Golf fans want the world’s best players to be pushed to the limit during the US Open, with the third major of the year often providing the toughest test in the game.
The US Open is usually the most thorough examination of a player’s golf game. Seven of the 25 events since the turn of the century have been won by a player on even par or worse.
And Oakmont has the potential to be the most brutal of all the US Open venues. No player has ever won on the Pennsylvania course with a score of better than five under par, while five over par was good enough to clinch the 2007 event.
The thick rough and lightning greens are certainly going to frustrate players and delight fans in equal measure. But perhaps there is one part of the course which may unite everyone with an interest this week.
Oakmont criticised for ‘ridiculous’ hole ahead of the US Open
The eighth hole is a par three which will measure around 300 yards and is the longest par three in major championship golf.
And speaking on The Rough Cut Golf Podcast, Peter Finch insisted that it is a terrible move to have a par three of that length.
“The 301 yard par three. No matter how you phrase it that is a long par three, which for me is stupid. I hate long par threes, especially something like that. That is just ridiculous,” he said.
“Every par three should be under 175 yards. If you can’t make a good par three under that distance then what is the point?
“There is a huge difference between having a tough, fun, memorable par three and then making one 301 yards. That is memorable for the wrong reasons because it’s impossible to make that interesting.
“You can’t have an interesting green with that length of shot because everyone is going to be hitting three wood or there is probably a fair number in the field who will hit driver into that.
“I just don’t like stuff like that. I love the fact that the US Open is the toughest test in golf, I love that it has that identity and around level par is probably the score that is going to win, but not doing it like that. That is just stupid.”
How Shane Lowry reacted to hitting a driver into the par three 17th at the 2024 Open Championship
Perhaps the most iconic short par three in the world is at Royal Troon, with the Postage Stamp causing all sorts of problems during the 2024 Open Championship.
Interestingly, it was another par three which was under the spotlight on Saturday afternoon during The Open. Shane Lowry had to hit a driver off the 17th hole due to the heavy winds.
And Lowry’s brief comment after his round said a lot about how he felt tackling that hole.
“Yeah, it was hard. Yeah, playing a par three hitting drivers is not much crack. Roll the ball back, huh? Yeah,” he said.
The big problem on that occasion was that the variable conditions meant that those playing the 17th later in the day had to take several clubs more to stand a chance of hitting the green.
But it seems that most will be united in their dislike for the eighth at Oakmont this week, regardless of the weather conditions.
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