U.S. Open hole by hole: A short par 3, Oakmont's No. 13 is surrounded by sand
From the pristine fairways and lightning-fast greens to the punishing bunkers and club-twisting rough, Oakmont Country Club is one of the toughest tests for even the world’s best golfers, who will descend upon Western Pennsylvania for the 125th U.S. Open from June 12-15.
TribLive is producing a hole-by-hole look at what makes Oakmont Country Club one of the most popular and anticipated stops for the USGA.
Hole 13 breakdown
Length: 182 yards, Par 3
Handicap: 16
2016 U.S. Open stroke average: 2.99
Description
The shortest hole at Oakmont, No. 13 played as the easiest hole during the 2007 U.S. Open and had a stroke average just under par in 2016.
Players will grab short- to mid-iron on the tee depending on the wind conditions. They will want to avoid missing long because of the high rough behind the putting surface.
The 13th green, which slopes back to front, is almost completely encompassed by four bunkers.
There also is a significant dip on the right of the putting surface that funnels toward a large bunker players will want to avoid.
The undulating green requires players to stay below the hole to have a shot at a birdie.
There were 87 birdies on No. 13 at the 2016 U.S. Open as well as 68 bogeys and seven double bogeys.
Memorable moment from U.S. Open
Scott Piercy carded birdies on No. 13 in the first three rounds of the 2016 U.S. Open. He parred it in the final round and finished in a tie for second with a score of 1-under for the tournament (68-70-72-69). Another key moment on No. 13 came in 1953 when Ben Hogan hit a 20-foot putt for birdie and pulled away from Sam Snead for the win.
How the locals play it
Carol Semple Thompson, a seven-time USGA champion, represented the U.S. on 12 Curtis Cup teams and served as team captain for winning squads in 2006 and ’08. Her decorated career includes winning the 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 1990 and 1997 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. She is tied for second all-time in women’s USGA wins, just one behind all-time leader JoAnne Gunderson Carner. The World Golf Hall of Fame inductee has played in 121 USGA championships, a record for any competitor, and is an honorary member at Oakmont Country Club.
“The green slopes pretty severely back to front. I’m pretty sure they’ll want to be below the hole when they end up on the green. They did a renovation recently on that green. On the right side, they put a bit of a dip on that green. If you aren’t on the front and the hole is cut in the back, you can’t get through the dip to get there, the hole location will be inaccessible. That’s an extra wrinkle they put in on that green. I think it will be difficult if they are in the wrong spot.”
Around the U.S. Open
Spotlight
Jordan Spieth
A three-time major champion, Jordan Spieth has experienced the intricacies of Oakmont Country Club.
He tied for 37th with a score of 9-over-par when he played the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. That effort was among nine cuts he made in 13 U.S. Open performances.
The 31-year-old American won the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay after shooting 5-under-par to become the youngest champion since Bobby Jones captured the 1923 U.S. Open. Spieth became the sixth player to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year.
He won his third major when he claimed the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale.
Last year, he finished tied for 41st in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
Spieth has 13 career PGA Tour victories and three top-10 finishes this year and is ranked 49th in the FedExCup standings. He was the FedExCup champion in 2015.
A four-time member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team, he has also played on five Ryder Cup teams and was a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion.
By the numbers
$1,400 — Prize money won by Jack Nicklaus for winning the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont
$1.8 million — Prize money earned by Dustin Johnson at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont
$4.3 million — Prize money awarded to 2024 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst
Quotable
“Yeah, I mean, it just becomes hard. I just don’t think when you have to make a hole that long, it just doesn’t become that great. It just becomes like, OK, you got a certain target here and then you got to hit a shot around there and make a par and get out of there instead of a shorter par-3 that entices you to get close to it, but if you’re a little bit off, you’re either in the water or in a short-sided spot or if you bail out, yeah, you still have a tricky little putt.”
—Viktor Hovland talking about Oakmont’s 300-yard par-3 eighth hole during a press conference at the Memorial Tournament this week.
U.S. Open history
Here’s a look at players with the most runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open:
6 — Phil Mickelson (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013)
4 — a-Robert T. Jones Jr. (1922, 1924, 1925, 1928)
4 — Sam Snead (1937, 1947, 1949, 1953)
4 — Jack Nicklaus (1960, 1968, 1971, 1982)
4 — Arnold Palmer (1962, 1963, 1966, 1967)
3 — Alex Smith (1898, 1901, 1905)
3 — Tom McNamara (1909, 1912, 1915)
3 — Colin Montgomerie (1994, 1997, 2006)
3 — Jim Furyk (2006, 2007, 2016)
If you missed it
No. 1: U.S. Open hole by hole: No. 1 at Oakmont among world’s toughest opening tests
No. 2: U.S. Open hole by hole: Sloping green among challenges on No. 2 at Oakmont
No. 3: U.S. Open hole by hole: Church Pews a landmark hazard on No. 3 at Oakmont Country Club
No. 4: U.S. Open hole by hole: Birdie opportunity within reach on No. 4 at Oakmont
No. 5: U.S. Open hole by hole: Aggressive play can be rewarded on No. 5 at Oakmont
No. 6: U.S. Open hole by hole: Danger lurks on, around No. 6 green at Oakmont
No. 7: U.S. Open hole by hole: Players will face mental test with club selection on No. 7 at Oakmont
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.
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