PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As much as Oakmont has a reputation, deserved, for quick greens. It is what else Oakmont Country Club is known for that likely will determine who wins the US Open.
The rough.
Anyone in Western Pennsylvania with a lawn can tell you we've had grass-growing weather. There are USGA rules to the length of the rough, but the thickness is what will turn clubs and force even the strongest players to play sideways or risk a potentially high number.
"Driver is always going to be a huge club at Oakmont, just like all US Opens are," said 2022 US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick. "It's obviously going to be tight, thick rough. You got to drive it well. No one is going to hit 14 fairways every day. You have to accept that you are going to be hitting some stuff out of the rough. You are going to be missing a few greens. Scrambling out of the rough is going to be very important. There will be a lot of work on that."
"It's really hard to recover on any hole if you are not in the fairway," said 2013 Masters Champion Adam Scott. "You are not advancing it far enough to feel good about getting it in in the next couple of shots."
"It's one step and a time at Oakmont.
You got to get it in the fairway and then under the hole."
PGA Tour veteran Brandt Snedeker went through qualifying attempting to play in the US Open because 'it's our national championship'. That reference made because when you are playing for a coveted trophy, sometimes it's hard to remain patient. You might think you are strong enough to hit it through challenging conditions if only on adrenaline. You need to do something to make a run.
Canadian Nick Taylor, who finished in the top 10 each of the last two weeks, seems to have a good mindset coming into this week.
"I think with heavy rough, being in the fairways is super key," Taylor said. "It's probably hack-out rough as in just hit a wedge 50 yards down the fairway and play from there. So if you can be up and around the greens as much as possible. Again, the things I heard about the rough, the difficulty of that golf course, it's going to be a test. Par will be a good score, I guess, would be the best way to put it."
Fitzpatrick brought up something that really drives him crazy that is worth considering this week. He said on some of the course setups, you miss the fairway by one yard and you are chipping out sideways, but you miss it by 30 yards you may have a better chance because of fans trampling down the grass.
That can be a thing at Oakmont, a course with a handful of trees on the entire property to restrict swings or ball flight. It's not a defenseless course, and bad angles can force you in bad positions on the green which impacts your score. But watch players who are great scramblers this week, not surprisingly the best on the PGA Tour is Scottie Scheffler and on the LIV Tour is Bryson DeChambeau.
"The US Open, you expect it to be really tough," said 25-year-old Ludvig Aberg. "You expect the winning score to not be very low. It demands a lot from you, demands a lot of patience, demands a lot of execution of golf shots, but that's the way it's supposed to be."
