Scottie Scheffler Eyes Redemption at Oakmont: Will 2025 Finally Be His U.S. Open Breakthrough?
It’s major championship week, and the 2025 U.S. Open is set to return to Oakmont Country Club for the first time in nearly a decade. With renovations completed in 2023, the course has been transformed, promising to deliver one of the most grueling challenges in modern golf. Among the first to arrive and prepare was World No.1 Scottie Scheffler—determined to correct the mistakes that haunted him in previous U.S. Open appearances.
Learning from 2024’s Mistakes
Despite an incredible 2024 season that included nine wins, a Masters title, Olympic gold, and his third consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year honor, Scheffler disappointed at last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2. He finished T41—his worst showing in a major that year—failing to break par in any round. Scheffler admitted the poor result stemmed from exhaustion and unfamiliarity with the greens: “I couldn’t hole anything… I felt like I hit a lot of really good putts that did weird things at the cup.”
This year, however, he’s not taking any chances. Skipping the RBC Canadian Open following his victory at the Memorial, Scheffler prioritized rest and arrived early at Oakmont on Sunday to study the course and dial in his game.
Oakmont’s Brutal Challenge Awaits
Oakmont has a storied reputation for being one of the hardest tests in golf. Since its last hosting of the U.S. Open in 2016, where Dustin Johnson emerged victorious, the course has undergone several changes. Notable updates include green expansions, added bunkers, new hole locations, and a 200-yard increase in length. The lightning-fast greens, now more tabletop-like than ever, will put even the best putters to the test.
This layout presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Scheffler, who has struggled with his short game at previous U.S. Opens. To win here, precision on the greens will be just as vital as his world-class long game.
Putting Will Be the Key
Scheffler’s putting struggles are no secret, especially under the pressure of a major. Though widely praised for his shot-making and distance control—traits that earn admiration from peers like Sepp Straka—Scheffler will need to hold steady with the putter if he hopes to capture his first U.S. Open title.
The stakes are high: beyond the prestige of winning at Oakmont, the tournament winner will take home a $4.3 million check. But the real prize for Scheffler would be silencing critics and proving that he can succeed not only during the regular PGA Tour schedule but also when it matters most on golf’s grandest stage.
A Legacy in the Making?
Scheffler has come close before—finishing T2 in 2022 and solo third in 2023—but Oakmont presents a unique challenge he hasn’t conquered. With better rest, early preparation, and the lessons of past failures behind him, 2025 might just be the year he rewrites his U.S. Open story.
The question remains: can the world’s top-ranked player pass the sport’s toughest test and finally hoist the U.S. Open trophy? The answer begins to unfold on June 12.