The third major of the year is set to begin Thursday, as the U.S. Open heads to Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania—a course that many golfers, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, have called one of the toughest on the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlroy’s reconnaissance mission to Oakmont Country Club last week didn’t go so well.At least it gave the Masters champion a sense for what is in store when the U.S. Open begins on Thursday, even if he believes some of the conditions he faced in a practice round were more severe than he will see during the tournament.

I didn’t even feel like I was playing that bad,” McIlroy exclaimed, to a bit of a gasp from the media members in attendance, during his Tuesday press conference ahead of this week's U.S. Open. McIlroy admitted that the course felt “impossible” with such firm greens and harsh pins—he played as part of an outing hosted by Oakmont member Stan Drukenmiller—but is pleased with the rain making everything a bit softer.