Everyone knew Oakmont Country Club was going to be a tough old slog at this week’s US Open but Denny McCarthy has seemingly revealed the true pain of battling the golf course.
So far, we’ve seen some of the best players in the world miss the cut as the likes of Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson lead a stellar cast of top players going home early.
As expected, Oakmont has very much shown its teeth over the opening two days. Brutally thick rough, rapid, sloping greens and some difficult blind tee shots have all contributed to some nightmare scores.
Still, Denny McCarthy is among the players to squeeze through into the weekend on four over par.
But while McCarthy is happy to make the weekend, he’s conceded that there are some unhappy and exhausted bodies at Oakmont right now.
Denny McCarthy shares how players are finding the US Open at Oakmont
With McCarthy going through at four over, he’ll remarkably still feel like he’s in the tournament.
As it’s going, the winning score is going to be either just under par or right on the line, meaning one or two good rounds in a row could win it for anyone.
However, McCarthy has revealed that right now, there are some tired minds and tired bodies on the property ahead of the weekend.
“Not a ton. Obviously they’re really sloped undulated greens, but there hasn’t been a ton of talk,” McCarthy revealed.
“It’s just kind of the common theme; everyone seems like they’re exhausted when they come in off the course just because it’s a punch in the face. Even if you’ve played okay and grind it out and shoot a couple under to a couple over, it’s still just a grind. It just takes a lot out of you.”
Over par could once again win the US Open
After Jon Rahm predicted a score above par could win this week, it does feel like we might be heading towards that territory.
Yes, there are some players under par and doing well but we’ve seen already how things can change and it only takes one bad hole for everything to unravel.
We saw in 2007 how Angel Cabrera won at five over and while it might not get to that level in 2025, there’s a big chance over par takes it again.
The big names still left, like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm will all fancy their chances if it stays dry.
If the rain comes, then things might change. But until then, this could very much be a battle of wills and as always, a bit of good fortune.
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