3 Things to Know: 125th U.S. Open, First Round

Jack Nicklaus once said that he liked to keep an ear to the ground ahead of the U.S. Open for the invariable complaints that ensued about the difficulties the championship typically presents. He figured that a negative mindset equaled one more player he wouldn’t need to worry about when the chips were down.

“A difficult golf course eliminates a lot of players,” the four-time champion said. “The U.S. Open flag eliminates a lot of players. Some players just weren’t meant to win the U.S. Open, and a lot of them know it.”

The 125th edition of the championship – and the record 10th at Oakmont Country Club, the rugged test designed by club founder Henry C. Fownes, begins on Thursday, and thus far player complaints are strangely missing, or at least muted. Oakmont’s reputation preceded their arrival, even if they weren’t among the 28 percent of the field (44 players) who have already competed in a championship here, the 2021 U.S. Amateur or the 1994, 2007 or 2016 U.S. Opens.

Golf Channel commentator Paul McGinley expects both the challenge and the possibility of bellyaching to ramp up on Thursday. Will it be time to start crossing some names off the contender list?

Game of Adjustments

The Pittsburgh area has received upwards of 8 inches of rain since early May, and the week began with players being surprised by the soft conditions. “Jordan [Spieth] and I were shocked with how soft the fairways were,” Justin Thomas said after a Monday practice round. “The greens still had a little bit of bounce to them, [although] they weren’t firm by any means.”

The course will be much closer to the firm and fast conditions both the USGA and the club prefer for Round 1, as sunny, breezy weather over the past two days has helped to dry out the layout.

“The course looks amazing,” said Brent Paladino of the USGA course setup team on Wednesday. “We’ve gotten a little bit of breeze, and the nights have been cool with low dewpoints, which has also helped to dry things out.”

The layout will no doubt play a bit bouncier than during the practice rounds, and veteran players such as two-time major champion Xander Schauffele, 31, who is competing in his ninth U.S. Open, have come to expect it.

“I think in all major championships, there’s some degree of adjustments you have to make,” said Schauffele, who has six finishes of T-7 or better in his eight previous U.S. Opens. “Whether the greens are two, three feet faster or the fairways are running, whoever adjusts the best with their caddie is going to play the best.”

Scoring Central

The first shot will be struck in earnest by former Oakmont caddie and current full-time dentist Matt Vogt at 6:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday. Probably the most popular game that’s played before there’s a ball “in the air” is to predict the winning score. Despite popular opinion, the USGA doesn’t set up the course with the intention of producing a 72-hole winning score of even par, but it does seek to provide an appropriate test that produces a worthy champion.

Ben Griffin is among the hottest players on the PGA Tour, with two victories and a runner-up finish in his last six starts. Count him among those impressed with the demands that Oakmont presents.

“When we played it on Monday, I don’t know of any pro that shot under par that day, to my knowledge,” Griffin said. When asked what score he’d be happy with by the end of the day on Sunday, Griffin suggested that a 4-over-par total would put him in contention. “I think if you gave me 4 over for the week, I would probably take it right now, and I would be decently confident.”

For the sake of comparison, Dustin Johnson won the 2016 championship at Oakmont by three strokes with a 4-under-par total of 276, while the 2007 championship at Oakmont, won by Angel Cabrera at 5-over 285, featured the highest cumulative scoring average of any U.S. Open this century (75.7). There were only eight under-par rounds turned in that week, two of them by Cabrera.

Ground Control

As the saying goes, once the ball hits the ground, the result is out of the golfer’s control. That is one of the reasons that Oakmont provides a supreme test of a player’s acumen, physical and mental.

“When you look at Oakmont, one of the unique aspects is that there are several holes where the putting green runs from front to back,” said Jeff Hall, who has been involved in course setup for the USGA for the four U.S. Opens at Oakmont since 1994. “It’s just magnificent architecture that used the land as it was in 1903. And when it’s firm and you put green speeds in the upper 14s, you’re likely going to have to pitch your ball well short of the green to keep it on. Those are shots you might see in the British Open, but certainly not coupled with these green speeds.”

The greens on Nos. 1, 10, 12 and 15 all feature significant front-to-back slopes. Depending on how firm the conditions get, it could also make several of the undulating fairways much harder to find once the ball hits the ground running.

“It’s a wonderful driving golf course that requires an attention to detail that’s really exquisite,” said Hall. “All in all, I would argue that Oakmont is one of the great mental tests that we conduct the U.S. Open on. It’s so hard to stay patient; you’re working so hard to put the ball in the proper place on these greens, and suddenly, you find yourself 10 feet above the hole facing a putt that might break 2 feet. It’s a complete examination – physically, mentally, emotionally – and if you have a weakness in your game, it will expose it.”

Time to pick up the pencils and begin.

Ron Driscoll is a contributing writer and editor for the USGA. Email him at v-rdriscoll@usga.org.