The Day After Oakmont

I'm writing this the day after one of the most thrilling U.S. Open final rounds we’ve seen in recent memory. It was historic - gritty, unpredictable, and unforgettable.

Every player in contention coming down the stretch had a real chance to win. Just when you thought one of them was out of it, he’d rise from the dead and throw himself right back into the mix. None did it better than the eventual winner, JJ Spaun. What a gutsy, never-say-die performance he delivered on what may be the most pressure-packed stage in golf - Oakmont. And under the most difficult conditions imaginable.

Anyone who has played Oakmont knows how challenging it is even on its most benign day. Yesterday? Try greens running 14+ on the Stimpmeter. Fourteen. I’ve never putted on anything close to that - and I’d wager neither have most of you. Add Poa annua surfaces, 8,000-square-foot greens sloping harshly front to back - especially on holes 1, 3, 10, and 18 - and it becomes borderline diabolical.

Narrow, 25-yard-wide fairways were flanked by five inches of rough so thick players often had to stand directly over the ball just to locate it. Fairway bunkers? So deep that playing sideways out of them was often the only option. Oh, and it rained on and off all day. Welcome to the U.S. Open.

As always after an Open like this, controversy bubbles up: Was it too much? Was the course unfairly set up? The standard counter-argument is, “Well, they all played the same course.” That’s true. And like the USGA likes to say, the goal is to identify the best players, not embarrass them. Yesterday might’ve done both.

Oakmont, of course, makes no apologies. The membership wears the difficulty like a badge of honor. When Gil Hanse was brought in to renovate, the directive was crystal clear: Don’t make it easier. Western Pennsylvania must be a haven for golfing sadists.

And then there’s the infamous tree removal - a 20+ year effort to restore the course to its original 1903 Fownes design. I’ve remained neutral on most of yesterday’s conditions, but on this topic, I’ll offer my two cents: Why? Why try to preserve a 120-year-old layout in a game that has evolved more in the last 40 years than in the previous hundred? But that’s a debate for another time. Suffice it to say, if you enjoy birdies, eagles and 20 under par winning professional tournaments, you won't enjoy Oakmont. And here's the catch: Oakmont, along with Pinehurst, Pebble Beach and Merion have been designated "anchor sites" for the Open. So, like it or not, you'll see a lot more of this beast in years to come!

What shouldn’t get lost in all this is the lesson we saw on display: Every player gave it everything they had on every shot. No quit. No excuses. JJ Spaun was five over par through six holes - and won the U.S. Open. That’s not just talent. That’s mental toughness of the highest order.

And that’s the takeaway, especially for junior golfers: keep playing, keep grinding, give your best on every shot - no matter what. Because you never know. It might just be your day.