'Carnage Coming At Oakmont...Buckle Up!' - Players Highlight Brutal Oakmont Rough In Store For US Open

Ben Griffin joined Bryson DeChambeau in showcasing just how deep the Oakmont rough is that players will face at the US Open

Ben Griffin shows off how deep the Oakmont rough is at the US Open
(Image credit: Getty Images / TikTok: bengriffingolf)
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It wouldn't be the US Open without players positing videos on social media of how thick the rough is, and that's especially true for Oakmont this week which looks a real headache.

It's been a wet start to the week at the 125th US Open with rain falling at Oakmont as players arrive in Pennsylvania to tackle the toughest test in golf.

Oakmont offers up the traditional US Open test, as it's long with thick rough lining the fairways and greens that will be rapid even with all the rain.

And the players getting their first glimpses of the course have been quick to showcase just how thick the rough is at Oakmont - which will now of course be wet and even more difficult to get out of.

PGA Tour winner Ben Griffin was one of those, as he posted a video dropping a golf ball into the rough and then seeing it disappear into the lush green darkness.

The five-inch rough around Oakmont is thick - very thick - and golf balls will be taking that now familiar dip down deep into the undergrowth if players stray off line.

Escaping and trying to hold these quick greens was always going to be tough - but with the rain that's been falling it just got even tougher.

Griffin isn't the only player who has some something to say about the Oakmont rough though, as defending champion Bryson DeChambeau paid an earlier visit and was shocked at how tough it was.

Being Bryson, he made a full YouTube video all about how tough Oakmont would play when he made his visit - so he'll at least have some idea of what's awaiting him when he arrives to defend his title.

DeChambeau said Oakmont had been set up so that is was “the hardest this golf course could ever play right now” which was saying something - and that's even before the rain.

And Korn Ferry Tour player James Nicholas was another to showcase the rough on social media, posting a video of him trying to hack out with a wedge.

Nicholas put a caption on his video that many players would agree with this week, as he wrote "Carnage coming at Oakmont...buckle up!"

The World's Hardest Golf Course: Oakmont Country Club - YouTube The World's Hardest Golf Course: Oakmont Country Club - YouTube
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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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