WATCH: Ben Griffin showcases rough at Oakmont ahead of 2025 U.S. Open

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The rough at Oakmont looks to be no joke.

It is time for the third major championship of the season and if it lives up to what the first two were like then we are in for quite the treat with this week’s U.S. Open.

Oakmont is playing host to the annual national championship and much talk ahead of it has been about all of the rain that has been plaguing it. “Soakmont” has become a popular term on the internet.

In terms of popular things, one that happens every year ahead of the U.S. Open is a demonstration of the rough at the venue where the tournament is being played. This year TikTok superstar Ben Griffin gave us our first look and it is pretty intense to say the last.

An image of the rough emerged on social media a few weeks ago, one that had people debating it in every which way. Some fans feel that this is a bit too much while others appreciate the challenge that it will offer the best players in the world.

While Griffin’s first post noted that players will have to hit fairways this week (kind of the whole point of golf!) he offered another one at a look behind the first green.

This is a major championship and therefore should require a game that suits it from any player who wants to win it. Not to get too into the weeds here, but modern equipment already offers so much of an advantage to these players and it amplifies their already-insane skills. It is fair game for a course to ask them to be accurate off the tee and in their approaches.

While this sounds nice this is one of those subjects that can quickly turn volatile if the first few days do not go as planned. We will see how the U.S. Open unfolds starting Thursday and it should be pretty incredible.