U.S. Open 2025
No graduated rough and nasty ditches will make Oakmont even more brutal for upcoming U.S. Open
Rick Stewart
OAKMONT, Pa. — Rough topped off at five inches. Green speeds of 15 on the Stimpmeter. A renovated golf course with at least one new hole location on each green. Nothing to see here. Just the setup basics for next month’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
On a stormy Tuesday morning, the USGA provided the particulars of the test that awaits the 156-player field for the 125th U.S. Open June 12-15 at Oakmont, which will host its 10th U.S. Open and its first since Dustin Johnson registered a three-stroke victory in 2016. Johnson posted four-under 276 with a penalty stroke applied to his scorecard at the conclusion for an incident that occurred on the fifth green when he caused his ball to move.
It appears that the USGA is in no mood to see scores under par for this year’s championship after four players busted the standard in 2016. More likely the winner will hover in the neighborhood of Angel Cabrera’s five-over 285 winning total from the 2007 championship.
Gil Hanse oversaw the most recent renovation of Oakmont, described by Jeff Hall, managing director of rules and Open Championships, as a project that restored the “greatest hits” of the course from 1903-1946 and “not tied to any particular year in the history of Oakmont.” Among the several changes to the layout includes lengthening it to 7,372 yards, 153 yards longer than the par-70 examination in 2016.
“We can make any golf course difficult,” Hall said. “That's not hard to do, but is it difficult for the right reasons? Are we differentiating good golf, great golf, and average golf? And that's really what our job is as a setup team. If good shots and bad shots are finishing in the same place, we haven't done our job properly.”
Two items of interest will definitely make Oakmont more resistant to scoring next month.
The first is the rough, which was noted earlier to be topped off at five inches. The wet spring has made it particularly thick. And topping it off at five inches means it will be higher as the championship progresses. Furthermore, the recent practice of providing graduated rough—a first cut closer to the fairway that is shorter and less menacing; a nod to rewarding a player who only misses the fairway by a yard or two—will not be employed this year.
Secondly, the many ditches that are as much a part of Oakmont’s identity as the Church Pews bunker, will be more of a hazard this time. As if the 175 bunkers around the property need help. As John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, said with a trace of relish: “In 2016 we carved out those ditches to where players could get in there and play. This year we're not doing that.
“You hit it in those ditches, good luck,” he added. “There might be some that will play out of it, but it'll be 12 to 18 inches of wispy, pesky and they're nasty.”
Until recently, the U.S. Open has been known as golf’s toughest test. Oakmont, which the USGA has called one of the “cathedrals of golf,” historically has been the toughest venue for the national championship. It appears that there might be quite a bit of swearing at this particular cathedral this year.
Amen to that.