Xander Schauffele has been trying to get to grips with the treacherous Oakmont Country Club but has conceded already that things could get trickier after what happened in his first practice.
Schauffele was out with the likes of Collin Morikawa as they plotted their way around the course.
With Grant Horvat demonstrating the heavy rough and the near 300 yard par three catching players out, trying to fathom the best way to play Oakmont is going to take some time.
However, while getting practice rounds in is all well and good, it doesn’t always tell the true story.
And when speaking to the media about his first practice session, Schauffele has suggested players could well get caught out as the days go on.
Xander Schauffele surprised by Oakmont after first US Open practice round
With the Oakmont rough expected to gobble up golf balls and the slippery fairways and greens set to hinder players further, getting these practice rounds in is important.
However, speaking to the press about the course, Schauffele has explained how the reality of a practice session – in damp conditions – could be setting some players up to fail.
“The balls were just plugging. Fairways were easier to hit. There was less run-off,” Schauffele admitted.
“Take one, for example, or 10, if you are in the rough, the way Oakmont plays is you can sort of hack something, if you’re courageous enough to hack something sort of down, and if you get the correct line and a couple of bounces, you could kind of turn what would be a nightmare into a decent situation.
“Right now with it being soft, your ball is not going to really roll where it needs to.”
Asked if that will make things even tougher when the tournament starts and things begin to dry out, Schauffele admitted it could well be a problem.
“It could. I think all major championships, there’s some degree of adjustments you have to make. Whether the greens are two, three feet faster or the fairways are running, whoever adjusts the best with their caddie is going to play the best.”
- READ MORE: What PGA Tour players are saying about the bunkers at Oakmont ahead of the US Open starting
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth also surprised by Oakmont
A number of players were making their way around the course on Monday and that included some big stars of the game who want to do well at the event.
Two of them, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, were among the players trying to get used to the Oakmont conditions and course.
However, much like Schauffele, Thomas admitted to being surprised by the course as well.
“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,” Thomas admitted.
“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.“
With more rain expected but then subsiding over the weekend if forecasts are correct, we could be in for four days of very different golf.
The more practice the players can get in, then, the better it might be.
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