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Justin Thomas shares why golfers got lucky at U.S. Open

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 8:07 PM ET

The 2025 U.S. Open presented some significant challenges for golfers, and Justin Thomas says it would have been even worse if not for an assist from Mother Nature.

Thomas shot 76-76 and missed the cut at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Birdies often seem impossible to come by at the U.S. Open, and that was certainly the case again this year.

Not a single player in the field was under par roughly halfway through the final round on Sunday. At around that time, Thomas shared some of his thoughts on the tournament via social media. He said golfers were extremely fortunate that there was rain throughout the week and conditions were somewhat soft.

“After (kind of) playing it for 2 days, and watching over the weekend … it’s hard to express how difficult/borderline impossible Oakmont would be if it was firm. Not even rock hard, but just the slightest bit of firmness in the greens would make it (mind-blowing emoji),” Thomas wrote on X.

After (kind of) playing it for 2 days, and watching over the weekend… it’s hard to express how difficult/borderline impossible Oakmont would be if it was firm. Not even rock hard, but just the slightest bit of firmness in the greens would make it
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) June 15, 2025

Thomas added that he felt the setup at Oakmont was “very fair.” He said conditions were “extremely soft” for U.S. Open standards, though the weather had a significant impact on that.

One follower asked what Thomas thought the winning score would be if conditions were firmer.

“And the rough the same length, I think it’s easily somewhere from +7 to +10. Greens would be so crusty and fast and great shots would get to a point would go to places you couldn’t even putt it close haha,” Thomas replied.

And the rough the same length, I think it’s easily somewhere from +7 to +10. Greens would be so crusty and fast and great shots would get to a point would go to places you couldn’t even putt it close haha
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) June 15, 2025

The last U.S. Open winner to come in with a score over par was Brooks Koepka, who finished +1 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southhampton, N.Y., back in 2018. Thomas believes the winning score would have been much, much higher than that at Oakmont had there not been rain.

We saw more than one golfer lose his cool during this year’s U.S. Open, so we can only imagine what a drought would have done.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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