Oakmont: The World’s Most Challenging Golf Course, According to Scottie Scheffler
OAKMONT, Pa. – After several days of preparation for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, the world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler, reached a shocking conclusion.Scheffler, current world number one, is the favorite for this week. He has made victory at Augusta National look routine and has outperformed the best players in the sport on some of the most difficult courses in the world with ease. However, this week, even he is at the mercy of the course that has hosted the most U.S. Opens, one that has never had a winner with a score better than 5 under par. Scheffler compared the challenges of the majors to the different surfaces in tennis, highlighting the difference between grass, clay, and hard court. He pointed out that the U.S. Open presents a completely different type of test compared to the Masters. Oakmont is not just a traditionally difficult course for the U.S. Open; it’s more than that.This is probably the most difficult golf course we will play, maybe ever.
Scottie Scheffler
The difficulty of Oakmont has been the central theme of the championship so far. Players have spoken extensively about the challenge that this week will present, whether it’s the thick rough off the fairways, the deep bunkers, or the extremely fast greens. Bryson DeChambeau, who won one of his two U.S. Opens at Winged Foot in 2020, commented that Oakmont demands a more precise strategy. He posted a video on his YouTube channel last week detailing every shot of a practice round he played on the course, where he achieved a par of 70. Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner, didn’t make an early visit to Oakmont this year, but he watched DeChambeau’s video. However, nothing could prepare him for actually being on some of these holes and having to hit some of these shots.When you miss the green at the Masters, the ball rolls and gets to certain areas, and you can play a ‘bump’ or a ‘flop’. There are different options. Here, when you hit the ball over the green, you simply find yourself in heavy rough, and it’s like, let me see how I can get the ball out of this rough and somehow give myself a chance.
Scottie Scheffler
Morikawa mentioned that he tried to forget what he had seen of the course before this week, partly so as not to be scared. The players are preemptively preparing for the possible carnage that Oakmont will bring on Thursday, especially if the rain forecast for the weekend doesn’t arrive. The greens are already speeding up. They will become firmer as the sun comes out and the wind increases. Being in the rough or in a fairway bunker will spell trouble for players, but it’s Oakmont’s greens, with their dramatic slopes and the possibility of mid-teen speeds, that could really determine what kind of bite the course will have this week. Justin Thomas expressed his hope that the difficulty of the course could affect other players. He understands the importance of mental and strategic preparation, and acknowledges the difficulty of Oakmont based on his own experience. Despite trying to foresee the difficulty of the challenge, many find solace in the fact that the other 155 players on the field must face the same field. It’s going to be a good test, a difficult test. And I think one of the truest representations of what a U.S. Open is.I don’t think people understand how thick the rough is. It’s not light enough for the club to go through it. It’s thick. Clubs will turn over. You’ll see players trying to get out with a pitching wedge, and the ball will go 45 degrees to the left because that’s how thick the rough is. That’s how you have to play it.
Collin Morikawa
