A champion at Oakmont CC in the 1994 US Open, Ernie gives his assessment on one of America’s most historic golf courses, his insight into what it takes to win there, and why that breakthrough victory at the age of 24 means more and more as the years go by.
“It’s interesting to hear people talking about the brutality of Oakmont, so I thought I’d give my own take on things. It looks to me like the perfect US Open set-up. In my prime I’d have been licking my chops! Patience and endurance are your strongest allies. And the thing with Oakmont is, you’ve got to play all the shots. The one-dimensional approach doesn’t cut it. You’ve got to shape the ball both ways off the tee and into the greens, to counter the severe slopes. You’ve got to mix it up off the tee. This isn’t a course where you have to hit driver everywhere. In 1994 I hit everything from a driver to a 4-iron to put myself in the ideal position to hit greens. That was key. I was No.1 in greens in regulation that week and I had a strong putting week, too. There are holes where you can get a middle or short iron in your hands and you’ve got to make the most of those scoring opportunities. The tougher holes, you’ve just got to hang on.
“The rough is a big talking point, but this is a US Open after all. The bunker restoration project by Gil Hanse, back to something of its original configuration, looks like a great job in all respects, not least the fairway bunkers which I believe aren’t as deep as they used to be. There’s a bit of moisture in the golf course at the moment, which gives the guys a chance. Back in ’94, there was a heatwave and I’m not sure who suffered more…the golf course or the players! The upside to that hot weather was the rough was a bit more patchy, a bit less juicy, than it is this year. You go in there too often, there’s no way you can win this championship. But I think for anyone who’s on their game and in control of their golf ball, an under par winning score can be achieved this week.
“That’s my brief take on Oakmont 2025. I’ll hopefully be able to visit this weekend as a guest of the club and the USGA. The club very kindly made me a member, which was a great honor. I have a lot of friends there that I haven’t seen in a while. It’ll be nice to say hello to everyone and kind of pay my respects to this beautiful club. This is where it all started for me and, as I get older, that really means something. A very special place and some very special memories.”
