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"What makes it so fun is that Oakmont's greens are so true. They are the most perfect greens in the world. There's no grain. They're magnificent, complex and not easy to read. There are multiple greens within some greens."

No less an authority than Ben Crenshaw said they were the best, toughest greens in the world.

Given Oakmont's age and how the sport of golf has changed, one of its most remarkable characteristics is its timelessness. It only plays 280 yards longer in this Open than it did in 1927. And the variation in scores since World War II is hard to believe.

Since Hogan won with a 283 in 1953, the winning scores have been 283 (Nicklaus, 1962), 279 (Miller, 1973), 280 (Nelson, 1983), 279 (Els, 1994) and 285 (Cabrera, 2007). That's a six-shot variation in the past 63 years, a fact which puts to bed any idea that weather conditions will drastically shift conditions. Past Oakmont Opens have seen rain, heat and wind, yet the scores stay the same. It's because the greens dry out quickly and the rain makes a confounding course all the more confusing.

History says the winner is going to be a player with the talent to stay straight, be in a spot on the fairway to get his approach below the hole, avoid too many three-putts and will shoot between one-under and five-over. Or, to be more succinct and to adhere to the century-old tradition at Oakmont, the guy holding the trophy on Sunday will be whoever plays the fewest shots poorly.

Fox News
Full disclosure: Johnson shot a 276 in 2017. Spaun 279 in 2025.
Still remarkable consistency