U.S. Open hole by hole: Birdie opportunity within reach on No. 4 at Oakmont
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 4 breakdown
Length: 611 yards, Par 5
Handicap: 17
2016 U.S. Open stroke average: 4.97
Description
Players will be looking to take advantage of the first par 5 on the course, especially the longer hitters who will be able to reach the green in two.
They will again be confronted with the Church Pews, which are strategically placed over more than 100 yards between the fairways of the third and fourth holes.
The fourth fairway slopes from left to right, which forces players to want to play along the left side and tempt fate in the Church Pews. If they choose to play to the right, there are five bunkers across from the Church Pews that also spell disaster.
The partially blind approach to the green must navigate a dogleg right as well as seven bunkers that surround the putting surface. Those that lay up have to stay in the fairway to avoid the collection of nine sand hazards to the right.
The green slopes from back to front and allows players the opportunity to land short and attack the pin.
This hole offers players a chance to score, and some will try to reach the green in two and have a shot at eagle. The smarter play for most will be to use a long iron off the tee, lay up to 100 yards and leave a wedge approach, with hopes of short putt for birdie.
There were three eagles on No. 4 in 2016 and 98 birdies, which is why it was the second-easiest hole on the course. There also were 66 bogeys and 18 doubles so scoring here is not necessarily a given, even for the best players in the world.
Memorable moment from U.S. Open
Angel Cabrera made birdie three times on the fourth hole en route to winning the 2007 U.S. Open, including in the final round when runner-up Jim Furyk settled for par. Cabrera’s length off the tee gave him an advantage for positioning himself to score on No. 4.
How the locals play it
Mark Goetz, a Greensburg native and West Virginia graduate, earned medalist honors after 36 holes at the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship in 2021 at Oakmont Country Club. The 2019 Western Pa. Amateur champion has played the course more than a dozen times in his career. Earlier this month, he advanced to the final round of qualifying, set for June 2, for the U.S. Open after he shot 3-under 69 in the local qualifier at Quicksilver Golf Club.
“It’s a big par 5. Fairways are obviously going to be such a premium out there. We’ll give that one probably a little bit more (off the tee) and try to step on it. … That kind of opening stretch, that’s kind of the first place where, in the past, I’ve opened well up and really hit one hard. So just try to get into the fairway. That’s definitely a tight green from just kind of missing short right and taking the pitch and putt. That’s what we’ve done in the past. I mean, I know that in the a.m., the first match I had (at the U.S. Amateur), I drove it left into one of the (Church Pew) bunkers. That’s kind of a forced layup, but if you get a decent break out of them, you can still get it up there where it’s a wedge (approach).”
Around the U.S. Open
Spotlight
Xander Schauffele
After winning his first two major championships last year, Xander Schauffele has continued to be a consistent name near the top of PGA leaderboards and is expected to be a contender at the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
The 31-year-old American has 11 top 10 finishes in major championships, including six in the U.S. Open. He won the PGA championship and the British Open in 2024.
His resume also includes a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the 2017 Tour Championship and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 2015.
Currently ranked third, he has been as high as No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
He has made the cut in all eight of his appearances at the U.S. Open and finished in a tie for third in 2019 at Pebble Beach. Last year, he finished tied for seventh at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst at 1-under par.
Schauffele has nine PGA Tour victories and was a member of the victorious 2019, 2022 and 2024 U.S. Presidents Cup and 2021 Ryder Cup teams. He also was selected for the 2023 Ryder Cup team.
By the numbers
5,000: Number of trees that were removed from the course during a restoration in 2007.
7,372: Yardage set up for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
1903: Year that Oakmont Country Club opened
Quotable
“It’s hard to win a U.S. Open; Oakmont is really hard. One hundred seventy-five bunkers and obstacles that demand meticulous play and a lot of creativity.”
— Fred Perpall, president of the USGA
Oakmont history
Oakmont Country Club is an anchor site that is part of a rotation for USGA events. Here’s a look at clubs that have hosted the most USGA events:
19 – Merion G.C., Ardmore, Pa.
17 - The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.
17 - Oakmont Country Club
16 - Baltusrol G.C., Springfield, N.J.
14 - Pebble Beach (Calif.) G.L.
13 - Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
13 - Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, N.Y.
12 - Chicago G.C., Wheaton, Ill.
12 - Oakland Hills C.C., Bloomfield Township, Mich.
11 - The Olympic Club, San Francisco, Calif.
10 - Cherry Hills C.C., Cherry Hills Village, Colo.
10 - Southern Hills C.C., Tulsa, Okla.
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
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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