The US Open has been held on 52 different courses, and for the 125th edition, coming in 2025, one of the most well-known of all the venues for the Major will once again be the host.
No other course has held the US Open more than Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, with nine editions being played there between 1927 and 2016, and it will become the first venue to reach double figures when it does so again for the 2025 tournament.
Over the years, Oakmont has been the scene of some truly memorable moments in the US Open. In 1953, one of the game’s all-time greats, Ben Hogan, claimed the second of three straight Major victories there, and he did it in style, too, cruising to victory by six shots.
Nine years later, Jack Nicklaus served a notice of an astonishing career to come when he won the first of his 18 Majors in a playoff against Arnold Palmer.
In 1973, Johnny Miller then set a new low-scoring record with a final round of 63 to claim the title.
Fast forward to 1994, and Ernie Els lifted the trophy after a playoff win against Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie, while most recently, Dustin Johnson won the first of his two Major titles thanks to a three-shot win over a trio of challengers.
So, just what is it that keeps the USGA coming back for more? Clues can be found in some of the praise it has earned from many of the world’s greats, including six-time US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson, who has described it as a “special place,” and Miller, who once described it as “the greatest course I’ve ever played.”
The course was the only one designed by Henry Fownes and opened in 1903. Today, it is known for its brutal greens, which are large, undulating and lightning-fast. One of its most recognizable features is the Church Pews bunker across the third and fourth holes, which measures 100 by 40 yards and has 12 ridges that, as its name suggests, resemble church pews.
The course began as an inland links-style affair, but eventually, thousands of trees were added, which transformed it into a parkland setting. However, some 15,000 were then removed, starting after the 1994 US Open, and today it is once again almost treeless, as it was returned something approaching the feel of Fownes’ original design - with the emphasis on its many bunkers and dramatically sloping fairways and greens.
After the 2025 tournament, it will be some time before Oakmont hosts another US Open venue, but rest assured, it is still guaranteed to play a big part in the future. Indeed, it has already been confirmed for the editions in 2033, 2042, and 2049.
