There’s no sugarcoating it — Oakmont is beating people up this week. Not in the fun, test-your-game kind of way either. More like a relentless, 'why did I even bring 14 clubs' type of week. By Friday night, even the best players in the world looked like they were just trying to survive.

At first glance, Oakmont doesn’t look like a monster. The place is old-school charming, with postcard views and a calm Western Pennsylvania vibe. But once you start playing it under U.S. Open conditions, it becomes the golf version of a haunted house — beautiful on the outside, but every hole wants to ruin your weekend.

By the end of Friday, the rough was gobbling up wedges like they owed it money, the greens were lightning quick, and guys who regularly shoot 65 in their sleep were out there praying for bogey saves. Only three players were under par through 36 holes. That’s it.

Everyone else is just trying to make it to Saturday without needing therapy. With rain in the mix and the cut line already chewing up some big names, it’s shaping up to be one of those classic U.S. Opens where even the best are hanging on by a thread.

Thursday Fireworks, Friday Stress

Sam Burns: 65 Reasons to Believe

After watching J.J. Spaun post a clean 66 in Round 1, Sam Burns rolled up and dropped a five-under 65 — and looked casual doing it. That 65 was the best score of the tournament so far, and one of the best rounds ever recorded in a U.S. Open at Oakmont, trailing only Loren Roberts’ 64 back in 1994.

Dig into the stats and it gets even crazier. Burns gained 9.75 strokes on the field in Round 2 alone. That kind of gap almost never happens — Johnny Miller’s legendary 63 at Oakmont in ’73 was worth 10.77 strokes.

He consistently found fairways, picked his spots, and didn’t try to be a hero when Oakmont gave him lemons. He’s talked all week about "taking his medicine" when necessary and not forcing shots — and that mindset might be what’s keeping him sane out there.

Through 36 holes, he’s rolled in 11 birdies, the same total Dustin Johnson had the year he won this tournament here in 2016. When asked post-round if he realized how ridiculous his round was, Burns gave the most golfer answer ever: “Honestly? I was just trying not to short-side myself.”

But as any golf fan knows, sleeping on a U.S. Open lead isn’t exactly a stress-free experience. This is the eighth time Burns has been in or tied for the lead through 36 holes in a PGA Tour event, but he’s only gone on to win once.

J.J. Spaun: From Clean Card to Crash Course

J.J. Spaun couldn’t have asked for a cleaner start. His opening round 66 was textbook — no bogeys, smart decisions, and a steady hand on a course where steady is a luxury.

Then Friday hit, and Oakmont, as it tends to do, flipped the script. Spaun’s driver started leaking offline early — he opened with back-to-back bogeys and looked like a guy who was about to go tumbling off the leaderboard. But credit to him — he held it together. He cleaned things up mid-round, stayed composed, and managed to post a two-over 72 that kept him in the hunt at two-under overall.

If the weekend turns into a war of attrition, and all signs point that way, Spaun’s ability to avoid the big mistakes could keep him around longer than some of the bigger names. He might not be the betting favorite, but if “par is gold” ends up being the winning formula, he’s quietly building a case to be taken seriously.

Viktor Hovland: Ace Ventura, Norwegian Edition

Viktor Hovland’s round on Friday was already solid, but it turned unforgettable on the par-3 6th. From 179 yards out, he flushed a 7-iron, watched it land, take two soft bounces, and disappear straight into the cup.

But it wasn’t just a cool moment — it was a statement. That ace came in the middle of one of the nastiest stretches on the course, a run of holes that’s sent plenty of players into a tailspin. Hovland owned it.

He’s looked calm all week, even with Oakmont trying to rattle every nerve. That’s kind of his thing. Through 36 holes, he’s right in the thick of it at 1-under, and it doesn’t feel like a fluke. He’s been solid tee to green, handled pressure like a veteran, and now has the kind of highlight reel moment that could spark a serious run heading into the weekend. Oakmont hasn’t broken him yet — and that alone says a lot.

The Heavyweights Sweating It Out

Scottie Scheffler — 4‑Over (T‑22)

Scottie Scheffler came into the week looking like the most automatic thing in golf. All year long, his ball-striking had felt borderline robotic — fairways, greens, rinse, and repeat. But Oakmont doesn’t care how hot your spring was, and on Friday, it finally exposed a crack.

On the 12th hole, Scheffler yanked a tee shot so far left that NBC’s shot tracer looked like it had glitched. And it wasn’t isolated either. After the round, he was right back on the range with longtime coach Randy Smith, working through what became a 30-minute session that looked less like a warm-up and more like a science experiment. They were tweaking mechanics and trying to get the driver back in sync before the weekend.

The good news is, he's still very much in this thing. At 4-over, he’s seven shots back — but FanDuel still has him with the fourth-best odds to win it all. Leaders tend to bleed, and even the guys at the top know that one bad stretch can erase a multi-shot lead in a heartbeat.

Rory McIlroy — 6‑Over (T‑44)

The Masters winner's Friday round at Oakmont felt like one long pressure cooker — and at one point, it boiled over. It started on the par-5 12th when he chunked a fairway wood and helicoptered his club 30 yards down the hole in frustration. But that was just the warm-up. On the par-4 17th, after another errant tee shot, McIlroy stepped up and obliterated a USGA tee marker with his driver. And not a casual swipe either — he crushed the thing into pieces. The clip was everywhere within an hour.

After the round, Rory called his tantrum “embarrassing,” and while he owned up to it, the moment spoke volumes about how rattling Oakmont can be. This wasn’t just a guy losing his cool; it was a Masters champion getting pushed to his breaking point by a course that’s built to do exactly that.

And yet — he fought back. That’s the part that’ll get lost in the highlights. After the meltdowns, Rory played his last few holes like a guy trying to send a message. He birdied 15 and 18, rolling in a five-footer at the last to get in at 6-over, right on the cut line.

Now, nine shots back heading into Saturday, he’s got a mountain to climb. But if nothing else, he showed Friday that he’s still got some fight in him. Whether that turns into a weekend run or just a couple more highlight birdies is up to him — and maybe a little bit up to how forgiving Oakmont decides to be.

Brooks Koepka — 2‑Over (T‑8)

Brooks Koepka’s name might not be right at the top of the leaderboard, but don’t let that fool you — he’s exactly where he wants to be heading into the weekend at Oakmont. At 2-over through 36 holes, he’s sitting just five back of the lead, and if you know anything about Koepka’s history at the U.S. Open, you know that’s dangerous.

This is a guy who’s already won this thing twice — going back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 — and who’s built his major resume on handling the toughest setups better than just about anyone in the game.

He opened with a sharp 68 on Thursday, one of the better rounds of the day, and even though he gave some shots back with a 74 in Round 2, he’s kept himself in striking distance. He’s been solid tee-to-green — no surprise there — and while the putter hasn’t exactly caught fire yet, he hasn’t let that derail him. He’s been in control of his emotions, picking smart targets, and playing like someone who knows that this thing can’t be won until Sunday — but it can definitely be lost by getting greedy before then.

The Cut-Line Crime Scene

Oakmont drew the red paint at +7 and wasted no time reminding everyone that reputations don’t mean a thing out here. A total of 75 players missed the cut, including some of the biggest names in golf. Here’s a rundown of some of the most surprising exits:

• Bryson DeChambeau (+10) – Just one year removed from lifting the U.S. Open trophy, Bryson’s return to Pennsylvania was anything but victorious. He showed up swinging driver with confidence, but Oakmont’s tight fairways and dense rough punished that approach from the jump.

• Tommy Fleetwood (+9) – It looked like Tommy was cruising into the weekend — until the 18th hole on Friday. A bold decision to try a 2-iron out of a fairway bunker turned into a splash, a three-putt, and a double bogey that yanked him from inside the cut line to outside of it in about five painful minutes. A harsh end to a steady week.

• Dustin Johnson (+10) – The 2016 Oakmont champ never looked comfortable this week. He missed more fairways than he hit, couldn’t get the putter going, and finished with back-to-back 75s. That’s now six missed cuts in his last eight majors, and while the power is still there, the form is clearly not.

• Phil Mickelson (+8) – If this was his final U.S. Open, it ended with a near-miss and some heartbreak. He fought hard late Friday, needing a birdie at the 18th to make the weekend. He hit a solid approach and gave the putt a real run — but it caught the edge and stayed out.

• Justin Thomas (+12) – Another major, another missed cut for JT. He made only one birdie all week and put up a four-putt from 22 feet on a par-5 that felt like a metaphor for how things have been going in big events. That’s now seven missed cuts in his last 13 majors, and this one might’ve stung the most.

Saturday Setup: What to Watch

1. Weather Roulette – Overnight rain has thrown a bit of a wrench into Oakmont’s usual recipe. The greens softened up a bit, which could make Saturday morning scores a little more gettable — especially for those teeing off early before the course bakes under the sun. But it’s a double-edged sword. That same rain made the already brutal rough even thicker. It’s now basically NFL turf in June. For players like Burns and Spaun, who go off in the afternoon, the course could feel like a totally different animal — firmer, faster, and far less forgiving.

2. Scheffler, Rahm, Morikawa at +4 – Don’t count these guys out just yet. History says it’s possible for someone sitting at four-over to come back — Webb Simpson did it in 2012. All three of these players have the firepower to post a low number early and climb the board in a hurry. If one of them gets hot, it could set up the kind of big-name Sunday showdown the networks are quietly rooting for.

3. Hovland’s Patented Saturday Charge – Since 2023, Viktor Hovland has been an absolute machine in third rounds, racking up a combined –30. That’s not a typo. He tends to find his groove on Saturdays, and if that trend holds, Burns and Spaun might want to start peeking over their shoulders. If the putter stays warm and the momentum from Friday’s ace carries over, don’t be surprised if he finishes the day with the solo lead.

4. Brooks vs. the Greens – Koepka’s been doing Koepka things so far: grinding, staying composed, and hitting fairways and greens. He leads the field in strokes gained tee-to-green, which tells you everything about how dialed in he’s been from the box to the fringe. But once he gets on the dance floor, it’s been a struggle. He currently ranks 63rd in putting, and that’s what’s holding him back.

5. Adam Scott’s Fountain of Par – Two rounds of even-par 70 have flown under the radar, but Scott’s game has been sneaky sharp. At 44, he’s one of the oldest guys in the top five, but you wouldn’t know it from watching. No big numbers. No drama. Just solid golf. If the leaders come back to the pack, Scott could absolutely be the steady hand that takes advantage.

What This Brutal Weekend Is Really About

There’s still a long way to go, but Oakmont has already done its job: it’s made a full field of world-class golfers look human. The cut line was a bloodbath, the leaderboard is hanging by threads, and even the guys under par know it could all flip in one bad stretch. That’s what the U.S. Open is supposed to do — and Oakmont does it better than just about anywhere else.

We’re halfway through, and the tournament still feels wide open. Everyone left in it knows the job isn’t to play perfect — it’s to hold steady while the rest of the field crumbles. Guys like Burns and Hovland have put themselves in position, but the real test is coming. Koepka’s right where he wants to be, and veterans like Adam Scott are lurking without making a sound.

This isn’t about legacy just yet. It’s about lasting. And with two rounds to go, the only thing that feels certain is that Oakmont will keep raising the difficulty and daring someone — anyone — to rise above the mess.