There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the challenges posed by Oakmont ahead of the 125th U.S. Open – and PGA Tour star Ben Griffin revealed the entire field is struggling
U.S. Open contender Ben Griffin revealed he hadn’t heard of a single player who posted a score below par during Monday’s practice round at Oakmont.
Griffin, who recently predicted the winning score, has been in fine form recently. He logged a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship – won by Scottie Scheffler – before clinching victory in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, later telling Mirror U.S. Sports how gym work has been crucial to his transformation.
The rising PGA Tour star enters the U.S. Open on the back of a second-place finish behind Scheffler at the Memorial, and the 29-year-old is confident he has what it takes to contend. And yet, the notoriously difficult Oakmont is proving to be a challenge unlike anything Griffin has ever faced before.
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Griffin understands how above-par scores can still clinch the championship come Sunday. But he is still surprised by how each member of the 156-player field is struggling.
“When we played it on Monday, it was not by any means firm, but it was not soft, and I don’t know of any pro that shot under par that day, at least to my knowledge,” Griffin said. “It seems like a lot of guys struggled.
“I made a few birdies, but I had my fair share of bogeys and stuff. Granted, we were coming off a tournament week, it’s a Monday, and we were just trying to have fun and see the course. But it is going to be really challenging.
“A lot of the fairways out there have a tremendous amount of slope and are also blind, so you can’t really see where the fairway line even is from the tee box. You are kind of guessing and looking at trees.
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He added: “A lot depends on Mother Nature. I think if you look back at the last two U.S. Opens that were there, going back to 2006 or 2007, I can’t remember which year Angel won, but I believe he finished at four or five or six over par.
“It was very firm that year. The last time, when Dustin Johnson won, it was much softer, and the course played a bit easier.”
When asked what score he’d sign for now, Griffin remarkably suggested four-over would see him in contention. He added: “I think if you gave me +4 for the entire week, I would probably take it right now, and I would be decently confident. I don’t know what the weather is today at Oakmont, but the course is decently firm right now.
“I would sign +4 and expect to have a chance to win. It’s just crazy. I can’t tell you the last time I went to a course and thought I would take an over-par score.”
The last six U.S. Open tournaments have been won by a score of six-under or better. As a result, fans – and even players like Griffin – are intrigued by the task ahead.
Griffin will tee off and begin his U.S. Open challenge at Oakmont on Thursday, June 12.
