for sure, no matter how things go.”
The youngest player in the field is 17-year-old Mason Howell, while the oldest is Phil Mickelson, who’s reached the end of a five-year exemption for winning the 2021 PGA Championship. Mickelson, who turns 55 Monday, remains a U.S. Open shy of the career Grand Slam.
“There’s a high likelihood that it will be (his last U.S. Open), but I haven’t really thought about it too much,” Mickelson acknowledged last week.
Men’s golf hasn’t seen a first-time major champion since 2023. Jon Rahm of Spain, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and DeChambeau are all tied with two titles, all coming this decade except for Thomas’ first PGA Championship.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” said Rahm, who was the low amateur at Oakmont in 2016. “A lot of unfortunate things are going to happen. It’s hard fairways to hit, bad lies, difficult bunkers, difficult greens. It’s going to be a nice test, a difficult test. And I think one of the truest representations of what a U.S. Open is all about.”
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
2026 College Football Odds: Can James Franklin, VA Tech Win Total Set at 7.5
Virginia Tech introduced James Franklin as its new head coach in November, and now bettors can wager on how successful a Year 1 he will have.While Franklin gets a fresh start in 2026, his coaching career outlook looked less than favorable just two months ago.In his 12th season as Penn State's head coach, his team suffered one of the most shocking upsets in college football, falling 42-37 to UCLA as 24.5-point favorites in Week 6. The demoralizing loss for the Nittany Lions ended up being the Bruins' first win on the year.Fans and bettors who believed Penn State could bounce back found out fairly quickly that the situation in Happy Valley was nothing to smile about.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read […]
The Big Picture: Bo Nix, Trevor Lawrence Took Divergent Paths to Top-10 QB Status
Don’t count me as someone who thought I’d be putting Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix into the top 10 of a quarterback rankings just one month before the playoffs. But that’s what I’ve done. And really, that’s because — over the past few weeks — their quality of play has been undeniable. That’s what they’ve done.There were several reasons to doubt Lawrence and Nix coming into the 2025 season. There were even more reasons after the first four games, when the Jacksonville QB's inconsistency was compounded by receiver drops and the Denver QB's decision-making issues led to four interceptions in the first four weeks.But both quarterbacks have ascended since then. For Nix, he clearly enjoyed the best game of his career last week — his first four-touchdown game, without a sack or an interception against the Green Bay Packers. Lawrence […]
Rusko po odlivu hráček kope kolem sebe. Na pranýř si vzalo vítězku Turnaje mistryň
Rusku se bortí tenisový svět pod nohama, a tak jeho čelní představitelé kopou kolem sebe. Zemi totiž houfně opouští hráčky elitní stovky žebříčku WTA. Jenom v tomto roce vzaly kramle Darja Kasatkinová, která se rozhodla reprezentovat dalekou Austrálii, za což si z bývalé domoviny vyslechla hodně kritiky.V posledních týdnech na její odvahu navázaly Anastasija Potapovová a Polina Kuděrmetovová. Prvně jmenovaná dlouhodobě žije v Rakousku, a tak svoji lásku k zemi přetavila v zisk nového občanství. Její krajanka, mimo jiné mladší sestra známější grandslamové šampionky ve čtyřhře Veroniky, během minulého týdne si domluvila uzbecké občanství. Už dříve se Ruska vzdaly kromě Rybakinové, její spolubojovnice v dresu Kazachstánu Julia Putincevová a také Elina Avanesjanová. Ta se upsala Arménii. Tím, že se většina ruských tenistek rozhodla pro občanství v bývalých státech Sovětského svazu, ještě více zvyšují tep ruským funkcionářům.A tak se patrně snaží situaci nějak překlopit na svoji stranu. Předseda Ruské tenisové federace Šamil Tarpiščev […]
Seahawks vs. Rams prediction, odds: Week 16 ‘Thursday Night Football’ picks by proven model
The NFC West lead will be on the line when the Los Angeles Rams battle the Seattle Seahawks in a matchup of two of the best teams in the NFL on 'Thursday Night Football.' Los Angeles is coming off a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions, while Seattle squeaked past the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Rams (11-3), who have won two in a row, are 5-2 on the road this season. The Seahawks (11-3), who have won four consecutive games, are 5-2 on their home field. Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) missed practice on Monday and Tuesday.Kickoff from Lumen Field in Seattle is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The all-time series is tied 28-28, with Los Angeles earning a 21-19 win in their last meeting in November. Seattle is a 1-point favorites in the latest Rams vs. Seahawks […]
Jornal espanhol exalta Filipe Luís: “colocou PSG nas cordas”
Filipe Luis no comando do Flamengo. Foto: AP Photo/Hussein SayedO Flamengo não levantou a taça da Copa Intercontinental, mas deixou o Catar com reconhecimento internacional. A derrota nos pênaltis para o PSG não impediu que a atuação rubro-negra recebesse elogios de alguns dos principais jornais esportivos da Espanha, que destacaram o desempenho coletivo e, sobretudo, o trabalho de Filipe Luís à frente da equipe. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEA final disputada no estádio Ahmad bin Ali colocou frente a frente os campeões da Libertadores e da Champions League. Dentro de campo, o Flamengo conseguiu equilibrar forças, levou o jogo ao limite e forçou a decisão nas penalidades, cenário pouco esperado diante do poderio do elenco francês.Marca vê PSG pressionado e destaca comando rubro-negroO jornal Marca, de Madri, foi direto ao analisar a partida. Para a publicação, o Flamengo conseguiu impor dificuldades reais ao […]
Second Thoughts: Can Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Mend Relationships?
A week after the big NASCAR antitrust trial came to an end, much of the chatter has centered on what fences can be mended and which ones are not fixable.Let’s take a look:Michael Jordan/Denny Hamlin-NASCAR brassNASCAR’s biggest frustration, as it appeared during the trial, was with Jordan business partner and 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk.They didn’t love everything that Hamlin did or said. And obviously they wish they weren't sued by Jordan, but they probably can see that it came from a love of racing.They most likely aren’t exchanging any gifts for the holidays. The bruises are going to take time to heal. With time, the fences could be mended. After all, a NASCAR with Jordan singing its praises is one that will resonate with fans.But it’s also obvious from recent social posts that Hamlin won’t let those who criticized him filing […]
Related
2026 College Football Odds: Can James Franklin, VA Tech Win Total Set at 7.5
Virginia Tech introduced James Franklin as its new head coach in November, and now bettors can wager on how successful a Year 1 he will have.While Franklin gets a fresh start in 2026, his coaching career outlook looked less than favorable just two months ago.In his 12th season as Penn State's head coach, his team suffered one of the most shocking upsets in college football, falling 42-37 to UCLA as 24.5-point favorites in Week 6. The demoralizing loss for the Nittany Lions ended up being the Bruins' first win on the year.Fans and bettors who believed Penn State could bounce back found out fairly quickly that the situation in Happy Valley was nothing to smile about.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read […]
The Big Picture: Bo Nix, Trevor Lawrence Took Divergent Paths to Top-10 QB Status
Don’t count me as someone who thought I’d be putting Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix into the top 10 of a quarterback rankings just one month before the playoffs. But that’s what I’ve done. And really, that’s because — over the past few weeks — their quality of play has been undeniable. That’s what they’ve done.There were several reasons to doubt Lawrence and Nix coming into the 2025 season. There were even more reasons after the first four games, when the Jacksonville QB's inconsistency was compounded by receiver drops and the Denver QB's decision-making issues led to four interceptions in the first four weeks.But both quarterbacks have ascended since then. For Nix, he clearly enjoyed the best game of his career last week — his first four-touchdown game, without a sack or an interception against the Green Bay Packers. Lawrence […]
Rusko po odlivu hráček kope kolem sebe. Na pranýř si vzalo vítězku Turnaje mistryň
Rusku se bortí tenisový svět pod nohama, a tak jeho čelní představitelé kopou kolem sebe. Zemi totiž houfně opouští hráčky elitní stovky žebříčku WTA. Jenom v tomto roce vzaly kramle Darja Kasatkinová, která se rozhodla reprezentovat dalekou Austrálii, za což si z bývalé domoviny vyslechla hodně kritiky.V posledních týdnech na její odvahu navázaly Anastasija Potapovová a Polina Kuděrmetovová. Prvně jmenovaná dlouhodobě žije v Rakousku, a tak svoji lásku k zemi přetavila v zisk nového občanství. Její krajanka, mimo jiné mladší sestra známější grandslamové šampionky ve čtyřhře Veroniky, během minulého týdne si domluvila uzbecké občanství. Už dříve se Ruska vzdaly kromě Rybakinové, její spolubojovnice v dresu Kazachstánu Julia Putincevová a také Elina Avanesjanová. Ta se upsala Arménii. Tím, že se většina ruských tenistek rozhodla pro občanství v bývalých státech Sovětského svazu, ještě více zvyšují tep ruským funkcionářům.A tak se patrně snaží situaci nějak překlopit na svoji stranu. Předseda Ruské tenisové federace Šamil Tarpiščev […]
Seahawks vs. Rams prediction, odds: Week 16 ‘Thursday Night Football’ picks by proven model
The NFC West lead will be on the line when the Los Angeles Rams battle the Seattle Seahawks in a matchup of two of the best teams in the NFL on 'Thursday Night Football.' Los Angeles is coming off a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions, while Seattle squeaked past the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Rams (11-3), who have won two in a row, are 5-2 on the road this season. The Seahawks (11-3), who have won four consecutive games, are 5-2 on their home field. Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) missed practice on Monday and Tuesday.Kickoff from Lumen Field in Seattle is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The all-time series is tied 28-28, with Los Angeles earning a 21-19 win in their last meeting in November. Seattle is a 1-point favorites in the latest Rams vs. Seahawks […]
Jornal espanhol exalta Filipe Luís: “colocou PSG nas cordas”
Filipe Luis no comando do Flamengo. Foto: AP Photo/Hussein SayedO Flamengo não levantou a taça da Copa Intercontinental, mas deixou o Catar com reconhecimento internacional. A derrota nos pênaltis para o PSG não impediu que a atuação rubro-negra recebesse elogios de alguns dos principais jornais esportivos da Espanha, que destacaram o desempenho coletivo e, sobretudo, o trabalho de Filipe Luís à frente da equipe. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEA final disputada no estádio Ahmad bin Ali colocou frente a frente os campeões da Libertadores e da Champions League. Dentro de campo, o Flamengo conseguiu equilibrar forças, levou o jogo ao limite e forçou a decisão nas penalidades, cenário pouco esperado diante do poderio do elenco francês.Marca vê PSG pressionado e destaca comando rubro-negroO jornal Marca, de Madri, foi direto ao analisar a partida. Para a publicação, o Flamengo conseguiu impor dificuldades reais ao […]
Second Thoughts: Can Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Mend Relationships?
A week after the big NASCAR antitrust trial came to an end, much of the chatter has centered on what fences can be mended and which ones are not fixable.Let’s take a look:Michael Jordan/Denny Hamlin-NASCAR brassNASCAR’s biggest frustration, as it appeared during the trial, was with Jordan business partner and 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk.They didn’t love everything that Hamlin did or said. And obviously they wish they weren't sued by Jordan, but they probably can see that it came from a love of racing.They most likely aren’t exchanging any gifts for the holidays. The bruises are going to take time to heal. With time, the fences could be mended. After all, a NASCAR with Jordan singing its praises is one that will resonate with fans.But it’s also obvious from recent social posts that Hamlin won’t let those who criticized him filing […]
Be the first to leave a comment