Oakmont Country Club presents a particularly demanding take a look at that solely an elite participant can deal with. The winner of the 2025 U.S. Open — set Thursday-Sunday close to Pittsburgh — will seemingly come from the highest of the odds board, nevertheless it will not be any of those three stars.
This is why:
Collin Morikawa
When Morikawa knocked off two main championships in his first eight begins, we thought we have been witnessing the beginning of a historic main profession. Nicely, he is now gone 14 straight main begins with out one other win, and he is failed to complete inside the highest 10 in 4 straight.
This can be a brutal golf course for Morikawa due to his lack of distance off the tee. He’ll hit fairways and keep out of bother, however the sheer size of Oakmont requires Morikawa to be sensible in each different aspect of the sport. The American has misplaced strokes from across the inexperienced in 5 of his previous six begins, and his previous three tournaments marked his three worst iron performances of the season.
Morikawa’s sport is not clicking the best way it must be for him to contend at Oakmont.
Justin Thomas
It was nice to see Thomas rating his first win for the reason that 2022 PGA Championship earlier this yr on the RBC Heritage, however there is a purpose it got here at that event. Harbour City Golf Hyperlinks is a brief, positional golf course that does not require a driver off most tees. That is why Thomas was capable of dial in his irons and fairway woods on his technique to the victory.
