Justin Thomas says he and Jordan Spieth were shocked by one thing about Oakmont during US Open practice round

Add as preferred source on Google

Justin Thomas played a practice round at Oakmont on Monday alongside his good friend Jordan Spieth ahead of the US Open.

Oakmont will be a hugely difficult test of golf this week, and anyone hoping to win the US Open will have to be right on top of their game.

Thomas and his close friend Spieth will both be desperate to win their national championship.

Spieth has already done exactly that of course, after his victory at Chambers Bay in 2015.

Thomas’s recent problems with his driver suggests that he could well struggle to contend at Oakmont.

On the flip-side, Spieth has actually been driving the ball very well this year.

Spieth spoke earlier today about how the bunkers at Oakmont are even more difficult to get out of now than they were back in 2016.

It will be a war of attrition this week, where only the strongest mentally and physically will survive.

Justin Thomas says why he and Jordan Spieth were shocked during US Open practice round

Thomas actually already has a victory to his name this year, while Spieth is in the midst of a three-year winless run.

It would be a huge shock if either of them were to win at Oakmont this week, given the number of mistakes they have both made in recent weeks.

Thomas, 32, addressed the media on Monday after playing a practice round alongside his fellow American.

And he opened up on something that shocked both him and Spieth.

He said, “Anytime the greens are softer, it’s going to be easier than if they’re firmer, but these greens are still far from normal or easy.

“I played with Jordan and Jackson Koivun today, and Jordan and I were saying we were still shocked with how soft the fairways were. The greens still had a little bit of bounce to them. They weren’t firm by any means, but they were still taking a hop with wedges and short irons still.

“No, just the amount that the putts break and how quick some of the chips and around the holes can be, it’s still difficult if it’s firm or soft. It just changes it a little bit if it’s one or the other.“

Spieth actually more likely than Thomas to win the US Open

The man from Dallas is definitely trending in the right direction.

He put in a really positive showing at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio a couple of weeks ago.

And if he manages to find a way to putt more consistently from inside 10 feet, he could well challenge at Oakmont.

As you can see from his results in the US Open, he has mostly struggled in his national championship, aside from his win of course.

Chambers Bay was somewhat of an anomaly compared to normal US Open venues, so it’s hard to take much from that.

The bottom line for Spieth this week will be to ensure that he drives the ball well and putts solidly and then maybe, just maybe, he will have a chance to win the US Open.

And the same can be said for Thomas.