OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — There's no water at Oakmont, even when it pours.
While the venerable and now nearly tree-less course carved out of the western Pennsylvania hills held up fine despite steady overnight rain ahead of Saturday's third round, things were a little squishier, a little soggier, a little dicier outside the ropes.
Standing alongside the 11th tee box — one of the lowest points on the property — Katie Fulcher looked down at her black-and-white Nike dunks and shrugged. The 28-year-old had slipped them on before leaving the Airbnb she was sharing with some friends.
Now, with her shoes not quite as white as they were when she walked through the gates on Saturday morning, she shrugged.
“Fashion over function, I guess,” she said with a laugh, noting she had a newer and cleaner pair of the same shoes back home in Columbus, Ohio. “To be honest, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
For most of the day, she was right. The sun even poked out for a while in the mid-afternoon, though a brief shower passed overhead not long after the final pairing of second-round leader Sam Burns and J.J. Spaun teed off.
If you just looked inside the ropes, it was almost impossible to tell that a line of storms rolled through Friday evening, forcing play in the second round to be suspended for the handful of groups left out on the course.
There was no standing water to be found when the third round began under a cloudy sky at 9 a.m. on Saturday. All the rain seemed to do was slow down Oakmont's quicksilver greens a touch, a welcome development for the 67 players who survived the cut.
Still, with the forecast calling for the potential of more storms on Saturday, the USGA offered full refunds to anyone who'd bought a ticket but was concerned about the weather. There were also a few problem areas that were roped off. The right side of the fairway on the short uphill par-4 17th was closed. So was a crosswalk at the 16th hole.
Over on the front nine, most of which sits on the other side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, crosswalks were closed on both the fourth and fifth holes, forcing a longer walk around, though hardly a dealbreaker for the thousands who made their way across the footbridge that connects the course.
“If they were playing, we were going to be here,” said Jackson Moore as he stood near the 12th green. Moore's waterproof black boots had a few flecks of mud on them, though Moore joked he wasn't sure how much of that mud was actually new.
It helped that the weather came six days into tournament week, when most of the spectator areas had already been trampled down pretty firmly. Things were wet, but that didn't stop one woman from wearing wedge shoes as she stood behind the 13th tee.
Jim Bender and his wife, Susan, both rocked sandals while their 3-year-old son Jimmy had a pair of velcro sneakers on as they stood on mulch a few feet off the 10th green.
“We knew we had wipes in the car, so we were like, ‘So what if our feet get dirty?’” Jim Bender said.
Caitlin Jennings had black riding boots pulled over her white pants as she watched the pairing of amateur Justin Hastings and Jordan Smith putt out on the par-5 12th. Her boyfriend, Mike Clark, had on golf spikes.
Most, however, just wore sneakers of some kind. And whatever issues they had didn't seem to have anything to do with their footing or their footwear.
Nancy Ring, 51, stood looking at signage adjacent to the 10th green wondering how to get to the fan village. Not too far away, John Thomas and his brother Jeremy were trying to negotiate their way down the hill from the clubhouse to the first green.
“Here we go with the moguls again,” John, 56, said as he gingerly picked his way over the small mounds that line the space between the first and ninth fairways.
Thomas, at least, had the good sense to put on what he called “the oldest pair of shoes I have.”
“I mean, it rained and we're going to a place where there's dirt,” he said with a laugh. “The math wasn't hard.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Storms clouds hang over the grandstand overlooking the eighth green during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A fan walks through a soggy puddle near the 14th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A fan walks through a soggy puddle near the 14th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Tanzania and Tunisia secured the last two available spots in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 on Tuesday, completing the lineup before half of the groups had concluded their final games.
Tanzania's 1-1 draw with Tunisia in Group C wrecked Angola's hopes of squeezing through as one of the best third-place finishers with just two points from Group B. Angola’s goal difference was better than that of Comoros, the third-place finisher in Group A.
Feisal Salum’s equalizer for Tanzania sent the Taifa Stars through. While Tanzania and Angola both finished with two points and a goal difference of minus 1, the goal scored by Salum, who is commonly known as Fei Toto, took Tanzania's tally to three — one better than Angola's two goals.
All the other group stage survivors were decided already on Monday because of Angola and Comoros’ relatively low points total. It meant teams that already had more than two points and were already assured of at least third place in their groups could be certain of reaching the last 16.
The four best third-place teams from the six groups progress, along with the top two in each. Head-to-head results are the first determining factor if two teams finish with the same amount of points in a group.
Here's a look at which teams went through from the six groups:
Host nation Morocco progressed as the winner of Group A, followed by second-place Mali with just three points from three draws. Morocco next faces a third-place finisher from Groups C, D or E on Sunday. More importantly for the Atlas Lions, they will continue their run to the final in the almost 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will also stage the final on Jan. 18. Mali awaits Tunisia for a showdown in Casablanca on Saturday.
Seven-time champion Egypt booked its place after two games and won Group B to advance with South Africa in second, ahead of Angola. Egypt stays in Agadir and next faces a third-place finisher from Groups A, C or D on Jan. 5. South Africa faces a likely tough game against the runner-up in Group F on Sunday.
Nigeria was already sure of topping Group C before its 3-1 win over Uganda on Tuesday. The Super Eagles will remain in Fez for their first knockout game against a third-place finisher from Groups A, B or F on Jan. 5. Tunisia faces Mali in the last 16, and Tanzania progressed as the fourth-best third-place finisher.
Senegal, Congo and Benin were already sure of progressing before their final group games late Tuesday. In the end, Senegal topped the group on goal difference after its 3-0 win over Benin, while Congo finished second after a 3-0 win over Botswana. Botswana had already lost to Senegal and Benin and was certain of finishing last.
Top spot ensured Senegal stays in Tangier for its first knockout game on Saturday against a third-place finisher from Groups B, E or F. But the 2021 champion will be without suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly.
Congo next faces Algeria, and Benin – like the other surviving third-place finishers – will face one of the group winners.
Algeria is certain to win Group E before its final group games, and Burkina Faso and Sudan are certain to advance because they cannot finish below Equatorial Guinea, which lost both games against them. Algeria will play Congo, the second-place finisher from Group D, on Jan 6. in the same Rabat stadium where it has played all its games so far. On Wednesday, Sudan play Burkina Faso and Algeria plays Equatorial Guinea.
Defending champion Ivory Coast, five-time winner Cameroon, and Mozambique are assured of progress from Group F. Gabon, sure to finish last, was already eliminated before the last round of group games on Wednesday, when the order of the top three teams will be decided. Ivory Coast plays Gabon and Cameroon faces Mozambique.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
A DR Congo fans cheer prior to the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Botswana and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A DR Congo fan cheers prior to the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Botswana and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Morocco fans wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Tunisia's supporters wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Tanzania and Tunisia in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A Moroccan fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A Moroccan fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations group A soccer match between Zambia and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Senegal fans support their national team during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and DR Congo in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
