Behind the Lens: Plenty more good than bad or ugly at the U.S. Open

Oakmont Country Club was the setting for the 125th U.S. Open Championship, a week-long event culminating in Championship Sunday on June 15, 2025. 

It was a record 10^th time this iconic venue has hosted the Open, one of the four major golf championships.

Daily, thousands of golf aficionados male and female, young and old scurried their way around 18 sprawling holes. Clientele ranging from the elite country club members to the above average golfer to the weekend warriors who hack their way through any given Saturday or Sunday roamed the grounds.

This was the vogue thing to do, the in crowd, the happening place where every golf fan regardless of age or gender wanted to be. 

Many in attendance were seen on multiple days as Thursday through Sundays rounds completely sold out. The price tag for entry was not cheap as it escalated each round.

If you could afford $900 daily, that placed you on the upper echelon level. There you were pampered each day in a private setting and had a perfect, elevated view of all the marquee holes. You were dry and cool, enjoyed instant replay on giant screens, and were served food and beverages as if you were royalty.

All that being said, let us dissect what I’ll label the Good, Bad and Ugly of the week-long event.

The Good

Logistics: Kudos to the personnel from the USGA, PGA and U.S. Open committees all working in unison who flawlessly moved fans, golfers, employees, volunteers (all 4,100 of them) and security officers along with the mass of humanity that made up the working media.

Shuttle service: We were treated to comfortable air-conditioned luxury party buses daily to and from the entrance to the media compound. When one of our buses exited the media parking lot, Hulton Road was shut down for us, ensuring a fast short drive up the hill.

On Wednesday, the final practice round day, I decided to do a little investigative reporting. I chose to park off-site in the Hartwood Acres public lot, one of the two sites that moved regular fans to the tournament. It was supposed to be a 25-minute ride to the entry gate located behind the first green; however, it went smoother and faster than I anticipated. A luxury full-size air-conditioned coach bus in what seemed like an endless line awaited. Fans were moved quickly and orderly through a maze of gates to the bus doors. Roads were created specifically for the shuttle buses, which had their own lane and exit access off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Food concessions/gift shops/portable restrooms: All were found in abundance and strategically located throughout the course for the gallery to access conveniently as they hustled from hole to hole around the course.

Police/fire/EMS personnel: Hats off to the scores of Pennsylvania State Troopers, Allegheny County Sheriffs, ATF and Homeland Security Officers, who worked in tandem with a host of local law enforcement departments to ensure that golfer and public safety on and off the course was never an issue. Many of the law enforcement officers walked 18 holes each and every day providing bodyguard details for every golfer in every round of play.  Firefighters strategically placed apparatus, staffing each rig on fire watch. EMS crews staged at various locations along with medics on bicycles traveling every hole numerous times a day, complete with a treatment bag to administer aid until a supplemental crew responded.

Media compound: The accommodations inside the working media complex were spacious and first class. Plentiful statistics, notes, quotes and interview opportunities were provided daily, and the same was true of the food and drinks. A huge debt of gratitude to Ridgewells Catering, which provided daily breakfast, lunch and dinners. What can be said about the world-famous Oakmont Bakery except YUM! Its staff laid out a plethora of doughnuts, pastries and cookies daily.

Upon completion of the tournament Ridgewells Catering stepped up once again, donating 46,000 pounds of leftover food to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and 412 Food Rescue. The excess in the form of prepackaged meals and unopened products was graciously accepted, providing a huge shot-in-the-arm to much-needed dwindling supplies at each of those food pantries.

Hydration stations: Placed at intervals across the 18 holes, fans who held onto their initial bottles or containers took advantage of these locations to refill and rehydrate with fresh cold water to avoid any medical issues.

Oakmont Grounds Crew: The unsung heroes, every day, all day, all week. These were the men and women who kept the course in playable condition dealing with extreme heat, lightning, thunderstorms, hail, mud, washed out fairways and flooded greens. They also had to contend with delay after delay due to the impending doom of rain and winds. Early mornings turned to late nights. All persevered to make things happen.

J.J. Spaun: Saved the best for last in our “Good” segment. What words are there that would adequately describe this man and his play all week?  Simply put, a roller coaster ride of play and emotions. Oakmont is one of the most difficult golf courses in the United States, if not the world. On a dry day it offers lightning-fast, and at times almost unreadable, greens. The first cut of the rough is deep enough; venturing farther off the fairway; the next cut of rough is nothing short of atrocious, measuring five inches deep. Now mix in the world renowned “Church Pew bunkers” on the fourth hole. If you were lucky enough to stay out of harm’s way on that hole, rest assured the abundance of bunkers lining the other holes presented no day at the beach. Sorry no pun intended. If you were watching on television or one who was fortunate to be in attendance during Sunday’s final round, the ending couldn’t have been scripted any better.  

Spaun stole the show on Sunday and his performance on the 18th green was legendary. It was the stuff dreams are made of. On a wild and rainy day where the rest of the field fell apart and collapsed, Spaun kept forging ahead as he finished as the only player to achieve a sub-par round.

All that was needed was to get the 65-foot putt close enough to the cup, ensuring the next putt was a virtual gimme as it’s called. Instead Spaun went to school off his opponent’s putt, which was relatively in the same exact line. 

Cue the music as the theatrics unfolded. Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script to this storybook ending as Spaun calmy stepped up, putter to ball and the 65-foot putt was homeward bound. The crowd reached a fever pitch as his putt inched closer to the hole. Once it reached the bottom of the cup for a birdie, Spaun’s amazing ride from only one tour victory to U.S. Open Champion — his first major — sent the crowd packed around the green into hysteria.

For his efforts, Spaun earned a 10-year exemption to the U.S. Open and a five-year exemption to the other three majors. Not to mention a boatload of cash, his biggest payday to date.  

(Photos by Mike Longo Jr.)

The Bad

Weather: Mother Nature with her cruel sense of humor wreaked havoc throughout the entire week. On select days the course resembled a Florida swamp. Other days fans searched for relief from the blazing sun and soaring temperatures. Enough on the weather, as we all have seen it or lived through it on the course.

The Ugly

Player conduct: Unfortunately, not all athletes have the ability to keep their tempers in check. This is really a major pet peeve of mine. Was Oakmont Country Club that difficult of a course to conquer and shoot below par rounds? Sure, it was extremely difficult, but so are most iconic venues home and abroad.

If you have ever played the game of golf for any length of time, undoubtedly you must admit that there have been times when your conduct was questioned. Golf has an incredible way of being the best to spend your time as well as the worst. 

However, professional athletes who entertain, who are paid, who are idolized, should present themselves in an adult-like fashion in public and private. Throughout the week I witnessed many meltdowns by golfers ranging from verbal outbursts, slamming of clubs on the ground or in the bag and outright club throwing.

Perhaps the most notable club throwing incident involved Rory McIlroy, who on the 14th fairway missed his approach shot and sent it sailing over the green into one of Oakmont’s horrific bunkers. 

McIlroy promptly launched his iron toward his bag as it lay prone on the ground and without doing any damage to the bag or fairway, the club sprang off the bag. The recoil sent it hurtling back directly at McIlroy, who snagged it right out of mid-air as if nothing happened.

The most notable display of childish behavior occurred in the iconic venue’s clubhouse in the ancient original decor locker room. Tyrrell Hatton quickly comes to mind as one of the PGA’s bad boys noted for being one who quickly reaches the breaking point. In this particular instance, it wasn’t Hatton but a professional counterpart by the name of Wyndham Clark.

Clark was the player who did significant damage to some of the fabled clubhouse lockers at Oakmont. The 31-year-old confirmed that he caused the damage in the locker room after images of the damage surfaced. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time he had to apologize at a major tournament this year. He issued a statement after the PGA Championship after hurling his driver at the advertising board behind one tee.

Less than a week later during an interview after round one of the Travelers Championship he said, “I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows. But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of this year and things that come up. I still want to try to make the Ryder Cup team. I am still on the outside looking in for the FedEx Cup. So, I’m starting to move on and focus on those things.”

We have no idea what makes the mind of a professional athlete tick. What they are thinking, why they are thinking it or what they are dealing with on a personal level day by day. However, that doesn’t excuse them from being held accountable for their actions.

For the damage Clark has caused to the historic clubhouse he has been barred from playing another round of golf at Oakmont. In my opinion, he should have been suspended immediately from the tour.

As we look to the future, the next time the Open returns to Pennsylvania is 2030. Merion Golf Club in Ardmore offers the setting with championship rounds being played June 13-16.

Oakmont will host the U.S. Women’s Open in both 2028 and 2038. The Men’s U.S. Open will return to Oakmont in 2033, marking its record 11th time hosting the Open. Championship rounds will be played June 16-19.

Never too early to start planning for these upcoming events.