The Memorial Tournament was the final opportunity for many players to fine tune their games ahead of the third major of the year, with the US Open rapidly approaching on the horizon.
Of course, it was Scottie Scheffler who got across the line for his third win of the season. Ultimately, Scheffler looked relatively comfortable at Muirfield Village, with Ben Griffin pushing the world number one the furthest.
It was remarkable how in control Scheffler appeared to be. The 28-year-old made just one bogey over the weekend, while he made just four across the tournament.
There were 30 players who shot over par on Sunday out of the 57 who made the cut. Meanwhile, Scheffler reached 10 under par for the week. It proved to be a fantastic test of many of the world’s best players.
Michael Kim shares what he’s heard about the rough at Oakmont ahead of the US Open
And plenty will see this past week as a perfect warm-up for the upcoming US Open. The event returns to Oakmont for the first time since 2016.
On that occasion, Dustin Johnson won with a score of four under par. Meanwhile, Angel Cabrera triumphed at the same course in 2007 despite finishing at five over par.
Oakmont is a stern test, with two holes spanning over 600 yards. Meanwhile, there is not a single par three shorter than 180 yards on the course.
But it seems that length of the holes will not be the only problem players will have to deal with. Taking to X after The Memorial, Michael Kim shared what he had heard about the length of the rough…
What Rory McIlroy said about Oakmont ahead of the 2016 US Open
There has not been a worse winning score at the US Open since Cabrera’s victory in 2007. So there is definitely the potential for the event to turn into such a brutal test.
And ahead of the 2016 event, Rory McIlroy explained what he felt to be the keys to playing well around Oakmont.
“It’s a great test of golf. Every shot you hit, you’re under pressure to hit a great shot because you can’t really miss it. You have to get the ball in play. You really need to put the ball on the fairway. That’s a huge premium. And if you get your ball on the fairway, you’ve just got to make sure that you leave yourself below the hole on the greens. And even in some cases, that may mean missing the green,” he said.
“For example, on the first hole, missing the green sort of long and left is never going to be a bad option. The 10th hole is sort of similar. So, yeah, two keys for, I think, everyone this week is get the ball on the fairway. And when you can do that, keep it below the hole with your approach shot.”
If the US Open can deliver the drama of The Masters earlier this year, it could be a phenomenal week which puts all of the world’s best players under the microscope.
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