Dustin Johnson secured a three-shot victory at the 2016 US Open, the last time Oakmont hosted the championship.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city renowned for its steel industry and coal mining heritage, embodies a spirit of rigorous, hard-working industry.
This same spirit defines its most celebrated golf course. Few, if any, tests in golf are more demanding and unforgiving than Oakmont Country Club, the venue for this week’s US Open.
Players must embrace a gritty determination to conquer the course’s challenging conditions.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau aptly summarized the experience for his YouTube audience: “This course doesn’t just challenge your game, it challenges your sanity.”
This sentiment echoes a long line of comments about the course, which will host the US Open for a record tenth time, commencing Thursday. Seven-time major winner Gene Sarazen initiated this tradition, describing Oakmont as possessing “all the charm of a sock to the head.”
The US Open is designed to be the ultimate test, and among all courses that have hosted America’s national championship, Oakmont stands as the most formidable. It is the quintessential US Open venue.
Rory McIlroy navigating the Oakmont rough during a 2016 practice round – he missed the cut that year.
The greens are dramatically undulating, steeply sloped, and lightning-fast. Golf legend Sam Snead quipped: “I put a dime down to mark my ball and the dime slipped away.”
Witnessing a Sarazen putt roll off an Oakmont green during the 1935 championship inspired Edward Stimpson to invent the Stimpmeter, a device used to measure green speed.
Six-time major champion Lee Trevino highlighted the greens’ difficulty: “Every time I two-putted at Oakmont, I was passing somebody on the leaderboard.”
The thick, lush rough and 175 penal bunkers present significant challenges. Phil Mickelson, competing in his likely final US Open this week (his 34th), considers it “the hardest golf course we have ever played.”
Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 champion at Winged Foot (another notoriously tough course), stated: “Playing Oakmont was like the hardest hole you have ever played on every hole.”
The course was constructed in the early 20th century by Henry Clay Fownes after selling his thriving steel business to Andrew Carnegie. The Fownes family were among Western Pennsylvania’s leading golfers.
Their newfound wealth allowed them to pursue their passion, transforming 191 acres of farmland near Pittsburgh into one of the most feared golfing layouts ever created.
This was the sole course designed by H.C. Fownes, and it has more than withstood the test of time. He did not view golf as a beauty contest.
“Let the clumsy, the spineless, the alibi artists stand aside; a poor shot should be a shot irrevocably lost,” he declared.
Upon opening in 1904, the course measured 6,406 yards and played to a par of 80. This week, it stretches to 7,372 yards with a par of 70.
Nicknamed “Soakmont” during the last US Open, heavy rainfall softened conditions, yet Dustin Johnson’s winning score was still only four under par, including a controversial penalty for inadvertently moving his ball.
Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk, and Scott Piercy, three shots back, were the only other players to finish under par.
In 2007, Angel Cabrera’s victory came on a fast, firm course; he was the sole player to break 70 on the final day, his 69 securing a one-shot win over Furyk and Tiger Woods.
The ‘Church Pews’ bunker between the third and fourth holes is among golf’s most iconic features.
This year’s conditions are expected to resemble those of Johnson’s 2016 victory, as Pittsburgh experienced its wettest spring on record.
The greens will remain fast, but approach shots may hold better than in 2007. However, the five-inch rough will be damp, thick, and brutally challenging.
Unlike many recent US Open venues, there’s no graduated rough; it’s short grass and then long grass, a classically uncompromising characteristic of Oakmont.
The bunkers are not designed as bailout areas. The sand is unforgiving, and strategically placed ditches further add to the course’s difficulty.
The famed ‘Church Pews’ bunker, stretching over 100 yards long and up to 43 yards wide, with numerous turf islands, punishes errant tee shots.
The par-three eighth hole, potentially exceeding 300 yards, is the longest short hole in championship golf. Jack Nicklaus, the 1962 Oakmont champion, recently joked: “I haven’t played it since they lengthened it to be a short par five.”
While some criticize the length of par-three holes, Nicklaus deemed it “crazy,” yet it remains a strong golf hole, and par is ultimately just a number.
This underscores the mental aspect of US Open golf. The USGA aims to test every club in the bag and the player’s mental fortitude.
The victor will be the player who best manages setbacks while delivering exceptional golf.
While seemingly obvious, accurate driving and precise approach shots are crucial for success. Johnny Miller’s final-round 63 in 1973, following a third-round 76, remains one of golf’s greatest rounds.
Lowry’s 65 in 2016 secured the 54-hole lead, demonstrating the possibility of low scores.
However, over four days, potentially disrupted by weekend weather, the challenges will significantly outweigh opportunities on this demanding course.
In essence, it will be exceptionally challenging, as befits a US Open in this region.
Comments can not be loaded
To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser