Sunday 19 June 2016 19:15, UK
Robert Lee explains how the weather has affected the Oakmont greens and reflects on Shane Lowry's move to the top of the leaderboard.
If the conditions at Oakmont had stayed like they were on Wednesday the winning score might have been more like four, five or six over because the course then was pretty much impossible. The greens were just so fast.
The fact is that they have no sub-air system around here, so it took on a lot of rain and it has been trying to get firmer through the week.
"For Lowry to get a bit of rest and then come back on Sunday morning and be right on it first thing was amazing."
They haven't got the greens to the firmness that they wanted. There's plenty of speed in them, but the players with their skills from the fairway can still pretty much control the ball enough to have some good looks at birdie.
On Wednesday that just wasn't possible, as they were so hard, so bouncy and so unforgiving that nobody would have stayed under par.
The course has been in fantastic condition and because the top players are really good, it gives them a bit more room and gives them bigger targets on the fairways.
Shane Lowry has been brilliant, particularly considering how difficult it has been where players have either had to play two rounds in one day or you've had a long and protracted first three days.
Whichever side of the draw you were on wasn't easy and it would've taken a lot of patience and energy out of on him on Saturday with all of that golf.
To get a bit of rest and then come back on Sunday morning and be right on it first thing was amazing. It would've been easily for him to turn up with a few holes to go and make mistakes.
When a player wins a major for the first time it isn't always how you think it's going to be. You don't always win because you're out ahead.
Sometimes the winner is someone who comes from deep and shoots 65 to win, you just never know how you're going to do it become major champion. We'll have to wait and see who it is.
