New-look Oakmont Country Club presents different challenge from previous U.S. Opens

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, June 6, 2025 | 5:36 PM

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Golfers playing and fans watching the 125th U.S. Open beginning June 12 at Oakmont Country Club will see a different course since the last time the championship was held there in 2016.

The changes are aplenty. The new look will give the world’s best golfers something to contemplate.

The course has been lengthened from 7,219 yards in 2016 to 7,372 yards as a par-70 in 2025.

When Oakmont founder H.C. Fownes and his son W.C. started work on the course in 1903, they wanted a course that provided a tough test of golf. The course opened Oct. 1, 1904.

But the course needed to be updated.

Course officials removed thousands of trees over the past 30 years, and then they hired golf course architect Gil Hanse to restore the bunkers. He did more than that.

During Hanse’s research of the course, he noticed pictures showed larger greens. He also noticed that over time the greens were becoming smaller.

He made them larger and was able to add more pin locations.

He rebuilt every hazard, and he revamped the course’s nearly 200 bunkers while updating the drainage system in the bunkers.

The course was returned to its original links-style roots.

“I really enjoy the restoration of the ditches to run through the fairways,” USGA senior director of championship agronomy Darin Bevard said. “It is a really nice look. There are no water hazards out there, you know, penalty areas. These ditches run through, and they are well positioned.

“If you do not hit a precise shot, and if you get into one of them, it is going to be a battle. That is amazing.”

Bevard said he also likes some of the new hole locations on the greens with the work that was done in some areas that were not used before.

“I mean, the bunkering just looks cool, but this bunkering has always looked cool here, you know,” Bevard said. “They’ve added some new cross bunkers to give the guys something to think about. The new changes are a better challenge for the modern game and how far these players can hit the golf ball. So it’ll be interesting to see the tests when the time comes.”

Masters winner Rory McIlroy had a tough practice round Monday during a club event. It has been reported he shot a 79 and had a seven on No. 2.

Bevard said he expects McIlroy probably still had a fun time.

“Why?” Bevard said. “Because he wasn’t playing the U.S. Open. These players are so good and smart. They will learn how to play the course.”

Oakmont head professional Devin Gee said the club is ready.

“We had had a handful of guys out Monday for one of our events,” Gee said Tuesday. “The rough is long, finally. We got some dry weather. It is amazing how fast that place dries out.”

Gee said the rough is 5 inches thick.

“The U.S. Open is very demanding,” USGA senior director of player relations Scott Langley said. “It keeps you on your toes from start to finish. And you know no place does it better than Oakmont in presenting that level of challenge consistently.

“When the club was established, this golf course was known as the toughest golf course in America. And I think a lot of people would still feel that way, certainly if they had a chance to tee it up and give it a go.”

Langley said the work Hanse did was amazing.

“In collaborating closely with the club, Gil did a tremendous job in restoring what Oakmont has historically been, you know, back to what it was in the Fownes era,” Langley said.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.