Coming into the 2025 U.S. Open, much of the conversation centered around the difficulty of Oakmont Country Club. On Thursday, despite some solid scoring early, we saw just how difficult Oakmont would be as the average score in the early wave was more than 5 over par despite the best conditions players will see all week.
What makes Oakmont such a beloved venue is that for all its difficulty, great shots still get rewarded. On Thursday afternoon, Patrick Reed authored the best one we will see all week. On the 622-yard, par-5 4th, Reed hit a terrific tee shot to leave 286 yards in for his second shot from the fairway. Reed pulled a fairway wood from his bag and launched one high into the air, landing it 30 feet below the hole. From there, it tracked straight into the cup for one of the rarest sights in golf: a double eagle.
It’s just the fourth double eagle in U.S. Open history going back to 1983 and has to be one of the longest coming from 286 yards out.
2025 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau fade late after admirable starts in first round at Oakmont
Robby Kalland
The best part is because it’s a blind shot, Reed only knew he hit a great shot and was looking around a bit confused as the crowd around the green erupted, trying to figure out if that meant it went into the hole. As such, we didn’t get the kind of celebration you’d expect from that kind of result but a delayed reaction of bemusement that he just made a double eagle at one of the hardest golf courses int he world.
That albatross moved Reed from 1 over to 2 under with one swing of the club, and we’ll find out as the week goes on just how important that could be to the overall championship.