Oakmont the ultimate US Open challenge . . . Can anyone stop Scottie Scheffler?
Scottie Scheffler is chasing back-to-back Majors at the US OPEN at Oakmont Country Club.
Image: Andrew Redington / Getty Images via AFP
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler launches his bid for back-to-back major titles as the US Open gets under way on Thursday.
The world's top golfers face an ultimate challenge at Oakmont, where dense rough, sloped fast greens and tricky bunkers have Scheffler among many calling it the hardest course they might ever play.
"This is probably the toughest golf course in the world right now," defending US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau said.
Scheffler noted the tall rough, saying, "What's so special about this place is pretty much every time you're off the fairway it's going to be very difficult for you to get the ball to the green."
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Scheffler, whose nine wins last year included Paris Olympic gold, has won three of his past four starts and his matchup against iconic Oakmont is golf's version of a heavyweight showdown.
It begins at 1.25pm (7.25pm SA Time) when he starts off the first tee alongside fourth-ranked American compatriot Collin Morikawa and Norway's Viktor Hovland.
After capturing last month's PGA Championship for his third major crown, Scheffler is trying to become the first man to win consecutive majors since Jordan Spieth in 2015 by taking his first US Open title.
Scheffler is a heavy oddsmakers' favorite but tries to ignore such things, especially after bettors forced him to dump his Venmo account.
"I was either getting paid by people or people requesting me a bunch of money when I didn't win. It wasn't a good feeling," Scheffler said.
Second-ranked Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters in April to complete a career Grand Slam, and DeChambeau, who won last month at LIV Golf Korea, will be among the first to test Oakmont after Indianapolis dentist and former Oakmont caddie Matt Vogt hits the opening shot off the first tee at 6.45am.
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