"Oakmont Greenkeepers Trim Back the Overgrown Grass, Yet US Open Course Remains Unfavorable"
Ready to sweat it out at the US Open? Buckle up, because things are gonna get tough at the Oakmont Country Club this year, and for good reasons. This infamous course is infamous for its Church Pew bunkers and rapid greens, but it's their tough-as-nails rough that's been the talk of the town recently.
Weeks before the third men's Major of the year, the rough has been the center of attention. Videos of its daunting challenge have been making the rounds online, sending chills down the spines of even the seasoned pros. But, on Monday, greenkeepers stormed the rough in droves, raising questions about whether it'll make any significant difference.
Four-time PGA Tour winner, Jhonattan Vegas, has been particularly vocal about the rough, going as far as to deem it 'unplayable' while watching it be trimmed down. Even rising LIV Golfer, Tyrell Hatton, expressed his shock during a practice round. In his own words, "set up over it, I actually can't even see the ball."
Vegas also offered a bird's-eye view of the nightmare that awaits if a golf ball accidentally lands in the intricate rough come Thursday. Spoiler alert: it ain't pretty.
Justin Thomas isn't as pessimistic, though. He acknowledges that rough doesn't always mean a swift hack-out. "It's not like every time you hit it in the rough, you're grabbing lob wedge and hit it out," he said.
"You have to think, how far can I hit this?"
"I think that, to me, there's no such thing as complete hack-out rough. These guys - we're gonna get lucky. A lot of people walking in the rough, you're gonna get some lies that are decent... but, you're gonna have some tempting lies that may - guys might try to push the envelope when they shouldn't kind of thing."
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Jhonattan Vegas and Tyrell Hatton have voiced their concerns about the challenging rough at the US Open, with Vegas dubbing it 'unplayable' and Hatton expressing surprise during a practice round. Despite this, Justin Thomas remains relatively optimistic, suggesting that every shot from the rough won't necessarily require a hack-out, encouraging players to consider their approach based on the lie.
