Through it all, looming large and nasty and insurmountable, there was the golf course. Oakmont Country Club hosted its record 10th U.S. Open. As ever, it did not disappoint. This is the place that, in 1962,

The church pews — 13, long grassy tufts which act as islands within a seemingly endless pit of sand — were never part of the original design

It says something about the cockeyed state of prize money payouts in men’s professional golf that players might be disappointed to hear that for the first time in five years the USGA didn't increase the payday at the U.

OAKMONT, Pa. -- There's no water at Oakmont, even when it pours. While the venerable and now nearly tree-less course carved out of the western Pennsylvania hills held up fine despite steady overnight rain ahead of Saturday's third round, things were a little squishier, a little soggier, a little dicier outside the ropes.

A line of storms that rolled through Oakmont between the second and third rounds hardly seemed to make an impact at the U.S. Open

There’s no water at Oakmont, even when it pours. While the venerable and now nearly tree-less course carved out of the western Pennsylvania hills held up fine despite steady overnight rain ahead of Saturday’s third round,

From an overhead view, the sight is somewhat jarring. The Pennsylvania Turnpike essentially cuts Oakmont's golf course in half.

Sunday at Oakmont was chaotic, challenging, maddening and entertaining. It was all you could ask for in a U.S. Open.