World's best prepare for unforgiving Oakmont

Predictably, the storied course at Oakmont Country Club became an impenetrable fortress throughout the 2007 U.S. Open.

Its narrow, maddeningly sloped fairways tolerated only perfectly placed drives — sometimes. The deep, penal bunkers and thick, heavy rough often were inescapable, or at least they demanded the concession of a shot.

With the absence of nearly 8,000 trees from the U.S. Open's previous visit, the Henry Fownes-designed layout became unpredictable, mostly because of the shifting winds. Even the course's soft underbelly — short, seemingly benign par 4s — had far more bite than bark.

Ultimately, free-swinging Angel Cabrera sustained the least damage on his scorecard as he won the championship with a 5-over-par total. He finished a single stroke ahead of the world's then-No.1 Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, both of whom couldn't conquer the signature closing hole, a 484-yard par-4, which played as the most difficult all week.

In 2015, eight players were under par at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., including defending U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth. At Oakmont, only Cabrera and Anthony Kim managed sub-par rounds on the final day in 2007.

“If we have that kind of weather, we'll see similar scores,” said Jeff Hall, the USGA's managing director of rules and competition. “Even if (the course) is softer, scoring will be high.

“Generally speaking, the guys in the hunt to win aren't hitting the ball in the rough. At some holes, No. 2 for example, players aren't trying to make birdie but are willing to make par. If it gets softer, relatively speaking, they have more control over the golf ball because the greens are more predictable.”

In 2007, the players had to guess what the ball would do when it got on the ground. It's a challenging test of golf under any condition.

“There are several uphill blind shots, which sets most of these guys off,” Hall said. “They don't like that because it makes the depth perception difficult. The green, when firm, makes them factor in what the ball is going to do when it hits the ground.

“If we have soft conditions, then the (par-4) third hole loses quite a bit. But if it's firm, considering the contour of the green, the ball has no chance of sticking.”

Unless Mother Nature sides with the world's best golfers, leaving the usually bewildering greens soft and vulnerable, don't expect this year's field to turn Oakmont into a shooting gallery. If the fairways are fast, the greens slick and lightning quick, then few, if any, will finish in the red.

Still, despite Oakmont's degree of difficulty, the USGA and grounds superintendent John Zimmers figure skill and talent will factor greatly in the outcome. However, even well-executed shots sometimes will rely on elements beyond a player's control.

“The one thing that we really take pride in is the partnership with USGA in setting the golf course up,” Zimmers said. “We aren't looking to trick things up for the world's best golfers. We're not looking for goofy golf.

“The players' perspective might be that if they missed by 2 yards, they should be rewarded. Oakmont, however, doesn't reward near-perfect shots.”

Of course, Oakmont is expected to be characteristically unpredictable. In 2007, the field posted surprisingly good scores on the difficult holes but faltered on Nos. 2 and 17, short par 4s reachable from the tee.

“You can stagger most anywhere on the course,” Hall said. “If the players aren't careful, they can miss their stride out of the gate at No. 1.

“I think the first hole can really shake the players up,” Zimmers said. “You can gain some confidence, or you can watch someone's round fall apart by the time they get off the second green.”

The first three holes — all par-4s — could figure prominently in weeding out the pretenders from the contenders. Such was the case in 2007, when 54-hole leader Aaron Baddeley botched two drives off the first tee on his way to a demoralizing triple bogey that effectively eliminated him from the championship chase.

If there's such a thing as easy holes at Oakmont, then 4, 5 and 14 are marginally vulnerable. But weather conditions easily could alter ambitions, making a par a desirable score.

“You can get behind the 8-ball very quickly,” Hall said. “Oakmont isn't a place you can catch up. There are holes to make birdie on, like No. 2, but you've got to play precise golf.

“Every one of these holes has an opportunity to grab you by the throat. It can make you look silly.”

It is plausible that a player can stand on the tee at No. 4 already 4-over. So it's important the players don't get out of position, either in the fairways or putting surfaces. Discipline becomes of utmost importance.

Again, the famous Church Pews and deep bunkers will be decisive factors throughout the tournament. A player's failure to avoid them or exit them successfully largely will dictate their fate.

“It's the unusual case if you're able to play onto the green from the fairway bunkers or Church Pews,” Hall said. “More often than not, you have to take your medicine. If you try to get too greedy or push the envelope, thinking you have enough room, all of sudden you bring (double-bogey) six into play, especially on No. 1.

“I would argue the Church Pews are more in play on the fourth hole. The players are hitting a shorter club to get into the fairway. They are playing away from the bunkers around the corner. They are looking left off the tee, hoping for the ball to drift right.”

As Tiger Woods discovered in 2007, a slightly errant approach on many of the elevated or undulated greens can create a difficult chip to save par.

“We've learned from 2007 that the expanded run-off in the back (on 3), they struggle with that. Some players putted it, while others tried chipping back onto the green,” Zimmers said. “They tried to use different hybrids. It really wreaked havoc. You had balls where they could hit a perfect shot, but the ball released, and they would be 10 to 15 yards away from the green.”

With the firm conditions in 2007, the USGA was mindful of how water was used between rounds. Zimmers and his staff did a masterful job of making the course hard but fair.

“What you don't want to do is have well-executed shots end up in the same place as poorly executed shots,” Hall said. “We want to differentiate from good golf and average golf.”

The golf course is mostly void of places to accrue penalty strokes. There isn't much water to encounter, a tightly aligned fortress of trees or an oceanside reef that borders a fairway.

With only a few recognizable differences, Oakmont will play much as it did in 2007. The biggest change will be the expansion of the fairway, where the intermediate rough flows into the bunkers, making them even more penal.

“The grounds crew did such a masterful job manicuring the rough,” Hall said. “In 2006 at Winged Foot, USGA instituted the graduated rough height concept for the first time.”

Zimmers expects there will be 2½-3 inches of primary rough. The balance of the rough will be approximately 5 inches.

“The whole idea is if you have 10 golf balls in the rough, we'll like to see six or seven be able to play to the green,” Hall said. “Maybe three or four you have to chop it out. But the 5-inch rough will be just the opposite.

“Where we think the benefit of that is at Oakmont, when firm and greens are bold, we want that players can chase a 6- or 7-iron onto the green and let the architecture take the ball where it's going to go as opposed to hitting a sand wedge out then wedging it onto the green. We don't want to lose some of the excitement. It's about the characteristics of the ground, which are used masterfully with the design. Oakmont is the strongest test of golf in the country. I don't think it has changed in nine years.”

Ralph N. Paulk is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at rpaulk@tribweb.com or via Twitter @RalphPaulk_Trib.