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If it’s a men’s major and it’s a Monday, it means make sure to have your umbrella ready. Just like at the Masters in April and the PGA Championship in May, rain was on the minds of many during the opening day of U.S. Open week, weather warnings out all afternoon with the threat of showers into the evening potentially adding more water to an already soaked golf course.
Over the last week, the Pittsburgh area has gotten upwards of 10 inches of rain, according to USGA officials—and even more in the proceeding weeks. As spectators walked around Oakmont early in the day, the walkways were already rather muddy.
The conditions even had Mike Whan, the USGA CEO, offering advanced warning on social media.
Thanks to the hundreds of media folks that will travel to @usopengolf this week. Bring boots! 13” of rain in past 10 weeks! pic.twitter.com/yTJuCHou2h
— Michael Whan (@USGAMike) June 8, 2025
Monday’s predicted rain was expected to last into the evening and bring as much as another half-inch of the wet stuff. Thankfully, there is (some) light at the beyond the storm clouds … or at least if the USGA meteorologists are to be believed.
On Tuesday, there is only a 20-percent chance of precipitation with no electricity expected. Wednesday calls for sunny skies with no rain forecast, while Thursday and Friday call for only a 20-percent chance in the afternoon as well.
However … the current weekend outlook suggests weather watches might return.
The hope, for USGA officials at least, is that a few sunny days with a little wind can get the course back to playing firm and fast. Oakmont’s fairways have a ways to go to get it there, according to Justin Thomas, but the greens are still on the challenging side.
“I played with Jordan [Spieth] and Jackson Koivun today, and Jordan and I were saying we were still shocked with how soft the fairways were,” Thomas said when speaking to the media on Monday. “The greens still had a little bit of bounce to them. They weren’t firm by any means, but they were still taking a hop with wedges and short irons still.”
The assumption is that rain will make the rough, already grown to five inches tall, even more penal. Thomas, however, thinks sometimes wetness actually helps players.
“I think you can get better lies in the rough sometimes when it’s wet,” Thomas said. “I have zero idea if there’s any kind of science or anything behind this, but just to me it seems like when the rough’s wet, the ball will kind of not sink all the way down to the bottom. It’s almost like the rough is a little heavier, but because of that, it can be harder to get out if it is wet.
“It is weird that it’s easier to chip out of wet rough, but it’s harder to sometimes hit full shots out of it. So that can kind of play somewhat similar. Yeah, it totally changes the golf course, but also if it’s firm out here, how much the ball will roll in the fairways will make it so much shorter, that that would change a lot.”
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The prospect of playing a different course during the championship proper compared to what players will face in practice rounds is one players will have to deal with. But that’s no different than any event, says Xander Schauffele, who also spoke to the media on Monday.
“I think all major championships, there’s some degree of adjustments you have to make. Whether the greens are two, three feet faster or the fairways are running, whoever adjusts the best with their caddie are going to play the best,” Schauffele said.
That might mean players feel like they have more homework to do the next few days. But they then must be careful not to burn themselves out before the championship starts on Thursday.
“Not to come off the wrong way, these are some of the worst practice rounds of the year at a U.S. Open,” Thomas said. “You tee off in the middle of the day today or tomorrow, and it’s going to be probably a three-, three-and-a-half-hour nine holes. Everybody’s got to hit a chip and a putt from every single spot on or around the green, which it is helpful, but for me, if I feel like it’s a place I haven’t seen, I understand why you want to do that. Again, at the same time, at least what I’ve noticed, it is very helpful, but if I’m not hitting it where I want and controlling the ball like I want, it doesn’t really matter if I’ve hit shots around the green or not. I’m going to struggle if I’m not hitting it well.”
Thomas says the better use of his time would be working on his short game off the course so as to be ready should Oakmont’s greens get their speed back.
“I feel like I’m going to spend … personally I spend more time on the practice green or on the putting green. That’s where I’m trying to dial in the stuff that I can maybe do on the course. Then when I’m out there, pick up little stuff here and there.”
Thomas of course hopes what he picks up will apply no matter what the weather has in store. Long story short, being prepared means being ready for anything.
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Main Image: Warren Little
