Fans excited as U.S. Open practice rounds get underway at Oakmont Country Club
Practice rounds for the 2025 U.S. Open began Monday morning at Oakmont Country Club. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the tournament this week.
As the sun rose on this practice round opening day, spectators were certainly ready to catch a glimpse of some of golf's best players.
"Wanted to get up early and be the first ones here," Lucas Beaver of Ross Township said.
Beaver and Brenton Perkins are pumped for Monday's practice round.
"I'm excited to watch great golf, to be around greatness in a sense," Perkins said.
Judging by the cars and the clickers, they're not the only ones excited. KDKA-TV caught people from western Pennsylvania, Erie, and even Alberta, Canada.
"Just wanted to see all the players, see the course," Lindsay Glisan of Franklin Park said. "Come out [and] hopefully enjoy a beautiful day."
The weather held up on Monday morning, but the road to seeing the green didn't come without a little brown, with lots of mud from Sunday's downpours.
"I'm annoyed with it; my shoes are already too dirty," one spectator told KDKA-TV.
None of that is putting a damper on these people, though.
"We've been waiting for this to come here for a couple of years," Glisan said.
Now that it's here, people are excited to see their favorite players, from Scottie Scheffler to Colin Morikawa and Jason Day.
For many, it's just special to see these guys in our backyard on a course with so much history.
"So many greats have walked there. Ben Hogans, your Arnold Palmers, your Jack Nicklaus'," Perkins said.
Now, they'll watch the current generation hit the links at Oakmont Country Club.
"To be able to be that close to see what they're doing, and to experience that level of focus, it can be really inspiring," Perkins said.
Monday through Wednesday are the practice rounds. Championship rounds are Thursday through Sunday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
34 minutes ago
- Washington Post
'A UFC fight': Tensions rise in Stanley Cup Final as the Panthers get the upper hand on the Oilers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Things got chippy in the Stanley Cup Final late in Game 3 when the Florida Panthers were well on their way to blowing out the Edmonton Oilers. Brawls ensued, Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves, and eight guys got sent to the showers early with misconduct penalties.
Associated Press
41 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Bills quarterback Josh Allen shows off new ring following marriage to actor Hailee Steinfeld
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen's broad grin was familiar. The wedding band on the quarterback's ring finger was brand new. As much as Allen hoped to talk about the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, the newlywed couldn't escape questions about his headline-grabbing marriage to actor/singer Hailee Steinfeld in Southern California on May 31. 'We're back to football,' he said, before pointing to his ring finger. 'Got some hardware now. So, good to go.' Allen was otherwise short on details as part of his longstanding bid to maintain a semblance of privacy, even though pictures from the outdoor wedding were posted on social media mere minutes after the couple exchanged 'I do's.' There were pictures of Steinfeld wearing a strapless white gown walking down the aisle, the couple sharing a kiss, and Allen, in a black tuxedo, posing with friends and Bills teammates. It wasn't until being asked about what the past four months have meant to him — in which Allen was named NFL MVP in February, signed one of the league's richest contracts in March and got married in May — that Allen finally opened up. He called Steinfeld his best friend, and said she makes everything easier. 'That was the most important decision I'll make in my life and I made the right one,' Allen said. Western New York and the NFL have a new power couple, both of whom happen to be from California and began dating two years ago. There's the 29-year-old Allen, who in seven seasons has set most of the Bills scoring and passing records. His star has continued to rise while he has transformed the Bills into an AFC power, also building his profile through various national commercials. And then there's Steinfeld, 28, who first gained fame by earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers' 2010 remake of 'True Grit.' She has since enjoyed numerous starring roles, most recently in the movie 'Sinners,' while also branching out into music. Amid the buzz, Allen brought the focus back to football as Buffalo opened a three-day mandatory set of practices. The quarterback skipped the team's voluntary sessions last week. Aside from taking his familiar spot leading the offense on the field, Allen spent time after practice being filmed to measure his footwork and mechanics. It's something Allen does several times a year to ensure he's not picking up bad habits. 'Making sure we're staying on top of those things and if there's something that we need to tweak for the better, we are going to try to do it,' he said. The same could be said of Allen's unflinching approach to dealing with the spotlight. Coach Sean McDermott credits the quarterback for staying true to himself. 'What I've seen is this truly genuine, authentic person who, yes, is in the limelight, yes, is one of the top players in our league, and maybe the top player in the NFL,' McDermott said. 'But he is so authentic, so down-to-earth, so relatable. I think that's really the connection and the cool piece about Josh is because he is who he is.' And yes, McDermott was among those in attendance at the wedding. 'I was very grateful to be there, No. 1,' McDermott said. 'Two, it was what you would expect of a wedding. Just great to see, and two really special families coming together.' ___ AP NFL:
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Vikings minicamp: Dallas Turner makes play of the day, but will he get more snaps?
EAGAN, Minn. — Locating Dallas Turner on the field is not tricky. Look for the green mouth guard flopping beneath the facemask. It's usually near the line of scrimmage, swaying back and forth before the snap. But not this time, not amid an early seven-on-seven rep during Tuesday afternoon's mandatory minicamp practice for the Minnesota Vikings. Advertisement On this play, Turner lined up as an off-ball linebacker in the middle of the field, his eyes watching the quarterback and his bright red no-contact jersey. Most drills feel like walk-throughs this time of year, especially with how the Vikings value player health over the summer. This one differed in that the wideouts sprinted off the line of scrimmage. Turner floated backward into coverage. His vision shifted back and forth between the quarterback and the nearest receiver. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores had called a zone coverage, and here Turner was, moving fluidly, looking like he was meant to be there, roaming perfectly in the receiver's window. Just as the ball arrived, he batted it away. His teammates noticed. When asked after practice about Turner's growth, veteran safety Josh Metellus mentioned the deflection. 'I'm loving what I'm seeing,' he said. 'He is able to show that growth right now, and that's what you want.' The bar to clear may be low given the number of full-speed reps, but if there were an award for minicamp play of the day, that would take the cake. It's not that Turner's play was a huge surprise. Rewatch last year's game in Seattle against Geno Smith and the Seahawks, and you'll stumble upon a well-read, second-quarter interception by Turner in the flat. It's more that the 2024 first-round pick who played sparingly on defense last year is taking advantage of every opportunity to show his stuff. .@UnoErra snags it! 📺: @NFLonFOX — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2024 Not that the 22-year-old needs to prove what he's capable of, by the way. Flores reiterated multiple times last season that Turner's lack of playing time was primarily a byproduct of the two talented edge rushers occupying the every-down spots. Andrew Van Ginkel earned an All-Pro honor, and Jonathan Greenard was also deserving. They combined for 138 tackles, 23 1/2 sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. It felt like Van Ginkel possessed an almost telepathic knowledge of what the opposing team was trying to do. Greenard, meanwhile, maintained an energy level that made you wonder if he was recharging electronically between series. Advertisement Flores didn't view Turner as a backup-level player — 'I see it as three starters,' he said Tuesday. Two additional factors were working against Turner. First, he injured his knee in Week 2 against San Francisco, sidelining him the following week and halting whatever momentum he had created. Second, he was new to a complex defensive system. Learning to be an edge rusher at the pro level is a challenge in itself, but Turner is also athletic and smart enough to play inside linebacker. Each spot requires different techniques. Mastery requires patience, a quality that is rare in NFL circles. Outwardly, Turner didn't struggle with the minimal snaps. He said all of the right things in interviews throughout the season. That he was absorbing knowledge from Greenard and Van Ginkel. That he knew his time would come. These comments showed his professionalism, but privately, he had a burning desire to see more of the field. So much so that not even a month after the Vikings lost in the playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams, Turner texted longtime trainer Javon Gopie to ask when they could begin workouts. Most NFL players were vacationing, sipping beverages in tropical climates. Gopie, who has worked with Greenard, Denver's Nik Bonitto and Miami's Jaelan Phillips, understood Turner's fire but encouraged him to take more time. 'I had to turn him down, just encourage him to take more time off,' Gopie said recently. 'He was super-motivated, man.' When they finally began meeting on turf fields under the blazing Miami sun, one of their conversations revolved around Bonitto. He and Turner had played together at renowned St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both stood around 6-foot-3 and weighed close to 240 pounds. They shared traits, both moving smoothly in their pursuit of the quarterback. Advertisement Bonitto's professional arc started slowly — he only played 357 defensive snaps as a rookie. The uptick in snaps during his second season coincided with more sack production. What Gopie wanted to talk to Turner about was Bonitto's 2024 season: the 13 1/2 sacks, the overall pressure production, the interception returned for a touchdown. 'What'd you think about Nik's year?' Gopie asked Turner on the metal benches before a workout. 'What'd that mean to you?' 'You have no idea,' Turner responded. Gopie's take on its effect? Knowing what Bonitto accomplished suggested Turner could also reside in that upper echelon of NFL pass rushers. 'He's one of one, man,' Gopie said. 'I have no doubt, based on the reps, that he's a 10-plus-sack guy.' It's not a matter of mindset, at least not according to Flores, who complimented the high standard Turner sets for himself. Nor is it a matter of being willing to take coaching. Turner checks the professional boxes. The only remaining question is the one Gopie alluded to, the one about where the playing time will come from. Flores hasn't tipped his hand there, other than to say, 'Dallas is coming into his own as far as how he's going to contribute as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages.' His point? The green mouth guard could be all over the place this fall. Maybe he'll stay stationary on the edge, or maybe he'll shift from the inside linebacker spot to the A-gap. That he's capable of doing all of this — and, more importantly, doing it well — is why he's worth playing in the first place.
