Johnny Miller’s Legendary Win and the Modern Nightmare of Oakmont
Let me tell you something fascinating about Oakmont Country Club—the kind of golf course that doesn’t just challenge players, it breaks them. Now, you’d think the best in the world would come in here and tear it up, but at the 125th U.S. Open in 2025, it’s been the exact opposite. Even the greatest talents in the game—Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau—are struggling to hang on.
And in the midst of all this carnage, there’s been talk again about Johnny Miller. Why? Because back in 1973, Miller did what almost no one can even dream of doing now—he shot a 63 at Oakmont. That’s the gold standard. The miracle round. The kind of performance that feels more mythical with every passing U.S. Open hosted at that brutal course.
Miller’s round came after a little divine nudge, as he describes it. He had been playing tight, struggling with the course, just like today’s players are. But then he got a tip, almost spiritual in nature: open your stance way up . And just like that, he went from tentative to transcendent. Shot after shot was pure. It wasn’t luck; it was a blend of fearlessness, precision, and instinct.
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Now flash-forward to this year. Oakmont is not just showing its teeth—it’s going for the throat. The rough is so thick, it's like hitting from a jungle. The bunkers are deep enough to lose a man in. The fairways are narrow ribbons of survival. And those greens? Think glass with a personality disorder—slippery, unpredictable, and angry.
Scottie Scheffler, the number one golfer in the world, was visibly frustrated. He was slamming clubs, talking to himself, just trying to survive each hole. At one point, a flop shot gone wrong sent his ball flying from one side of the green to the other. Bryson’s ball rolled off the green three times. Rory chunked it. Viktor Hovland got snatched by the rough. It’s a nightmare—and we’re only halfway through.
What’s wild is that some players are still managing to post under-par rounds. JJ Spaun’s leading after a bogey-free 66, but even he admits he was nervous. Kim Si-woo said flat-out, "this course is too hard for me." And then there’s Robert MacIntyre saying every shot feels like you’re walking a knife edge.
Rain might be coming, and if that happens? The rough’s going to get wetter, heavier—just nastier. If the wind picks up too? We’re not talking about golf anymore. We’re talking about survival.
And that’s what makes Johnny Miller’s round in ’73 such a monumental feat. In a place that now eats professionals alive, he found magic. In today’s conditions, players are doing everything just to stay afloat. The irony? Miller made Oakmont look easy once. Today, it’s reminding everyone that it's not.
So as this year’s U.S. Open continues, one thing is clear: Oakmont giveth and Oakmont taketh much more away.
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