The ninth at Erin Hills is one of the great par-3 holes in major championship golf with its bunkering and challenging green complex. (USGA/Fred Vuich)
There is little argument that the slate of venues hosting USGA championships in 2025 are among some of the finest in the country, if not the world. Oakmont Country Club and Erin Hills are both top 100 layouts, and they will play host to amazing championship moments this summer.
One of the unique aspects of these two courses is their par 3s. For this story, we wanted to share what we consider to be the best on each property.
During the 2007 U.S. Open, then-USGA CEO Mike Davis made the conscious decision to move the tee markers back on the downhill eighth hole at Oakmont Country Club, so it measured 300 yards, a first for a par 3 in the major championship. Davis repeated the decision in 2016, and the current setup team of Jeff Hall, John Bodenhamer and Scott Langley could do it again for the 125th edition. The hole, which normally measures just more than 250 yards, was designed to play as an extremely long one-shotter, with plenty of room for golfers to run up tee shots to this large green complex. While the hole doesn’t feature any water or breathtaking views, it’s always one of the most challenging par3s in major-championship golf.
Originally, the “Bye Hole” at Erin Hills was a means to get golfers from what is now the eighth green to the current 10th tee. But when the USGA decided to put the short, downhill hole into play for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links instead of using the “Dell Hole” (then No. 7), the ninth at Erin Hills officially became part of the course routing. The “Dell Hole” has since been bulldozed, while the short ninth (it will measure 139 yards for the 80th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally) has become one of the more popular at the Wisconsin resort. While the tee shot requires just a wedge – or at most a 9-iron – the undulated green complex requires precision, or balls will be repelled into one of the bunkers or collection areas. It would not be surprising to see as many “others” as birdies at the ninth in late May.
