5 Thoughts Going Into the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club
Welcome Major Championship Golf Back to Los Angeles
It’s hard to contain the excitement I have for the 2023 U.S. Open at LACC North. This golf course is more than special.
This will be the first major played at LACC North and the first major in the Los Angeles area since the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera.
2010 Restoration Returned to George Thomas’s Design
This course is beautiful in many ways. This terrific video from “The Fried Egg” on YouTube shows the course in all its beauty. The video features comments from Gil Hanse and Geoff Shackelford who led the 2010 restoration. This is a great video to watch in preparation for this tournament.
This course features the classic George Thomas style that is also seen at Bel-Air and Riviera. All three courses feature a par-5 to start and a challenging par-4 second hole. That’s laid out and discussed by Hanse and Shackelford in this video. One astonishing part of this golf course to me is the variety that it offers. So many different elements of your game will be tested at LACC North.
Brooks Koepka Will Be A Major Factor
Brooks Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill East last month with relative ease. He entered rarefied air in capturing his fifth major championship. While Viktor Hovland battled hard and kept it close for most of Sunday at Oak Hill East, Koepka was too much to overcome.
Koepka has the rare discipline it takes to win and compete in nearly every major championship. He is both accurate and smart around the golf course. It’s a skill that a lot of elite players don’t fully possess. Another elite part of Koepka’s game is his lag putting. He hit an incredible amount of great putts last month. It’s always been a pleasure to watch a healthy Koepka compete at majors. He’ll be a BIG factor at LACC this week.
Max Homa Could Be In for a Huge Week
In 2013, Max Homa shot a 61 at LACC North. Homa was still playing in college for UC Berkeley. His home-state performances in California speak for themselves. In his career on the PGA Tour, he has six wins with four of those coming in the state of California.
Genesis Invitational (2021) (Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, CA) (George Thomas design)
Fortinet Championship (2021 & 2022) (Silverado Country Club North, Napa County, CA)
Farmers Insurance Open (2023) (Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, CA)
The expectations for Homa this week are high. This is a fantastic time to announce himself to the world as a legitimate threat in major championships. He’s struggled throughout his career in majors. His best finish came at Southern Hills in the 2022 PGA Championship (T13). It’s time for Homa to show up and show out at a major championship.
A Few Players That Aren’t Getting Enough Attention
The three players that stick out for me: Tyrell Hatton, Hideki Matsuyama, and Rickie Fowler.
Hatton has been playing terrific golf over the past two months. He finished tied for third last week at the RBC Canadian Open. On top of that, he has had five straight top-20 finishes since mid-April.
He doesn’t have a good history at the U.S. Open with his best finish coming at Pebble Beach in 2019 (T21). However, I’ll trust Hatton this week with his current form.
Matsuyama has a really good track record at the U.S. Open. He’s also one of the best long-iron players out there, which will matter a lot this week.
2013 U.S. Open (Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA) - T10
2014 U.S. Open (Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC) - T35
2015 U.S. Open (Chambers Bay, University Place, WA) - T18
2017 U.S. Open (Erin Hills, Erin, WI) - T2
2018 U.S. Open (Shinnecock Hills, Shinnecock, NY) - T16
2019 U.S. Open (Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, CA) - T21
2020 U.S. Open (Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, NY) - T17
2021 U.S. Open (Torrey Pines, San Diego, CA) - T26
2022 U.S. Open (The Country Club, Brookline, MA) - 4th
His form has been coming back around after a couple of missed cuts in late February into early March. He hasn’t won a U.S. Open yet, but his record speaks for itself. I expect a solid week for Matsuyama.
Fowler has been knocking on the door of winning a golf tournament for quite some time now. Since the Fortinet Championship in September 2022, Fowler has 12 finishes inside the top 20. I’m not ready to trust him to win a major, but I think he’ll have a solid week at LACC. He has one major start this season and missed the cut (2023 PGA). Gimme Fowler to have a solid week.
The Excitement for a LACC North U.S. Open is Palpable
I’m super excited to watch this tournament. This is a proper test for the best golfers in the world. The course is beautiful. The setting within the city of Los Angeles is immaculate. Everything about is the type of golf that I love. Shoutout to Hanse and Shackelford for restoring this course. It’s going to be a fun tournament.
Here are a couple of links to check out before the tournament begins:
A great video at LACC North from the guys at No Laying Up….
Let’s have a WEEK at the beautiful LACC North.