The Ultimate Challenge
“One bad shot costs money .” That’s true at Oakmont, a course that even stars fear.
The quote made famous by Henry Fownes, who designed a golf course in Pittsburgh more than a century ago, rings out with renewed vigor as the 2025 US Open, the third major of the season, approaches.
Oakmont groundskeeper. Photo: Golf Digest
Fownes was a steel entrepreneur who, fed up with the easy golf courses near his home, decided to build one that would actually offer a challenge.
As a result, Oakmont Country Club, founded in 1904, has hosted the US Open more times than any other venue in history: this year it is the 10th, second only to Augusta in the number of times it has hosted a major in the US.
It was on this course that the great Jack Nicklaus won the first of his 18 Grand Slam titles in 1962.
If the US Open is the toughest major, then Oakmont is the most special challenge.
This is an extremely long par 70 course (7,372 yards; or 6,740 meters), with 170 bunkers (including the famous Church Pew bunkers), surrounded by tall, dense rough.
Golf pros call Church Pew “the ball-swallowing hole.” Besides, the greens are the fastest on the tour.
On this “torture machine”, the 125th US Open will take place from today (first tee at 5:45 p.m.; the last golfers compete at 1:42 a.m. on June 13, Hanoi time).
DeChambeau, known for his powerful shots, also struggled at Oakmont. Photo: Golf Digest
Instead of just looking at players like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm or Bryson DeChambeau, the course is the main character. Oakmont is the real opponent to beat.
The championship candidates
“Without rain, it’s going to be very difficult for someone to finish under par. If you don’t hit the fairway, you have no chance,” Jon Rahm warned.
Rahm returned to the venue where he played his first major – the 2016 US Open – as the best amateur golfer, ranked 23rd at +7.
That day, Dustin Johnson won with a score of -4 and only 4 golfers shot under par. Before that, Angel Cabrera won in 2007 with a score of +5.
Proof of the difficulty? The par-5 12th hole is a whopping 632 yards (577 meters). The par-3 8th hole is a whopping 289 yards (264 meters), and it's no wonder many golfers use drivers to tee it off.
Oakmont will challenge world No. 1 Scheffler – the recent PGA Championship winner; McIlroy – the green jacket winner at The Masters; “gunner” DeChambeau; as well as Rahm – a star who has always been noticed despite moving to LIV Golf.
McIlroy struggled to hit the ball on thick grass. Photo: Golf Digest
Rahm is more confident after competing with Scheffler for the PGA Championship. The Spaniard has 21 top-10s in 21 LIV Golf events in two seasons (but no titles this season).
“I don’t take it seriously. It’s a lot easier to be in the top 10 in a 54-player field than in a 150-player field ,” said Rahm, who will play alongside Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson at 12:14 a.m. on June 13.
Meanwhile, DeChambeau started with Xander Schauffele - two major champions and always strong candidates for every competition.
Scheffler has been at the center of it all. He has won three times in the past month and a half, becoming one of the fastest players to reach 16 PGA Tour victories in history.
In 2025, Scheffler made the fewest bogeys of any golfer on the PGA Tour, making just 10% of the holes he played. This factor helped the world No. 1 be considered capable of winning the 4th major of his career.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khai-mac-us-open-2025-scheffler-mcilroy-va-ngoi-nha-kinh-hoang-2410811.html
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