“Cooked beyond belief” is how Bryson DeChambeau decided to define the 2025 US Open venue, and well, that is some way to describe the Oakmont Country Club. The two-time U.S. Open champion recently took to the course for some early practice, and let’s just say the rough had other plans. DeChambeau battled through the thick, five-inch-long grass, describing one particularly tough lie as “complete guesswork.”
The conditions were so challenging that he quipped, “This is the hardest this golf course could ever play right now,” and who can argue with that? Oakmont’s notorious rough, lightning-fast greens and plethora of bunkers have given pros fits in the past, and it seems like this year’s edition will be no different.
DeChambeau’s YouTube video showcases his valiant efforts to tame the course, including a memorable encounter at the par-3 6th hole. After flying his tee shot over the green and into the rough, DeChambeau’s cameraman couldn’t even spot the ball from above – it was that deep in the grass. “That is cooked beyond belief,” DeChambeau said of his lie. “That’s more than half-baked there. That’s burnt to a crisp.”
Despite the odds, DeChambeau managed to salvage a par with a mighty thwack from his wedge, landing safely on the green. It remains to be seen if DeChambeau’s skills and tricks will be enough to secure his title defense at Oakmont, as even the great Tiger Woods acknowledges the course’s ferocity.
Speaking on the latest Instagram post of Sun Day Red, Woods drops some truth bombs about what it takes to conquer the links. “You just have to hit the golf ball well there,” he says, because, let’s be real, golf doesn’t tolerate wannabes. “There’s no faking it,” Woods adds with a hint of a grin, implying that if you’re not bringing your A-game, you’re just taking up space on the course. And let’s face it, Woods knows a thing or two about bringing the heat. He also spills the beans on what makes a course tick – longer hitters get the edge, and having a shorter iron into the greens is like having a secret sauce.
“It just helps so much for coming in with a shorter iron, to be able to sock the ball,” he says, because who doesn’t love a good ball-socking story? And then there’s the art of missing the ball – it’s all about doing it with finesse, right? “It’s about missing the ball in the correct spots, because if you don’t, it’s an oddball.” And these comments are exactly why fans are wondering what it is about the course that even the top players are scared of, to the point where they have complained about it.
Why does Oakmont have the players sweating?
Oakmont’s notorious reputation as a “survival of the fittest” course is rooted in its rich history and diabolical design. The club’s famed greenkeeper, Emil Loeffler Jr., was known for his clever techniques, including a 750-pound water-filled greens roller that smoothed out the putting surfaces and a heavy-tined bunker rake that created 2- to 3-inch-deep sand furrows in the bunkers. The course is also infamous for its numerous bunkers – allegedly as many as 350 at one point – including the notorious “Church Pew” hazard that straddles the third and fourth holes. The bunkers may have decreased in number, but they’re still a force to be reckoned with, especially after Gil Hanse’s recent restoration, which saw the bunkers rebuilt and expanded to their original strategic complexity.
The course has undergone significant changes over the years, from its initial tree-planting program in the 1950s to the recent restoration that returned Oakmont to its original look. The greens are now larger than ever, with an average size of 8,100 square feet, and the bunkers are bigger and better than before. With 168 bunkers, 1.1 miles of drainage ditches, and a whole lot of sand, Oakmont is a true test of golfing skills. So, will the players be able to tame the beast, or will Oakmont prove once again that it’s the ultimate survival test for even the best golfers? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!