Jon Rahm’s second round at the 2025 U.S. Open was less a collapse and more a slow burn of frustration, capped off by a brutally honest post-round interview that laid bare his irritation. After posting a steady 1-under 69 on Thursday, highlighted by clean ball striking and a clutch eagle early on, Rahm looked poised to make a weekend charge. But Friday brought a much different story. Battling Oakmont’s lightning-fast greens and penal rough, the Spaniard stumbled to a 5-over 75, dropping him to +4 for the tournament.

His frustration boiled over on multiple occasions. After slipping to +5, Rahm punctuated his anger mid-round with an exasperated: “¿Me estás tomando el pelo?” (“Are you kidding me?”)—a raw, unfiltered reaction that captured Oakmont’s psychological grip on even the most composed players.

“I didn’t make a putt, that was the main difference,” Rahm said bluntly at a press conference after the round. “I didn’t play bad. I played quite good golf. Didn’t see anything go in beside a 7-footer on 7. That’s it. That’s a very hard thing to deal with to try to shoot a score out here.” Even for someone as composed as Rahm, Oakmont’s grind proved to be mentally taxing. The course setup, featuring a thick five-inch blend of Kentucky bluegrass and Poa annua in the rough and greens running at glassy speeds, has tested every player’s patience—and Rahm’s seemed especially thin on Friday.

When asked to put his round in perspective, given the overall brutality of the course, he didn’t sugarcoat it. “Honestly, I’m too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective,” he admitted. “Very frustrated. Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn’t sniff the hole, so it’s frustrating.” Still safely inside the projected cut, Rahm has the weekend to claw his way back—but he’ll need the putter to thaw if he wants to make noise in golf’s toughest exam. That kind of raw emotion from a major champion wasn’t an isolated case—it was a recurring theme across the field as Oakmont continued to push players to their limits.

Tempers flare, and patience wears thin

By the end of Round 2 at the 2025 U.S. Open, one thing is clear: Oakmont isn’t just testing swings, it’s testing spirits. Players and caddies alike wear the scars of a course that gives no margin for error. Scottie Scheffler, usually unflappable, showed visible signs of exasperation. From flinging clubs to tense exchanges with his caddie, the World No. 1 looked more human than ever as he fought to stay afloat. “I’ve probably got to give myself a few more looks,” he said, his tone revealing more than the words. A missed birdie on 17 nearly pushed him over the edge.

On the other hand, Rory McIlroy, after a promising start, unraveled late in Round 1 and chose silence over a press conference—a telling move for a four-time major winner. Meanwhile, amateur Matt Vogt, a dentist-turned-dreamer, shot 82 and admitted, “Your head starts spinning out here.” He wasn’t alone. Even Shane Lowry, known for embracing tough conditions, recalled abandoning an Oakmont practice round after just five holes. The course had beaten him before, and it was threatening to do it again. No matter the resume, Oakmont humbled everyone. And for two rounds, frustration wasn’t just a reaction—it was part of the scorecard.