OAKMONT, PA (93.7 The Fan) – A lot of comparisons have been made about Oakmont Country Club. Many of them unflattering after frustrated golfers walk off the 18th green. The analogy world number one Scottie Scheffler made this week was unique.
During his pre-US Open interview on Tuesday Scheffler said America’s national championship in golf is like that of tennis. Much like you have majors in tennis on three surfaces-hardcourt, grass and clay, you have different styles in the US Open compared to the Masters.
“I think at the Masters you have a lot more shot making when you get around the greens because it's a lot of fairway, there's pine straw, there's not really the rough factor,” Scheffler said. “Then when you get here, it's a lot of hacking out of the rough. You still have to be extremely precise.”
Scheffler said strength and power are more of a factor at the US Open than other tournaments. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau embodies that point. It’s not that one setup is better than the other, just different.
“It's just a different type of test,” Scheffler said. “When you miss the green at the Masters, the ball runs away and it goes into these areas, and you can play a bump, you can play a flop. There's different options. Here when you hit the ball over the green, you just get in some heavy rough, and it's like, let me see how I can pop the ball out of this rough and somehow give myself a look.”
“It's just a different type of test. I don't know if one of them is better than the other, but they're just different, and here, the winning score I don't think is going to be what the winning score was at the Masters.”
Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose reached 11 under par at the Masters, the lowest winning score ever at the US Open at Oakmont is -5.
Patience, knowing the correct angles to play, driving it straight, putting and a little luck will all factor this week. Scheffler said when you are in the fairway, there’s opportunity, but what is special about Oakmont Country Club is when you are not, you pay.
“This is probably the hardest golf course that we'll play, maybe ever, and that's pretty much all it is,” Scheffler said.
Who can best survive not only the physical, but the mental test this week?