U.S. Open at Oakmont has mentally broken Rory McIlroy and more pros

Golf fans demanded carnage at the 2025 U.S. Open, and boy oh boy, has Oakmont delivered.

Granted, things didn't quite start out that way; wet conditions softened things a bit to start the tournament on Thursday, leading to a few more rounds under par than initially expected. On Friday, though, Oakmont got its revenge: After 10 rounds in the red on Thursday, we saw just five on day two, and things got downright ugly for some of the biggest names in the sport.

But it's not just that scoring is difficult. Oakmont is as much a mental test as a physical one: Can you survive the rough, the sand and the lightning-fast greens without wanting to tear your hair out right there in the fairway? For Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and others, the answer turned out to be a resounding "no".

Even the world's best golfers are at wit's end trying to solve Oakmont

Arguably the highlight of the day came from Shane Lowry, who followed his opening 79 with a 78 on Friday. By the afternoon, secure in the knowledge that he absolutely would not be hanging around for the weekend, Lowry had the look of a man who was just begging for this to be over. At one point he even forgot to mark his ball, and after missing a short par put on No. 4, a hot mic caught him ... well, wishing he were anywhere else.

Lowry's close friend McIlroy similarly couldn't help but let out some exasperation. Rory did eventually rally to get just on the right side of the cut line at six-over, but the journey was an adventure, to say the least. He even took out a tee marker after yet another wayward drive:

Even Scheffler, the unflappable world No. 1 who's turned rough starts and uncomfortable moments into major titles in the past, seemed to be searching for answers. Scheffler fought his swing all the way through a one-over 71 on Friday that left him at four-over for the tournament, struggling even to stay on both feet at times. Almost as soon as he'd finished, he was back out on the range, and he looked about as visibly frustrated as you'll ever see him.

In all, there was a whole lot of this going on:

Which, while it's taking years off the players' lives, is exactly what fans expect out of a U.S. Open — and especially one at Oakmont. You never want to cross the line into unfair territory, as we've seen in this event at times in the past. But that hasn't been the case so far in western PA: Rather, this is just an extreme test, one that will punish you mercilessly for not hitting quality shot after quality shot. That's a high-wire act even for the best in the world, and there's no safety net if you fall.