Spieth says even par will be a great score at U.S. Open host Oakmont

Defending U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth got a look at 2016 host Oakmont Country Club in an 18-hole Wednesday practice round, and the experience affirmed something most everyone in the golf world already knows: Oakmont is really hard.

“There’s just so many other tough holes that par is going to be a fantastic score,” Spieth said after his round. “I’d sign for even par right now for 72 holes in June. Obviously given the history, but also having played it.”

Spieth said the obvious, that Oakmont will be a radically different test than last year’s host Chambers Bay, which sought to give players options with wide-open driving areas.

“Chambers Bay was a bit different because it’s a lot of drivers, and it’s wider fairways,” Spieth said. “And sure, you can get into a lot of trouble there, but out here, you’re going to have to curve the ball into these fairways to hold it in the right places, and you’ve got to take your medicine a lot more.”

Missing fairways at Oakmont means nasty rough or, worse, landing in many of the deep, challenging bunkers at the course. There’s good to be a lot of hitting out sideways from nasty off-fairway lies.

The Pittsburgh area club is hosting the U.S. Open for the ninth time next month, and it’s doing so for the first time since 2007, when Angel Cabrera beat Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by a shot at 5-over 285.

However, the winning score has been under par at Oakmont in three of the four Opens there prior to ’07, including in 1994, when Ernie Els prevailed in a playoff over Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie after all three posted 5-under 279, when the course played as a par-71 test.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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