June 11, 2025 

Welcome to US Open Week - It’s Oakmont Time…

The thick stuff gets thicker. The cut lines get crueler. And the game’s best walk straight into the lion’s den. This week, golf heads to Oakmont Country Club, the cathedral of punishment, for the US Open. Whether you’re here for carnage or career-defining moments, this course never disappoints - and it rarely forgives. Think baked-out greens, church pew bunkers, and rough that swallows wedges whole. It’s a place where even-par gets a standing ovation.

Welcome to Issue #4 of the Tee Sheet - where we will be turning most of our attention towards Oakmont this week - let’s dive into what you need to know.

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Official World Golf Ranking Tracker & Movers

• Big Movers Up: Connor Syme from Scotland moves up 118 spots after his DP World Tour win, and Ryan Fox climbs 43 spots to World No. 32 after winning the RBC Canadian Open

• Top 10: Ludvig Aberg moves to 6th after a T13 finish at the Canadian Open

Note: Rising / Falling includes biggest movers in the OWGR Top 150

FedEx Cup Points Tracker

• Top 10 Movements: Ludvig Aberg cracks back into the Top 10, bumping out Harris English

• It was a slower week for movers, as many players sat this one out to prep for Oakmont

PGA Tour Money List Tracker

• Top 10 Movements: Ludvig Aberg and Shane Lowry move up to 8th and 9th in money after strong performances at the Canadian Open

Tourney Recap

2025 RBC Canadian Open Recap:

Fox Holds Steady at TPC Toronto

TPC Toronto made its RBC Canadian Open debut, and the course gave us a pretty nice showing of what you’d want in early June - good scoring, firm enough greens, and a closing stretch that produced just enough drama to carry us into major week.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox took home the trophy finishing 18-under, outlasting Sam Burns in a four-hole playoff to grab his second PGA Tour win in his last four starts (both coming by way of playoff). He didn’t overpower the field or get nuclear with the putter - he just played clean, confident golf on a track that asked players to be both aggressive and disciplined.

Burns, for his part, did everything but win. His final-round 62 was the low round of the week and moved him into the clubhouse lead at 18-under. He made 5 straight birdies on the back nine, and for about an hour, it looked like it might hold. Fox came in and matched the number with his final-round 66 and a birdie on 18.

The playoff was a rinse-and-repeat of the par-5 18th - three straight matching pars, then on the fourth trip, Fox pulled off the shot of the tournament (which he called the shot of his life): a 260 yard 3-wood to 7 feet. Two putts later, the win was his. Burns missed a 6-footer on the first playoff hole, one that he’d definitely like back.

Other notable finishers this week include Kevin Yu (3), Cam Young (T4), Matt McCarty (T4), and Byeong Hun An (T6). A couple of our top-ranked names who put together a good week heading into Oakmont also include Ludvig Aberg (T13) and Shane Lowry (T13).

Fox put together four disciplined rounds and one perfect 3-wood under pressure to get it done. Burns looked sharp (playoff pars aside) and will carry form into the US Open. Rory (who missed the cut) heads to Oakmont in need of a reset. For a week that could’ve felt like a filler before a major, this one wasn’t too shabby.

RBC Canadian Open Quick Stats:

• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green Leaders

  1. Matteo Manassero (+2.36)

  2. Ryan Fox (+2.33)

  3. Emiliano Grillo (+2.23)

• Strokes Gained: Putting Leaders

  1. Matt McCarty (+1.79)

  2. Thorbjorn Olesen (+1.75)

  3. Danny Willett (+1.56)

  Note: Excludes players who missed the cut

Tourney Preview

2025 US Open Preview:

The 125th US Open is Here.

The third major of the year is upon us, and it’s a return to one of golf’s most formidable stages: Oakmont Country Club. As the 125th US Open unfolds, the field faces a course renowned for its relentless challenge - lightning-fast greens, brutal rough, and the iconic “Church Pew” bunkers. It’s a venue where even-par is a commendable score, and the margin for error is razor-thin.

This is a venue that makes even the most confident players think twice, and it rewards patience over flair.

This year’s championship is set against a backdrop of compelling narratives: Scottie Scheffler’s dominance, Rory’s quest for redemption, and Bryson’s title defense. Let’s dive into what makes this US Open intriguing.

What Wins at Oakmont:

Look at the list of champions at this track: DJ (2016), Ernie Els (1994), Johnny Miller (1973), Jack Nicklaus (1962)… The common thread? Elite ball striking, total discipline, and a short memory. You can’t fake it here.

This one is about avoiding the big number. You’re going to make bogeys. The winner is the player who limits the doubles, manages the misses, and stays in it mentally through the fire.

Oakmont doesn’t care if you’re hot coming in. It doesn’t care if you’re ranked No. 1 or No. 141. It exposes players who force shots and rewards those who have discipline.

What to Watch This Week (The Obvious Headlines):

Scottie Scheffler’s Pursuit of a Grand Slam: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters Oakmont in incredible form, having secured victories at the Byron Nelson, the PGA Championship, and the Memorial. A win here would mark his third major title (fourth major win), bringing him closer to a career Grand Slam that would set up an awesome Open Championship

 Bryson Dechambeau’s Title Defense: Defending champ Bryson Dechambeau aims to become the first back-to-back US Open winner since Brooks Koepka did it in 2018. Bryson has been on a social media speed-run over the past week, previewing the course on his Youtube channel, while also working at his wedge game on the White House lawn. He is coming off a T4 finish at LIV Golf Virginia - will he be in the weekend mix? Worth noting that Bryson finished T15 at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont

Rory McIlroy’s Quest for Redemption: Following a 2nd place finish at the 2024 US Open behind Bryson, Rory seeks to rebound from last year as well as a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open. There has been plenty of fan speculation about his form and focus heading into Oakmont, but we think he’ll be there come the weekend

US Open Quick Stats:

• Course: Oakmont Country Club

• Par: 70

• Distance: 7,372 yards

• Purse: Was over $21,000,000 in 2024 - TBD for this year’s number

• Recent Champs: Bryson Dechambeau (2020, 2024), Wyndham Clark (2023), Matt Fitzpatrick (2022), Jon Rahm (2021)

• Cut Line at Oakmont in 2016: +6

• Winning Score that Year: -4 (Dustin Johnson)

The Venue (+ Course of the Week)

Oakmont is hosting the US Open for a record 10th time, reaffirming its status as a quintessential test of golf. Recent renovations have restored the course to its classic form, expanding greens by 24,000 square feet to increase pin placement options and to reintroduce the notorious rough that demands precision off the tee.

A Note on History - Oakmont is Golf’s Brutalist Masterpiece:

Oakmont was built in 1903 by Henry Fownes, a steel magnate who quite literally built a course to punish imprecision. It was designed not to showcase nature, but to challenge the player - purely and unapologetically. That goal hasn’t changed in 120 years. There are no water hazards, no trees that matter, and no scenery for distraction. The punishment is all architectural.

The 2023 restoration was made by Gil Hanse, and the goal was to get the layout as close to Fownes original vision as possible. They went deep into the archives from the early 1900s to judge shapes/placement of bunkers, size of greens, etc. - incredible but gnarly stuff.

Fownes designed the course before modern agronomy or equipment, and it still holds up. That tells you everything you need to know. Oakmont has been the site of:

• Jack Nicklaus’ first major win in 1962, where he took down Arnold Palmer in a playoff in his own backyard

• Johnny Miller’s final-round 63 in 1973 - arguably the best round ever played under Sunday major pressure

• Ben Hogan’s 1953 US Open win, one leg of his legendary Triple Crown year

The Final Word

This likely isn’t a shootout. It’s a test of control, patience, and damage management. Oakmont will strip your game down to the studs… and only a few will like what they find. Enjoy.

Reader Lens: Postcards from Oakmont

This week, one of our readers and a good friend of mine (Nic, a longtime Oakmont caddie, and someone who knows the grounds better than all of us) fired over some killer photos from his recent walks around the course. In the spirit of this week’s US Open, we had to share them here:

View from the 3rd green - a famous spot on the course where you can see nearly every hole except 16:

Twilight view from the 9th green - a 22,000 sq. ft. putting surface that funnels directly into a practice green:

And finally… what Nic sent over after dropping one in the rough…

We have an awesome tourney ahead of us this weekend.

Picks & Players to Watch

• Top 40: Patrick Reed (+110)

• Top 30: Shane Lowry (-110)

• Top 20: Tommy Fleetwood (+120)

• Top 10: Bryson Dechambeau (+100)

• Longshot: Mav McNealy Top 10 (+650)

Disclaimer: The picks and predictions in The Tee Sheet are for informational and entertainment purposes only.

Ryder Cup Rankings Tracker

Team USA: 

• Sam Burns makes a massive leap to 15th in Official Rank, and his DataGolf probability goes from 29% to 41% 

Team Europe:

The Weekly Rundown

Other Stories to Know This Week

 🏌️‍♂️ Joaquin Niemann: LIV's Leading Light

• Joaquin Niemann has emerged as LIV Golf’s standout performer, amassing significant prize money and multiple victories with another win at LIV Golf Virginia this weekend (final round 63). The 26-year old has won his fourth LIV tourney (of 8 total!) this season and sixth of his LIV career

• Will he be able to translate the success into major championship relevance at Oakmont? 

 🦷 Dentist by Day, U.S. Open Qualifier by Hustle: Meet Matt Vogt

• Matt Vogt isn’t a Tour pro. He’s a 34-year-old dentist from Indiana who once caddied at Oakmont as a teenager. Now he’s back at the course - this time inside the tourney ropes and no longer carrying the bag. Vogt shot a total of 8-under at his sectional to qualify, and he’ll tee it up this week in what makes for an awesome story

Author’s Note

That’s a wrap on Issue #4.

The US Open is always a reset button for the season - a reminder of who is truly in form. Oakmont doubles down on that truth. It strips away comfort and pace, and what’s left is just ball striking, nerve, and decision-making at the greatest stage.

Big thanks again to Nic for the Oakmont pictures this week - if you’re walking a course with a story (public or private), send it in. We want to show off the stuff that makes this game worth obsessing over.

As always, hit reply with your thoughts, takes, feedback, etc. We read everything.

See you next week - with a new major champ and hopefully some great golf to talk about.

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Thanks again for reading - and see you next Wednesday, bright and early.