In 2016, Phil Mickelson arrived at Oakmont Country Club chasing the only major that eluded him. Before the tournament began, he posted about the course’s brutal rough, saying the mowers “are not cutting s–t.” Oakmont answered. Mickelson missed the cut by one shot. Nearly a decade later, the six-time major champion still respects the course’s bite.

LeBron James recently watched a Bryan Bros Golf “Major Cut @ Oakmont” episode and took to X with a confession. “Remind me to never play at Oakmont CC guys! OMG!! I would be a +100!” he wrote. Mickelson’s reply was just one painful word: “Same.”

The four-time NBA champion’s post garnered 881K views and 10K retweets. Mickelson’s single-word agreement pulled nearly 30K views of its own. Two icons from different worlds, united by one course’s reputation for cruelty.

LeBron’s golf obsession has become a recurring theme in 2025. The Lakers star has posted videos of himself swinging in pouring rain, played rounds hours before his Hall of Fame induction, and openly called the sport “a mind f—-.” His teammates have noticed. Austin Reaves recently called LeBron’s swing “a work in progress” while preferring to golf with Bronny instead. Stephen Curry welcomed him to the sport and called him “a very good project,” a playful jab wrapped in encouragement.

The NBA star now consumes golf content regularly. His engagement with the Bryan Bros episode fits the pattern. But watching Oakmont on YouTube is one thing. Playing it is another.

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Oakmont has hosted nine U.S. Opens, more than any course in America. Henry Fownes designed it with a philosophy that still haunts players: “A shot poorly played should be a shot irrevocably lost.” The greens run at 14 on the Stimpmeter. The rough sits at five inches. In 2016, only four players finished under par. Dustin Johnson won at 4-under. The cut line sat at 6-over.

Mickelson shot 74-73. He finished at 7-over, one stroke outside the weekend. That single stroke carried more weight than numbers suggest.

Phil Mickelson’s painful history at Oakmont

The 2016 miss wasn’t isolated. Mickelson also missed the cut at the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, again by a single stroke. Two tournaments at the same venue, nine years apart, same result. The margins at Oakmont are that thin.

His “Same” reply to LeBron carries that history. It’s not a joke. It’s an acknowledgment.

LeBron’s golf journey has become its own subplot in 2025. Stephen Curry recently called him “a very good project” while welcoming him to the sport, a nod to the Lakers star’s growing obsession with the game. LeBron has posted videos of himself swinging in the rain, called the sport “a mind f—-,” and now consumes YouTube golf content. His engagement with the Bryan Bros episode fits the pattern.

But Oakmont is a different conversation. The course doesn’t care about athletic pedigree. It humbled Mickelson, a man with 45 PGA Tour wins and six majors. LeBron’s “+100” estimate might be generous.

The exchange itself is small. Two posts. One word. But it lands because of what sits beneath it. Mickelson knows Oakmont’s teeth. He’s felt them twice. When LeBron jokes about the course destroying his scorecard, Mickelson doesn’t laugh it off. He agrees.

That’s respect. Not for LeBron’s golf game. For the course itself. Oakmont humbles everyone. Basketball legends. Major champions. The difference is only a matter of degree.