⛳
Episode 30 #pgatour #usopen
Get ready for the 125th U.S. Open Championship, taking place from June 12-15, 2025 at the historic Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Known as one of the toughest tests in golf, Oakmont is hosting the U.S. Open for a record 10th time. The course is famous for its penal rough, deep bunkers, and incredibly fast greens, demanding players execute every aspect of their game.
The field of 156 players is stacked with talent. #scottiescheffler enters as the overwhelming favorite, having won three of his last four starts. Other top contenders include defending champion #brysondechambeau , two-time winner #jonrahm , and #rorymcilroy who is seeking his second U.S. Open title. Players like #xanderschauffele , #collinmorikawa , and #ludvigaberg will also be looking to claim the prestigious trophy, but each faces specific challenges at Oakmont.
Oakmont’s difficulty means that accurate driving is key, as distance is less valuable without hitting the fairway due to the penal rough. The course has historically yielded high scores, with winning scores often just barely under or over par. Past champions at Oakmont include legends like #jacknicklaus , #benhogan , and #dustinjohnson .
While the top stars are expected to contend, the challenging nature of Oakmont leaves the door open for sleepers. Keep an eye on players like Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Harris English, Daniel Berger, and Nick Taylor, who could surprise the field based on their recent form or game suited for the course. Tommy Fleetwood is also highlighted as a potential strong contender.
You can watch the 2025 U.S. Open on NBC and USA Network. Streaming coverage will be available on Peacock, USOpen.com, and the #App, including exclusive hours and featured group coverage.
Don’t miss the intense competition as the world’s best golfers battle the challenging Oakmont Country Club for the chance to lift the U.S. Open trophy!
#pgatour #podcast #golfunity #golfpodcast #golf #history #scottiescheffler #rorymcilroy #golfing #usopen
golf Unity the most popular golf infotainment podcast in town welcome back to Golf Unity the most popular golf infotainment podcast in town this is episode 30 folks it’s great to be here we’ve got predictions who the sources think might win some dark horses history kind of the whole deal right so our mission today let’s just jump into this deep dive tear these sources apart and you know make sure you walk away totally clued in who to watch what makes this US Open unique and maybe find some surprises about well what everyone calls the toughest test in golf exactly and you can’t talk toughest test without starting at the venue right oakmont Country Club Western Pennsylvania oh yeah if you know anything about major venues Oakmont isn’t just a tough course it’s like legendary it’s known for being one of the most brutally difficult tests anywhere period totally and this is what the 10th time it’s hosting the US Open so it’s got this deep history with the championship a history that uh the sources definitely paint a clear picture about especially when it comes to scoring yeah and that picture is pretty stark isn’t it it really is according to the data we pulled Oakmont’s scoring average get this it’s been at least two strokes over par in every single round it’s ever hosted the US Open since the first time wow every single round every single round think about that the field as a whole has never averaged even just one over par for around here in the US Open that stat just screams what this course demands doesn’t it it’s not just like precision no it’s like an almost absurd level of mental toughness you need it feels like it’s just built for punishment you know that thick grabby rough those crazy deep bunkers the church pews and the greens oh man the greens notoriously fast so fast incredibly sloped if you end up on the wrong side of the hole uhoh yeah potential disasters right we saw that back in 2016 remember when Dustin Johnson won his performance it wasn’t about making tons of birdies no it was pure survival minimizing mistakes he had that one amazing bogey free round which was rare but overall birdies were just hard to come by winning there is about keeping bogeies off the card and crucially avoiding anything worse which uh leads us right into the players the sources are flagging as the most likely contenders this week okay but it’s not just a list of names they really dig into what each of these top guys specifically needs to do yeah you know to handle Oakman and actually lift the trophy all right let’s rip into these favorites then scotty Sheffller predictable maybe but he’s the big one world number one and his form right now is well it’s borderline unbelievable yeah the sources point to those three recent wins including the PGA Championship and uh the Memorial just now and what makes him the guy to beat according to the analysis is just how incredibly well-rounded his game is he’s ranked inside the top 25 in all the strokes gain categories all of them all of them and okay just to give you a sense of the level he’s at the fame the sources had this genuinely wild anecdote about him oh yeah what’s that apparently he had to delete his Venmo account his Venmo what why was he like settling bets with buddies or something slight chuckle no even crazier he apparently told the sources he got rid of it cuz people were literally sending him money when he won tournaments no way or or requesting money from him when he didn’t win that’s insane i mean can you imagine being so famous so good that strangers are just hitting you up on Venmo it’s kind of the absurd side effect of being Scotty Sheffller right now that is absolutely nuts okay all right moving on from the uh human ATM machine Braayson Dashambo another big name yep reigning US Open champ from 2024 remember that crazy finish against Rory last year oh yeah dramatic and he won in 2020 too right and Dashambo’s uh superpower highlighted in the sources it’s the driving power huge power he’s always at or near the top in distance strokes gained off the tea you know how they measure performance and he’s been super consistent in majors state side recently six top six finishes in his last seven starts I think it was the sources do note though he’s been messing around with new scoring clubs trying to sharpen up the iron play which maybe hasn’t quite matched the elite driving gotcha then there’s John Rum 2021 US Open winner another two-time major champ and the sources mentioned his really solid play on LA he had that streak right 20 straight top 10s before just recently finishing outside that and crucially he’s been bringing that form to the majors too three straight top 15s yeah but for Rom specifically at Oakmont the sources pinpoint avoiding double bogeies that’s the key but he’s he can get aggressive exactly he’s known for that aggressive style which is great sometimes but it can lead to him trying he maybe shouldn’t especially if he is frustrated and those mistakes turn into big numbers like doubles right they mentioned an example from Quail Hollow where double just killed his round and at Oakmont where getting even one stroke back is incredibly hard and double bogey is just devastating yeah absolutely killer so for Rom the sources are saying it’s about patience knowing when to just take your bogey and you know walk away makes sense and then of course Rory Mroy always in the mix yep won the US Open way back in 2011 and finally got that Masters earlier this year career grand slam huge but uh the sources do mention his recent form hasn’t been great a bit rocky even missed the cut at the Canadian Open right before this yeah and the sources identify kind of two big things for Rory this week swing factors you could say okay one is his driver confidence and the other is maybe potentially his motivation now that he’s got the grand slam ah interesting the driver thing he’s apparently been struggling with a new driver setup making some like defensive swings battling a different miss pattern than his old reliable one and if he can’t trust the driver well that takes away his biggest weapon right it neutralizes his advantage and the motivation thing the sources sort of speculate you know now that the massive order of the grand slam is off his shoulders has some of that intense fire maybe dimmed a little could be but despite any recent struggles you got to look at his US Open record it’s fantastic six straight top tens he knows how to handle this championship even if he’s come up just short the last couple of years it’s fascinating isn’t it how even these absolute top guys have specific things aspects of their game or their mindset that the sources are flagging as potential hurdles especially for a place like Oakmont exactly and they touched on a few others too considered favorites and what they need to sharpen up right alex Xander Chelle reigning PGA champ yeah for him it’s finding that complete game again sources point out his driving and putting which were so good last year have kind of dipped this season okay and Morawa Colin Morawa needs to work on his finishing he’s great T Green obviously but has had these lapses late in rounds late in tournaments that have cost him focus maybe right lud Goldberg huge talent immense talent but he’s had a bit of an up and down mid-season needs to find that consistency again especially with the irons and putter that had him looking like one of the world’s best earlier on and we Neman Neman’s been winning big on LIV but the sources say he’s often looked kind of tight in the majors needs to find a way to play with that same freedom on the biggest stages okay so we’ve got the big names their specific challenges it’s all laid out but what about the guys you know outside that absolute top tier did the sources mention potential sleepers guys who could maybe shock everyone at Oakmont oh yeah and this is where it gets really interesting especially if you’re thinking about betting or just who to keep an extra eye on right these aren’t just random picks they’re players with specific recent form or game profiles that the sources argue really suit a US Open test like Oakmont okay like who I saw Ben Griffin mentioned 55 odds in one source yeah Ben Griffin the sources literally called him the hottest golfer on the PGA tour right now well apart from Sheffler hi Chris look at his last three starts t8 a win and then second place including at the memorial which is often seen as a really tough US Open style test wow that’s serious form now it is his first US Open so that’s a factor for sure but you just can’t deny that recent run the question is can he bring that fire to the absolute biggest stage interesting and what about Harris English he was listed around 101 english is highlighted for like the perfect Oakmont game profile accuracy really good ball striking consistency stuff you need there exactly the sources describe him as having the right kind of demeanor too you know to handle the inevitable bad bounces and frustrations Oakmont throws at you plus he’s done well in US Opens before three top 10s and just finished runner up at the BGA Championship okay so he fits the mold he’s a prime example yeah trades fitting the demands we also saw a few other names float around maverick McNeely noted for being levelheaded T5 at Memorial mhm daniel Berger good driving accuracy solid distance and Nick Taylor great ball striking this year finds fairways controls his irons even if he’s not the longest hitter yeah all these guys have like specific tools in their bag that match up well with what Oakmont asks for if the big favorites stumble over their own specific hurdles and one of these guys could sneak through absolutely absolutely someone with the right skill set hitting form at the right time definitely could happen cool okay so beyond the individual players the sources also kind of zoomed out right looked at historical trends from past US Open winners to see what characteristics keep popping up yeah and some of that history is just wild like the original trophy actually burned up in a clubhouse fire no way yeah and the very first US Open was just a one-day event or international players winning the first 16 before an American finally broke through there was even a par six hole once in US Open history plus in the Legends with four wins Anderson Jones Hogan Nicholson and Tigers ridiculous 15 shot win just cool golf trivia it really is cool stuff but the analysis we looked at went deeper didn’t it using specific stats based on recent winners what were those key metrics they looked at okay so the sources identified four main criteria that recent US Open champs consistently met first being ranked inside the top 50 in the world golf rankings the OWGR okay makes sense top player second having at least one podium finished so top three earlier that season showing good form coming in right third averaging at least plus.75 strokes gained per round over the last three months that’s a baseline but the benchmark average for pass winners was actually an elite plus 1.95 SG per round wow okay high bar and fourth averaging at least plus.84 84 strokes gained off the tea over that same 3-month stretch driving matters okay those are some pretty demanding filters so when the sources actually applied those four historical trend criteria to the current field heading to Oakmont what happened who fit the bill this is what’s absolutely fascinating and honestly kind of stunning after running the numbers applying all four of those criteria from past winners the analysis in one source narrowed the entire field of 156 players down to just three names wait seriously only three who scotty Sheffller Bryson Duchambo and John Rom just the top three guys we started with that’s it nobody else met all four that’s it exactly the sources point out that Dashambo and Rom have been particularly strong off the tea recently which lines up with that crucial SG off the tea requirement sheffller well he’s strong off the T too but he really stands out as the most dominant and well-rounded across all categories especially approach play where maybe the other two have shown some slight dips this year so does this historical trend thing basically say it’s a three-horse race according to the stats it strongly suggests that yeah that the profile of a player who historically wins this thing based on these specific numbers align perfectly with those three right now it really highlights the huge challenge of the US Open and maybe the likelihood that you need a top player with a very specific highle game to conquer it but but the sources are definitely careful to remind us this is still golf and Oakmont maybe more than any other course it just breeds unpredictability stats tell a story a compelling one but they don’t always rent the final chapter on Sunday afternoon right right anything can happen okay so let’s wrap this up putting it all together why does this deep dive into the 2025 US Open matter to you the listener tuning in this week well because you’re not just flipping on a golf tournament you’re watching the absolute best players in the world go up against what many genuinely believe is the hardest golf course on Earth and now you know why Oakmont is so brutal you know the big names sure but more importantly you know the specific challenges each one faces this week right sheffller’s insane form versus the pressure cooker rahm’s aggression against those double bogeies rory’s driver issues versus his history here deshawn Bose’s power versus needing sharp iron exactly and you know the traits that might let a sleeper like maybe a Ben Griffin or a Harris English actually hang around and contend plus you’ve got that historical stat filter in your back pocket telling you who should win based purely on the numbers but with that big asterisk that Oakmont in the US Open loves surprises right it’s knowing the course the players specific games for this test and the history that whole combination makes watching this week June 12th to 15th live from Oakmont Pennsylvania just so much richer yeah it gives you a much deeper appreciation for the insane skill and maybe even more the mental toughness required okay and that wraps up our deep dive into the sources for the 2025 US Open we’ve kind of walked the treacherous fairways of Oakmont we’ve dissected the favorites and their potential pitfalls we looked at some interesting sleepers who fit the course and we apply those historical trends that point well a very narrow finger at who should win statistically speaking it’s a championship that just demands everything every part of the game so here’s the thought to maybe chew on as you watch this week drawing from that tension you know between the hard data and the sheer beastliness of the venue okay given how demanding the stats say this championship is and how that historical analysis boiled it down to just Sheffller Dashambo and Rom is this the year the numbers finally nail it predict the winner with spooky accuracy or is Okamad just too wild too unforgiving is it a beast that no statistical model can truly tame leaving the door wide open for total chaos that’s question right that really is the beauty of this championship you never quite know couldn’t have said it better thanks everyone for joining us for this deep dive here on Golf Unity the most popular golf infotainment podcast in town always fun hey make sure to ring the bell follow us on social media all that good stuff so you don’t miss our future deep dives into the golf world and everything else join us next time for episode 31 head over to our social media tell us what you think let’s hear it and give us your predictions for the future of golf [Music]
