Keegan Bradley Prepares for Oakmont Challenge at 2025 U.S. Open
Keegan Bradley, who claimed his lone major victory at the 2011 PGA Championship, has since added six more PGA Tour titles to his name. Despite this success, he has struggled to recapture the form that once made him a major champion, failing to seriously contend for another major win in the past 14 years. While he’s had a few top-10 finishes, he hasn’t quite broken through the barrier again.
In 2025, Bradley took part in both majors played so far. He missed the cut at the Masters after shooting a 3-over par. However, he bounced back at the PGA Championship, finishing tied for eighth place—still seven shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler. With the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club fast approaching, the 38-year-old golfer shared his thoughts on the daunting course during a press conference at the Memorial Tournament.
During the session, a reporter joked, “I bet you can’t wait to get to Hartford?”—a nod to the Travelers Championship coming up a week after the U.S. Open. Bradley, who won that event in 2023 and has performed well at TPC River Highlands, laughed and responded, “Yeah, yeah… it’s going to be fun to play Hartford after this week and the U.S. Open.”
Still, his immediate focus remains on Oakmont. Asked when he last played there, Bradley replied, “The U.S. Open,” referring to his 2016 appearance at the course where he failed to make the cut. In that outing, he carded a 9-over par in a round plagued by six bogeys, two double bogeys, and only one birdie. The course’s notoriously narrow fairways made it difficult to find any rhythm.
When asked about his thoughts on Oakmont, Bradley admitted the course is brutal and straightforward, requiring incredibly accurate drives and solid putting. He described it simply: “Hit the driver as straight as you can, try to hit every green, and try to make some putts.”
Pressed further on what makes Oakmont so difficult, Bradley concluded, “It’s going to take a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of good shots.”
Other players share similar concerns about the course. Viktor Hovland and Jack Nicklaus have both commented on the intensity of Oakmont’s layout, highlighting holes like the 300-yard par-3 8th, which punishes even slight miscalculations. Hovland noted the difficulty of navigating tight landing zones and tricky putts, while Nicklaus reflected on how rare and difficult it is to design a long par-3 that truly tests a golfer’s skill—something Oakmont has achieved.
Oakmont Country Club is widely recognized as one of the toughest courses in U.S. Open history. Legendary names like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Johnny Miller, and Ernie Els have all managed to win there—but not without a fight. The tournament has been held at Oakmont nine times, and rarely has anyone posted low scores. Only once has a winner finished better than 5-under par. In fact, Sam Parks Jr. won with an 11-over par score in 1935, while Tommy Armour triumphed with a 13-over par score in 1927. These stats underline just how punishing Oakmont can be.
With all this in mind, Keegan Bradley’s concern heading into the 2025 U.S. Open is not unfounded. The course’s history supports his caution, and the road to redemption will be anything but easy. However, with improved focus and execution, he may yet have a chance to defy the odds and make a strong statement in one of golf’s most grueling tests.