Latest news with #GilHanse
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
How To Watch The U.S. Open, And What To Expect At Golf's Third Major
Amid intrigue about the carnage that Oakmont Country Club's near-impenetrable rough and notoriously fearsome greens might dish out to the game's top players at the U.S. Open, Scottie Scheffler enters the golf season's third major championship as a heavy favorite after wins in three of his past four starts, including a four-shot win at last month's PGA Championship. The world's No. 1-ranked golfer, Scheffler heads a field of 156 players teeing it up this week just outside Pittsburgh at the nation's first golf course to be recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Oakmont originally opened in 1903, designed by Henry Fownes on farmland he acquired adjacent to the Allegheny River Valley, and is one of the game's most challenging and uncompromising layouts. Pennsylvania-based golf architect Gil Hanse, who completed a restoration of the course in October 2023, describes Oakmont as 'unapologetically difficult.' That pedigree of pain is a prime reason why the U.S. Open is back at Oakmont for a record-extending 10th time – three more than any other host venue. It's the 18th USGA championship for the club, second only to Merion Golf Club's 19 in total. 'I don't think people turn the TV on to watch some of the guys just hit like a 200-yard shot on the green,' said world No. 3 Xander Schauffele. 'I think they turn on the U.S. Open to see a guy shooting 8-over and suffer. That's part of the enjoyment of the U.S. Open for viewers.' The U.S. Open was previously contested at Oakmont in 1927, 1935, 1953, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1994, 2007 and 2016. In the most recent edition, just under a decade ago, Dustin Johnson won by three shots at 4-under par. Only three others in the field broke par that week. The 125th playing of the national championship is scheduled for June 12-15 and can be watched via a mix of broadcast television and streaming services, with extensive coverage spread across multiple networks throughout all four days of the tournament. The championship will receive more than 45 hours of live coverage on NBC, USA Network and Peacock. Beginning Monday, June 9, Golf Channel will surround the championship with live pre- and post-game coverage on Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open. With featured groups, featured holes, U.S. Open All Access and additional coverage, the total will reach nearly 300 hours. Scheffler, coming off his $4 million win two weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament, is listed as the 11-4 favorite to win the U.S. Open by the Las Vegas Westgate Superbook. The best previous finish at a U.S. Open for the three-time major winner was a tie for second at the 2022 tournament at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he finished one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who also won the U.S. Open in 2020 at Winged Foot in New York before his victory at Pinehurst last year, is the second favorite with 15-2 odds. DeChambeau and fellow former champions Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Johnson are among 14 LIV Golf players in this year's 156-golfer field. Rory McIlroy, aiming to join Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth as just the third golfer in the past five decades to win the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year, has 12-1 odds of winning. Phil Mickelson, who turns 55 on June 16 (a day after the championship's final round) has the most experience of any player in the field, making his 35th U.S. Open appearance. Adam Scott (24) and Justin Rose (20) are the only other golfers who have played in the U.S. Open at least 20 times. There are 44 players in the 2025 championship field who are playing in their first U.S. Open. Among them is Ben Griffin, who tied for eighth in this year's PGA Championship and has won twice on the PGA Tour in 2025. The starting field of 156 golfers will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 scorers and ties. Hanse said the 32 players in the field who also tackled the course at the 2016 U.S. Open will likely notice the expansion of Oakmont's vaunted greens as the biggest change. 'There's going to be a lot of new hole locations,' said Hanse, who has had a hand in restoration and renovation projects at many of the game's most celebrated venues, including recent U.S. Open sites Winged Foot, The Country Club at Brookline, Los Angeles Country Club, and future venues such as Baltusrol, Merion, and Oakland Hills. 'The edges of the greens now are more like tabletops as opposed to having build-up along the edges. I think they are going to feel a little bit more difficult to hit into. We've managed to find a little bit more length (approximately 250 yards), so I think they're going to feel that as well.' The fairways at Oakmont aren't particularly wide – 28 yards on average – and the landing zones are often fiercely protected by challenging bunkers like the club's famous 'church pews.' Even more unforgiving, however, is the 4 inch to 5 inch-deep rough that's been grown and cut repeatedly to have it stand up straighter and thicker – to the point where hand mowers are needed to manage the height. 'It just puts an emphasis on hitting the fairway and hitting greens. If you're a premier ball striker, you'll be licking your chops,' said world No. 3 Xander Schauffele, who hasn't finished outside the Top 15 in his eight career U.S. Open starts. 'It's pretty hard to be in the bunkers and have an open shot to the green, so you're just kind of taking your medicine. If you're in the rough, it's very lie dependent.' And then there are the super slick greens on this inland links-style course. Wicked green speeds have always been a hallmark at Oakmont, which are perhaps the most closely-mown of any championship course, leading to putting surfaces that not only roll fast but roll out a significant distance. Oakmont Country Club will be set up at 7,372 yards and will play to a par of 35-35–70. The yardage for each round of the championship will vary due to course setup and conditions, with players teeing off on the first and 10th tees on Thursday and Friday. 'It seems like it's tougher this time around, but that's just maybe with the little bit of added length,' said Johnson. 'It's going to make it a little more difficult.' The course is historic, and tournament tested. This will be the 10th U.S. Open at Oakmont, three more than the second-most frequent host. 'Being perfectly honest and very selfish, I hope it psyches a lot of players out,' Justin Thomas, who's currently 5th in the world rankings, said of Oakmont. 'It's a part of the preparation, like trying to go hit wedges or trying to get the speed of the greens or anything. It's getting a game plan for how you're going to approach the course mentally and strategically.' Just over 50 years ago, Johnny Miller received $35,000 for his win at the 1973 U.S. Open, when he shot a final-round 63 at Oakmont. The total tournament purse that year was just over $219,000. When Ernie Els won the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont just over two decades later, he pocketed $320,000 for the playoff victory. Johnson's 2016 U.S. Open title at Oakmont earned him $1.8 million of the $10 million prize purse. While this year's prize money hasn't been set, it will likely rival or surpass the $21.5 million awarded at last year's U.S. Open in Pinehurst, where DeChambeau took home $4.3 million.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 U.S. Open: Every hole at Oakmont ranked easiest to hardest (with an asterisk)
2025 U.S. Open: Every hole at Oakmont ranked easiest to hardest (with an asterisk) Oakmont Country Club's members pride themselves on how difficult their course plays, especially in major championships. When Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner renovated the course in 2023, they were forced to promise they wouldn't make it any easier ahead of the 2025 U.S. Open. How hard is Oakmont? In the 2016 U.S. Open won by Dustin Johnson, the two par 5s combined to average over par. That's basically unheard of in elite championships, where the par 5s normally provide the best scoring opportunities and average under par. One of Oakmont's par 5s played under par in 2016, but the second averaged over par for the tournament by a great enough margin to lift the tournament's par-5 scoring average to above par (keep scrolling for the details.) Only four holes averaged under par in 2016, two of them par 4s, one a par 3, and that aforementioned single par 5. And based on 2016 and the other previous Opens at Oakmont, players better get their act together in a hurry, because No. 1 is a real threat. It's worth mentioning, all this comes with an asterisk. Hanse and Wagner renovated the course, and especially notable are their expansions of greens to create new pin-able areas. If the USGA chooses to use many of those new hole locations, the scoring averages for holes could jostle considerably. So take this information as if it's a stock broker's warning: Past performance isn't necessarily indicative of future results. All that said, here's how the holes ranked in 2016 from easiest to hardest in relation to par: Hole No. 17 (18th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 313 2025 yardage: 312 2016 scoring average: 3.8874 Over/under par average: -0.1126 Eagles: 6 Birdies: 129 Pars: 230 Bogeys: 70 Double bogeys: 7 Others: 2 Hole No. 4 (17th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 5 2016 yardage: 609 2025 yardage: 611 2016 scoring average: 4.9707 Over/under par average: -0.0293 Eagles: 3 Birdies: 98 Pars: 265 Bogeys: 66 Double bogeys: 11 Others: 1 Hole No. 13 (16th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 3 2016 yardage: 183 2025 yardage: 182 2016 scoring average: 2.9887 Over/under par average: -0.0113 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 87 Pars: 282 Bogeys: 68 Double bogeys: 7 Others: 0 Hole No. 14 (15th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 358 2025 yardage: 379 2016 scoring average: 3.991 Over/under par average: -0.009 Eagles: 3 Birdies: 72 Pars: 302 Bogeys: 60 Double bogeys: 7 Others: 0 Hole No. 11 (14th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 379 2025 yardage: 400 2016 scoring average: 4.0721 Over/under par average: 0.0721 Eagles: 1 Birdies: 66 Pars: 293 Bogeys: 70 Double bogeys: 13 Others: 1 Hole No. 2 (13th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 340 2025 yardage: 346 2016 scoring average: 4.1261 Over/under par average: 0.1261 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 77 Pars: 262 Bogeys: 80 Double bogeys: 22 Others: 3 Hole No. 5 (12th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 382 2025 yardage: 408 2016 scoring average: 4.1306 Over/under par average: 0.1306 Eagles: 1 Birdies: 54 Pars: 290 Bogeys: 85 Double bogeys: 13 Others: 1 Hole No. 6 (11th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 3 2016 yardage: 194 2025 yardage: 200 2016 scoring average: 3.1419 Over/under par average: 0.1419 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 71 Pars: 258 Bogeys: 98 Double bogeys: 15 Others: 2 Hole No. 12 (10th in difficulty in 2016) Par: 5 2016 yardage: 632 2025 yardage: 632 2016 scoring average: 5.1441 Over/under par average: 0.1441 Eagles: 3 Birdies: 77 Pars: 240 Bogeys: 102 Double bogeys: 21 Others: 1 Hole No. 16 (Ninth in difficulty in 2016) Par: 3 2016 yardage: 231 2025 yardage: 236 2016 scoring average: 3.241 Over/under par average: 0.241 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 32 Pars: 289 Bogeys: 110 Double bogeys: 10 Others: 3 Hole No. 8 (Eighth in difficulty in 2016) Par: 3 2016 yardage: 288 2025 yardage: 289 2016 scoring average: 3.3041 Over/under par average: 0.3041 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 24 Pars: 275 Bogeys: 132 Double bogeys: 12 Others: 1 Hole No. 18 (Seventh in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 484 2025 yardage: 502 2016 scoring average: 4.3198 Over/under par average: 0.3198 Eagles: 1 Birdies: 33 Pars: 255 Bogeys: 133 Double bogeys: 22 Others: 0 Hole No. 3 (Sixth in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 426 2025 yardage: 462 2016 scoring average: 4.3198 Over/under par average: 0.3198 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 48 Pars: 250 Bogeys: 113 Double bogeys: 24 Others: 9 Hole No. 7 (Fifth in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 479 2025 yardage: 485 2016 scoring average: 4.3266 Over/under par average: 0.3266 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 36 Pars: 251 Bogeys: 136 Double bogeys: 18 Others: 3 Hole No. 10 (Fourth in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 462 2025 yardage: 461 2016 scoring average: 4.3333 Over/under par average: 0.3333 Eagles: 1 Birdies: 43 Pars: 225 Bogeys: 158 Double bogeys: 16 Others: 1 Hole No. 15 (Third in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 500 2025 yardage: 507 2016 scoring average: 4.3874 Over/under par average: 0.3874 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 32 Pars: 235 Bogeys: 151 Double bogeys: 25 Others: 1 Hole No. 9 (Second in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 477 2025 yardage: 472 2016 scoring average: 4.4324 Over/under par average: 0.4324 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 34 Pars: 214 Bogeys: 167 Double bogeys: 28 Others: 1 Hole No. 1 (First in difficulty in 2016) Par: 4 2016 yardage: 482 2025 yardage: 488 2016 scoring average: 4.4527 Over/under par average: 0.4527 Eagles: 0 Birdies: 29 Pars: 221 Bogeys: 161 Double bogeys: 30 Others: 3
NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
NBC SPORTS 2025 U.S. OPEN MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 Dan Hicks Kevin Kisner Smylie Kaufman Notah Begay III DAN HICKS: It's great to be getting back to Oakmont. I've had the privilege of covering three previous USGA events there. We did the Amateur way back in 2023. We did the U.S. Open then, the 2007 one. And then the 2010 U.S. Women's Open was just after that one; Paula Creamer won. Great championships. Looking forward to another one. This is the fourth one for me and our crew. Just to mention, when you say the word 'Oakmont,' I don't think any other course brings that instant thought of that tough, unrelenting difficulty that this place has. They, of course, don't hold U.S. Opens at places of a record 10 times now, which is incredible, without its ability to continue to challenge the best to the absolute limit. And I say 'continue to do that' because many of you are aware that Oakmont recently underwent a major restoration led by Gil Hanse and his company. From what I've heard, the membership was really, at first, hesitant to fully commit to it. But I understand that it would be completed right before the slated U.S. Open, so I understand how they were a little hesitant. Gil Hanse needed to do it right, and he did. I can't wait to see it. In fact, he's described it as open heart surgery with a little bit of plastic surgery in there as well. Really looking forward to what he did to restore it, with respect to William Fownes, the original architect. I'll end by saying, I can't wait to work with our NBC team again. I think it's really coming together. Really excited to do a first major sitting next to Kevin Kisner. Really think he's a natural at this. I think you either kind of get TV or you don't, and sure you get better with more reps. And Kis is just starting out. But I think he's a really smart guy who comes across -- I'll say it -- he's kind of a no-BS guy. I think the audience has picked up on that. And I think he's really going to be great at this year's U.S. Open, an event that really tests your guts. KEVIN KISNER: Appreciate it. I'm going to get Dan to call my wife and convey those same sentiments to her that I'm just the perfect fit after this call. I appreciate everyone having me on. I'm looking forward to doing my first major with Dan Hicks and the team at NBC. Like I told everyone, it's been the greatest experience for me being the first-time employer ever in my life. NBC has been a great team, brought me in with open arms. Kudos to all of them. I'm going to talk a little bit about the golf course. I spent time with the USGA a few weeks ago going over the changes and how they want the U.S. Open to unfold. I think from a venue standpoint, you cannot have what the USGA wants at a U.S. Open more than Oakmont as the perfect U.S. Open venue. They could have the U.S. Open pretty much anytime of the year if you wanted to show up, and the course is ready. The USGA doesn't have to make a lot of changes to the course. I've gone through the changes with Gil Hanse's team and USGA. And I think the number one priority that USGA wants to have hope in the U.S. Open is driving the golf ball. I think those changes will put a premium on driving the golf ball just like they do at every U.S. Open. From a greens standpoint, over the years, tons of sand splash out of the bunkers has created more of a collection area to the greens at Oakmont, that they've lowered these bunkers back down to the original levels and I think you'll see more balls run away from the center of the greens which will make approach shots more difficult and getting the ball up-and-down more difficult. I think they'll have more hole locations than we've seen in the past. Some pins will even appear they're off the edges of the greens with the renovation. And looking forward to getting there and seeing it. One of the things USGA likes to accomplish -- I love this quote -- was get every club in the bag dirty. And when I finish a golf course no matter where I play I think that's one of the greatest attributes to a golf course if you hit every club in the bag I think Oakmont will be the perfect venue for that. SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I'll talk about the field and then just my experience in playing at Oakmont. I'll start with the field in general, just about what to expect coming into this U.S. Open. I think we're all just so excited for what could be, at this incredible U.S. Open at Oakmont with Scottie Scheffler, of course, playing as good as he ever has. I didn't think we could ever say that again, but Scottie Scheffler coming into the U.S. Open has a lot of people excited to see if he can win two majors in a row. And of course Bryson DeChambeau, the defending champion from last year, I mean, being on the ground last year with Rory McIlroy and watching it unfold, the back and forth in the two groups, just how fascinating and cool it is to be part of such an incredible event, which gets me very excited for this year. I think anybody could really -- I wouldn't say anybody -- but there's different types of games that can win on this golf course. I think when you go back look at the leaderboard from 2016, you see that there's a lot of different varying distances of players that actually competed. Andrew Landry found his way in that group. A very straight hitter if the golf ball. Shane Lowry, a four-shot lead going into Sunday, and he's probably playing as good as he ever has. And Sepp Straka, another player, reminds me of Shane Lowry and how they play the golf game. Accuracy, as Kevin Kisner said, is going to be very important, hitting fairways. And even then you're going to have to have conservative targets. When you have a green light, which you don't have much at Oakmont, you need to find a way to make a birdie. That's asking for a lot of this very difficult golf course as I played it in 2016 in the U.S. Open. And I can tell you I thought I played better. But that's kind of my whole career; I kind of thought I did a little better than I did. I went back and saw the results, and I thought I was around like two or three over par and missed the cut by a couple only to realize that the cut was plus six. And I actually shot nine over and missed it by three. It was an incredible experience playing a U.S. Open at Oakmont -- the crowds, and just the views that you have as a player. When you get on that first tee and you look out on that property and you can see the entire U.S. Open in front of you, it's a really cool deal. I'm excited for all the players. We've got some great storylines from this Monday that just happened. A dentist I believe has made it in. We have some cool storylines outside the top lines. Just really looking forward to working, I guess this would now be my fourth event, working a U.S. Open with NBC. I'm excited to get going. NOTAH BEGAY: Great to be with the NBC team again. I'm really looking forward to the broadcast, especially the venue. I think it's going to present such an array of different challenges, as Kis and Smylie and everybody alluded to. I covered the last U.S. Amateur to be played there, won by James Piot in 2021, I was there covering it for our broadcast team. I just found it really unique in the sense that in an era of analytics and looking over all the different information that players are evaluating on sort of how to best pursue certain strategies on certain holes, I don't know that that necessarily is going to help them at Oakmont, which I think is interesting because every week players are trying to use these numbers to help them factor in certain decisions, when to go for certain holes, and when to be a little bit more conservative. Q. I was curious, for the guys, about Rory and just the last few weeks, if you will. We were all obviously down at the PGA, and he chose not to speak to the media for four straight days. Then the following week it was kind of curious what took place at Memorial. Jack made mention he never reached out to him. I'm curious about that because obviously he spoke to us on Wednesday of PGA week and just seemed so satisfied and happy and such a great place after having completed the Grand Slam. It seems a bit curious for Rory, what took police at Charlotte and even the Jack situation? KEVIN KISNER: I'm not sure how to respond to the no-media request at the PGA. I wasn't there and I don't know what was going on with that. But I think on the Jack thing, scheduling -- he's an RBC guy. He has to be up in Canada this week and the U.S. Open last week. And all the emotions that went into winning Augusta and the Masters, and how big a deal for his career, how much effort he put into that, I think the emotional roller coaster that takes over time can just wear on you. And I think the scheduling impacted his decision not to play in Columbus. I saw him yesterday here in Canada. He seemed in great spirits. I think that might have just been a one-off at the PGA. But who knows? I think he's good to go, and we'll see how it goes at the U.S. Open. DAN HICKS: I'll jump in, until we hear from Rory himself, I think it's all speculation. He's been such an accessible guy who obviously was so curious about what he did at the PGA. And he's kind of gotten off the grid a little bit. But as Kis said, maybe he needs that kind of time. But I think until we hear from him specifically, he's been pretty honest with everybody about a lot of things. So I think until he talks and kind of -- he'll respond to it. He has to. He knows that. So eventually we'll get some word. But until we do from him, I think it's just all speculation. Q. For Smylie, I was just curious if there's going to be a Happy Hour for the U.S. Open and perhaps moving forward for the rest of the season with the British Open and FedEx Playoffs, and if you have any insight on what you plan to do or who you plan to have on for that, if there is going to be one? For Notah, I was curious if perhaps you've spoken to Tiger and if you do have an update on how he's doing. SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I'll take the first question in regards to Happy Hour. For the U.S. Open we're not going to be doing a Happy Hour. The USGA elected not to do it this year. Not ruling out future years, but for this year in particular they're not going to do it. But when we come to Happy Hours for the rest of the year, expect to see us be doing it at every single playoff event. Of course, I love doing it. It's definitely added some fun to some -- not only for me, but just having these players come on, tell us about the golf course and really let them be the analyst. It's been really enjoyable for me to have these guys come on. And definitely wish we were doing it but it's one of the those things we totally understand. And we're excited to call the U.S. Open. NOTAH BEGAY: With regards to the Tiger question, the only Woods playing good golf these days is Charlie. Those injuries take forever to heal. So definitely still in recovery mode. Q. I know a ton has been made about Bryson's bunker shot last year. Can't rewatch that one enough. It was, you know, a 50-to-1 or 100-to-1 shot. But can you explain how anyone -- the best player in the world, the worst player in the world, whatever -- can sort of conjure up that shot under that much pressure, just how surprised or amazed you were to see it happen under those circumstances? SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I was standing there watching Bryson DeChambeau maybe six, seven feet away. And seeing when his feet hit the sand and how much sand there appeared to be in the bunker which really had not gotten much play throughout the week. I'm sitting there thinking, where would I hit this and where do I think Bryson is going to hit this. When he took this big swing, the amount of confidence that you have to have to hit it that close to the golf ball and not accidentally catch too much ball and send it on top of the clubhouse, it's a very fine line. I think when Bryson said after that he was going for more of a chunk-type of play, that takes a lot, lot of strength to be able to hit it that close to the ball, take that much sand and carry it a good 30, 35 yards. So watching it that close enough and personal, it was one of the greatest shots I've ever seen, pressure-packed shots I've ever seen and maybe will ever see around the green. So it's going to be a shot that we talk about for years to come, the up-and-down by Bryson at 18 at Pinehurst. Let's see what he has in store for us this week. NOTAH BEGAY: On top of that, you ask how these guys do that. They work every single day, every week at these facets of the game in hopes they will have an opportunity to try it. I think one of the most overlooked things about professional golf is all the calculation that happens on the fly in evaluating certain shots, which way the grass is lying, where the ball's going to land, and on top of all the normal things. Q. Just curious, maybe starting with Kiz, but anyone feel free to chime in. How do you describe the evolution of Bryson DeChambeau from guys not really liking him to becoming maybe the most popular golfer in the world right now? KEVIN KISNER: I think what Bryson realized is in the current space he's playing in the better have as many fans as he needs, and he's done a heck of a job using social media channels to connect with viewers, connect with golfers, connect with -- and show his true personality because I think he probably didn't do a great job of that early on in his career. It's amazing to watch the number of people and the way he's reacting to the fans these days. And I think the transformation is amazing. I commend him for realizing that he needed to probably change that. And a lot of guys don't take the time or the effort to do it. But I think he's done an awesome job with it. And watching him just at the PGA, the way he was interacting with the fans and doing all the things, I think heck of a job he's done to connect. SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah, pretty much everything that Kiz said, I would reiterate. I would say his ability to not only just drive it so dang far, it's such a strength of his. But he brings so many different people into the game from his YouTube channel who get to watch him show his personality a little bit. I think a lot of players can learn from Bryson and how he's been able to leverage his brand. But what he's done a great job of, too, is he's really used the crowd to his advantage at many events. He's been a major killer over the past couple of years now. He's always near the top of the leaderboard. It's incredible how this guy he is kind of the needle out there when it comes to getting a crowd going. It's fun to be around his groups because you can definitely feel where the Bryson fans are and when he gets it going. It's fun to be a part of it last year at the U.S. Open, especially watching his game after not seeing it for a couple of years, how incredible it is when he gets that driver going. Looking forward to seeing if that iron game can kind of tighten up a little bit this week at Oakmont because that's something that -- getting to these little sections of these greens that are going to be tough to get to, that's probably been his biggest weakness in not winning more majors, as the short game and driving ability has been plenty good enough. That will be a big test for him is how good his iron game will be this U.S. Open. DAN HICKS: I think he's the game's ultimate marketer right now. I think he's been incredibly smart with his transformation, whatever you want to think. I think he's the same guy, but he's just used the showmanship routine to really take his stardom to a whole new level. And as Smylie said, I think he's learned that whipping up the crowd, becoming connected with the crowd only helps him -- not only helps him get cheered for, but I think it helps him with his own confidence level of, look it, they're all cheering for me; now I'm going to give them something really special. I think he's learned that formula. I think he's become a lot more dangerous of a guy, especially at the biggest ones they play, the majors. And that's proven to be true. Q. Why do you guys think he's the one guy who went to LIV who has been able to capitalize and play even better than he did before in the majors? KEVIN KISNER: From my point of view, watching the Ryder Cup, he's had six starts to get points. And he's third in the points. And the next least amount of starts for any points-getter is 15. I think that's fascinating. It shows how well he's played in the biggest events. And I think he's really shown that at the biggest stage, he can shine. That's one of the greatest compliments you could pay a golfer, and the way he's preparing for those biggest events. He's got two more opportunities to lock up a spot on the Ryder Cup team, which I think is fascinating. NOTAH BEGAY: And to that point, you've got to understand how Bryson approaches golf and his mindset. This whole iron thing started when he was in high school. The best thing his father, who is a PGA member, did for him was that he didn't try and change him. He wasn't heavily recruited because of that. A little bit socially awkward. And he just kind of had to kind of exist in his own silo. He does not like to play casual golf. Bryson likes to practice. I think that he's the only one that's figured out -- I thought John Rahm had kind of figured it out when coming down the stretch at the PGA, but we saw that in the last three holes, when he needed to shine, he didn't. But Bryson will completely evaluate what a certain golf course is going to demand, and he will do it analytically, and then he will go and exactly practice for that. And he's a physicist. He's a mental giant. And I think it gives him more time to focus on these specific events and try and quantitatively deduce what exactly he's going to have to do and the shots he's going to have to hit. Smylie brings up a great point. He's going to need to get his wedges a little bit sharper because that's going to be an element of the game that's required here. And I don't think that he's going to overpower this golf course like we saw at Winged Foot. I think that's sort of his edge is his ability to evaluate, decide what the requisite skills are going to be required, and then go and then work on those for weeks. Q. Kiz and Smylie, golf is supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be something you're supposed to look forward to. This is a major. This is the national Open. And yet you see these reports coming out from scouting trips that Rory and Adam Scott are making and it's, like, oh, my God. How do you get yourself into a mental headspace to actually enjoy what you're about to do if the outcome is carnage? KEVIN KISNER: I think you just change expectations. Just because one week we shoot 25-under par and that's fun, you have to change your mindset, and 3-over par might be fun. I don't get too caught up in the whole carnage, pre-tournament reports, because we hear that almost seemingly every year at these events. And then when we show up on Thursday, somebody's 3-under at the turn and it's, like, what happened to all the carnage reports? You put 156 of the best players in the world at a course, it doesn't matter; you stick a hole in the ground and they're going to figure out a way to make birdies. I'm interested to see how the scoring is. But to answer your question, I think it's just the expectation that just because it's the setup and the venue, you change your expectation to allow yourself to have fun and enjoy making pars and the grind of it instead of feeling like you have to birdie every hole to be around on Sunday. SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I was on the range yesterday hitting a couple of balls late in the evening. This gentleman came up to me and said how excited he was for the U.S. Open. And the reason why, he's, like, I love watching these players suffer. And I laughed. I said I guess now me too now that I'm in the broadcast. But I think it was really -- it made me think about it a little bit more, just about just what this U.S. Open is. And I think maybe it was Dan or Kiz earlier that said, you've got to get dirty, you've got to test every club in your bag. The mental side of the game for this U.S. Open, there's going to be moments where you feel like this wasn't normal, this wasn't fair. And you've got to find a way to completely just get rid of that thought and just know that everybody else is going through the same crap out here. It's going to be an absolute physical, mental grind. I think you'll see the toughest players on Sunday that are in contention, it will be the guys that have been able to keep their wits about them, not have those blowup holes completely derail their championship. And I expect an over-par U.S. Open winner. Of course, weather will be a huge impact, like if we get a bunch of rain like we did '16. But based on some of the reports I've heard, I agree with you; it sounds like it's going to be crazy, crazy hard. I heard that Adam Scott hit every fairway on his opening nine and shot 3-over where -- there's going to be some interesting stuff too like the first hole. It slopes straight down towards the green where some of these really long players might be able to drive it on this first green. But of course it's going to be a test that we're really all excited to see who is going to pass and who is mentally going to be able to keep their wits about them. Q. Kevin, where do you rank Oakmont as a U.S. Open venue from either what you have played or what you have seen? And a second question, if I could, because Notah mentioned this about Bryson, you look, Ángel Cabrera won in '07, Dustin won in 2016, two bombers of the ball. Is Oakmont a course that favors bombers? KEVIN KISNER: To answer the first question, I think it's number one. I think that's exactly what the USGA is trying to capture in hosting a U.S. Open. Like I said in my opening remarks, the course is pretty much U.S. Open-ready year-round during the season. They can be ready in a couple of days, and you give them time to prepare for an event that they want to showcase what they want the U.S. Open champion to achieve. I think it's the epitome of a venue. So I would rank it right there at the top. And I think a lot of people at the USGA would agree with me. As far as bombers, like Smylie said, and Dan, Shane Lowry had a four-shot lead the last time we were there. I was having breakfast with him yesterday and he said he didn't remember, but he had a three-shot lead on the back nine on Sunday and didn't win. He's not known as a bomber. I think he's known as a grinder, and figures it out and gets the ball in the hole. I think it's a perfect venue that will have a lot of different opportunities for guys to compete. I think one of the things the bombers get away with that others don't is their misses are further away from the fairway and sometimes can be in less dramatic rough outside the rope lines. And I think that's an advantage for a bomber. But there are a lot of different ways to play Oakmont, and I think you'll see a lot of variety of games near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday. Q. Dan, this is the 25th year since Tiger's tour de force at Pebble Beach. I know we do these retrospectives every so often. But Dan, as time goes on, what perhaps is the one or two memories that just jump out to you still immediately 25 years out? DAN HICKS: Well, it starts and ends with me at Pebble Beach. That was my first time in the 18th tower with Johnny. It was Pebble Beach and I couldn't believe what this kid was doing. And I'll never forget that as the historic records began piling up, I felt this pressure to try to keep up with him and get it all right. And the numbers were just mindboggling. Just every round there was another milestone. There was a possibility of setting a record, putting it out even further. It starts and ends with Pebble Beach in 2000. So, 25 years ago, he had that incredible stretch of play and that was it. The U.S. Open will never see a better performance in a major championship. It's hard to say that, but I think we're never going to see anybody win a championship by that many shots, 15. I have a board in my office that I'm looking at right now that has all the scores from the final round of that U.S. Open championship, and Tiger started the day at 8-under and Ernie Els, the closest to him at plus-2, so he had a 10-shot lead, and just to look at the numbers of what everybody else did, it's a sports performance that I think will never be repeated. It was that dominant in a game that you just never see that kind of dominance. That's my thought. It starts and ends there, as I said. Q. Dan, as Sunday went along, it's obviously not competitive at the top, but it's record-breaking. How do you balance the kind of enormity, so to speak, of what Tiger was doing and not just have your every focus on what Tiger is doing, you're still covering a tournament, sort of? DAN HICKS: Yeah, sort of. That's the keyword because there was no one else. It was a complete show with one guy. You look at the ratings back then, I can't recall exactly what they were, but they were huge because -- as the day went on, as the lead got bigger, the audience got bigger. And that shows you, you know, you don't always -- you want a close championship, that's the real reason we get into this business, but this was that and much more. This was history, and I think people picked up on the fact that how can one single guy be that dominant? How can one guy take it to 12-under par and the next guy be plus-3? We're never going to see anything like that. I think it was a fascination with a guy at perfection in a game which no one really comes close to that. So it's the absolute Sistine Chapel of major championship performances, and I really believe it will never be equal. Q. Smylie and Kiz, it's weird that we have been on this call and I don't believe one question has been asked about Scottie, which I think is kind of perfect, because we just almost expect the remarkable stuff he's been doing. But can you guys both kind of address that, how he just kind of motors along? He's putting Tiger-like numbers together. Yet, when we were on these calls back in the day when Tiger was doing these things, probably 18 out of the 20 questions would have been about Tiger. What does that say about Scottie, and how remarkable is this run that he's on in your minds? SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I think with Scottie, he's the best player that I've ever seen with my own eyes. I, of course, have watched Tiger on TV as a kid growing up, and so I can't really speak to watching the golf ball in the air like I can with Scottie, as I've gotten the opportunity and really just lucky to be able to watch him as much as I have over the years, and it's the best I've ever seen. He's got no weaknesses in his game. You just feel like when you're behind Scottie, you have to press because you know he's not going to make any mistakes. I think it's just a blend of so many great things that he has. Like, when you're a 65-percent-accuracy driver of the golf ball and you hit as many fairways as he does, then you couple it with maybe one of the best iron players to ever play the game, and now throw in a strokes-gained, top-20 putter along with a second in scrambling, he just doesn't have any weaknesses. I think the best comparison that I can make with him and Tiger Woods, other than you can look at all the stats and the numbers say it is very close, but what Scottie does an incredible job of doing is his bad days, he shoots 70. And Tiger Woods used to do the exact same thing. The days where he doesn't have anything -- and when you look at all the top players in the game right now, how many times have you seen Rory McIlroy or Xander Schauffele or Justin Thomas shoot rounds of 76 or higher on major championship Thursday rounds and all of a sudden they're out of it? Scottie Scheffler doesn't do that. He turns those days into 71s, 70s, 69s. And it just speaks to really just being an athlete and finding a way to get it done. I would say that's probably the most impressive thing that Scottie does for my eyes. KEVIN KISNER: To follow up on that, a little different is two of the things that impressed me with Scottie. I was fortunate enough to watch him hit every shot those nine days in Montreal at the Presidents Cup, and played with him numerous times. He does the exact same thing the last 20 seconds before he hits a golf shot, every shot in practice and in play, and in competition, and he plays with his grip and gets it perfectly. He has the same look in his eye. When he steps in, he has the most intense concentration that I've ever seen on every shot, and he makes sure that he's in the zone on every shot. That's something that, in my eyes, I always look back at Tiger Woods in his heyday, and that's what he did as well. One of the other fascinating things that's starting to happen that happened when Tiger was on that run was his peers started to talk about him in the same way that Tiger's fellow competitors talked about him. You saw Jordan talk about him last week and a few others. I just found it fascinating that it's getting to the point that his peers are even talking about how good he is and how great he's playing and how hard it is to beat him, and I think that even helps your advantage when you're the guy that others are talking about. --NBC SPORTS--
