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If your answer to “which hole at Oakmont was the hardest?” is “all of them,” you’re not far off. It’s been a while since we’ve seen pros humbled the way Oakmont did it this week. While birdies and eagles are fun to watch, sometimes it’s refreshing for the best players in the world to face challenges.

From the Church Pew bunkers to brutal par-4s and long par-3s, Oakmont demanded precision and punished mistakes. Here’s how every hole played, ranked from the most difficult to the least based on scoring average.

Full Hole-by-Hole breakdown at Oakmont

Rank	Hole	Par	Yards	Avg Score
1	9	4	472	4.520
2	15	4	507	4.505
3	8	3	289	3.466
4	3	4	462	4.450
5	18	4	502	4.367
6	1	4	488	4.349
7	2	4	346	4.313
8	7	4	485	4.309
9	16	3	236	3.300
10	10	4	461	4.232
11	6	3	200	3.167
12	5	4	408	4.153
13	11	4	400	4.092
14	14	4	379	4.070
15	13	3	182	3.032
16	12	5	632	5.018
17	4	5	611	4.991
18	17	4	312	3.845

Brutal front nine stretch

The front nine played nearly three shots over par on average. The ninth hole was the most difficult o the tournament at +0.52 over par. Between holes 3, 8 and 9, players were simply trying to survive.

The Church Pew bunkers: Prediction vs. reality

Shot Scope warned us: If you end up in the Church Pew bunkers at Oakmont, expect real damage.

On Hole 3, players were expected to lose 1.25 strokes after finding the Church Pews.On Hole 4, the expected loss was 0.61 strokes.

That prediction held up.

We’ve all been there: standing over a three-foot putt on the first hole to save par. It looks straight as an arrow. You are confident about your line. You make your stroke. It’s right on your start line, looks good … and then abruptly puts on the turn signal and just cruises past the hole.

Not too encouraging for the day ahead on the greens, especially as your playing partner has just drained a 20-footer with more break than a mountain road.

Sound familiar?

Most golfers think green reading is some kind of mystical talent that only pros possess. They’ll spend hours on the driving range perfecting their swing but walk onto every green like they’re playing pin the tail on the donkey.

Here’s the truth about green reading: it isn’t magic—it’s a skill you can learn.

I went to The Kingdom to test the new TaylorMade Spider ZT putter. Here’s why this zero-torque mallet might be the most stable Spider yet.

The post TaylorMade Spider ZT: The evolution of golf’s most trusted mallet appeared first on Golf.

Generally good weeks at Oakmont. With caveats.

Nelly Korda skipped the champions dinner before the KPMG Women's PGA Championship because of a sore neck that flared up during a practice round.

Can Scottie Scheffler win back-to-back titles at the Travelers Championship? Here's how to catch the action on ESPN+.

Here’s a breakdown of the main types of golf chip shots, used to control trajectory, spin, and roll near the green:

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1. Basic Chip Shot

• Purpose: A low shot with minimal airtime and maximum roll.

• When to Use: Just off the green with plenty of green to work with.

• Club: Usually a 7–9 iron or pitching wedge.

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2. Bump and Run

• Purpose: A low, running shot that travels just over the fringe and rolls out like a putt.

In golf, everything (or at least something) old is new again. You’d be hard-pressed to come up with a better example of that than the re-release of the Titleist 680 MB.

About the 680 MB

Your brief history lesson is that the 680 MB was originally released in 2003. Despite being roughly 22 years old, you can still find 680s in play on Tour. Case in point, Webb Simpson still carries 680s in his 5-9 irons.

For additional reference, the current MB in the Titleist lineup – the 620 MB – hasn’t been updated since 2019. If nothing else, it confirms what many golfers inherently understand – in the world of forged blades, technological breakthroughs aren’t really something that happens.

The hook here is that despite their advanced age, the 680 MB irons still enjoy a following, and if the current release plans don’t involve offering something new for purists, I suppose there’s a case for offering up something beloved—regardless of its vintage.

680 MB vs 620 MB

Differences between the 680 MB and the current 620 MB are almost entirely driven by shape. According to Titleist, the 680 MB offers a more classic, old-school blade look at address. In practice, that means it has a shorter blade length, a bit more offset, a higher toe, thinner topline, and narrower sole with a pre-worn leading edge.

For years, TaylorMade staffers have been spotted with competitive wedges in their bags—particularly when it comes to lob wedges. It’s one of those open secrets that makes equipment geeks cringe and begs the question: if your own guys won’t play your wedges, why should anyone else?

The answer, at least partially, has been TaylorMade’s historically limited grind offerings. While the MG series has earned multiple Most Wanted awards and built a case as perhaps the most underrated clubs in all of golf, the lack of grind variety has been a legitimate knock against an otherwise exceptional product line.

The limited release of the MG Proto wedge suggests that’s about to change.

From tour van to your bag

Previously exclusively for Tour athletes, the fully forged TaylorMade MG Proto is now available in limited quantities. Billed as genuine tour parts, the MG Proto represents something of a rarity in the equipment world—an actual tour prototype making its way to retail.

The Proto features a raw finish and comes stock with a Dynamic Gold Wedge 115g shaft and Golf Pride Z-Grip. More importantly, it introduces two new grind options that should help address TaylorMade’s historic weakness in wedge fitting.

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that commissioner Jay Monahan will be stepping down at the end of his contract in 2026, as new CEO Brian Rolapp takes over day-to-day responsibilities.

Who will be the favorites in The Open? Will J.J. Spaun's unlikely victory propel him to more wins? With the U.S. Open finished, we look ahead in the 2025 season.

Unless you are living in a bunker (an underground shelter, not a sandy pit on the course), you saw what J.J. Spaun did to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Spaun got off to a dreadful start Sunday, making bogey on five of his first six holes. He appeared to shoot himself out of the tournament as Sam Burns took the lead.

Just when all looked lost, inclement weather forced a stoppage of play. It was just the kind of reset that Spaun needed.

What happened next will go down in U.S. Open lore.

He made how many feet worth of putts?

After the delay, the 34-year-old journeyman went nuclear.

Picture this: You’re standing in the golf ball aisle at your local pro shop, staring at what appears to be an endless wall of white dimpled spheres. The prices range from “reasonable” to “You can’t be serious!” You grab what looks like the latest Pro V1, confident you’re getting the newest technology that will finally drop your handicap into single digits, only to discover later that you’ve bought a model as old as your set of Tommy Armour 845 irons.

We’ve all been there. The golf ball market is a minefield of model years, packaging changes and inventory that sometimes feels like it’s been sitting on shelves since the second Bush administration. With manufacturers constantly updating their offerings and retailers moving through old stock, knowing what you’re actually buying has become more complicated than reading a green at Augusta.

Here’s the thing: golf ball technology actually does improve (or at least change) from generation to generation. Sure, it’s not going to transform you into Scottie Scheffler overnight but the differences between a current model and something from three years ago can be significant enough to matter. More importantly, if you’re paying premium prices, you deserve to know you’re getting the version you actually want.

So how do you navigate this maze without getting burned? It’s simpler than you may think but it requires a little detective work. Here’s your field guide to making sure you’re not the sucker who pays full price for last year’s model.

When in doubt, check the manufacturer’s website

This is Golf Ball Shopping 101 but you’d be amazed how many people skip this step. Manufacturers want to sell their newest stuff—that’s where the margins are. So, what you see prominently featured on their websites is almost always going to be their current generation.

COBRA has released its most aggressive driver head yet, and it’s not for the faint of heart or the slow of swing.

The new DS-ADAPT LS Long Drive clubhead is what happens when you take an already low-spinning driver and ask Kyle Berkshire what he’d change. The answer, apparently, involves making everything more extreme.

Six degrees and a prayer

Starting with just 6 degrees of loft, the DS-ADAPT LS Long Drive head isn’t exactly what you’d call beginner-friendly. But here’s where COBRA’s FUTUREFIT33 hosel system earns its keep. You can dial it up to 8 degrees, which, I suppose, puts it in the realm of playable for high-speed golfers who generate too much spin with traditional lofts.

The revised shape is where things get interesting from an engineering perspective. COBRA made the face 2mm deeper and shortened the profile by 3mm front to back. It’s subtle stuff, but these changes make the head more aerodynamic and even lower spinning. While that’s irrelevant for most of us right now, it’s the kind of thing that could trickle down into the next mainstream COBRA LS model.

For golfers swinging in the 85 mph range, aerodynamic improvements offer minimal benefit. But as swing speeds climb, the value of aero efficiency increases exponentially. At Kyle Berkshire speeds—we’re talking 145 mph average and over 150 when he’s really feeling it—those benefits become significant.

A Reddit user recently posed a simple question: What’s the most useless golf product you’ve ever purchased?

Golfers, as it turns out, had a lot to say. Dozens of responses poured in calling out overhyped gadgets, overpriced accessories and training aids that never really trained anything.

While not every golfer agrees, a few products got called out more than once. We dug into the most commonly mentioned items and looked at what we believe are some of the most useless golf products of all time. Here are our top five.

The golf ball waist holder

The golf ball waist holder clips to your waist so you’re ready with a second or third golf ball whenever you need it. Frankly, it’s a little embarrassing walking around with one of these, assuming you’ll run out of golf balls at any moment. Can’t we keep golf balls in the bag and grab one if we need to reload?

Aside from the looks, most golfers said it added no real value and was just one more thing to fumble with. Even a pocket does a better job.

Rory McIlroy was second in driving distance at the Masters and fourth at the PGA Championship but he finally took the top spot at Oakmont with an average of 330.3 yards, nine yards longer than the next guy on the list.

Here’s the thing: it didn’t help him at all.

While Rory was launching missiles off the tee, he couldn’t convert the length into a winning score. Oakmont’s narrow fairways and punishing rough reminded everyone that driving distance is only part of the story.

Who else topped the charts and what can we take away from the numbers this week?

Longest drivers of the 2025 U.S. Open

The first name I looked for on this list was tournament winner J.J. Spaun. He was tied for 34th for driving distance with just under 300 yards as an average distance.

Look, I’ll be honest with you. When I first saw the press release for Callaway’s new Chrome Tour Dino golf balls, my initial thought was that this had to be some kind of collaboration with Love on the Spectrum.

But no. This is just Callaway being Callaway, dropping limited edition golf balls with the marketing rationale of “because people love them.”

And you know what? Fair enough. People do love dinosaurs. My nephew can name every dinosaur that ever existed but still thinks a sand wedge is something you eat at the beach. So maybe Callaway is onto something here.

I don’t know. This one is still kinda weird.

Something is missing

The Chrome Tour Dino collection features four designs: triceratops, stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, and brontosaurus. Each ball gets the same Chrome Tour performance that’s been making waves since Callaway decided to get serious about challenging Titleist in the premium ball category.

For golfers who appreciate the finer things in their bag, Yururi is a name that often comes up. Known for their meticulous Japanese craftsmanship and a focus on feel, Yururi has built a reputation for creating clubs that perform as beautifully as they look. And now, we’re excited to introduce something truly special from them. the Yururi WNiCrS Irons – Limited Edition. We’ve got ’em from #4 all the way to PW, and trust us, they’re pretty sweet.

What sets them apart? You’ll notice the distinct Double Nickel Chromium plating with a smooth Satin Finish. This isn’t just for show; it also helps cut down on glare while you’re eyeing your shot. And for a touch of exclusivity, each iron features the Japanese YURURI logo subtly placed on the back face. It’s a nice detail that speaks to their limited-edition status.

If you’re already a fan of the Yururi FlatBack Irons, you’ll find the WNiCrS Limited Edition offers a very similar experience in terms of feel and playability. We’re talking about:

Pure Impact Feel: Designed to give you that responsive, soft sensation when you strike the ball, helping you get a better sense of your shots.Workability: These irons are crafted to let you shape your shots with confidence, whether you’re drawing or fading the ball.Classic Blade Design: They feature a clean, traditional blade profile that many golfers appreciate for its timeless aesthetic.Exceptional Craftsmanship: As with all Yururi products, these irons are built with meticulous attention to detail and high-quality materials, ensuring a premium feel and lasting performance.

The Yururi WNiCrS Iron – Limited Edition offers a chance to own a distinctive set of clubs that combines Japanese forging artistry with a great playing experience. Given their limited availability, they’re definitely worth considering if you’re in the market for something special.

SPECIFICATION

After a week at Oakmont's U.S. Open, here's what I'll miss upon reentry to the real world. Plus Hovland's mojo shift, a swing thought, more.

The post 10 things I’ll miss from the U.S. Open (and 3 I won’t) | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.