McIlroy has options, but the driver is still king at Oakmont

The Church Pews of Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania on Friday, May 31, 2024. (Copyright USGA/Fred Vuich)

Dustin Johnson has no doubt why he won the 2016 US Open by three shots, but it remains to be seen if Rory McIlroy can keep his driver out of the rough and notch his sixth major win at fearsome Oakmont this week.

"I drove it really straight," Johnson said of his three-shot win over Shane Lowry and Jim Furyk nine years ago. "I hit a lot of fairways. That was the only reason I shot that well."

Johnson won on four-under-par, which he joked should really have been five-under had he not incurred a one-shot penalty when his ball almost moved imperceptibly as he addressed it on the fifth green in the final round.

"I don't know, it seems like it's tougher this time around, but that's just maybe with the little bit of added length," Johnson said. "It's going to make it a little more difficult.

"But yeah, somehow I figured out a way to get it under par. It was mostly the driving. Obviously, even driving it in the fairway here, it's still really difficult, but I hit a lot of good drives and a lot of good iron shots."

Johnson ranked "only" 18th for fairways hit in 2016, but while he was first for greens in regulation, the perception at a rain-softened Oakmont is that getting the ball in play from the tee will be as crucial here as it is in any other US Open.

Even if the course dries out and big hitters have the option to hit more irons or fairway woods, players like Justin Thomas see no reason why a big hitter like McIlroy would not want to take advantage of his greatest weapon.

"You look at someone like Rory McIlroy, you drive it like he does, I would pull that driver out as often as I can," Thomas said of the Masters champion, who admitted that finding a replacement for the driver ruled nonconforming at the PGA was "a concern" after he struggled from the tee and missed the cut by 12 strokes in last week's Canadian Open.

"He hits it further and straighter than maybe anybody that's played the game. It's hard to argue why he wouldn't hit driver as often as he could. It truly is dependent on the player and their strategy."

Oakmont was rain-softened in 2016, too, but for Johnson, it remains a beast.

The 17th Hole of Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania on Friday, May 31, 2024. (Copyright USGA/Fred Vuich)

"Probably this one," he said when asked the toughest course he's ever played. "This one's hard no matter what -- soft, firm, windy, no wind…. You definitely have to hit it in the fairway if you want a chance to win around here."

While Shane Lowry played the front nine in practice yesterday, it was a painful three-and-a-half-hour process.

"Not to come off the wrong way, these are some of the worst practice rounds of the year at a US Open," Thomas said. "You tee off in the middle of the day today or tomorrow, and it's going to be probably a three-, three-and-a-half-hour nine holes."

Given the penalty for missing the fairway or the green, it's mentally exhausting as well.

"I just think it requires patience and discipline," Thomas explained. "If you just get lazy, like on any drive, any wedge shot, any chip, any putt, you can kind of look stupid pretty fast, especially at a place like this."

It's possible to shoot a great score missing fairways, but while Thomas did that in 2016, he wouldn't recommend it as a strategy,

"One of the best rounds of golf I've probably ever played in my career in 2016 here on Friday, I think I hit four fairways, but I remember I hit seven greens and I shot 69," he said with a grin.

"I chipped in three times. I was beyond exhausted when I got done.

"I actually played with Brooks (Koepka) the first two days. I remember he was so pissed off. He just couldn't get over it."

Hack-out rough is not everyone's idea of great golf, but Xander Schauffele believes it's why fans tune in to the US Open.

"I don't think people turn the TV on to watch some of the guys just hit like a 200-yard shot on the green, you know what I mean?" Schauffele said.

"I think they turn on the US Open to see a guy shooting eight-over and suffer. That's part of the enjoyment of playing in the US Open for viewers… If you're a true fan of golf, it's more about what happens after the hack-out."

The lengthening of the course means there are fewer opportunities to hit irons compared to 2016, when long-hitting Schauffele recalls seeing players "hitting maybe three or maybe four irons" off tees.

"I feel like they've lengthened those holes to where they're not," he said yesterday. "I felt like you're only hitting maybe one iron off the tee this week or maybe two.

"Anything close to par is what they want here. The members absolutely love their property, and the members absolutely want it to be over par. I know what they're rooting for."

Oakmont Country Club will be set up at 7,372 yards and will play to a par of 35-35–70.

The yardage for each round of the championship will vary due to course setup and conditions.

Hole Par Yards
1 4 488
2 4 346
3 4 462
4 5 611
5 4 408
6 3 200
7 4 485
8 3 289
9 4 472
Out 35 3,761 yards

Hole Par Yards
10 4 461
11 4 400
12 5 632
13 3 182
14 4 379
15 4 507
16 3 236
17 4 312
18 4 502
In 35 3,611 yards
Total 70 7,372 yards