The Country's Most Devilish Golf Course

I'm standing at the bottom of Big Mouth, the nickname for the 15-ft.-deep bunker beside the 17th green at the Oakmont Country Club. It's swallowing me whole--I jump off the sand just to peek at the pin. Soon, the U.S. Open will descend on this storied Pittsburgh, Pa.--area course for a record eighth time. But today I'm the entertainment. A couple of caddies encourage me to swing my sand wedge and lift the ball over the mountain in front of me. I take my hardest hack; the ball knocks against Big Mouth's lip and scurries back to my feet. I take...