This week, the 125th U.S. Open returns to hallowed ground: Oakmont Country Club, just outside Pittsburgh. It’s the 10th time this storied venue has hosted the national championship — more than any other course — and the 13th major overall at Oakmont, second only to Augusta National among American tracks. With a century-long legacy of punishing play and career-defining drama, Oakmont is poised once again to separate contenders from pretenders.
Designed by Henry Fownes — a steel magnate and self-taught architect whose only course design was this one — Oakmont opened in 1904 and immediately earned a reputation as America’s sternest test. Originally playing to a par 80, including a par 6, the course now stretches 7,372 yards and plays to a brutal par 70 for the 2025 U.S. Open.
Oakmont’s character lies in its relentless challenges. Its defining features — ultra-slick greens with severe slopes, tight fairways, and iconic hazards — create a psychological minefield for the world’s best. The greens are so treacherous that Sam Snead once joked he couldn’t mark his ball without it sliding off the surface.
Two of Oakmont’s most famous hazards loom large: the Church Pews, a long bunker laced with fescue-covered ridges between holes 3 and 4, and the Piano Keys, a similarly cruel stretch of sand near the 15th. Mercifully gone is the infamous “Devil’s Backscratcher,” a 100-pound rake once used to gouge deep furrows in bunkers — a torment too severe, even for Oakmont.
Oakmont is a cathedral of American golf history. In 1962, a young Jack Nicklaus shocked the golf world by defeating Arnold Palmer in a playoff to win his first major — and first professional victory. Eleven years later, Johnny Miller tore through a rain-softened Oakmont with a final-round 63, arguably the greatest Sunday round in major championship history. Most recently, in 2016, Dustin Johnson overcame a controversial mid-round penalty ruling to win his only major to date.
The Contenders
Scottie Scheffler: On Top and Still Climbing
No one enters this week with more momentum than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The three-time major champion has been a fixture on leaderboards all season, and while he’s yet to win a U.S. Open, he’s come close — three top-seven finishes in the last four years. If anyone can tame Oakmont’s precision demands and mental grind, it’s Scheffler. But even he must bring his absolute best to lift the trophy here.
Rory McIlroy: Searching for a Second Wind
After capturing the elusive green jacket at Augusta in April, completing the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy has slowed. His performance at the PGA Championship was tepid, and he missed the cut last week in Canada. But Rory has a track record of rising to the moment — and with the weight of history now lifted from his shoulders, he may play with the freedom that could reignite his game.
Bryson DeChambeau: Enter the Showman
Last year’s U.S. Open champion, Bryson DeChambeau, returns not only as a major winner but also as one of golf’s biggest personalities. Formerly seen as an aloof, numbers-obsessed outsider, he’s reinvented himself as a fan-favorite and content king, amassing millions of followers while pounding drives and posting vlogs. But behind the camera charm is a player who knows how to close — and he’d love nothing more than an encore.
Three former Open champions — Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Collin Morikawa — arrive at Oakmont searching for clarity in careers that have recently veered off course. Once dominant, all three have looked ordinary at times over the past year. A strong showing here could restore their shine; another missed cut might intensify the questions about where they’re headed.
The U.S. Open at Oakmont is not just a tournament — it’s a reckoning. The fairways are narrow, the greens are glass, and every mistake is magnified. The winner won’t just play well — they’ll survive. Oakmont doesn’t reward flair or flash. It demands discipline, courage, and unflinching mental toughness.
It has broken legends and birthed them. This week, the most merciless venue in golf returns to the spotlight. And it’s hungry.
