Pull up a Pew: The Data Behind Oakmont CC

David Bolton

Oakmont: The Knowledge Behind the Church Pews

Oakmont Nation Membership, recognized for its slender fairways, Church Pew bunkers, and difficult structure, is the 2025 U.S. Open venue this week and guarantees drama. Beforehand, having hosted the Championship in 2016, Oakmont offered PGA Tour professionals with one of many hardest tournaments of the season, the place solely 4 rivals broke par, three of whom have been at -1. With the tough lush and the bunkers deep, accuracy off the tee is paramount, pars are essential, and each stroke will likely be a take a look at of the gamers’ ability.

What Makes Oakmont So Brutal?

Oakmont’s fame as a difficult course is well-deserved, with hurdles able to journey rivals at each step from tee to inexperienced. The place some programs have extensive fairways and fewer than penal tough, Oakmont’s fairways are a mere 31 yards extensive on common, considerably decrease than the standard US course’s 42-yard common. Accuracy is non-negotiable off the tee if gamers wish to have any likelihood of hitting and holding greens.

When lacking the inexperienced at Oakmont, Shot Scope data reveals that being within the tough is sort of as dangerous as being within the bunker. From the tough, golfers have an up and down success price of 16% in comparison with 14% from the sand. Each lie varieties assure a tough par save and may simply end in dropped pictures. Brutal bunkers. Essentially the most iconic and daunting function of Oakmont CC, its bunkers, and one particularly, the Church Pew bunker. It’s an enormous sprawling bunker with a sequence of grass mounds that resemble church pews.

Gap 3 – The Affect of the Church Pews on Scoring

When the typical golfer visits a bunker, they sometimes lose 0.5 strokes. Nonetheless, on gap 3, after they discover themselves within the Church Pew bunker, it prices them 1.25 strokes in comparison with not being within the bunker.

On gap 4, pews are barely much less penalizing, however nonetheless value golfers 0.61 pictures in comparison with those that keep away from the hazard. Gamers who discover themselves within the Church Pew bunker sometimes hit golf equipment between an 8 iron and 54 diploma wedge. Getting out the primary time is essential, so taking your medication, albeit at instances a tricky capsule to swallow, is advisable.

Who will elevate the U.S. Open Trophy on Sunday?

As with each main, {the golfing} world is buzzing with anticipation as the sport’s finest gamers put together to tee it up at Oakmont. Given the extremely difficult course setup and the historical past of low scores being a rarity, the query on everybody’s thoughts is: what number of execs will handle to shoot underneath par in 2025? If 2016 has taught us something, the victor isn’t assured till the ultimate putt is holed on the 72nd gap.

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