Is U.S. Open venue Oakmont the world’s most difficult golf course?

Oakmont will not be easy – even for the world's best players

We get used to seeing the world’s best golfers make mincemeat of the world’s best courses on a weekly basis, but, once in a while, the course bites back. The U.S. Open tends to be one of those weeks, and when the tournament heads to Oakmont next week, the players could be in for the toughest test they’ve ever faced.

Here’s what they have to say about the challenge awaiting them…

Jordan Spieth

“This is arguably the hardest course in America. I know that if you win a U.S. Open at Oakmont, you can go ahead and say that you’ve conquered the hardest test in all of golf.”

Phil Mickelson

“I really think it is the hardest golf course we’ve ever played. A lot of golf courses, when they challenge you tee to green the way Oakmont does, they usually have a little bit of reprieve on the greens, and you really don’t at Oakmont. They’re some of the most undulating, fast, difficult greens to putt.”

Rory McIlroy

“They pride themselves on being the hardest golf course in the United States. You hit it in the bunkers and you’ve got to go sideways; you hit it in the rough and you can’t get to the green. Even if you hit it on the fairway, it’s hard to hit the greens. So obviously par is going to be very much a premium.”

Paul Azinger

“It’s just one of those courses that you don’t know when the ball’s going to stop rolling a lot of times, especially on the greens. A lot of the putts you have to make are going to be par putts. It’s not how many birdies you make.”