Oakmont Country Club listed near top of new ranking of best classic U.S. golf courses

Oakmont Country Club has once again landed near the top of a ranking of the best golf courses in the United States.

The historic club, located just outside of Pittsburgh in Oakmont and Plum boroughs, has been listed as the sixth best classic golf course in the United States, according to a new ranking compiled by Golfweek. 

The rankings include properties which opened before 1960 with the list compiled by course raters who evaluated the layouts on a 10-point scale.

The iconic club, split by the Pennsylvania Turnpike is renowned for its sloping fairways, firm and fast greens, thick rough, and deep bunkers, including the famous "church pew" bunkers that line the courses' third and fourth holes.

Oakmont Country Club, which opened in 1903 and received an average rating in the ranking of 9.06 out of 10, is known for being one of the most difficult golf courses in the world and has hosted the U.S. Open a record 10 times, including last summer when J.J. Spaun made a 64-foot birdie putt to win the championship.

Last summer, Dustin Johnson, who won the tournament when it was hosted at Oakmont in 2016, said it's probably the hardest golf course he's ever played.

USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer referred to Oakmont as one of the great places in the game of golf and said that its "relentless" setup makes the club a great host for the U.S. Open.

"It's not just the toughness of the golf course," Bodenhamer said. "It's the culture of this club. They want it to be tough."

With Oakmont having been designated an anchor site for the U.S. Open by the USGA, the historic cathedral of the game of golf is poised to host the tournament again in 2033, 2042, and 2049.

Oakmont will also be hosting the U.S. Women's Open in 2028 and 2038, the Walker Cup in 2032, and the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2046.