US OPEN TEE TIMES
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Oakmont CC
All times GMT
(a-amateur)
Thursday
First Hole
1045 a-Matt Vogt, United States; Kevin Velo, United States; Trent Phillips, United States.
1056 Chandler Blanchet, United States; Alvaro Ortiz, Mexico; Doug Ghim, United States.
1107 a-Evan Beck, United States; Maxwell Moldovan, United States; Justin Hicks, United States.
1118 Harris English, United States; Tommy Fleetwood, England; Keegan Bradley, United States.
1129 Xander Schauffele, United States; Jose Luis Ballester, Spain; Bryson DeChambeau, United States.
1140 Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Wyndham Clark, United States; Gary Woodland, United States.
1151 Akshay Bhatia, United States; Matt McCarty, United States; Robert MacIntyre, Scotland.
1202 Cam Davis, Australia; Davis Thompson, United States; Thomas Detry, Belgium.
1213 Richard Bland, England; a-Trevor Gutschewski, United States; Lanto Griffin, United States.
1224 Edoardo Molinari, Italy; Sam Stevens, United States; Ryan Gerard, United States.
1235 Thriston Lawrence, South Africa; a-Noah Kent, United States; Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark.
1246 Jinichiro Kozuma, Japan; a-Cameron Tankersley, United States; Chase Johnson, United States.
1257 Philip Barbaree Jr., United States; Riley Lewis, United States; Brady Calkins, United States.
1630 Frederic Lacroix, France; Emiliano Grillo, Argentina; Sam Bairstow, England.
1641 Byeong Hun An, South Korea; Joe Highsmith, United States; Ryan Fox, New Zealand.
1652 Victor Perez, France; Jacob Bridgeman, United States; Adam Schenk, United States.
1703 Min Woo Lee, Australia; Justin Thomas, United States; Brooks Koepka, United States.
1714 Sam Burns, United States.; Nico Echavarria, Colombia; Denny McCarthy, United States.
1725 Viktor Hovland, Norway; Collin Morikawa, United States; Scottie Scheffler, United States.
1736 Corey Conners, Canada; Jason Day, Australia; Patrick Reed, United States.
1747 Joaquin Niemann, Chile; Bud Cauley, United States.; Daniel Berger, United States.
1758 Mackenzie Hughes, Canada; Tony Finau, United States; Chris Kirk, United States.
1809 a-Ben James, United States.; Rasmus Højgaard, Denmark; Stephan Jaeger, Germany.
1820 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Denmark; a-Justin Hastings, Cayman Islands; Laurie Canter, England.
1831 a-Frankie Harris, United States.; Emilio Gonzalez, Mexico; Roberto Díaz, Mexico.
1842 Grant Haefner, United States;; Joey Herrera, United States.; George Kneiser, United States.
10th Hole
1045 Zac Blair, United States; Scott Vincent, Zimbabwe; Alistair Docherty, United States.
1056 Jacques Kruyswijk, South Africa; Jordan Smith, England; Eric Cole, United States.
1107 Tom Kim South Korea; J.J. Spaun, United States; Taylor Pendrith, Canada.
1118 Ludvig Aberg, Sweden; Adam Scott, Australia; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan.
1129 Ben Griffin, United States; Andrew Novak, United States; Maverick McNealy, United States.
1140 Shane Lowry, Ireland; Justin Rose, England; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland.
1151 Patrick Cantlay, United States; Si Woo Kim, South Korea; Lucas Glover, United States.
1202 Cameron Smith, Australia; Brian Harman, United States; Phil Mickelson, United States.
1213 Niklas Norgaard, Denmark; Brian Campbell, United States; Justin Lower, United States.
1224 Davis Riley, United States; a-Jackson Koivun, United States; Johnny Keefer, United States.
1235 James Hahn, United States; Mark Hubbard, United States; a-Michael La Sasso, United States.
1246 Joakim Lagergren, Sweden; a-Mason Howell, United States; Chris Gotterup, United States.
1257 Zach Bauchou, United States; Jackson Buchanan, United States; a-Lance Simpson, United States.
1630 Will Chandler, United States; Andrea Pavan, Italy; Takumi Kanaya, Japan.
1641 a-Bryan Lee, United States; Guido Migliozzi, Italy; Preston Summerhays, United States.
1652 Erik van Rooyen, South Africa; Max Greyserman, United States; Matt Wallace, England.
1703 Russell Henley, United States; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa; Nick Taylor, Canada.
1714 Jordan Spieth, United States; Jon Rahm, Spain; Dustin Johnson, United States.
1725 Tyrrell Hatton, England; Sungjae Im, South Korea; Sepp Straka, Austria.
1736 Cameron Young, United States; Tom Hoge, United States; J.T. Poston, United States.
1747 Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela; Michael Kim, United States; Matthieu Pavon, France.
1758 Marc Leishman, Australia; Aaron Rai, England; Nick Dunlap, United States.
1809 Matthew Jordan, United States; Yuta Sugiura, Japan; Carlos Ortiz, Mexico.
1820 Ryan McCormick, United States; Trevor Cone, United States; a-Zach Pollo, United States.
1831 James Nicholas, United States; a-Tyler Weaver, England; Riki Kawamoto, Japan.
1842 Austin Truslow, United States; Harrison Ott, United States; George Duangmanee, United States.
Friday
First Hole
1045 Will Chandler, United States; Andrea Pavan, Italy; Takumi Kanaya, Japan.
1056 a-Bryan Lee, United States; Guido Migliozzi, Italy; Preston Summerhays, United States.
1107 Erik van Rooyen, South Africa; Max Greyserman, United States; Matt Wallace, England.
1118 Russell Henley, United States; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa; Nick Taylor, Canada.
1129 Jordan Spieth, United States; Jon Rahm, Spain; Dustin Johnson, United States.
1140 Tyrrell Hatton, England; Sungjae Im, South Korea; Sepp Straka, Austria.
1151 Cameron Young, United States; Tom Hoge, United States; J.T. Poston, United States.
1202 Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela; Michael Kim, United States; Matthieu Pavon, France.
1213 Marc Leishman, Australia; Aaron Rai, England; Nick Dunlap, United States.
1224 Matthew Jordan, United States; Yuta Sugiura, Japan; Carlos Ortiz, Mexico.
1235 Ryan McCormick, United States; Trevor Cone, United States; a-Zach Pollo, United States.
1246 James Nicholas, United States; a-Tyler Weaver, England; Riki Kawamoto, Japan.
1257 Austin Truslow, United States; Harrison Ott, United States; George Duangmanee, United States.
1630 Zac Blair, United States; Scott Vincent, Zimbabwe; Alistair Docherty, United States.
1641 Jacques Kruyswijk, South Africa; Jordan Smith, England; Eric Cole, United States.
1652 Tom Kim South Korea; J.J. Spaun, United States; Taylor Pendrith, Canada.
1703 Ludvig Aberg, Sweden; Adam Scott, Australia; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan.
1714 Ben Griffin, United States; Andrew Novak, United States; Maverick McNealy, United States.
1725 Shane Lowry, Ireland; Justin Rose, England; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland.
1736 Patrick Cantlay, United States; Si Woo Kim, South Korea; Lucas Glover, United States.
1747 Cameron Smith, Australia; Brian Harman, United States; Phil Mickelson, United States.
1758 Niklas Norgaard, Denmark; Brian Campbell, United States; Justin Lower, United States.
1809 Davis Riley, United States; a-Jackson Koivun, United States; Johnny Keefer, United States.
1820 James Hahn, United States; Mark Hubbard, United States; a-Michael La Sasso, United States.
1831 Joakim Lagergren, Sweden; a-Mason Howell, United States; Chris Gotterup, United States.
1842 Zach Bauchou, United States; Jackson Buchanan, United States; a-Lance Simpson, United States.
10th Hole
1045 Frederic Lacroix, France; Emiliano Grillo, Argentina; Sam Bairstow, England.
1056 Byeong Hun An, South Korea; Joe Highsmith, United States; Ryan Fox, New Zealand.
1107 Victor Perez, France; Jacob Bridgeman, United States; Adam Schenk, United States.
1118 Min Woo Lee, Australia; Justin Thomas, United States; Brooks Koepka, United States.
1129 Sam Burns, United States.; Nico Echavarria, Colombia; Denny McCarthy, United States.
1140 Viktor Hovland, Norway; Collin Morikawa, United States; Scottie Scheffler, United States.
1151 Corey Conners, Canada; Jason Day, Australia; Patrick Reed, United States.
1202 Joaquin Niemann, Chile; Bud Cauley, United States.; Daniel Berger, United States.
1213 Mackenzie Hughes, Canada; Tony Finau, United States; Chris Kirk, United States.
1224 a-Ben James, United States.; Rasmus Højgaard, Denmark; Stephan Jaeger, Germany.
1235 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Denmark; a-Justin Hastings, Cayman Islands; Laurie Canter, England.
1246 a-Frankie Harris, United States.; Emilio Gonzalez, Mexico; Roberto Díaz, Mexico.
1257 Grant Haefner, United States;; Joey Herrera, United States.; George Kneiser, United States.
1630 a-Matt Vogt, United States; Kevin Velo, United States; Trent Phillips, United States.
1641 Chandler Blanchet, United States; Alvaro Ortiz, Mexico; Doug Ghim, United States.
1652 a-Evan Beck, United States; Maxwell Moldovan, United States; Justin Hicks, United States.
1703 Harris English, United States; Tommy Fleetwood, England; Keegan Bradley, United States.
1714 Xander Schauffele, United States; Jose Luis Ballester, Spain; Bryson DeChambeau, United States.
1725 Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Wyndham Clark, United States; Gary Woodland, United States.
1736 Akshay Bhatia, United States; Matt McCarty, United States; Robert MacIntyre, Scotland.
1747 Cam Davis, Australia; Davis Thompson, United States; Thomas Detry, Belgium.
1758 Richard Bland, England; a-Trevor Gutschewski, United States; Lanto Griffin, United States.
1809 Edoardo Molinari, Italy; Sam Stevens, United States; Ryan Gerard, United States.
1820 Thriston Lawrence, South Africa; a-Noah Kent, United States; Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark.
1831 Jinichiro Kozuma, Japan; a-Cameron Tankersley, United States; Chase Johnson, United States.
1842 Philip Barbaree Jr., United States; Riley Lewis, United States; Brady Calkins, United States.
US OPEN GETS A PEACEFUL DAY OF PRACTICE AHEAD OF TOUGH TEST THAT AWAITS AT OAKMONT
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Serenity at Oakmont could be found Wednesday morning when Rory McIlroy stood on the first tee as the sun rose against a hazy sky on the horizon. He was playing with his best mate in golf, Shane Lowry, their final practice before the U.S. Open.
The peace gets shattered as soon as the score starts to count.
Even with Scottie Scheffler in full flight as the No. 1 player in golf, even as McIlroy tries to build on his dream moment of being the Masters champion, as Bryson DeChambeau gets a chance to see if his brawn can handle this rough, there has been one name — Oakmont — that rises above all others going into the 125th U.S. Open.
“Oakmont is relentless,” said John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer at the USGA who sets up the course for the toughest test in golf. “There’s no letup. It’s a grind. That’s the U.S. Open.”
It gets started on Thursday with Matt Vogt, the former Oakmont caddie now an Indiana dentist, selected to hit the opening tee shot.
Jon Rahm, who won his U.S. Open four years ago at Torrey Pines, made his debut at Oakmont in 2016 when he was fresh out of Arizona State. He shot 76 on the first day, went 1-over par the rest of the way and finished as low amateur.
Even with changes to the course from a restoration project, including a ditch that now meanders across the landing area in the 10th fairway, the Spanish star has a better idea what to expect.
“You’re aware of what a golf tournament here is going to be like. It’s going to be a challenge,” Rahm said. “A lot of unfortunate things are going to happen. It’s hard fairways to hit, bad lies, difficult bunkers, difficult greens. It’s going to be a nice test, a difficult test, and I think one of the truest representations of what a U.S. Open is all about.”
Dustin Johnson set the Oakmont scoring record for a U.S. Open at 276 when he won in 2016.
The USGA mentioned a few other numbers that also describe Oakmont, mainly the 5-inch rough so dense at the bottom there were no guarantees a golf ball might be lost.
Another number had historical context — only 27 of the 1,385 players who have competed in a major championship at Oakmont finished under par. That includes when Oakmont, now a par 70, was played as a par 71 or par 72.
“Our mantra is tough but fair,” Bodenhamer said. “And what does that mean? It’s pretty simple. It’s not about the score. It’s about getting every club in a player’s bag dirty, all 15 of them — the 14 in their bag and the one between the ears. And we work hard on that.
“And that’s how we’ve gone about our business here at Oakmont.”
The other number that stands out is 10 — the number of times the USGA has brought its marquee championship to the course built to be tough in 1903. No other course has held the U.S. Open more often.
The USGA has been accused over the years of trying to protect par, which it long has denied.
Johnny Miller remains the only player to win the U.S. Open with a 63 in the final round, in 1973 at Oakmont. The following year, Hale Irwin won at 7-over par in what became known as the “Massacre at Winged Foot.” It also fed into the belief that par matters.
In some respects, it does. Bodenhamer was asked what score would indicate the USGA didn’t get it right.
“Interesting question,” he replied. “Off the top of my head, something in double digits. I’ve said this before, we don’t want 20 over to win and we don’t want 20 under to win. It might be tough. It might not be tough enough. There’s a number in there somewhere.”
Scheffler is in search of the third leg of the career Grand Slam after winning the PGA Championship by five shots at Quail Hollow last month. Scheffler has won his last three tournaments — all in a five-week stretch — by a combined 17 shots.
“What is he doing? Well, everything,” Justin Thomas said. “It’s effortless. Every single aspect of his game is unbelievable. I think his mental game is better than anybody out here. To be able to play with those expectations and to stay present as often as he has to me is maybe more impressive than even the golf he’s playing.
“He just doesn’t make any mistakes and almost kind of lets himself be in contention versus forces himself in contention. He just seems to be playing better.”
If there is a common trait among U.S. Open champions at Oakmont, strength would be on the list. Johnson won in 2016, Angel Cabrera in 2007, big Ernie Els in 1994. The first of 18 professional majors by Jack Nicklaus and those powerful legs came at Oakmont in 1962.
“I’d say there’s definitely a strength factor coming out of the rough,” Scheffler said. “I don’t really know if this is a golf course you can necessarily just overpower with a bomb-and-gouge type strategy, especially with the way the rough is.”
Scheffler’s strength, much like Tiger Woods, is knowing where to miss and playing the angles. That works almost anywhere. Almost.
“There’s not really many areas where you step on the tee box and you’re like, ‘Hey, I can miss it right here; hey, I can shade towards the left side of the fairway because right is really bad,’” he said. “Actually, if you hit it in the right rough, you’re probably not going to get it to the green. If you hit it in the left rough, you’re probably not going to get it to the green. So might as well try and split the difference there and hit it in the middle.”
Sounds simple enough. It rarely is at Oakmont. And that’s just the way the USGA likes it.
U.S. OPEN PURSE REMAINS AT $21.5 MILLION
The USGA kept the prize fund for this week’s U.S. Open at $21.5 million, on par with the 2024 championship.
The U.S. Open remains the major championship with the most lucrative purse. The Masters raised its prize pool to $21 million in April, the PGA Championship was at $19 million and the most recent Open Championship (July 2024) paid out $17 million in prize money.
Bryson DeChambeau won $4.3 million at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. This weekend’s champion at Oakmont Country Club will receive the same amount.
USGA CEO Mike Whan noted the explosion in golf purses this decade.
“When I started at the USGA just four years ago, our purse was $12.5 (million), so I feel comfortable that we’ve been a leader in moving fast and bigger,” he said Wednesday. “… Same, by the way, has happened on the women’s side where we’ve gone from $5.5 (million) to $12 (million) in a similar period of time.
“We know that this probably isn’t really about the money for the person who (wins), but at the same time we want the money to be commensurate with the achievement. So we feel comfortable.”
USGA COMMISSIONER ON GOLF BALL ROLLBACK: ‘WE’RE FULL SPEED AHEAD’
Despite opposition from professional players, USGA commissioner Mike Whan said Wednesday that the governing body is “full speed ahead” on its plan to “roll back” the golf ball.
Whan spoke with reporters at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh ahead of the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. Forthcoming equipment regulations were one of the chief topics he addressed.
In December 2023, the USGA (governing the U.S. and Mexico) and R&A (covering the rest of the world of golf) announced they will change the speed standard they use to test golf balls beginning in January 2028. The changes will “only minimally” affect the recreational golfer starting in 2030, they said at the time.
The PGA Tour and PGA of America opposed the move, but Whan said Wednesday that recent “stakeholder meetings” at The Players Championship and the Masters left him feeling encouraged.
“Listen, I get this isn’t easy and everybody has got their own constituents,” Whan said. “I’ll just say what I said yesterday again, is as an industry we have to be able to make small adjustments that are in the best interest of the game long-term, that we all know would be better 40 years from now if we were smart enough to make them today.
“We’ll make those. Not everybody will like it. It’ll be high anxiety until we get there. But nobody is going to die. The game is going to be great. … Yeah, if I’m being honest with you, we’re full speed ahead on what we’ve announced. Those decisions have been made.”
Asked if the USGA and R&A have a Plan B, Whan countered, “We’ve announced our plan.”
Ultimately, the goal is to decrease a player’s driving distance, which leaders have agreed is necessary for the long-health of the game.
For now, golf ball manufacturers are in the research and development phase and submitting prototypes to the governing bodies. Whan said the USGA will “stay open-minded” to new data that could change its position — in short, that the current chase for distance off the tee is not sustainable for the future of golf — but it has yet to encounter such data.
“When I first told Jack (Nicklaus) about it,” Whan shared, “his comment was, ‘Well, that’s a nice start, Mike, but you and I both know that’s not enough.’ He’s been pretty consistent with that from the beginning.
“… But what we have to do is stop the pace, the slope of that curve that it’s been on the last 20 to 40 years for the next 20 to 40. And that’s what this does. Anybody who thinks this is more than that, including Jack, who’s smart enough because we’ve had numerous conversations about this, he knows that this change is moderate and it won’t have a significant impact, but maybe in 10 or 15 years will feel like the growth of that curve is pretty slow as opposed to the pace we’re dealing with today.”
Whan and USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer covered a number of other issues, including:
–The rough this week at Oakmont will be a bit longer than five inches, and dense. Players practicing on the course have had trouble simply punching the ball out of the rough at all.
“We have plenty of spotters, but no guarantees we won’t lose a golf ball or two, but we’re going to do everything we possibly can not to do so,” Bodenhamer said. “But we feel good about that. As I said, I think the rough, players that drive the ball in the fairway will have an advantage, no question about it.”
Players in the field know what they’re in for, of course. Oakmont long has been considered the toughest test of championship golf in the U.S., and Whan said of the 1,385 golfers who’ve played a major championship at Oakmont, 27 finished under par after four days — less than 2 percent.
“Frankly, we give the players all of — we’re pretty transparent,” Whan said. “We show them what our plans are for green speeds, rough height, everything, our cutting document. We think that’s the right thing to do.”
–Phil Mickelson has been transparent about the likelihood that this week could mark his final U.S. Open.
He was granted a special exemption into the 2021 U.S. Open, but rendered that moot when he won the PGA Championship at 50 years old, assuring himself of invitations into the next five U.S. Opens. That runs out this week in Pennsylvania.
Bodenhamer did not rule out the idea that the USGA would grant Mickelson a special exemption again next year.
“It’s like anything; we would review things for Shinnecock ahead of next year and look at all of those possibilities and evaluate it from there.
“I think the way that we would also think of Phil is we hope he earns his way in, and I think he’d tell you the same thing.”
Mickelson has won six major tournaments, with only the U.S. Open eluding him. He has finished second or tied for second six times at the event.
–The USGA’s media rights will be up for negotiation in 2027. NBC’s exclusive negotiating window has expired, and its current deal lasts through 2026.
“I guess all I’d say is the level of interest, including our current partners, which are phenomenal, has been great,” Whan said. “We’re not to the point yet where we’re close. We’re months away, not weeks away from figuring out what the future is, but I would say that the breadth of interest, which is really a great statement for the game, not just a great statement for USGA championships, but the breadth of statements and the amount of people that have come to the table is really the exciting part.”
Fox struck a deal to carry the USGA’s numerous championships starting in 2015, but exited the pact after five years. NBC, which already carries PGA Tour golf, picked up the rights it previously owned before 2015.
Whan did not comment on the idea that the rights package could be split between the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open by themselves separate from the amateur championships.
