Oakmont is a beast. If you've ever seen a ball move on those greens, you know exactly what I’m talking about. We are heading back to Pennsylvania for the 125th U.S. Open, and honestly, the logistics of following the action are just as intense as the stimpmeter readings on the practice green. Everyone wants to know the tee times for us open 2025 the second they drop, but there is a rhythm to how the USGA handles this that most people totally miss. You can't just refresh a page in April and expect to see Tiger or Scottie's slot. It doesn't work like that.
The championship runs from June 12 to June 15, 2025.
Oakmont Country Club is hosting. This is its 10th time as the venue. That is a record, by the way. No other course has tested the world's best quite as often or as brutally. Because the course is so compact compared to some of the massive West Coast tracks we've seen lately, the grouping logic for those first two days is going to be tight. Really tight.
How the USGA Actually Sets Tee Times for US Open 2025
The USGA isn't like the PGA Tour. They love a bit of drama in their pairings. Historically, they release the official tee times for us open 2025 about 48 to 72 hours before the first round begins on Thursday morning. So, you're looking at the Tuesday of tournament week—likely June 10—before the PDF actually hits the server.
They usually split the field between the 1st and 10th tees. Morning waves start early. I mean 6:45 AM early. If you are heading to Oakmont, you better have your coffee situation sorted out before you hit the shuttle.
The logic behind the pairings is usually "thematic." You’ve probably seen it before. They’ll put the defending champion—in this case, Bryson DeChambeau—with the reigning U.S. Amateur champ and maybe the winner of the Open Championship. It creates these little "super groups" that the cameras follow for five hours. Then they sprinkle the qualifiers, the "grinders" who made it through Sectionals, into the gaps. It’s a mix of legends and guys who were teaching lessons at a local club three weeks ago. That’s the magic of the Open.
Watching the Afternoon Wave at Oakmont
The weather in Pittsburgh in mid-June is a coin flip. It’s either gorgeous or a literal swamp. This affects the afternoon tee times for us open 2025 more than anything else. If a morning storm rolls through, everything pushes.
Oakmont doesn't have a single water hazard. Not one. But it has those Church Pews bunkers. If a player gets an afternoon start when the wind picks up and the greens have dried out to the consistency of a marble tabletop, they are in trouble. You'll notice that the marquee players often swap. If they play early Thursday, they’ll play late Friday. This is done to ensure fairness, or at least as much fairness as a sadistic golf course allows.
The Qualifier Factor
Don't ignore the early starters. Some of the best stories come from the "Longest Day in Golf," which is the final qualifying stage. These players often get the very first tee times for us open 2025, going off when the dew is still on the grass.
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- Local Qualifying: Hundreds of sticks competing at local sites in late April and early May.
- Final Qualifying: The big one. Early June. 36 holes in one day.
- The Entry: Over 10,000 people usually try to get in. Only 156 make the final field.
When you see a name you don't recognize at 7:12 AM on the leaderboard, remember they likely survived a 10-under-par day just to be there.
Why Oakmont’s Layout Dictates the Pace
The USGA hates slow play, but Oakmont invites it. You can't rush a putt that has four feet of break over a ten-foot distance. Because the course is so difficult, the intervals between tee times for us open 2025 will be scrutinized. Usually, they send groups off every 11 or 12 minutes.
If they go any faster, the 1st tee becomes a parking lot by noon.
Think about the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Dustin Johnson finally got his major, but the rules officials and the pace of play were the secondary characters of the weekend. The greens are so fast that if the USGA mows them too tight, the ball won't stay still. That delays everything. If you're tracking a specific player, give yourself a 20-minute buffer. Golf time isn't real-world time.
Predicting the Feature Groups
While we won't have the names until June, we can guess. Expect Bryson to be in a featured group. Expect whoever is ranked Number 1 in the OWGR at that moment to be the anchor of the Thursday afternoon broadcast.
The USGA likes pairing the big hitters together. They also love a "legacy" group—three guys who have all won the trophy before. Seeing Tiger Woods (if he's healthy and playing) paired with someone like Justin Rose or Matt Fitzpatrick is a classic USGA move. It keeps the galleries concentrated, which is a nightmare for the marshals but great for television ratings.
How to Get Updates the Week of the Tournament
Don't trust random social media "leaks" on the Monday of tournament week. People love to guess. The only way to get the verified tee times for us open 2025 is through the official USGA App or their website.
Once those times are out, the betting markets move fast. If you see a top-tier player got an early/late draw and the forecast shows a massive storm hitting at 2:00 PM on Friday, their odds might shift. Pro gamblers live for the tee time release. It’s the first real piece of data they get.
Oakmont Logistics for Spectators
If you are actually going to be there, your "tee time" starts when you park your car. The shuttles at Oakmont are usually efficient, but the crowds for a 125th anniversary are going to be massive.
- Get to the grounds at least 90 minutes before the group you want to follow starts.
- The 1st and 10th tees are on opposite sides of the clubhouse area, but Oakmont’s famous bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike is a bottleneck.
- Wear shoes that can handle hills. Oakmont looks flat on TV. It isn't.
The Final Stretch
The weekend is a different animal. On Saturday and Sunday, the tee times for us open 2025 are determined by the scoreboard. The leaders go last. This is standard, but the gap between the first group and the last can be six hours.
If there's a tie for the lead, the USGA uses the "first in, last out" rule based on who finished their round first the previous day. Usually, the final pairing will tee off around 2:30 PM or 3:00 PM local time to ensure the trophy presentation happens in prime time for the East Coast.
Keep an eye on the "cut line" on Friday evening. That is what reshuffles the entire deck. The top 60 players (and ties) make it to the weekend. If a big name is hovering right on the line, their Saturday morning start could be the most stressful round of their year.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're planning your week around the 2025 U.S. Open, start with these steps to stay ahead of the curve:
- Mark the Calendar: Set an alert for June 10, 2025. That is the "Drop Zone" for the official pairings.
- Download the App: The USGA app has a "Player Tracker" that is miles better than the standard leaderboard. You can "star" your favorite players and get a notification the second they step onto the first tee.
- Check the Pennsylvania Turnpike: No, seriously. If you're driving, Oakmont is literally bisected by the highway. Traffic in that corridor during a major is legendary.
- Watch the Weather: Pittsburgh weather moves fast. A morning delay on Thursday means the second round might not finish until Saturday morning.
- Study the 2016 Results: Look back at how the course played then. The players who handled the early morning greens the best were the ones who stayed in contention.
The 125th U.S. Open is going to be a grind. Oakmont always is. Knowing exactly when your favorite player is starting is the only way to navigate the chaos of a major championship. Stay tuned to the official channels as we get closer to that June start date.