The complaint Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player all once had about Oakmont

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Oakmont Country Club ​​returns as the host of the US Open this year, having last played host to the tournament in 2016.

The 2025 US Open gets underway this week, featuring many high-profile players from across the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

Pennsylvania’s Oakmont is certain to provide a tough test for the field, with several trying to get to grips with the course ahead of Thursday.

Xander Schauffele has been surprised by Oakmont after his practice round, with the American looking for his maiden US Open title this week.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is doing likewise, while it is LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau who is out to defend his title.

The Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player Oakmont complaint

He’s won the US Open twice, with Jack Nicklaus, Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan topping the all-time list with four wins each.

And legendary figure Nicklaus among other icons has now been discussed by long-time Oakmont head pro Bob Ford ahead of another edition of the event.

READ MORE: Justin Thomas pays Scottie Scheffler the ultimate compliment ahead of the US Open, ‘It’s so, so hard to do’

Ford reminisced on Golf Channel: “We were playing with Jim Symonds one day, the two guys who ended up being the kings to take the trees out and we told them on the 14th hole to take the trees out and they said you can’t do that, that’s how we hit our shots, we play off the trees and off the sides and the greens are all supported by trees in the background, like a backboard is in basketball.

“When you take the backboard down that shot gets really hard. That is all we did. We took the backboard down. It started in the early 90s and it continued through to 2012 or so.

“Arnold [Palmer], Jack, Tom Watson, [Lee] Trevino and Gary Player, those five legends, were like I don’t like it Bob. I just took my medicine and walked away. I am not going to argue with the greatest players in the world.

“But those guys it’s like going back to your old house. You see it and it’s like oh my God it’s so small, it felt so big when I was growing up. All the trees around your home, you just want to remember it the way when you were there.”

Inclement weather set to impact US Open winning score at Oakmont

Brandel Chamblee doesn’t like that Oakmont has cut its trees, with Nicklaus and Scottie Scheffler of the same opinion.

But the US Open should still be a very tricky test this year regardless, with the long rough likely to cause plenty of chaos.

READ MORE: Watch as Collin Morikawa hits driver on 300 yard par three at Oakmont, ‘this just feels ridiculous’

Even world number one Scheffler is set to be tested, having essentially mastered many other courses in the 2025 season so far.

Weather is also set to play a key role in Pennsylvania, where heavy thunderstorms could significantly impact the winning score.