Thu Jun 12 16:20:00 UTC 2025: ## News Article:

**U.S. Open Returns to Revamped Oakmont, Course Set to Punish**

Oakmont, PA – The U.S. Open returns to the notoriously challenging Oakmont Country Club for a record 10th time this week, but players will face a significantly different beast than the one Dustin Johnson tamed in 2016. While Johnson’s winning score of 4-under par was an anomaly, this year’s edition promises an even sterner test.

The par-70 course now stretches to 7,372 yards, boasting expanded greens, strategically repositioned bunkers, and narrowed landing areas. The already brutal rough, a thick blend of Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, and Poa annua reaching five inches in depth, is poised to swallow errant shots.

“There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide,” warned course officials, echoing the sentiments of founder Henry Fownes’ famous maxim: “A shot poorly played should be a shot irrevocably lost.”

Adding to the challenge are Oakmont’s signature pure Poa annua putting surfaces, known for their incredible speed and treacherous slopes, and protected by strategically placed bunkers. The course also features the longest par-3 (No. 8 at 289 yards) and the longest par-5 (No. 12 at 632 yards) in U.S. Open history.

Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut at Oakmont in 2016, recently shared that he shot an 81 during a practice round, highlighting the course’s relentless difficulty.

Bryson DeChambeau (+700), fresh off his recent major victory, enters the tournament as a favorite, second only to Scottie Scheffler (+270). DeChambeau finished T15 at Oakmont in 2016, in his first major as a professional. McIlroy (+1200), seeking his first major since 2014, and Jon Rahm (+1200), returning from a foot injury, are also among the top contenders. Rahm was low amateur at Oakmont in 2016.

History favors multiple major winners at Oakmont. Eight of the nine previous champions, including legends like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Johnny Miller, have all won multiple major championships.

With its unforgiving layout and punishing conditions, the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont promises to be a true test of skill and mental fortitude, demanding precision and unwavering focus from every player.

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