Oakmont Country Club

[edit] Overview

Oakmont Country Club is a prestigious "top five" country club and the "oldest top-ranked golf course in the U.S.". It is located in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Plum and Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA. The club saddles the scenic Allegheny River Valley though uniquely has virtually no water hazards, and now virtually no trees. Some 4000 trees were removed during a recent renovation, but the course has some 200 bunkers and severely undulated greens which greatly contribute to its reputation as one of the most challenging courses in the world. Besides being ranked annually in the top 5 of every course list since the 1960s, it was the first golf course to earn merit as a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It hosted its eighth U.S. Open in 2007, the most of any course. The Pennsylvania Turnpike separates the eastern seven holes (2–8) from the rest of the course.

[edit] Rankings

The course has been consistently ranked as one of the five best by Golf Digest 100 Greatest Golf Courses in America. In 2007 Oakmont was placed in 5th by the magazine. It is one of only a few courses ranked every year in the top ten of the publication's history. The top 50 toughest courses ranks Oakmont also at #5, while GolfLink.com ranks it at #3 overall. It is widely considered to have the world's fastest and smoothest greens, with more tilt than most any other course in the world. For the 2007 U.S. Open U.S. Open, the USGA instructed Oakmont to roll the greens at a speed of 13–13.5 ft on the stimpmeter, slower than its usual 15. Most American golf courses have speeds in the range of 7–12 ft.

[edit] Major Championships at Oakmont

Oakmont has been selected as host of the U.S. Open eight times (more then any other course), including the most recent in 2007. It has also played host to three PGA Championship, five U.S. Amateur, and the U.S. Women's Open once, and will host it again in 2010.

[edit] The Course

The course, the only one in the world designed by Henry Fownes (pronounced as "Phones"), was opened in 1903 and is regarded as one of the most difficult in the United States. It features large, extremely fast, and smooth greens that tilt and undulate in unique ways. All the greens are original except for the 8th which was moved several yards to the left to make way for the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the late 1940s. Par for the members is 71. For the 2007 U.S. Open it plays to a par of 70 with number 9 playing as a long par 4 instead of a par 5 as it does for member play.

[edit] Tilt

In addition to the the one-of-a-kind greens surface that Oakmont boasts, the undulating tilt and slope of the course adds a whole other dynamic to a round. Most noted on holes 1, 3, 10 and 12, Oakmont's greens pitch away from the fairway.

[edit] The Church Pews

One of Oakmont's most famous hazards is the Church Pews bunker, a large bunker that measures about 100 yards long and almost 40 yards wide with twelve grass covered ridges running across it. It comes into play on the 3rd and 4th holes. A smaller version comes into play along the left side of the 15th hole.

For many years the bunkers on the course were groomed with a special kind of rake with wider tines, creating deep furrows into which a ball might roll. The rakes were last used in U.S. Open competition in 1962 and eliminated from the club in 1964.

[edit] Course Scorecard

[edit] U.S. Open Championships at Oakmont

[edit] 1927

Won by Tommy Armour, who defeated Harry Cooper in a playoff. Their 72 hole score was 13 over par. The par 72 course played to 6929 yards in 1927. The average score for the field was 78.6 and the field recorded just 2 rounds under par. The total purse of prize money was $800.

[edit] 1935

Won by Sam Parks, Jr. at 11 strokes over par. The par 72 course played to 6981 yards in 1935 an the average score for the field was 80.55 and the field recorded 3 rounds under par. The total purse of prize money was $5,000.

[edit] 1953

Ben Hogan won his second of three straight majors in 1953 at Oakmont by six strokes, coming in at five under par. Questionable scheduling conflicts made it difficult to play all four majors that year, as the PGA Championship, then a match-play event, and the British Open overlapped in early July. Hogan won The Masters by five strokes and the British Open at Carnoustie by four strokes. The par 72 course played at 6916 yards in 1953 and the average score for the field was 77.12 and the field recorded 20 rounds under par. The purse was $14,900 and the champion earned $5,000.

[edit] 1962

At the 1962 U.S. Open, an up-and-coming 22-year-old named Jack Nicklaus defeated the world's top player at the time, Arnold Palmer, in a Monday playoff round in Palmer's home state. Both competitors had completed the 72 holes with at 1-under par (283). It was the first professional victory for Nicklaus, and the first of his 18 professional majors. Palmer would win the next major, the 1962 British Open, and his fourth Masters in 1964, but never another U.S. Open. In 1962 par was reduced by a stroke to 71 course length slightly reduced to 6893 yards; the average score for the field was 75.86 and the field recorded 19 rounds under par. The purse was $81,600 and the champion earned $17,500.

[edit] 1973

Following an overnight rainstorm, Johnny Miller shot a final round 63 (8 strokes under par) to set a record low score at a U.S. Open, and finished at five under par for the championship. This very low score led the USGA to set up the course at the following year's championship at Winged Foot in an extremely challenging manner; Hale Irwin's winning score in 1974 was seven strokes over par. The par 71 course played at 6921 yards in 1973 and the average score for the field was 75.45 and the field recorded 40 rounds under par. The purse was $219,400 and the champion earned $35,000.

[edit] 1983

In 1983, Larry Nelson was six over par at 148 after the first two rounds. He then established the 36-hole record at the U.S. Open when he finished 65-67 to score a 4-under par 280, defeating Tom Watson by a single shot. Nelson's two-round total of 132 (10 under par) broke the previous record by four shots, established by Gene Sarazen 51 years earlier. Nelson's record performance, although not receiving level acclaim to Miller's 63 finish, has yet to be equaled. The par 71 course played at 6972 yards in 1983 and the average score for the field was 76.13 and the field recorded 27 rounds under par. The purse was $506,184 and the champion earned $72,000.

[edit] 1994

In 1994, a 24-year-old Ernie Els outlasted Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in another Monday playoff round to capture the U.S. Open, his first major and first victory in the U.S. The three in the playoff completed the four rounds at four under par (280), but all were well over par during the playoff round. The par 71 course played at 6946 yards in 1994 and the average score for the field was 74.25; the field recorded 62 rounds under par. The purse was $1.75 million and the champion earned $320,000.

[edit] 2007

Angel Cabrera of Argentina shot five over par (285) to defeat Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by a stroke. A course renovation had deepened the bunkers and removed over 4000 trees that had been planted mostly in the 1960s, returning the course to its links-style origins. The course was lengthened to 7230 yards and par was reduced by a stroke to 70, as the uphill 9th hole became a par-4. The par-3 8th hole played at nearly 300 yards, the par-5 12th hole at over 660 yards, and the par-4 15th at 500 yards. The average score for the field in 2007 was 75.70 and the field recorded just 8 rounds under par, only two per round. Cabrera had two of these sub-par rounds, shooting a 69 (-1) on Thursday and Sunday. The total purse was $7.0 million and the champion earned $1.26 million.

[edit] References

All information taken from or paraphrased from Wikipedia.