US Open 2025: Three of the key holes to watch
8th Hole: par 3, 289 yards
This hole actually played to a length of 300 yards in the 2007 championship won by Angel Cabrera, and some players will be hitting driver to reach the putting surface which slopes from back to front. In 2016, the hole played to an average of 3.30 and ranked as the most difficult green to find, with an average of 36 per cent of players managing to keep their tee shots on the surface. The large bunker to the left of the green is likely to be a popular landing spot.
General view of the eighth hole at Oakmont Country Club. Photograph: Rick Stewart/Getty
9th hole: par 4, 472 yards
The tee-shot is blind to a fairway that slopes left to right and pinches in at 300 yards. It played as the second most difficult hole in 2016 – averaging 4.43 – when it gave up just 34 birdies to the field along with 167 bogeys and 28 double bogeys. A ditch is in play down the left-hand side of the fairway, while the right side is lined with a series of bunkers. Uniquely, more than half of the putting surface is taken up by the practice green in front of the clubhouse.
READ MORE
A general view of the ninth hole at Oakmont. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty
15th hole; par 4, 507 yards
Another blind tee shot to a sloping fairway, it is important for players to find the fairway and avoid the large bunker that lines the left side, while a smaller but strategically located bunker is in play at 300 yards down the right. The approach is to an undulating green that is 58 yards deep, protected by a large bunker on the right and three smaller bunkers to the left of the green. In 2016, the hole averaged 4.38, when it played as the third most difficult in the tournament.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
38 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Meath boss Brennan: 'We'll keep the Leinster flag flying in All-Ireland semis'
Meath boss Robbie Brennan has vowed to keep the Leinster flag flying after his team withstood a ferocious Sunday afternoon comeback from Galway to seal their place in the All-Ireland football semi-finals next week. Dublin have been the eastern province's only representatives in the last four for the last 14 years, Kildare in 2010 being the last time someone other than the 31-time Sam Maguire winners have made it this far from their environs. Meath haven't been there since 2009 when they lost by four points to Kerry and they are the last Leinster representative other than the Dubs to have made it as far as the last day itself. That was in 2001 when they were well beaten by Galway. Read More Meath v Galway: Three key moments They came to Croke Park this weekend having already beaten Dublin and Kerry, the first county in nearly two decades to manage that in the Championship, but with no concrete reward for it given the lost Leinster final against Louth in between. 'The Leinster final probably stood to us,' said Brennan. 'We said in that dressing room that we'd be back here this year. No matter what we had to do with it, we'd get back here. And we knew then we were back and this was our opportunity. 'Like, we're probably lucky. Is that what everyone says? We keep getting lucky. We were lucky against Dublin. We were lucky against Kerry. And I guess we were lucky again today. So, we'll see who we get in the semi now. And we'll have to be lucky again, I suppose.' And, to think, it's just two years since they won the Tailteann Cup under Colm O'Rourke. Leading by six points here with only 15 minutes to go, the tables appeared to have turned definitively on a game that had started slowly but then gathered speed when Galway hit them for 2-3 in just five minutes. Meath's response was heroic. The Leinster runners-up hit back with 1-3 in the next seven minutes to give themselves the leeway needed to get over the line, the electric Jody Morris getting that goal shortly after an effort off the ground was fingertipped around the post. 'It's that character piece, and we didn't panic. I was in here yesterday and I saw a few examples, maybe, of panicky shots and stuff, and we didn't do that, even when that squeeze came on, and we just kept waiting and trying to build and build and build. Again, I keep referencing, but the Leinster final is a massive learning. 'Like all of those games, you have to take learnings from them or else what's the point of doing them? And I think we've put a lot of those learnings from that Leinster final into place and now we're the last team in Leinster now and, as I said outside, we'll keep the flag flying.' Brennan's Galway counterpart Padraic Joyce cut a disconsolate figure as he sat and soaked up the questions on the whys and the hows. Ultimately, he said, his team just hadn't been good enough against a Meath side given due credit. 'We just didn't get to the levels of the game and we didn't really perform the way we should be performing. It's hard to figure what's going on. We had a poor first-half and in general, in fairness, Meath probably left us in the game as well. 'Then when we came back to go three up we probably thought that our experience might get us over the line but we gave away a short kickout and got dispossessed too easily and we conceded 2-6, 2-7 in turnovers.' It was announced last October that Joyce's term, renewed in 2022 until the end of this season, was to be extended through to 2026. He has held the reins with his native county since 2019. They have won the last four Connacht titles and lost two All-Ireland deciders. If this felt like the end of something, though, Joyce wasn't providing a full stop when asked what his thoughts might be for the road ahead. 'We've just gone out of the Championship so I'm not going to make any rash decisions. We'll sit and chat. There's a lot of lads in there with decisions to make about next year as well, as we have as a management, so we will do that in due course. 'The county board have always been very supportive of me and the players so we will sit down and get things properly organized. Whatever will be will be. There will be no statements or no rushes coming out the next day or two anyway.' ENDS -- Brendan O'Brien Assistant Sports Editor and Sports Writer Irish Examiner (Dublin Office) Mob: 00353-86-606-1386 Twitter: @byBrendanOBrien
Dublin Live
2 hours ago
- Dublin Live
'It's been a privilege' - Dessie Farrell steps down as Dublin manager
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Dessie Farrell has stepped down as the Dublin senior football manager after their seven-point loss to Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-finals on Saturday. Farrell has been in charge of the Dubs since 2019 following the departure of Jim Gavin. The former Dublin player guided his county to win the All-Ireland Championship in 2020 and 2023. Speaking to GAA+ after the loss to Tyrone at Croke Park, Farrell said he told the Dublin county board earlier this year that this would be his final season in charge, no matter the outcome, Irish Mirror reports. Farrell said: "I would have informed the county board at the start of this season that regardless of what happened, this was going to be my last season. "The players were aware of that and I just informed them inside there to confirm it. "It's been a privilege. As a player and as a coach, I've been involved with Dublin for the guts of 40 years. So it's been a long, long time. "It's been very much part and parcel of my life. I've met some many amazing people along the way, all the backroom teams, all the coaching of the underage teams, minor teams, U21 teams, and the senior teams for the last couple of years. I've met some special people. "I've had a ringside seat in many ways to some of the greatest warriors that ever played the sport. I've been involved with some of them from under 13 right the way through to today. I've seen them grow from young boys to young men to older men. "That's a journey I'm so grateful for. I'm delighted to be involved for as long as I have. We've had some good days and bad days, but that's all a part of professional sport. "Some special memories, and some special bonds and relationships." After a playing career that saw him lift the Sam Maguire Cup with Dublin in 1995, Farrell managed his county at minor and under-21 level before getting the call to replace Gavin in the senior hotseat in January 2020. The Na Fianna man led Dublin, during a season interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, to a historic sixth All-Ireland title in succession in his first season in charge as they beat Mayo in the decider. Farrell then led the Dubs back to Croke Park three years later as they ran out two-point winners over Kerry in the final. But his last two seasons in charge saw Dublin exit the Championship at the quarter-final stage on both occasions. This season they lost their first match in the Leinster Championship in 15 years when losing out to Meath in a thrilling semi-final in Portlaoise. Farrell then led his side out of the group stages of the All-Ireland Championship and through a preliminary quarter-final with Cork last weekend. But Dublin lacked their usual scoring accuracy in the quarter-finals as Tyrone pulled clear in the closing stages to record a seven-point victory. Dublin County Board Chairperson Ken O'Sullivan said: "Dessie has played many significant roles across Dublin GAA and will feature heavily in the history of Gaelic Games in the county. "Many will remember him first as an All-Ireland winner and All-Star, as part of the great 1995 Dublin All-Ireland winning team. "Dublin GAA have been so fortunate to have Dessie involved with County panels from Development squad level through to the Dublin Senior panel. "He led Dublin to success at all levels, managing teams to All-Ireland titles at Minor, U21 and Senior level. "Dublin County Board thanks Dessie for his enormous contribution and dedication to Dublin GAA across so many years and we wish him and his family every success going forward. "We also pay tribute to Dessie's backroom team and his panel, who have brought so much success and joy to Dublin GAA supporters during his tenure." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
Dublin Live
2 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Tyrone v Dublin recap from the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final
The second of Saturday's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-finals sees Tyrone and Dublin collide at Croke Park. The match has a 6.15pm throw-in time, with the action only being shown live on GAA+. A one match pass for the game costs €12. Tyrone and Dublin's rivalry has been relatively quiet over the past few years compared to the 'Battle of Omagh' era, although that could well change tonight as both sides seek to book their place in the last four of the Championship. They've met twice in All-Ireland finals with Dublin winning in both 1995 and 2018. In between times, the Red Hands had some memorable wins over the Dubs courtesy of one of the greatest goals ever scored in Croke Park by Owen Mulligan. His stone-cold staredown of Hill 16 in the quarter-final replay of 2005 after plundering another goal helped Tyrone on their way to a second All-Ireland crown and they've doubled that tally with further titles in 2008 and 2021. They arrive at the quarter-final stages of this year's Championship as possibly the most unpredictable of the teams left standing in the race for the Sam Maguire. Could Malachy O'Rourke follow in the footsteps of Mickey Harte and Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan and guide Tyrone to All-Ireland glory in his first season in charge? Today's game sees both Tyrone and Dublin at a crossroads with one team seeking to prove their All-Ireland credentials and another bidding to show they still belong at the top table. So much of Dublin's fate rests on the shoulders of Con O'Callaghan. The Cuala ace is named on the bench, but it would be a surprise if he isn't in from the start. Tyrone have lost key defender Michael McKernan for today and possibly the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury, although Conor Meyler made a welcome return against Cavan after almost two years on the sideline. Should Tyrone win this evening, they'll feel a fifth All-Ireland title is suddenly very attainable while a win for Dublin would see them enter the last four with renewed sense of belief. We'll bring you live updates below.
