Oakmont Country Club
Encyclopedia
Oakmont Country Club is a country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...

 and the "oldest top-ranked golf course in the U. S.", in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Plum
Plum, Pennsylvania
Plum is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 27,126 at the 2010 census.Plum is often referred to as "Plum Boro" or more correctly "Plum Borough" by locals to distinguish it from its previous status as a township...

 and Oakmont
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Oakmont is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a Pittsburgh suburb and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 6,303 at the 2010 census....

, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...

 separates the eastern seven holes (2–8) from the rest of the course.

Oakmont's course

The course, the only design by Henry Fownes, opened in 1903. It straddles the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

 Valley and uniquely has virtually no water hazards, and, since 2007, almost no trees. With a USGA course rating of 77.5 and some two hundred bunkers it is generally regarded in the golf community as one of the most difficult in the United States. It features large, extremely fast, and undulating greens. All are original but the 8th, which was moved several yards to the left to make way for the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the late 1940s. Originally a links
Links (golf)
A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...

 course, trees were added in the 1950s-1960s. Most were removed beginning after the 1994 U.S. Open, with between 5,000 and 8,000 eliminated during a 2007 renovation alone. Greens are planted with Poa annua
Poa annua
Poa annua, or annual meadow grass , is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Though P. annua is commonly considered a solely annual plant due to its name, perennial bio-types do exist. 'Poa' is Greek for fodder. It is one of the sweetest grasses for green fodder, but less ...

. Par for members is 71.

The course is also noted for its slope. Most noted on holes 1, 3, 10 and 12, Oakmont's greens pitch away from the fairway.

One of Oakmont's most famous hazards is the Church Pews bunker, a large roughly one hundred by forty yard bunker that that features twelve grass covered traversing ridges which comes into play on the 3rd and 4th holes.

For many years Oakmont's bunkers were groomed with a rake with wider than normal tines, creating deep furrows. The rakes were last used in U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...

 competition in 1962 and eliminated from the club in 1964.

Rankings

The course has been consistently ranked as one of the five best by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...

 100 Greatest Golf Courses in America. In 2007 Oakmont was placed in 5th by the magazine. It is one of only a few courses ranked every year in the top ten of the publication's history. The top 50 toughest courses ranks Oakmont also at number 5, while GolfLink.com ranks it at #3 overall.

Oakmont scorecard

  • The ninth hole plays as a par four for USGA Championships.


A hole-by-hole course map from GOLF magazine (June 2007) can be viewed here http://www.golf.com/golf/gallery/article/0,28242,1628322,00.html
Flyovers of the holes can be seen here http://www.usopen.com/course/flyovers.html

Major championships held at Oakmont

Oakmont has been selected as host of the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...

 nine times, more than any other course. http://postgazette.com/pg/09156/975353-100.stm, and will host the tournament again in 2016. It has also played host to three PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...

s, five U.S. Amateurs, three NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships
NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, played in late May or early June, is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is a stroke play team competition, starting in 2009 the competition changed to a stroke play/match play competition with the top 8 teams after 54 holes of...

 and the U.S. Women's Open
United States Women's Open Championship (golf)
The United States Women's Open Golf Championship, one of thirteen national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association , is one of the LPGA's major championships along with the LPGA Championship, the Women's British Open, and the Kraft Nabisco Championship...

 twice. In total championships hosted (21) it also far outranks any other course.
Year Major Winner
2016 U.S. Open
2010
2010 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
The 2010 United States Women's Open Golf Championship was the 65th U.S. Women's Open, played from July 8 to July 11, 2010 at Oakmont Country Club. It was the second time in the history of the U.S. Women's Open that the tournament was held at Oakmont; it was previously played there in 1992...

 
U.S. Women's Open Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S...

2007
2007 U.S. Open (Golf)
The 2007 United States Open Championship was the 107th U.S. Open, played from June 14 to June 17 at Oakmont Country Club. The U.S. Open returned to Oakmont for the first time since 1994 when Ernie Els captured his first major championship. Ángel Cabrera won the championship after Jim Furyk and...

 
U.S. Open Ángel Cabrera
Angel Cabrera
Ángel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The duck" for his waddling gait. He is a former U.S. Open champion and Masters champion. He is the first Argentine to win either...

2003 U.S. Amateur Nick Flanagan
1994  U.S. Open Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...

1992
1992 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
The 1992 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship was contested from July 23 to July 27 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. It was the 47th edition of the U.S. Women's Open....

 
U.S. Women's Open Patty Sheehan
Patty Sheehan
Patty Sheehan is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1980 and won six major championships and 35 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame....

1983  U.S. Open Larry Nelson
Larry Nelson
Larry Gene Nelson is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta...

1978
1978 PGA Championship
The 1978 PGA Championship was the 60th PGA Championship played August 3-6 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. John Mahaffey won the championship in a sudden-death playoff over Jerry Pate and Tom Watson.-Final leaderboard:...

 
PGA Championship John Mahaffey
John Mahaffey
John Drayton Mahaffey, Jr. is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events....

1973  U.S. Open Johnny Miller
Johnny Miller
John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf...

1969 U.S. Amateur Steve Melnyk
Steve Melnyk (golfer)
Steven N. Melnyk is a former American professional golfer and golf sportscaster best known for his success as an amateur golfer. Melnyk won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur.- Early years :...

1962  U.S. Open Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...

1953  U.S. Open Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...

1951
1951 PGA Championship
The 1951 PGA Championship was a golf competition held at Oakmont Country Club. Sam Snead won the championship....

 
PGA Championship Sam Snead
Sam Snead
Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S...

1938 U.S. Amateur Willie Turnesa
Willie Turnesa
William P. Turnesa was an American amateur golfer, best known for winning two U.S. Amateur titles and the British Amateur. He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil , Frank , Joe , Mike , Doug , Jim , and Willie...

1935  U.S. Open Sam Parks, Jr.
Sam Parks, Jr.
Samuel McLaughlin Parks, Jr. was an American professional golfer best known for winning the 1935 U.S. Open....

1927  U.S. Open Tommy Armour
Tommy Armour
Thomas Dickson Armour was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot.Armour was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at Fettes College and the University of Edinburgh....

1925 U.S. Amateur Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...

1922
1922 PGA Championship
-Bracket 2:-Bracket 3:-Bracket 4:-Final four:-External links:*...

 
PGA Championship Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...

1919 U.S. Amateur S. Davidson Herron

U.S. Opens

Photo galleries of the U.S. Opens at Oakmont from the USGA's official site can be seen here http://www.usopen.com/photos/

1927

Played from June 14-June 16 1927: Won by Tommy Armour
Tommy Armour
Thomas Dickson Armour was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot.Armour was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at Fettes College and the University of Edinburgh....

, who defeated Harry Cooper in a playoff. Their 72 hole score was 13 over par. The par 72 course played to 6929 yards (6,335.9 m) in 1927. http://www.usopen.com/news/fact_sheet.html The average score for the field was 78.6 (+ 6.6) and the field recorded just 2 rounds under par. The total purse of prize money was $800.http://www.golf.com/golf/gallery/article/0,28242,1624560,00.html

1935

Won by Sam Parks, Jr. at 11 strokes over par. The par 72 course played to 6981 yards (6,383.4 m) in 1935 and the average score for the field was 80.55 (+ 8.55) and the field recorded 3 rounds under par. The total purse of prize money was $5,000.

1953

Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...

 won his second of three straight majors in 1953 at Oakmont by six strokes, coming in at five under par.

Questionable scheduling conflicts made it difficult to play all four majors that year, as the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...

, then a match-play event, and the British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...

 overlapped in early July. Hogan won The Masters
The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...

 by five strokes and the British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...

 at Carnoustie
Carnoustie Golf Links
The Carnoustie Golf Links are in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Its historic championship golf course is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation.-History:...

 by four strokes. The par 72 course played at 6916 yards (6,324 m) in 1953 and the average score for the field was 77.12 (+ 5.12) and the field recorded 20 rounds under par. The purse was $14,900 and the champion earned $5,000.

1962

At the 1962 U.S. Open, an up-and-coming 22-year-old named Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...

 defeated the world's top player at the time, Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

, in a Sunday playoff round in Palmer's home state.

Both competitors had completed the 72 holes with at 1-under par (283). It was the first professional victory for Nicklaus, and the first of his 18 professional majors. Palmer would win the next major, the 1962 British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...

, and his fourth Masters
The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...

 in 1964, but never another U.S. Open. In 1962 par was reduced by a stroke to 71 course length slightly reduced to 6893 yards (6,303 m); the average score for the field was 75.86 (+ 4.86) and the field recorded 19 rounds under par. The purse was $81,600 and the champion earned $17,500.

1973

Johnny Miller
Johnny Miller
John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf...

 shot a final round 63 (-8) to set a record low score at a U.S. Open, and finished at five under par to win by one stroke.

Following an overnight rainstorm, Miller entered the final round in 12th place at three-over, six strokes behind the four co-leaders. Miller had carded a disappointing five-over 76 on Saturday, and his tee time on Sunday was about an hour ahead of the final pairing, which included Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

.

Miller birdied the first four holes and hit all 18 greens in regulation, and used only 29 putts. Miller and four others were the only ones to break par during the final round in 1973. The par 71 course played at 6921 yards (6,328.6 m) and the average score for the field was 75.45 (+ 4.45) and the field recorded 40 rounds under par. The purse was $219,400 and the champion earned $35,000.

Miller's low score (9 birdies with 1 bogey) led the USGA
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...

 to set up the course at the following year's championship, now known as The Massacre at Winged Foot, in an extremely challenging manner; Hale Irwin
Hale Irwin
Hale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...

's winning score in 1974 was seven strokes over par.

Johnny Miller's 63: - club selection and results - June17, 1973
Hole Yards Par Club selections Score Result To par
1 469 4 Driver, 3-iron to 5 feet 3 birdie -1
2 343 4 Driver, 9-iron to 1 foot 3 birdie -2
3 425 4 Driver, 5-iron to 25 feet 3 birdie -3
4 549 5 Driver, 3-wood, bunker shot to 6 inches 4 birdie -4
5 379 4 Driver, 6-iron to 25 feet, 2 putts 3 par -4
6 195 3 3-iron to 25 feet, 2 putts 3 par -4
7 395 4 Driver, 9-iron to 6 feet, 2 putts 4 par -4
8 244 3 4-wood to 30 feet, 3 putts 4 bogey -3
9 480 5 Driver, 2-iron to 40 feet, 2 putts 4 birdie -4
Out 3479 36 32 -4
10 462 4 Driver, 5-iron to 25 feet, 2 putts 3 par -4
11 371 4 Driver, wedge to 14 feet 4 birdie -5
12 603 5 Driver, 7-iron, 4-iron to 15 feet 4 birdie -6
13 185 3 4-iron to 5 feet 2 birdie -7
14 360 4 Driver, wedge to 12 feet, 2 putts 4 par -7
15 453 4 Driver, 4-iron to 10 feet 3 birdie -8
16 230 3 2-iron to 45 feet, 2 putts 3 par -8
17 322 4 1-iron, wedge to 10 feet, 2 putts 4 par -8
18 456 4 Driver, 5-iron to 20 feet, 2 putts 4 par -8
In 3442 35 31 -4
Total 6921 71 63 -8

1983

In 1983, Larry Nelson
Larry Nelson
Larry Gene Nelson is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta...

 was six over par at 148 after the first two rounds. He then established the 36-hole record at the U.S. Open when he finished 65-67 to score a 4-under par 280, defeating Tom Watson
Tom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....

 by a single shot. Nelson's two-round total of 132 (10 under par) broke the previous record by four shots, established by Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...

 51 years earlier. Nelson's record performance, although not receiving level acclaim to Miller's 63 finish, has yet to be equaled. The par 71 course played at 6972 yards (6,375.2 m) in 1983 and the average score for the field was 76.13 (+ 5.13) and the field recorded 27 rounds under par. The purse was $506,184 and the champion earned $72,000.

1994

In 1994, a 24-year-old Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...

 outlasted Loren Roberts
Loren Roberts
Loren Lloyd Roberts is an American professional golfer.-Early life:Roberts was born in San Luis Obispo, California. He competed for San Luis Obispo Senior High School and Cal Poly-SLO...

 and Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...

 in another Monday playoff round to capture the U.S. Open, his first major and first victory in the U.S.

The three in the playoff completed the four rounds at five under par (279), but all were well over par during the playoff round, played in oppressive heat and humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...

, as temperatures approached 100°F (38°C). Montgomerie shot a 42 on the front nine, ending with a 7-over 78 and was eliminated, but Els and Roberts were tied at 3-over 74, with Roberts missing a short putt on the 18th hole to win outright, so they kept playing. On the second extra hole, Roberts bogeyed and Els made a par to win the championship. The par 71 course played at 6946 yards (6,351.4 m) in 1994 and the average score for the field was 74.25 (+ 3.25); the field recorded 62 rounds under par. The purse was $1.75 million and the champion earned $320,000.

2007

Ángel Cabrera
Angel Cabrera
Ángel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The duck" for his waddling gait. He is a former U.S. Open champion and Masters champion. He is the first Argentine to win either...

 of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 shot five over par (285) to defeat Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...

 and Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk
James Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...

 by a stroke.

A course renovation had deepened the bunkers and removed over 4000 trees that had been planted mostly in the 1960s, returning the course to its original links style appearance. The course was lengthened to 7230 yards (6,611.1 m) and par was reduced by a stroke to 70, as the uphill 9th hole became a par-4. The par-3 8th hole played at 300 yards in Round 4, the par-5 12th hole at over 660 yards, and the par-4 15th at 500 yards. The average score for the field in 2007 was 75.72 (+ 5.72), with every hole averaging an over-par score. The field recorded just 8 rounds under par, only two per round. Cabrera had two of these sub-par rounds, shooting a 69 (-1) on Thursday and Sunday.

The weather was much more agreeable than in 1994: the high temperatures were 75-79°F for the first three rounds and 90°F for the final round, and there were no weather delays in any of the rounds. The total purse was $7.0 million and the champion earned $1.26 million.

Quotes from notable golfers

  • USGA Sr. Director of Rules and Competitions Mike Davis: "There's a reason [the U.S. Open is] coming back to Oakmont. This really is the gold standard for championship golf. It doesn't get any better than Oakmont."
  • Lee Trevino
    Lee Trevino
    Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...

    : “There's only one course in the country where you could step out right now — right now — and play the U.S. Open, and that's Oakmont.”
  • Phil Mickelson
    Phil Mickelson
    Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...

    : "It's really a neat, special place."
  • Johnny Miller
    Johnny Miller
    John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf...

    : "It's probably the best course in the world . . . This is the greatest course I've ever played."

On Oakmont's greens:
  • Tiger Woods
    Tiger Woods
    Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...

    :"That golf course is going to be one of the toughest tests that we've ever played in a U.S. Open, especially if it's dry, it will be unreal because those greens are so severe."
  • Arnold Palmer
    Arnold Palmer
    Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

    : "You can hit 72 greens [in regulation] in the Open at Oakmont and not come close to winning."
  • Rocco Mediate
    Rocco Mediate
    Rocco Anthony Mediate is an American professional golfer with multiple PGA Tour wins.-Early years:Mediate was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. According to the Golf Channel, he is the son of a barber and has Italian ancestral heritage. Mediate attended Florida Southern...

     said of the greens that they are "almost impossible"
  • Sam Snead
    Sam Snead
    Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S...

     once commented that he tried to mark his ball on one of Oakmont's greens but the coin slid off.
  • Lee Trevino
    Lee Trevino
    Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...

     claimed every time he two-putted at Oakmont he knew he was passing somebody on the leader board.
  • Johnny Miller
    Johnny Miller
    John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf...

     said that Oakmont's are the greatest set of greens for testing a player's ability to putt.
  • USGA Sr. Director Mike Davis: "[Oakmont's greens are the] scariest in golf."

External links

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