Golf legend Jack Nicklaus hits back at critics of US Open course
Multiple major champion Jack Nicklaus has explained why he believes Oakmont is a great US Open course despite several complaints about the set-up.
Multiple major champion Jack Nicklaus has defended Oakmont after multiple complaints about the course-set up from players at the 2025 US Open.
Several top golfers openly criticised the brutal set-up at the third men's major of the year which saw only four players reach red figures after 54 holes.
Former US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick told reporters he believed Oakmont was 'straight unfair' and didn't necessarily reward good shots.
Hot mics picked up former champion golfer of the year and European Ryder Cup star Shane Lowry saying 'f--- this place' after a missed putt.
PGA Tour winner Jhonattan Vegas said the rough was 'unplayable' before the major began and Michael Kim expressed a dim view of the 'Mickey Mouse' greens.
Nicklaus, who claimed the first of 18 major wins in 1962 at Oakmont, took a completely different view.
In the Golden Bear's opinion, a golf course is not good unless it doesn't 'yield to good golf'.
"We talk about Oakmont and how difficult is it, but Oakmont has yielded," he told Sirius XM PGA Tour radio.
"It yielded 63 to Johnny Miller, yielded 65 yesterday [to Sam Burns and] I think 66 [to JJ Spaun] on the first day.
"To me, a golf course is not a good golf course if it can't yield to good golf.
"In other words, if it's so tough that the best score anybody can shoot is even par [when] conditions [are] good then I don't think it's a good thing.
"So Oakmont, to me, not only is a tough golf course, but it's a good golf course and that to me is the the test."
Nicklaus is okay with today's prize money
Earlier in the week, the USGA confirmed the purse for the 2025 US Open will remain unchanged at $21.5m.
That means the champion will walk away with a cheque for $4.2m.
Nicklaus told reporters in a surprise news conference alongside hall of fame golfer Johnny Miller that he was envious of the fact today's golfers are paid far more than he was during his pomp.
Nicklaus earned $17,500 for his first professional win in 1962.
He said: "Would I have loved to have had what's going on here [large purses] when we played? Yeah. Obviously, all of us would.
"But I also was really pleased that … I know Johnny and myself both trail-blazed the way for what's happening today.
"I think if you look back at [Ben] Hogan and [Sam] Snead and those guys, they trail-blazed it for us."
He continued: "We had to win tournaments to make a name [and] to make a living. Today, they make a living playing golf."
Miller chimed in: "The big difference is the guys make so much money that, what do you think? It helps that you're hungry and playing hard.
"It used to be you had to make some money to be able to take care of your wife and maybe child or whatever, and it made golf more of a competitive thing and guys would play more tournaments because they're trying to make it while they can."
Ben joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
