The 2023 U.S. Open teed off on Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club. Beyond all the chaos circling the game of golf, this year's event was particularly anticipated, largely due to the venue. LACC's quirky, historic, rustic, and demanding North Course — tucked away in a Beverly Hills enclave 15 minutes from Hollywood, bordering Downtown Los Angeles, Lionel Ritchie's estate, and the Playboy Mansion — is ranked as a top-20 American golf course by Golf Digest. And yet, the ultra-exclusive, canyon-based course sitting on maybe a billion-dollars worth of real estate hadn't hosted a professional golf event since … 1940.
The cleverness, inventiveness, skill, mental fortitude, boldness, and luck one needs to navigate the North Course were on full display in sunny Los Angeles. Here's everything you need to know from an electric opening round.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele make history
Across the previous 122 U.S. Opens, zero players recorded a round of 62. In 153 years of major championship golf, precisely one player (Branden Grace, 2017) pulled it off. On Thursday, within a 22-minute span, two SoCal natives, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, capped 62s.
Fowler failed to qualify for the last two U.S. Opens. Amid a resurgent 2023 campaign (six top-10s) — he easily could have taken a hefty LIV bag — Fowler bumped his ranking up to 45 and made this year's tournament.
His comeback isn't a fluke. Fowler made up for two bogeys with a tournament-record 10 birdies, including four in a row at the turn.
Driving accuracy, more so than distance, is crucial at LACC, where balls can easily roll off the misleadingly wide fairways, setting up brutal approach shots. Fowler nearly aced the test. He hit 10 of 13 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. He even turned one of his few awry tee shots — which landed in a barranca — into a birdie. Fowler also led the field in strokes gained: putting, thanks to a tweak in his grip. The last time Folwer led a field in putting in a round came at the 2019 Waste Management Open — his last PGA Tour victory, per ESPN.
“Made a lot of good swings,” said Fowler. “Been a while since I've made some mid-range putts, so it was nice to make a lot of those.
Schauffele is the best player in the world without a major (he does have seven wins, an Olympic gold medal, and five top-10s in six U.S. Opens). On Thursday, the San Diego native shot a sterling bogey-free round.
“I had a pretty good flow throughout the round,” Schauffele said. “I was looking at Rickie up on the board all day — every time I made a birdie, it just said I was still in second place. So I just felt like if he was doing it, why can't I?”
As for the other Californians: Max Homa, who set the course record with a 61 on his way to winning the 2013 Pac-12 championship, carded a noble 68. UCLA alum Patrick Cantlay — who has maybe played LACC more than anybody — posted a disappointing 72. Collin Morikawa, apparently free of back pain, shot 1-over. Former Pepperdine star Sahith Theegala, also experienced at LACC, finished at 4-over. One-time USC Trojans stud, Angeleno Justin Suh, shot 69.
Rory McIlroy
Rory was scorching from the jump. The PGA Tour's longest driver kicked off his tournament with 382-yard and 346-yard missiles on the first two holes (both birdies). He pocketed five birdies on the front nine.
Unfortunately, a whiff from the fescue on 18 set up for a bogey, though a clutch putt avoided the double. He hit the clubhouse at 5-under. Of course, with Rory, it's not about how he starts. It's all about Sunday.
Mickelson made his own history just by showing up, as he tied the U.S. Open appearance record (32). Once the golf started, the five-time runner-up — who turns 53 on Friday — initially put himself in a position to contend for the career Grand Slam, birdieing two of his first three holes. His putting was great for the entire round, even if he overall cooled off. Mickelson carded a 1-under 69.
“I thought the course was incredibly set up,” said Phil. “They moved some tees up and they had some soft pins to let us get off to a good start, but it'll play a lot harder as it goes on. I think it's such a great setup, that granted, the scores are a little bit lower with greens being receptive and so forth, but there's a lot more teeth in this course if they want to use it, and still, it's fair.”
Par. Par. Birdie. Birdie.@PhilMickelson is -2 through his first four holes. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/sck8m0EWj1
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 15, 2023
Another lefty, Brian Harman, rolled to a smooth 65. (No Southpaw has ever won this event, in case you were wondering.)
- Dustin Johnson, who has underwhelmed at the 2023 majors, was sharp all day. He finished with a 6-under 64 and ranked first in strokes gained: tee to green. His only bogey came on his final hole. Where has this guy been?
- Brooks Koepka bogeyed two of his first four holes, including two clunky short putts. But, he found a bit of a groove with consecutive birdies on the eighth, ninth, and first and grinded out a 71. The reigning PGA Champion is vying for his third U.S. Open trophy and sixth major.
- Cam Smith finished at 1-under.
- Bryson DeChambeau played with a combination of aggression and touch on his way to a nifty 67. Somewhat surprisingly, he was received warmly by the Los Angeles crowd.
As for any PGA-LIV tension in the wake of last week's announcement? Predictably, it was a non-story, as was the case at the past two majors.
“I think it’s a little more lighthearted from everyone,” said DeChambeau. “It’s been good seeing all the players just more like neutral, so it is a little bit more comfortable than before. Not as much tension, I guess you could say, which is a good thing for the game of golf. We want the fans to see us all play together all the time.”
Happy (Scottie) learned how to putt
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler entered the week leading the PGA Tour in essentially every ball-striking category, yet was 148th in strokes gained: putting.
He's trying out a new putter this week, and so far so good. Scheffler drilled impressive putts on No. 9, No. 10, No. 12, No. 15, and No. 16, all for birdies, to finish right in the mix at 3-under.
“I like competing,” Scheffler said post-round. “I like playing against the best players. I like hard golf courses. So I guess those all kind of line up with the majors.”
LACC takeaways
In the first round of its first hosting gig — and despite its unfamiliarity to most of the field — LACC played easier than any U.S. Open course, ever. The overall scoring average was about one shot lower than any previous iteration. Two other stats stick out: the field hit about 62 percent of fairways — way higher than the PGA Tour average of 58 percent. Oh, and six players shooting 65 or better is simply unheard of for a U.S. Open.
One exception: The 254-yard, par-3 11th — one of the longest par-3s in U.S. Open history — which was projected to be the most difficult hole this week. Precisely zero of the first 93 players to play the hole shot under par, according to ESPN.
More importantly, the course lived up to the hype, in terms of entertainment. The USGA may not love the low scoring — they'll adjust accordingly overnight — but Thursday produced about as popcorn-worthy of a first-round as possible. The grass should be firmer on Friday, which won't make things easier.
Notables:
- Wyndham Clark — one of my longshots to win at 85-1 — made me proud with a red-hot 64.
- Jordan Spieth, a popular pick at LACC due to his crafty short game, was simply brutal on the greens, resulting in a 72. The 2023 struggles for his good pal Justin Thomas (+3) continued.
- Sam Bennett, the reigning NCAA champ who was the only amateur to sniff contention at The Masters (T16), impressed again on the big stage. He was poised for a 65 before finishing bogey-bogey. Still, 3-under ain't bad. A star in the making (he's officially pro now).
- Tiger Woods was not on the premises, but Charlie represented the family.
Best shots
Michael Brennan, one of the 19 amateurs in the field, produced an exquisite highlight early in the morning. (Keith Mitchell nearly pulled off the same shot later.)
We got not one, but TWO aces on the 124-yard Par 3 15th. First, the Frenchman Matthieu Pavon:
Then it was Sam Burns. It's the third time in U.S. Open history that two players had aces on the same hole in the same round.
Along with No. 15, the iconic and tricky Par-4 6th is the most baffling hole on the North Course. You can carry the green distance-wise, but it's an eminently risky blind shot.
Most players opt to layup and take their chances on the approach. Not U.S. Open rookie Alejandro Del Rey. The 25-year-old, who mainly plays on the DP World Tour, went all out for the green and stuck it within three feet of the pin. He holed out for eagle. Let's see him do that again.
To steal a slogan from a classic PGA Tour ad campaign: These guys are good.
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