What 18 elite golf stars think of Oakmont as brutal 125th US Open venue set to be nastier than ever

Daily Record

4 days ago

Commentary past and present offers insight into brutal test of the 125th US Open
Brutal. Arduous and the toughest test in golf. The 125th US Open at Oakmont promises to be another week to break games and minds.
Sam Snead once quipped that he tried to mark his ball with a coin on one of the course's infamous marble-top greens and it slid off.
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No first cut from tightened fairways into juicy rough as high as five inches where a shoe could be lost and a track which has been lengthened again make for a typically-imposing test at the 10th staging of the event at the course.
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Angel Cabrera's winning score at the 2007 US Open at Oakmont was five-over par and, although Dustin Johnston finished at four-under when coming out on top the last time, course alterations made ahead of this year's showpiece mean that's highly-unlikely to be bettered in 2025.
It takes an exceptional talent to get it done. Since the Second World War, all six champions at Oakmont, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Larry Nelson, Ernie Els and Angel Cabrera, have won more than a single Major with a combined total of 34.
At the 2016 US Open, 14 of the 18 holes averaged over par. Oakmont's par-three eighth is being lined-up to play at over 300 yards.
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It's a daunting test and, from the past and the present, the biggest names in the game haven't hidden their feelings on the severity of the challenge and Record Sport has taken a look at some of the best.
Open champion Xander Schauffele has heard this year's whispers: 'I've heard Oakmont is, from several players, the hardest course they've ever played.
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"Just it's long and the rough is impossible and you can end up hitting 50-yard pitches trying to get up-and-down for par on every hole, something of that nature.'
Masters winner Bubba Watson during the 2007 slog: 'It's a real test of golf, all the way through. Just walking through the parking lot is tough.'
Viktor Hovland on the par three eighth hole in 2025: 'I just think all the best par threes are under 200. As soon as you start to take head covers off on par threes, I just think it gets a little silly.'
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Rory McIlroy on his feelings ahead 2016 challenge: 'It's definitely not excitement. You know you're going to be put under a lot of pressure on basically every single shot. You have to be prepared for how mentally demanding it's going to be, how much concentration you're going to need out there. It's the toughest test in golf and you know that.'
Ian Poulter after a gruesome Friday in 2007: 'There is no point bitching and moaning that it is a difficult golf course because it is a tough golf course and it is not supposed to be easy.'
Former US Open champ Jordan Spieth: 'I know that if you win a US Open at Oakmont, you can go ahead and say that you've conquered the hardest test in all of golf because this is arguably the hardest course in America day-to-day,'
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Ryder Cup star and McIlroy's putting coach Brad Faxon: 'I always say the three hardest courses in America start with Oak. Oakmont, Oakland Hills and Oak Hill. But Oakmont is above and beyond the hardest course I've ever played.'
Lee Trevino past statement on the brutal nature of the test: 'There's only one course in the country where you could step out right now, right now, and play the US Open and that's Oakmont.'
Justin Thomas after a visit for a 2025 practice round: 'I actually went to Oakmont. It's still tough. I would say all of the rumours and everything are pretty on point.'
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Tiger Woods ahead of his task in 2007: 'That golf course is going to be one of the toughest tests that we've ever played in a US Open, especially if it's dry, it will be unreal because those greens are so severe. It's a great test. Overall, I'd say it's a lot harder than Augusta National.'
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Phil Mickelson ahead of his 2016 bid: 'I love a quote that Stephen Hawking says: Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. The hardest course we've ever played.'
Shane Lowry recounts his first visit: 'My coach was with me and we teed off on the 10th. We got around to the 14th, which is up beside the clubhouse, and I walked in. And I sat there in the locker room going, I have no idea how I'm going to play golf around this place.'
Jack Nicklaus on the par three eighth in 2025: 'Well that's crazy. But that's what they do. I think it's a very difficult thing to have a hole where you're standing back hitting a wood at a par three.'Sergio Garcia during his title chase nine years ago: 'It's definitely the toughest golf course I've ever played. There's no doubt about that. We know how difficult the US Open is and, here at Oakmont, it's even tougher. Physically, at the end, I could feel my legs tightening up a little bit.'
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Bryson DeChambeau on the length of the track: 'It's a bomber's paradise, so, hopefully, I can drive it well again and putt well and give myself a good chance.'
Justin Rose on his last visit to Oakmont US Open: 'I remember it being a classic old course, incredibly difficult, bunkers being amazingly deep. Ball striking is at a premium like most US Opens. Obviously there has been some varying set ups of late in the US Open, but this is back to the traditional type golf course.'
Colin Montgomerie, who lost an Oakmont play-off in 1994, gave his assessment to Sky in 2016: 'This place is probably the most difficult ofthe US Open courses and the USGA pride themselves in making this the hardest test of them all. We have to remember that, when Angel Cabrera won here last time, the winning score was five over and only six players broke 10 over all week.'
Ernie Els, who won in 1994 win at Oakmont: 'It's a magnificent golf course, definitely in my all-time top three in the world. But it's incredibly tough, it's the ultimate examination of your game.'