U.S. Open hole by hole: Danger lurks on, around No. 6 green 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 6 breakdown
Length: 200 yards, Par 3
Handicap: 11
2016 U.S. Open stroke average: 3.14
Description
The first par 3 on the front nine, like every other hole on the course, is littered with hazards. An undulating green surrounded by sand and mounds will force players to be extremely accurate off the tee.
Club choice will be paramount depending on where the hole locations are set. Most players will aim for the center of the green and hope for a two-putt. The more aggressive players may tempt the pins on the edges of the green but could find danger in the deep and unforgiving greenside bunkers.
A miss to the left or right will make for a tough chip and severely lessen a chance for par.
The slope and movement on the green will change players’ strategy with different pin locations.
There were 71 birdies on the sixth hole during the 2016 U.S. Open and also 98 bogeys and 15 double bogeys.
Memorable moment from U.S. Open
Paul Casey shot a second-round 66 in 2007 — when the average score for the field was 77 — and entered the weekend in seventh place. The third round did not go as well, mostly because of his triple-bogey on the sixth hole after he had to play backward from the front-left bunker. He shot 72 and 76 in the final rounds and finished tied for 10th.
How the locals play it
Katie Miller Gee is one of the most accomplished women’s golfers from Western Pa. A three-time PIAA champion at Hempfield and a WPIAL Hall of Fame inductee, she was a two-time All-ACC performer at North Carolina and competed on the LPGA Futures Tour. She won Pennsylvania Amateur titles in 2007, ‘15 and ’17, won the state mid-Amateur four times and has played in 18 USGA national championships. The current Hempfield golf coach is married to Oakmont golf pro Devin Gee and played the course last week.
“Personally, when I play that hole and from a shorter tee than the men will play, the center of the green for me, no matter what, is the best place to aim and then just approach the hole after that. That one to me is one shot at a time. I think a back-right hole location and then very front hole location to me are the two most difficult. Taking on a line on the back-right side is extremely difficult to carry that bunker, and then the greens are so firm, to be able to hold something is super difficult.
“I like to land it in the middle. It will roll forward and to the left. Then focus on a solid two-putt. One (pin) you can kind of get close to is the left center or the back-left corner. You can have hopefully a shorter birdie putt.”
Around the U.S. Open
Spotlight
Ludvig Aberg
At just 25 years old, Ludvig Aberg has become one of the most promising stars in professional golf.
Since turning pro in 2023, the 6-foot-3 Swede has won two PGA Tour events and was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 Masters, Aberg’s first major.
He rose to sixth in the Official World Golf Ranking this season and has three top-10 finishes in 2025.
Aberg finished 12th in the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst after shooting 1-over-par.
An All-American at Texas Tech, he played on played on victorious teams at the 2020 and ’22 Palmer Cup as well as the European Ryder Cup team in 2023 and took part in the 2024 Olympic Games. He spent 29 weeks at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking before turning pro.
Most recently, he missed the cut at the PGA championship at 3-over.
By the numbers
0: Water hazards at Oakmont Country Club
63: Johnny Miller’s fourth-round score in 1973, the best in U.S. Open history at Oakmont
1999: The last time Sergio Garcia wasn’t in the U.S. Open field before he failed to qualify this year
Quotable
“The course certainly looks a whole lot different from 1994 to now. It has evolved from my tenure with the USGA. But the underlying personality of this iconic venue remains the same. It is one challenging test of golf. That has never changed, trees or no trees.”
— Jeff Hall, USGA managing director of the U.S. Open
U.S. Open history
Here’s a look at the most USGA championships hosted by state:
95 — Pennsylvania
94 — California
75 — New York
64 — New Jersey
61 — Illinois
61 — Massachusetts
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
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.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.