The 125th edition of the U.S. Open will be played at Oakmont Country Club this week, which marks the 10th time this course has hosted the major. Oakmont has all the characteristics of a classic U.S. Open venue and it is regarded as one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. This very long par 70 measures in at 7,372 yards and the fairways are all bordered with extremely penalizing rough, which is supposed to be at five inches long for this week’s U.S. Open. Clips of players struggling to find their ball in the thick rough at Oakmont have been going viral all week, including this one of Tyrell Hatton:
Not only do players have to worry about the rough, but Oakmont is home to an eye-popping 163 bunkers, which is the most of any course this season by 50 bunkers. Most famous is the church pew bunker between holes three and four. This unique fairway long bunker has lines of rough through the bunker, so if you somehow miss the sand, you will be in even more trouble, with a likely horrible lie in this treacherous rough.
Then comes the POA annua greens, which are lightening quick and extremely complex large putting surfaces that can cause pure chaos.
Most recently, Oakmont hosted the 2007 U.S. Open, which was won by Angel Cabrera at five-over, and the 2016 U.S. Open, which was won by Dustin Johnson at four-under. In firm and dry conditions in 2007, Oakmont played at an absurd 5.4 strokes over par and every player finished over par for the week. In 2016, with heavy rain during the early portions of the tournament, the course played softer, making it more friendly. Still, the course played at 3.3 strokes over par and only four players finished under par for the major.
For this week’s U.S. Open, the weather forecast is showing a beautiful day near 90 degrees with party cloudy conditions on Thursday. Then there is a chance of thunderstorms on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If Oakmont sees a decent amount of precipitation, the course will become easier, but Oakmont will remain very challenging even if the track softens up.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the current line for the winning score for this week’s U.S. Open is at 278.5, which is two shots under par. Currently, the under is favored at -140, and with rain appearing likely for multiple days of the event, backing the under does seem wise in this situation. Johnson finished four-under in soft conditions at Oakmont in 2016 and, with much better equipment nine years later, the winner should finish right around or slightly lower than Johnson did.
