The US Open final round has just finished and there are quite a few sore and sorry golfers. Oakmont Country Club has punished an elite field of professional tournament golfers. If it wasn’t the steep, deep bunkers it may have been the 10cm rough. If that was not enough, the inclement weather joined in to kick a man when he was down. It’s not fair, no it’s golf! The final pairing was 17 over par, as Sam Burns and Adam Scott faltered on Sunday at the US Open. JJ Spaun won this prestigious major and deservedly so. JJ hung in there, despite being 5 over after 6 holes, and then there was a weather break. The Unfair Nature Of The Game Of Golf Sam Burns called for casual water relief, twice, but was denied by the rules officials. It’s not fair, no it’s golf! 279 strokes got the job done for JJ Spaun on Father’s Day in Pennsylvania. The 125th US Open was torturous for all the competing players. A tough, tough golf course in Oakmont. The wet cabbage grabbed balls and frustrated golfers to the nth degree. Viktor Hovland never gave up but fell a couple of shots short. Robert Macintyre very nearly won this thing but JJ Spaun birdied the 18th to claim victory by 2 strokes. https://www.usopen.com/2025/scoring.html US Open Final Round & Golf’s Cost The truth of the matter is that you can set up a golf course to challenge and overwhelm even the best golfers in the world. One man broke par after 72 holes at Oakmont – JJ Spaun. The usual suspects were never really in contention - Scheffler, McIlroy and co. Tough, hard golf over vast distances with penal rough and hazards. Steeply sloping greens that most of the field could never work out. In the end, an unassuming looking pro, JJ Spaun, walked tall when other more athletic types went missing in action. Perhaps, it took a fella more used to disappointment to cope with the US Open? The more prolific PGA tour winners were nowhere to be seen for most of this US Open. This was a golf course designed to beat golfers up. One guy took it on the chin and came back for more. One unlikely figure kept on coming, whilst more attractive contestants faltered. “Congratulations to JJ Spaun, commiserations to Bob MacIntyre, and thanks to you for reading this live blog. Hope to see you again for the final major of the season at Portrush next month.” - (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2025/jun/15/us-open-golf-final-round-on-day-four-at-oakmont-live) It’s not fair, no it’s golf! All of us who play the game know this bitter truth. The Scottish game is parsimonious with its prizes. The bad breaks outnumber the lucky ones’. Golf ball’s buried lies and missed putts. Your ball rolling into a divot on the fairway. The mounting misfortunes mess with your head. 18 holes is a stern test of character. That we keep fronting up for more is either a sign of fortitude or masochism, maybe both. “Oakmont is a very tough golf course and has been rejuvenated by Gil Hanse the golf course architect. The church pew bunkers are probably the most famous feature on the course. Oakmont has been the site of multiple US Opens over the decades with champions like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Ernie Els to name just a few. The track is long and the bunkering is penal. The US Open rough is invariably around 10cm long too. Winning a golf tournament around Oakmont is going to be a hell of an achievement. “ - (https://www.golfdom.com.au/the-dentist-who-played-in-the-us-open/) Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of The Stoic Golfer and America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump. ©Golfdom Read the book that started it all!
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