‘Crime and Punishment’ is all over the news these days, but you rarely hear that phrase used to describe the philosophy behind designing a golf course. “A shot poorly played should be a shot irrevocably lost”, was the mantra repeated by Henry Fownes when designing Oakmont in 1904. Fownes only designed one course—Oakmont—and it is a unique masterpiece that embraces difficulty in every facet of its design.
It was originally built as an inland links-style course over 190 acres of the rolling Pennsylvania hillside along the Allegheny River. The course, divided by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is littered with bunkers—over 300 of them, many semi-pot bunkers. The unique and signature ‘church pew’ bunkers on holes 3 and 4 reflect the eccentricity of a designer hell-bent on testing players to the absolute limit of their skills, abilities, and character to determine their worthiness for victory. There is almost a religious penance mentality in the design philosophy of that era.
The ditches, or burns as they are called in links vocabulary, snake their way around the golf course even more treacherously than the famous Barry Burn at Carnoustie or Swilcan Burn at St Andrews. The burns and bunkers are bordered by five inches of freshly grown rough, ensuring it stands straight up, hugging every ball that strays off the 15- to 20-yard-wide fairways. The rough is visually intimidating, especially since the removal in 1990 of over 4,000 trees planted by committees in the 1960s, restoring the open links landscape feel intended by Fownes.
But it is the greens that present the ultimate test of nerves. They are both strategic and treacherous, and the fastest greens in golf anywhere in the world. They were so fast in 1935 that they prompted Edward Stimpson to design the now-famous Stimpmeter to measure the speed of greens against other courses. Members’ greens run at 15 on the Stimpmeter, which have to be slowed down for the US Open! For reference, Augusta typically runs its greens at a maximum of 11–12.
They have been described over the years as like putting on polished glass, with the ball gliding, drifting, and sliding away from the hole. Sam Snead quipped after his defeat by Ben Hogan in 1953 that he tried to mark his ball on one of Oakmont’s greens, but the coin slid off!
The list of previous winners at Oakmont—Sarazen, Jones, Snead, Hogan, Nicklaus, Miller, Els, and Johnson—is a testament to the pedigree required to triumph there. The only notable name missing is Woods, who narrowly lost to Cabrera in 2007. What is also extraordinary about arguably the most intimidating course in golf are the incredible scores shot by winners over the years.
I vividly remember, as a young teenager with my father, watching Johnny Miller win the US Open at Oakmont, shooting an incredible 63 in the final round, which included nine birdies! Watching this brave, courageous, fearless, and cavalier assault on the treacherous Oakmont was inspiring and reminiscent of Arnie and Seve at their very best. Miller said, “It’s probably the best course in the world . . . and the greatest course I’ve ever played.” When the less charismatic Larry Nelson won his third major at Oakmont in 1983, he was seven under for his last 14 holes in his third round and followed that with a final round of 67 to beat Tom Watson by one shot.
What does all this mean for the 10th US Open at Oakmont, now a National Historic Landmark?
You have to be smart, and to survive, you must hit the fairways, or you are doomed from the start. You have to be patient—it is a gruelling 72-hole marathon that will punish impatience and overconfidence. You have to be brave, but only at the right time, and cunning to deal with the devious design. Most of all, you have to be fearless to win, for Oakmont will ruthlessly punish cowardice.
It means that a great champion will emerge at the end of this week. Whoever it is had better be well-rested and prepared for the most gruelling test of golf in the world. It is set up to break you and likely to deliver an over-par winner, particularly if it is dry. Let’s see who has the game, ‘cojones’, heart, skills, and mind to get the job done.
If Tiger or Jack were here and at their best, you would pick them, but Father Time has weighed in. It’s the ultimate test for Scheffler versus Rory, who are a class above the rest. Can either of them drive it straight enough to win, or will the soft-fading Morikawa or disciplined Schauffele grind it out and beat them? And let’s not forget Justin Rose, who won at Merion in 2013 on a similarly penal course and proved at Augusta that he has not yet let the old man in!
One way or another, it will be fascinating to watch Oakmont versus the field!
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