A Wet Start To US Open Week Makes Oakmont An Even Tougher Test

Players arriving for the 125th US Open will face an even tougher test at Oakmont with plenty of rain around making that infamous rough even harder to escape from

Oakmont Country Club, host of the 2025 US Open, in the rain
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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It's a wet start to US Open week with rain falling at Oakmont as players start to arrive for the toughest test in golf at the third Major of the year.

The weather forecast for the US Open at Oakmont predicted plenty of rain would fall in Pennsylvania ahead of the actual tournament, and after rain over the weekend there's more to come.

Heavy rain is forecast for later on Monday, and Tuesday, which will make an already tough task even more difficult if the infamous Oakmont rough gets a thorough soaking ahead of the 125th US Open.

Players have been posting picture and videos of Oakmont's thick, punishing rough in the build-up - and escaping it will become even more treacherous with rain soaked grass gobbling up golf balls.

Rain also made an impact on the PGA Championship last month at Quail Hollow, when a deluge of rain ahead of the tournament led to mud balls becoming a big thing at the tournament.

There's no suggestion yet that players will suffer that same problem at Oakmont, but what they will face is an extra layer of difficulty on a course that was already set up to give them all they can handle.

The home of the longest par 3 and par 5 in US Open history will play even longer with sodden fairways, but it's that rough that will become even more of an escapology act now it can officially be described as "juicy" following all the rain.

Oakmont's fearsome greens will slow slightly after being doused with rain, but the USGA will still have them running as quick as possible - so this weather just raised the difficulty level up a notch at the 2025 US Open.

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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