The US Open 2025 edition will be held at Oakmont, the United States Golf Association announced today.

Oakmont is currently hosting this year’s US Open. It has held more US Opens than any other course.

The decision to go to Oakmont again in nine years’ time reflects the USGA’s desire for the US Open to played over tough courses which are set up to be even tougher. This US Open policy delights some in our office, and causes qualms in others.

USGA Executive Director Mike Davis explains: “The USGA wants the US Open to be a tough, rigorous test. We want it to be the ultimate test in golf.”

Oakmont opened in in 1904 and it was designed from the start to be a fierce test of golf. The man behind the creation of the club was Henry Clay Fownes. Born in Pittsburgh in 1856, he made a fortune in iron manufacturing and played in the US Open of 1901.

When he sold his company he used the proceeds to build his own golf course in Pittsburgh.

He believed bad shots should be penalised for good. He did not like players to be able to recover from a bad shot, to scramble their way round.

“A shot poorly played,” Fownes said, “should be a shot irrevocably lost.” The course was built to this principle.

SGA president Diana Murphy explains of its decision to hold US Open 2025 at Oakmont: “Bringing the US Open to Oakmont for the 10th time in 2025 is testament to the quality of this fine golf course and the longevity of the strong relationship the USGA has with the club.”

The USGA has also announced that Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York would be the host of the US Open of 2026. But the next US Open to be hosted by this courses will be in 2018, the fifth time it has held the tournament.

The most recent US Open at Shinnecock Hills was the controversial one of 2004.