A 1st-person look at what the world’s best golfers will face at Oakmont Country Club

I was fortunate to get a chance to play historic Oakmont Country Club a month ago during a media event for the 125th U.S. Open.

I got to see first-hand what the field of 156 professional and amateur golfers will face when the tournament begins June 12.

Unlike the pros, I entered the round more concerned with how I would play and not my score. It was not the first time I played the course. My goal was to play my best and break 100.

It is easy to be intimidated by any tough course, but Oakmont is different because of the high and thick rough, slick greens and treacherous bunkers.

The conditions at Oakmont will be quite difficult for the world’s best golfers.

What I tried to do was to play to the best of my ability and take what the course gave me. My previous adventures on the course were killers.

My goal of breaking 100 was achieved as I enjoyed playing one of the world’s gems.

The key for me to shooting a 96 was I hit 12 of 14 fairways and stayed out of the rough.

The rough that day was 3 1/2 to 4 inches high and thick. If you got into the rough, you were pitching out.

The field next week will be doing the same if they get into the nearly 5-inch rough.

Caddie Alex Turowski of Harrison City, who is just finishing his degree at Fairmont State, said the grass is about 5 inches now. Turowski has worked at Oakmont for the past four years and has seen changes throughout the restoration process.

Staying in the fairways will be the key for the field, said Murrysville native Palmer Jackson, a regular at the club.

“I can see a lot of players using the mini-driver on No. 1,” Jackson said. “If you miss the fairway, getting par will be difficult.”

The mini-driver is the old 2-wood, said local pro Kevin Shields, director of golf instruction at The Club at Nevillewood.

“Phil Mickelson called it a ‘Phrankenwood’,” Shields said. “There has always been a 2-wood. It is the strongest 3-wood with a driver head.”

Staying in the fairway is no guarantee of success at No. 1 . The green runs away from the fairway and slopes from top right to back left.

Some of the new features the players will face are new cross bunkers in their landing areas. There are also obstacles, including ditches on Nos. 10 and 11, coming into play.

“I can see many pros using the mini-driver or 4-iron off No. 10, especially if the course is firm and fast,” Turowski said. “The ditches are definitely reachable.”

Even if you stripe a shot down the middle, it does not mean it will stay there because of some of the slopes of the fairways.

I am sure some of the pros will have choice words when they bomb a ball down the middle and it ends up in the 5-plus inches of rough. Welcome to Oakmont.

There are always complaints from the pros if conditions are perceived as too tough.

The other key is getting the ball on the green in regulation — which I had trouble with — and giving yourself a chance to birdie.

I am not sure how fast the greens were three weeks ago when we played in wet and windy conditions, but they were fast enough for my liking.

When we were playing No. 7, the rain was steady, and the wind was blowing in our face.

It reminded me of the scene in the “Caddyshack” when Bishop Pickering was playing in hurricane-like winds.

The PGA and LIV pros and amateur players likely won’t deal with such weather during the second week of June. Oakmont membership is rooting for warm and dry conditions.

The course will play at 7,372 yards as a par 70, up from the 7,219 yards it played at in 2016.

Oakmont hired golf course architect Gil Hanse to restore the bunkers, but he did more than that. He rebuilt every hazard, revamping the course’s nearly 200 bunkers while updating the drainage system.

During Hanse’s research of the course, he noticed pictures showed larger greens. He noted that over time, the greens were becoming smaller. He made them larger and was able to add more pin positions.

Oakmont founder H.C. Fownes and his son W.C. wanted a tough test of golf when the course opened Oct. 1, 1904.

H.C. always said, “A shot poorly played should be a shot irrevocably lost.”

Oakmont has spent the past 30 years removing thousands of trees. They wanted it to return to its links-style roots.

So, while I enjoyed my round at Oakmont, I am sure the players will have some frustrating moments.

The winner will be the golfer who figures out the best way to play the course and not let things get into his head.