Oakmont Country Club presents extreme challenges with thick rough and difficult greens for the 125th U.S. Open, and Tiger Woods offered some advice for those competing.

For the fourth time in five years, Tiger Woods will not be playing in the U.S. Open. The three-time national champion is still unable to tee it up at Oakmont Country Club this week as he is rehabilitating after tearing his Achilles earlier this year just as he was attempting to get back on the coures to play in the 2025 PGA Tour season.

The church pews — 13, long grassy tufts which act as islands within a seemingly endless pit of sand — were never part of the original design

Tiger Woods had a warning to those competing at this year’s U.S. Open. “There is no faking about Oakmont,” Woods said in a video he posted on Instagram. “The golf course is big, yes, but it’s just, there’s no way around it. You just have to hit the golf ball well, and it favors longer hitters, just because of the degrees, the complexes.”

As Spaun closed in on a career-defining win, a piece of advice from the 15-time major winner, via Max Homa, crept into his head.