Oakmont is going to be the main character at the 2025 U.S. Open

OAKMONT, Pa. -- If you instrumentality the southwest entranceway to Oakmont Country Club, the people sneaks up connected you. The tree-lined Hulton Road that leads you onto the spot is dotted with quaint homes. Even erstwhile the iconic greenish clubhouse comes into view, the gathering acts arsenic a obstruction betwixt the idyllic vicinity and 1 of golf's astir terrifying tests.

Enter the clubhouse and the venue's past is determination astatine each turn. It has hosted 10 U.S. Opens present -- the astir of immoderate people successful the country. Exit connected the different broadside of the building, and the brawny way hits you similar a gust of wind.

"When you basal connected the archetypal tee, 10th tee, 18, 9, you get a layout of the full property," Jon Rahm said. "You get to spot the entirety of it, arsenic beauteous arsenic it is."

The immense expanse of greenish writer earlier you, each 191 acres, appears endless. From the backmost of the clubhouse, you tin spot 17 of the 18 flags connected the course. It astir feels similar a taunt: What's determination to interest about? It's each close successful beforehand of you.

One of the sport's top cathedrals -- a people that has go synonymous with the U.S. Open -- is so beautiful. It's besides a steel-toed footwear acceptable to present its celebrated kick. This week, 156 players person arrived from each implicit the satellite consenting to beryllium scrutinized by the lone people ever designed by Henry Fownes. Each 1 of them is besides hoping that they could beryllium the 1 with the quality to conquer it.

"I genuinely judge that Oakmont is the astir stressful spot to play a U.S. Open," Jeff Hall, who has been portion of 4 USGA setup teams astatine Oakmont, told ESPN. "The U.S. Open is expected to beryllium hard for the close reasons, it's expected to beryllium challenging. It's astir the intelligence test, the affectional test, the carnal test. It's each of those things. But astatine Oakmont, it's each ratcheted up."

Scottie Scheffler mightiness beryllium atop the likelihood database and connected apical of the athletics astatine the moment, but adjacent he, and the likes of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, is not taking halfway signifier astatine this tournament. This week, Oakmont is the main character. Everyone who is teeing it up volition person 4 rounds to beryllium that they are worthy of sharing the spotlight.

"This is astir apt the hardest play people that we'll play," Scheffler said. "Maybe ever."

THE IDEA OF the true U.S. Open has evolved implicit the years. Once, heavy unsmooth and ample trees were expected each year. Nowadays, the USGA is consenting to take big sites similar Los Angeles Country Club wherever wider corridors and contours are the course's defining features. Gone are the days of trying to unit over-par winning scores. Now, it's each astir staying existent to what the top play courses successful the country, and their architects, intended. Variety -- of courses, of shots and of styles -- has travel to beryllium king.

"They're recognizing the archetypal architecture and they're embracing it," play people designer Gil Hanse, who led the restoration efforts astatine Oakmont successful 2023, said. "They're not trying to acceptable a model."

Enter Oakmont, wherever the archetypal architecture and the galore changes that followed implicit the people of decades since its founding successful 1903 person each revolved astir 1 thing: making the play people much and much difficult. Case successful point: successful its anterior 9 championships, the winning people has ne'er been little than 5-under par. Only 2% of the 1,385 players that person played a large title astatine Oakmont person finished the tourney nether par.

"One of the things that has been accordant with Oakmont from time 1 erstwhile [architect] Henry Fownes founded it, and 1 of the things that was precise wide successful the messaging from the membership, they liked this spot tough," Hanse said. "It's the lone clip I've ever travel retired of a gathering with members wherever we presented the maestro program and it was very, precise wide to maine that the connection was: it amended not beryllium easier erstwhile you're done."

Hall says that the nine civilization astatine Oakmont gives it the quality to big a U.S. Open astatine a moment's announcement portion besides simplifying, to an extent, his team's role. The biggest alteration is increasing the unsmooth up to the five-plus inches it volition beryllium astatine this week; the biggest situation is weighing factors of weather, greenish speeds, spread locations and tee boxes successful bid to find the good enactment betwixt hard and impossible.

"You can't fto it spell excessively far," Hall said. "When you thrust Secretariat, you person to clasp the reins."

Between Hanse's enactment and the USGA's setup, trouble isn't the sole focus. Oakmont besides contains plentifulness of complexity too. Players often speech astir however Augusta National is simply a spot wherever they larn wherever to miss arsenic they play the people more. Oakmont, connected the different hand, with its luscious rough, deceptive tee shots and vexing greenish complexes that tally astatine speeds of up to 15 connected the Stimpmeter doesn't precisely springiness you a spot to miss arsenic overmuch arsenic it tells you wherever the harmless zones are and makes the travel to those havens arsenic hard arsenic possible.

Distance and spot are required to woody with its yardage and the density of that aforementioned rough. You besides request the finesse to carve shots with the close trajectory and rotation to clasp the close slivers of its treacherous greens. And whether your shot lands disconnected the fairway oregon connected the greenish connected immoderate fixed shot, you request the brains to fig retired conscionable precisely however to champion play your adjacent shot.

"You spell to a spot similar this, [the USGA] don't request to acceptable it up immoderate otherwise oregon instrumentality it up oregon bash thing for it to situation some the carnal and intelligence portion of our game," Justin Thomas said. "Oakmont is challenging successful some of those aspects. If you conscionable get lazy, similar connected immoderate drive, immoderate wedge shot, immoderate chip, immoderate putt, you tin benignant of look anserine beauteous fast."

Patience successful the look of awkward lies successful the unsmooth oregon atrocious breaks is paramount. Discipline successful the look of tantalizing pin locations adjacent from the mediate of the fairway is simply a must. A mistake indispensable beryllium some corrected and forgotten arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. Compounding them volition spell extremity your circular oregon adjacent your tournament.

"You cognize you're going to get penalized adjacent connected bully shots, and that's conscionable portion of this play course," Collin Morikawa said. "​​I don't deliberation radical recognize however heavy the unsmooth is. This is conscionable thick. Clubs volition crook over."

Yes, Oakmont is punishing -- its bunkers are not conscionable well-placed but penal. Yes, Oakmont tin feel, arsenic McIlroy said of his 81 during a caller signifier circular with pugnacious pin positions, "impossible" but past however bash you explicate what players similar Dustin Johnson, Ángel Cabrera, Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus person done?

This is simply a people that doesn't conscionable favour greatness; it demands it.

"I deliberation everybody knows this is astir apt the toughest play people successful the satellite close now," defending champion DeChambeau said. "It's not similar each azygous spread is Winged Foot retired here. You can't conscionable weaponry it connected each azygous spread and blast implicit bunkers and person a wedge tally up to the beforehand of the green. I deliberation this play people you person to beryllium conscionable a fraction much strategic, particularly with the unsmooth is truthful long."

For some, the greens, whether due to the fact that of velocity oregon slope, mightiness beryllium considered excessively much. Michael Kim posted his thoughts connected the people Tuesday and referred to Oakmont's eclectic greens arsenic "Mickey Mouse" portion besides saying that successful bid to beryllium capable to trial the champion players successful the satellite these days, "you request a batch of what Oakmont has."

"I recognize this spot is hard," Thomas, who finished 8-over and successful a necktie for 32nd successful 2016, said. "I don't request to work articles, oregon I don't request to perceive fearfulness stories. I've played it. I cognize it's difficult."

CONTEXT MATTERS PLENTY erstwhile it comes to the question of whether this people is excessively hard oregon adjacent unfair nether U.S. Open conditions. As regular PGA Tour stops and adjacent immoderate large championships proceed to inclination toward little winning scores, with amended instrumentality and setups that favour a homogenous benignant of play that champions region supra all, Oakmont's instrumentality to the sport's consciousness feels similar a enactment of caller air. Even players who cognize what's successful store the adjacent 4 days are alert of that.

"We're each playing the aforesaid course, and it's going to beryllium hard. You whitethorn deliberation something's unfair, but it doesn't truly substance astatine the extremity of the day," Xander Schauffele said. "Whoever tin benignant of woody with it the champion is going to play well. That's the cognition I've had, look astatine it arsenic a amusive situation versus feeling similar you're surviving successful a nightmare."

All week, players person been featured successful videos wherever they amusement conscionable however hard it is to get balls retired of the rough, oregon conscionable however hard it is to clasp greens oregon marque putts if you're supra the hole. All of it has inevitably built a communicative that adjacent the champion players successful the satellite whitethorn look foolish implicit the people of 72 holes this week.

"All we're trying to bash is physique the theater," Hall said. "We're trying to marque definite that it's a implicit effort. When you enactment your hands connected that trophy Sunday night, you've played implicit play from tee to greenish for 72 holes."

If determination is immoderate vexation among players with the people simmering already, possibly the archetypal 2 rounds volition bring it to the aboveground arsenic the people gets drier, firmer and harder. Most, however, look prepared to clasp it. Some adjacent spot immoderate dissent from their peers arsenic a imaginable advantage.

"Being perfectly honorable and precise selfish, I anticipation it psyches a batch of players out," Thomas said. "It's a portion of the preparation, similar trying to spell deed wedges oregon trying to get the velocity of the greens oregon anything. It's getting a crippled program for however you're going to attack the people mentally and strategically."

Oakmont tin get distant with much carnage than astir courses due to the fact that of its reputation. (Hanse said that moving connected Oakmont, wherever trouble is portion of the course's archetypal design, was freeing). It's wherefore erstwhile signifier rounds featured groups of groundskeepers utilizing leaf-blowers to prop up the heavy unsmooth truthful it fluffs up and becomes much difficult, it tin beryllium framed arsenic some the play people and the USGA leaning into the property of the venue, not conscionable making it hard for the involvement of it.

"It's a precise good enactment betwixt what's challenging, what's bully architecture, what's excessively much. And I deliberation present you've got a concern wherever it's ne'er excessively much," Hanse said. "I mean, it's astir similar their mantra was, 'Okay, let's conscionable support pushing it to a definite limit.'"

Wherever the bounds lies remains to beryllium seen, arsenic does however adjacent the USGA wants to get to it. Weather volition besides beryllium a origin arsenic rainfall is forecasted for the play -- Hanse said that if the rainfall subsides, helium believes the winning people volition beryllium implicit par. And portion immoderate players whitethorn inactive find themselves frustrated, adjacent scoffing astatine the situation astatine hand, immoderate are self-aware capable to cognize that havoc besides breeds entertainment, adjacent if it's astatine their ain expense.

"I don't deliberation radical crook the TV connected to ticker immoderate of the guys conscionable deed similar a 200-yard changeable connected the green, you cognize what I mean?" Schauffele said. "I deliberation they crook connected the U.S. Open to spot a feline sprout 8-over and suffer. That's portion of the enjoyment of the U.S. Open for viewers."

Nine years since its past infinitesimal successful the sun, each eyes are backmost connected Oakmont.

Let the suffering begin.