The four major champions have different characteristics.
Every year (Augusta Nationals) participate in the Masters competition in the same course, which is not only as long as the fanatical greens—this level of familiarity also makes it a unique place in the sport’s elite quartet.
Opens are always played on linked courses that are usually windy, usually strong, fairways with outlines and green.
PGA Championships are often typical PGA Tours that participate in the gym.
The U.S. Open is difficult.
It’s very difficult.
Very, very difficult.
These courses are usually traditional, built in the early 20th century American Golden Age of Golf.
The settings have been extended to the limits to create a long challenge.
The fairway is narrow and rough and deep.
The greens are fast, and the roughness around them is deeper with the roughness of the holes.
It has never been an easy task.
The difficulty bar is always high.
But sometimes, as in Oakmont this week, it is really high.
Let’s look at the reverse order, the toughest public setting in the United States in the last 124 championship games.
5. Winged Foot, 2006
Maybe it should be called “breaking the setting of Monty and Mickelson”.
Putting that couple together sounds like stars of children’s shows from the 1970s, like Mork and Mindy, the couple played the 72nd hole, like they’ve ever starred.
Geoff Ogilvy, Australia, set a five-time club goal on Sunday, and both MSs look like they can improve it.
Colin Montgomerie never won a championship in the United States or major. This is his golden opportunity. He laid a 75-foot birdie putt at 17 and was in the middle of the 18th fairway, where he let the double bogey fall into a small part of Ogilvy.
Mickelson desperately wants to win his own house, and he needs 18 to do so. But he also made a double bogey – finishing second in the U.S. Open (he will eventually get a second sixth).
4. Country Club, 1963
Simple numbers put Brooklyn’s Country Club in the top six.
Julius Boros won with 9 points, the biggest victory in the U.S. Open since World War II.
However, on weekends, the reason for the difficulty is more due to the wind.
Arnold Palmer was tied for midway, hitting a third round of 77, and still only one after 54 holes.
He finished Jacky Cupit and Boros with a 74-shot finish before taking credit for the 18-hole playoffs with the latter who won the Palmer card 76.
3. Oakmont, 2007
USGA felt cruel after the 2006 massacre at Wingfoot, so they repeated the Oakmont dose 12 months later.
Angel Cabrera won 5 points in total and said: “It was definitely the hardest route I’ve ever played.”
There were only eight below-par scores throughout the week – Cabrera was the only one with two.
2. ShinnecockHills, 2004
Another barbarian in the 2000s might have declined due to the terrifying decade of the U.S. Open.
Retief Goosh won with a total of under 4 shots, only Phil Mickelson (-2) also ended the underper week.
However, the championship is surprisingly the USGA loses control of the conditions.
In the final round, the player was unable to keep the ball on the seventh green, so many putter surfaces were watered to avoid further spreading of this chaos.
The last five groups averaged 75.9, and each person in front of them averaged 78.7.
1. Winged Foot, 1974
In 1974, many rumors circulated around the winged feet.
Is Johnny Miller angry at USGA, who won 63 times in the last round of the previous year?
Did the principal of the course mess up? Is there an accident?
In fact, the principal explained that this was the first year of using a front deck rotary lawn mower, which allowed for denser and more even rougher than ever before.
The trouble is that they keep the rough height at 6 inches and then realize that with the new density, there will be 3 inches to develop.
Some call it the “Winged Feet Holocaust”.
Hale Irwin won the 7-pointer. Forrest Fezler scored 9 points. Everyone else surpassed even numbers.
Read more: US Open 2025: 10 Reasons Oakmont Country Club is the World’s Most Fearful Golf Course
