Breaking Down the Strategy on No. 2 at Oakmont

Oakmont is typically spoken of as a penal golf course: hit the fairways and the greens, or else. However, as I argued recently in a Fried Egg Golf Club Course Profile, several holes at Oakmont actually provide multiple strategic options. The par-4 second hole was the best example in the first round of the 2025 U.S. Open. Just look at the spread of tee shots:

Players chose from three general landing zones: the elbow of fairway about 210 yards from the tee, near the first fairway bunker; the widest part of the fairway about 260 yards from the tee, past the main trio of fairway bunkers; and the area in front of the green, which could be reached with an uphill carry of a little over 300 yards. The majority of the field picked the middle option, while about 10 percent laid back and about 20 percent went for it. This variability in strategy indicates that players had to make a real decision on the tee. It wasn't a foregone conclusion that ripping driver and getting as close to the green as possible was the way to go. And that's refreshing in today's game.

Why were players relatively tentative on No. 2 in the first round? Pin position may have had something to do with it. Because the hole was cut on a shelf in the back-left corner of the green (a section recovered in Gil Hanse's 2023 renovation), missing the fairway to the left was a no-no. Of the players who hit driver and missed significantly to the left, three made par, four made bogey, and one made double bogey.

So it's not surprising that most of the field prioritized control off the tee. From the fairway, players were able to attack the pin, and 16 walked away with birdie. However, approaches struck with less precision either spun back off the shelf or, worse, bounded over, consistently resulting in lost strokes. There were 51 bogeys, 10 doubles, and three "others" on the day.

The more the pin moves away from that tricky left edge of the second green, the more aggressive I would expect players to get off the tee. Still, the second hole should continue to be a connoisseur's delight throughout the weekend — a 350-yard par 4 with the ability to befuddle and intimidate the best golfers in the world.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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