We all know pressure is high at Oakmont! With all the talk about the course’s rough, a 3x US Open winner, who is not even playing, had to chime in with advice. “You just have to hit the golf ball well there,” Tiger Woods recently posted on Instagram. Any careless swings won’t cut it at Oakmont. No mistakes! Mighty Oakmont doesn’t allow for sloppy play or recovery through luck. “There’s no faking it,” he added. Players can’t rely on short-game magic or tricks around the greens to survive here; they need to be sharp from tee to green. “It just helps so much to come in with a shorter iron to be able to sock the ball.”

The gist is, at Oakmont, coming into the hard, sloped greens with long irons makes it almost impossible to control the ball. Shorter irons mean more spin, more control, and fewer mistakes. Even a miss needs to be missed where recovery is still possible. The play is about to start in a few hours, and the course maintenance is happening, obviously. Sharing glimpses, NUCLR Golf shared a snippet of the course being ready, not for the first time, with the caption: “The mowers are out in full force at Oakmont.” This seemed like a normal update, but not so normal to Phil Mickelson.

Chasing the career Grand Slam, probably for one last time, he replied harshly to the tweet, “They’re not working. They’re not cutting sh!t.” Can this be a clear sign of his frustration with the course’s brutal conditions? The reaction makes sense, as this might be his last dance at the U.S. Open. With Tiger Woods recently calling out the brutality of Oakmont, it’s no surprise Mickelson’s nerves are on edge. Anyway, Tiger Woods isn’t the only one who called out Oakmont’s rough.

“Obviously, Oakmont is one of the hardest places in the world. It’s going to be hard to simulate that,” said Ludvig Aberg. “You’re gonna have to hit fairways this week,” noted Ben Griffin, highlighting the challenges players will face.  Bryson DeChambeau described Oakmont’s conditions as “the hardest this golf course could ever play right now,” praising the course’s notorious rough, lightning-fast greens, and plethora of bunkers.

Just as Mickelson replied, fans did not waste a second to pass their judgments. The fans had mixed responses to Phil’s reaction—while some supported him, others were against it.

Fans have mixed thoughts on Phil Mickelson’s outburst

The positive comments were nothing but sweet: “This is an all-time tweet! Good luck this week, Phil; bring it home!” Mickelson is scheduled to tee off at 8:02 AM ET on Thursday, and fans must be eagerly looking forward to seeing him create Phil Magic. like he did in Virginia.

One similar comment by a fan said, “Get that GS this weekend, Phil!!!! This is it!!!” The backing is rooted in Mickelson’s long and emotional history at the U.S. Open. He has finished runner-up six times—more than any player in history—and for fans, this year’s victory feels personal because of the career Grand Slam.

Another wrote, “Tell ’em, Phil, and don’t hold back on this BS!” Players have complained in the past about barely being able to advance the ball from the deep grass. Oakmont has a record of selective mowing—the greens and fairways get cut, but the rough is often left untouched to toughen the course.

Well, not all of the fan reactions were as sweet—some were harsh!

“Watch your language, man; this is disgusting.” While he’s usually known for keeping it professional, ever since the 2022 LIV Golf controversy, Mickelson’s been more unfiltered. One commented, “Complaints from a guy who no longer plays competitive golf lol. Nice, Phil.” Phil made headlines when he switched to LIV Golf. While LIV is still competitive golf with top players and big prize money, it isn’t recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and many fans don’t believe LIV is real competitive golf.

Another comment read, “Sorry, but it’s not gonna matter either way for you.” Mickelson’s performance over the past three years since joining LIV hasn’t been great—he hasn’t won a single LIV Golf tournament. And fans tend to notice that. Well, it won’t matter if Mickelson comes home with the trophy and shuts the critics up. We’ll see if he lives up to his last chance!