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Five Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S. Open

Published

11 months ago

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I was on a Google Meet Wednesday evening with some long-ago friends. We started this tradition during the pandemic, and we’ve kept it up, to keep close across distances. They asked, “Who is your pick to win the Open at Oakmont?” I answered, “I don’t know that it plays directly into anyone’s skill set, so I think that it will be someone who jumps up, out of nowhere.” After Thursday’s play, I look pretty savvy.

In 2016, we all wanted Dustin Johnson to win at Oakmont, after he was hosed by Chambers Bay in the closing moments. He came through, despite some attempt by an overzealous rules team to snatch victory away. It’s now 2025, Rory has his career grand slam, while Scottie Scheffler reached the halfway mark for his CGS, at the PGA Championship in Charlotte in May. There’s no one that the U.S. Open owes, so everyone wonders, how cool will Portrush be, if Scottie can somehow win at Oakmont, setting the stage for three majors in one year, and a CGS at age 29?

Back to life, back to reality. Oakmont is an extreme test, even for the United States Open Championship. Golf shots like the ones we see each week on the PGA Tour do not exist. Conditions are firm, and players need to explore alternative methods for keeping the ball on the fairways, let alone on the greens, in regulation. Some players succeed, while others do not. We have a quintet of examples of things that we learned on day one of the 2025 USGA Open Championship, and we are delighted to share them with you.

1. Anything can, does, and will happen at Oakmont, part one

Golf shots do not spin back on Oakmont’s putting surfaces. To combat this unusual feature, we will see many shots gauged to green front, and an anticipation that the ball will roll out to the hole. Max Moldovan found himself atop the hill that precedes the descent to green the first at Pittsburgh’s finest layout. He smartly played to the front of the green, ensuring that his ball would find the putting surface. What happened next was gravy.

2. Anything can, does, and will happen at Oakmont, part two

Patrick Reed was always admired for his ability to make magic happen under the most trying circumstances. His victory at the 2018 Masters is the high point of a career still in development. Reed found himself in the middle of the fairway on the 4th hole, a 621-yard par five hole. Like Moldovan, Reed intelligently played for the front of the green with his three metal, struck the ball perfectly, and made history with a deuce of his own. How rare is the albatross? AI tells us that the actual bird has a wide wingspan, a deep intellect for wind currents, and a spacious glide capacity. That’s the sort of creature that describes a majestic two on a par-five hole.

3. Get out early and get in safely, the Chef Spaun recipe

JJ Spaun has little regard for his career record in the major championships. He has two top-fifty finishes at the Masters, three top-sixty results at the PGA Championship, zero appearances in the Open Championship, and one missed cut in the US Open. How do we explain his performance on Thursday at Oakmont? Spaun teed off at 7:07, on the inward nine, just the third group of the morning to greet holes ten through eighteen. Spaun proceeded to post four birdies. Many would have awakened at the turn, wondered how is this possible? and back-pedaled toward even par. Well, Spaun did move toward even par. He posted nine scores of par on his second nine, and signed a bogey-free scorecard of 66. On Friday, Spaun will play from the first tee at 12:52, and do his level best to replicate the fortune he found on day one. It will be much more difficult. He will no longer be anonymous, and he will confront greens beset by many feet. U.S. Open champions find a way to manage, and the opportunity will be Spaun’s.

4. One Open course is not like the others

Three former U.S. Open champions sit inside the top twelve after round one. Brooks Koepka (Erin Hills and Shinnecock Hills) is tied for third at minus-two. Jon Rahm (Torrey Pines) is tied for sixth at one-under par. Jordan Spieth (Chambers Bay) is tied for eleventh at even par 70. Three shots separate Spieth from the next, former Open champions. Unlike the Masters, where the phrase horses for courses applies, US Open venues vary greatly in their presentation. The most interesting aspect of this trio’s open success is the venues where they won. With the exception of Koepka at Shinnecock, championships were won at non-traditional venues. This makes their success at Oakmont all the more unlikely.

Of the three contending former champions, Koepka appears to be the most formidable. He closed with birdies at 17 and 18, giving him a boost as he moves into a desirable, early tee time on Friday. Rahm was nearly as fierce. His one birdie and one eagle were offset somewhat by a pair of bogeys. Spieth was a swerving rollercoaster, posting five each of birdies and bogeys.

5. What to expect from Friday? The unexpected, of course

We’ve seen eagles and albatrosses, so why not add a 360-yard drive to the crosswalk to the kettle? A golf course with firm fairways certainly opens itself up to monumental pokes from the tee deck. Oakmont encourages this sort of large living, as it does not present sharp, restrictive doglegs on any of its driving holes. If one of the leaders or chasers finds his driving game for the next 54 holes, he’ll have shorter clubs into these diabolical putting surfaces. If he can hold his psychological game together, he might lift the nameless, eponymous championship trophy.

 

 

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

on

May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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