How challenging is U.S. Open at Oakmont? 2 stars explain the pain

The world’s best spent their Thursday at the 2025 U.S. Open getting their teeth kicked in by Oakmont Country Club. That was expected.

When the dust settled after the opening round, the scoring average was 74.64, which made it the hardest first round at the U.S. Open since 2018 at Shinnecock Hills, where wind obliterated the field. There were only two holes that played under par on Thursday, and there were 16 rounds in the 80s. Only eight players shot under par in the opening round.

Rory McIlroy shot a four-over 74, which was just one shot worse than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and reigning champion Bryson DeChambeau.

“It’s just really hard to get the ball in play, and it’s really hard to get the ball close,” Scheffler said after the round. “Anytime you’re out of position, the golf course just gets really challenging.”

But there was no complaining from the U.S. Open field. They got punched in the mouth by a challenging but fair test. That’s what Henry Fownes wanted when he built the course, and Gil Hanse’s restoration has accentuated the pain.

So, what makes Oakmont so difficult, even when there are no conditions? Two holes from two of the game’s best tell the story.

First, we start with Scheffler and the par-5 12th hole. Scheffler hit his tee shot 367 yards, and it rolled into the first cut. Normally, that would be a green light to take on the flag and potentially give yourself a look at eagle. But at Oakmont, the challenge is just beginning, even if you hit a decent tee shot.

“You think of a hole like 12,” Scheffler said. “I hit a good drive off the tee, it gets down there in the first cut, and you think a reachable par-5 where you’ve got 6-iron in your hand is going to be a pretty good scoring opportunity, and I’m sitting there in the fairway going, I don’t know where I’m going to hit this thing because if I hit it on line with the green it’s going to go over the green and I’ve got a 50-yard chip back up the hill, and then if I miss it right, you kind of leave it up to the lie, and if I hit it left I’m going to have a bunker shot from basically 40 yards short of the green.

“You just basically try and play a shot up the right because that’s the uphill chip knowing since it’s in the first cut I can’t keep it on the green, and you hit it over there to the right and the ball ends up in a hole in between the rough and the first cut. Some days that ball ends up in the first cut, I’ve got a pretty easy chip. Some days it’s in the rough and it’s challenging.”

Scheffler hit his second shot into the rough near the front-right part of the green. He had to play his chip to the left of the flag and zipped over the green and nestled in the rough. Scheffler got up-and-down from 31 yards, but his scoring chance was gone.

The 12th hole only got harder as the day went on and the fairways firmed up. Scheffler noted it was almost impossible to land the ball in the middle of the fairway and keep it from running into the rough.

For Jon Rahm, who shot a one-under 69 on Thursday, it was the par-3 16th and its diabolical green that was at the front of his mind exiting the course. Rahm hit a brilliant 5-iron to eight feet, but the slope of the green made it so he was unable to make an aggressive run at birdie lest he risk giving himself too much coming back for par.

“Hit one of the better 5-irons I can hit and had maybe [8 1/2 feet] to the hole,” Rahm said. “Mentally, like I want to make that putt, but I’m thinking I’m going to hit three feet right and it’s downhill. I’ll take a tap-in. There’s things like that where you don’t realize, or if you leave it just short of the green on [No.1] on that little upslope, how hard that putt is. There’s so many things and so many little instances on the golf course that if you’re not there physically, even if you’re in the grandstands, you don’t understand how difficult it truly is.”

Robert MacIntyre walked off the course Thursday with a round of even par. You’d have thought he shot the course record from the glow emanating from him.

“You shoot four level par rounds, you’re walking away with a medal and a trophy,” MacIntyre said.

“It is just so hard — honestly, every shot you’re on a knife’s edge.”

Welcome to the U.S. Open at Oakmont.