June 11, 2025 – Oakmont, PA — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is pushing all cards to the table: coming off a win at the Memorial Tournament and fresh from tying the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record, he’s taking nothing for granted at Oakmont Country Club, which he describes as “probably the hardest golf course that we’ll play—maybe ever.”
Why Oakmont Strains the Best
- Scheffler outlined the course’s narrow fairways, deep rough, and lightning-fast greens, explaining that typical major championships feel like different surfaces, but “here, when you hit the ball over the green… it’s like, let me see how I can pop the ball out.”
- Reuters highlights Oakmont’s punishing setup—players struggle to break par, with rough so thick landing balls can be “completely submerged.”
Scheffler’s Blueprint
- Unlike recent bleaker performances in majors (e.g., Pinehurst), Scheffler opted to skip the Canadian Open, prioritize rest, and study Oakmont’s line-by-line challenges.
- He enters with three wins in four starts, including dominant performances at the PGA Championship and Memorial—his form as sharp as ever.
What to Watch
- Score thresholds: At Oakmont, even elite play can still mean finishing just around par. Scheffler plans to blunt the course’s cruelty by focusing on precision.
- Contenders’ tests: Leaders like Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Xander Schauffele face the same gauntlet—it’s a mental as much as physical battleground.
- Mind-over-matter: Scheffler said Oakmont is not a fair fight—“you have to two-putt, worst-case scenario”—underscoring patience and tactical resilience.
In summary: Scottie Scheffler’s dominance comes with humility. He’s approaching Oakmont not just with confidence, but with deep respect for the test ahead. His form, strategy, and mental toughness may be the difference between another major and a humbling defeat.
Information from BBC Sport’s preview of Oakmont challenges (via Reuters coverage), ESPN’s “Scheffler wary of Oakmont,” and Reuters’ “Five storylines to follow” was used in this article.
