The Rundown: 2023 US Open
After weeks of anticipation and something about a 'merger' making headlines last week, the year's third major is finally upon us. A field of 156 of the best golfers on the planet, (as well as college kids and this one-handed chipper) have arrived in the City of Angels for America's national championship.
Los Angeles Country Club has never been seen on this big a stage, but the famed venue looks ready to provide a unique test as compared to the typical US Open setup. Much of the pre-tournament talk this week will be about the groundbreaking and divisive deal reached between the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf, but in this column, it's all business baby.
Here's everything you need to know about LACC and some notes to keep in mind when making your bets for the 2023 US Open.
course notes & quotes
Golf's toughest test is back in Los Angeles for the first time in 75 years with a fresh addition to the rich history of the US Open.
Designed by George C. Thomas in 1927 with a dramatic restoration by Gil Hanse and Geoff Shackelford in 2010, the North Course at LACC makes for such a special venue in part because of how little we've seen of it. The USGA has a habit of returning to the same six courses, (looking at you Pinehurst), but this marks LACC's first crack at the US Open. We've actually only seen the restored version of the North Course once before when it hosted the 2017 Walker Cup won by the United States.
Characterized by severely sloping fairways and greens, elevation changes and native SoCal flora, LACC is a unique change of pace from the long, tight and straight layouts we're used to seeing from US Opens.
"The big thing at LACC is around the greens," defending US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick said. "It looks like you can’t miss them. I think it’s going to be really difficult to make up-and-downs. It definitely strikes me as a US Open-style course. You’ve got to be really strong tee to green."
Grueling Greens
“The big thing at LACC is around the greens. It looks like you can’t miss them. I think it’s going to be really difficult to make up-and-downs.”
— 2022 US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick
The North Course is a 7,421-yard par-70 with bentgrass greens which, in true USGA fashion, will roll a blistering 13 on the stimp meter. Unusual for a West Coast course, the fairways and rough are bermuda grass, with the thick stuff grown somewhere between three and four inches. One of the most eye-catching calling cards of Thomas' original design is the 'chewed-edge' bunkers flanked with a combination of rough that is the thickest on the course. Players will be praying for errant shots to make their way into the sand rather than hang up on these gnarly edges.
Weeks of dry weather and no forecasted rain should see the North Course play shorter than the number on the card, but the fast fairways are both a blessing and a curse with rugged, natural hazards awaiting tee shots that run through the short grass. While there is no water for these players to contend with, a dry barranca filled with dirt, sand, trees and native shrubbery winds throughout the property. Inside the hazard, everything from an unplayable to a perfect lie is possible, and players better hope they catch a break.
While LACC does present a drastically different look than classic US Open venues like Winged Foot or Oakmont, the USGA only picks courses that provide a complete test. Early predictions suggest a slightly easier setup with a winning score potentially in the high single digits, but expect the world's best to rise to the occasion as is often the case in golf's major championships.
Course Insights
Only a handful of players in this week's field took part in the 2017 Walker Cup when we last saw LACC up close. Among the strong performers that week were Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler. But like most of the 156-man field in LA this week, this is likely the first time bettors have laid eyes on this Hollywood gem. With that in mind, here are some stats and insights based on what little we do know about the North Course at LACC.
Off the Tee
Thompson's design demands perhaps the widest variety of tee shots of any major championship venue. As a result, it's difficult to say if one style will have an advantage over the other. Bombers can try their luck on the drivable par-4 6th, and they'll have the advantage on the monstrous 623-yard par-5 14th. But accuracy off the tee is also at a premium with severe slopes in the fairways funneling away any tee shots not hit to the correct landing spot. Throw in a pair of par 3s at over 280 yards and the 15th which can play under 100, and you've got an all-around challenge off the tee.
Approach
The greens at LACC's North Course are instantly recognizable by their unique shapes, several of which, like the par-5 8th, feature incredibly small putting surfaces. As hard as it will be to hit some of these greens, players must try to hit them in the right spots to manage the severe back-to-front slopes that are present on most of the holes. Similar to Augusta National, there's hardly a flat lie to be found even in the fairways, so players who can be aggressive on approach from these slopes will have an advantage.
Around the Green
After a scouting trip earlier this year, Adam Scott described the greens at LACC as 'the main defense' of the golf course, and for good reason. Reminiscent of another Hanse restoration, Southern Hills, LACC features a mix of thick greenside rough as well as tightly mown and sloping edges that will quickly carry away errant approaches and require players to pick chips and pitches off of tight lies. Then there are the dramatic greenside bunkers which have extremely thick rough reaching out over the face between them and the putting surface. Once on the green, players will have to navigate lighting-quick greens that the USGA will have complete control over given the dry weather. We typically think of US Opens as being a ball-striking-dominant challenge, but finesse around the greens will be equally important at LACC.
Betting picks & plays
After cashing a Brooks Koepka ticket at Oak Hill, we're coming for the second leg of the Grand Slam at LACC this week. I like to diversify the card at major championships with several outrights, T10s, T20s and matchups that I just don't have room for in the column, so drop me a follow on Twitter to see the full slate as the week progresses. As always, be sure to check out the Tour Junkies Blog throughout the week for more picks and insight from the rest of the gang, including the 'Let's Go Juicin' column, where our guy Vince 'Money' Marge hit a huge cross-sport parlay with Koepka at the PGA. With that said, here are a few notable names and numbers that I like this week.
Max Homa (+3000, T10: 280, T:20: +125)
Three months ago, Homa was the chalkiest of all chalk picks to win at LACC. The California native was coming off an unreal start to 2023 with six top 10s in seven starts, including a win at Torrey Pines and a runner-up at Riviera. He was, for a brief time, the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 US Open. Two MCs sandwiched between poor showings in the year's first two majors has the Homa train losing steam, but now is the time to hop back on. Homa posted two top 10s in May at the Wells Fargo and Charles Schwab, the latter of which was his most recent start, so nobody is coming in more rested than him. And, as we all know by now but will be constantly reminded on the broadcast this week, Homa holds the course record at LACC. Do with that what you will.
Tyrell Hatton (+3000, T10: +280,T20: +125)
To keep things interesting, I'm limiting the column plays to 30/1 or higher, and there's nobody at that number or better that I like more than Hatton. It's been a career year so far for the Englishman who is coming off a stretch of six-consecutive finishes of T19 or better with three top fives, including a T3 last week at the RBC Canadian Open. He has the all-around game required at LACC, ranking third on TOUR in SG: Total far this year behind only Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, both of whom are <10/1 favorites. Last year's US Open saw a fellow Brit breakthrough for his first major, and I don't see why Hatton can't do the same this week.
Justin Rose (+3500, T10: +320, T20: +140)
I'm running out of things I haven't already said about Justin Rose in the column this year. I've backed him time and again for T10s and T20s, and I'm gonna run this play until he stops me. His eighth-place finish in Canada was his fifth straight of T25 or better, and like other big names such as Jason Day and Rickie Fowler, Rosie is enjoying a career resurgence in 2023. He has a proven track record in 'Golf's Toughest Test' with four-career top 10s in US Opens, including his only major victory at Merion in 2013. With the fairways and greens at LACC drawing comparisons to Augusta, it's also worth remembering his excellent track record at the Masters: 12 top 25s in 15 trips including five top 10s.
Rickie Fowler (+5500, T10: +450, T20: +190)
Another mainstay in the column so far this year, the numbers, odds and otherwise, are just too good not to take a nibble at Rickie this week. He ranks 10th in DataGolf's True SG: Total rankings, and yet has the 25th-best odds this week per DraftKings. His only major showing this year was not a good one, (MC on the number at Oak Hill) but the PGA was the first event since August of 2022 that Fowler lost strokes both putting and on approach, something I don't expect to happen at LACC. The North Course features an unusual five par-3s, so it's also worth noting that Fowler is 3rd on TOUR in Par 3 scoring at an average of 2.96.
Meet the Author:
Nate Moore
A Georgia native, proud UGA alum and former media guy for Augusta National, the only thing Nate Moore loves more than the Peach State is a Top-20 parlay. Nate is a golf-obsessed sportswriter/journalist who brings his experience in the golf industry to the Tour Junkies brand.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.