Oakmont delivers a reminder on how Major Championships on the PGA Tour should be

Forget the birdie-fests. Forget the polite golf clap majors. The 2025 U.S. Open isn’t some PGA TOUR event with a fancy trophy. Oakmont came into this week on a mission—to remind everyone what this tournament is supposed to be.

And after two rounds of soul-crushing rough, jailhouse bunkers, and pin positions designed by Satan himself, mission accomplished.

This was the last stand for the U.S. Open. Everyone knew it. No one wanted to say it out loud, but after a string of neutered setups and forgettable venues, we were dangerously close to losing the identity of America’s national championship.

Then Oakmont showed up, cracked its knuckles, and said, “Let’s dance.”

Only three players—Sam Burns, J.J. Spaun, and Viktor Hovland—are under par heading into the weekend. That’s not because the field is weak. It’s because the course is an unrelenting monster. Thursday’s scoring average was the highest in years and big names dropped like flies.

Oakmont Claims Victims: Big names head home after brutal U.S. Open cut

Spaun fired a 66 on Thursday and looked like he just survived a mugging. Sam Burns poured in putts from everywhere Friday for a 65—gaining over nine strokes on the field. That’s not a round, that’s an exorcism. Meanwhile, the rest of the field looked like they were trying to climb Everest with flip-flops and a pool noodle.

The Jordan Spieth Experience at Oakmont

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Oakmont isn’t just hard. It’s smart. It’s unforgiving. It’s everything the U.S. Open used to be, before distance gains, soft setups, and shiny TOUR-caliber venues took over. This place has seen ten Opens. It doesn’t care about your FedEx Cup points or your swing coach’s Instagram. It wants blood. And it’s getting it.

The rough is long enough to lose a small dog. The greens are finally getting crispy after a swampy lead-in. And the bunkers? The bunkers are crime scenes.

Even the guys making it look semi-playable know what they’re surviving. Rory nearly missed the cut. Xander Schauffele nailed it: “Fans watch the U.S. Open to see guys shoot 8-over and suffer.” Exactly. And Oakmont is delivering that suffering with a smile.

Rory McIlroy Tomahawk Club Throw

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Sure, weather might soften it up on the weekend. But the damage is done. The field’s rattled. The USGA finally got the setup right. And for at least two days, the U.S. Open felt like the U.S. Open again.

Oakmont didn’t save the tournament’s soul. It reminded us that it never left.

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