Saturday At The 123rd U.S. Open
Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler are tied, Rory McIlroy sits one back and Scottie Scheffler is within three at LACC. Plus, the 15th hole, crowd vibe concerns and Sunday weather, holes and tee times.
EXT. RUSTIC GOLDEN AGE DESIGN ON THE EDGE OF HOLLYWOOD.
Collection of talented players assemble atop U.S. Open leaderboard as sweeping drone shots show a golf course in the L.A. equivalent of Central Park.
INT. ANNOUNCER (sounds like Dan Hicks if we can afford him)
Paul Azinger, could we have scripted this much better? A southern California kid rejected last year as first alternate tied for the lead with one of the Tour’s best players over the last two months? One who lost the mother that started him golf to breast cancer when she was 55 and who stormed to an 18th hole birdie in darkness to set up a repeat of their final round pairing? All as Rory McIlroy lurks a stroke back after seizing on a huge break at the 14th, while Scottie Scheffler trails by three following a stunning 17th hole eagle and 18th hole birdie?
PAUL
It’s almost like we’re in the heart of Hollywood and some screenwriter crafted a dreamy final round scenario.
DAN (nodding)
Well Paul, it should be a grand meeting of sand and stars. We can’t wait to bring it to you! The excitement here is palpable, so much so we need to take the first of 432 breaks. We’ll be back from THE LACC.
Hooray for Hollywood! Or will it they be covering up an L Monday for Holywood, Northern Ireland? We sure hope to know some time Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club, where the stage is set for a U.S. Open thriller after increased difficulty finally broke out under breezes that highlighted how quickly the North Course could turn tricky.
Despite all the premature whinging from the Par Protection Society of West Los Angeles wanting the USGA to inflict pain on players 24/7, Saturday’s third round played under welcomed morning sun. Breezes peaked mid-afternoon only to be replaced by the pesky marine layer that turned the idyllic mid-city setting darker-than-preferred.
“It's a little ridiculous that we teed off that late,” Wyndham Clark said of his 3:40 tee time with Fowler. “I would say right around hole 15 or 16 it started getting to where you couldn't see that well. I don't personally understand why we teed off -- we played twilight golf.
“At the end, it was -- the last two holes I 100 percent think my bogey on 17 was because I couldn't see, and I think Rickie's bogey on 18 was because he couldn't see. I'd like to see us go off an hour and a half, two hours earlier. If we had a playoff tomorrow we wouldn't even be able to play the playoff tomorrow because it was so dark.”
Oh, the P-word. Did he say that?
FYI if there is one, they’ll be playing the first and 18th holes. If tied after that aggregate duo, well, let’s not go there given that it will have this U.S. Open spilling into Monday.
“I'm not trying to make an excuse,” Clark continued. “But it definitely was a challenge.”
With the 156 player cut down to the 65 best, the third round scoring average was a modest 71.850. That’s just down from round two’s 72.230 but higher than round one’s stunning birdie barrage which no doubt kept the conversation lively in the LACC member pavilion off the 10th green.
Mercifully, cries for heads to roll should subside now that Sunday leaders Clark and Fowler will tee off at 2:30 p.m. PT, with Rory McIlroy one back and Scottie Scheffler three behind in the penultimate group.
Saturday’s crispier conditions left us with 19 players in red numbers. A healthy and architecture-reaffirming 20 strokes separate the leaders from the DFL’s Ryo Ishikawa (who will get an 8:23 tee time with a marker likely to again be L.A. Country Club director of golf Tom Gardner.)
At the top, five players are within five of the co-lead. Barring some sort of freakish early v. late weather extreme, we’re looking at a select number with the chance to become part of Hollywood lore.
15th Hole Goes Short And Players Play Safe
The wee 15th held its own Saturday as players tip-toed around the 81-yarder that had been widely anticipated. I went out to watch the final preparations and the USGA team wisely erred on the side of less dangerous. Given bright, sunny conditions from the start of the day and winds picking up earlier than forecast, they made the right call.
No one needs to see L.A. North become the west coast verb—with all due love and respect for the grand Shinnecock Hills.
Early on, the 15th hole placement seemed a tad dull. But as the conditions singed the green, things turned crispy enough to capture the front hole location’s precarious dynamics. Unlike the match play Walker Cup where match status influenced lines of attack, a stroke play U.S. Open meant players had to manage their card carefully.
Just two players saw their tee shots finish below the hole all day: Yuto Katsuragawa and Hideki Matsuyama, according to the on-site rules official Bob Livingstone who saw all groups come through.
The greatest 15th calamity went to Brooks Koepka, who four-putted from 73’9” for the only double bogey Saturday.
The 15th ranked 15th with a 2.920 average, producing 11 birdies, 49 pars, 4 bogeys and 1 double.
Despite the field getting reduced to the best 65 players, the 81-yard setup led to the worst tee shot hole proximity of the week at 15.
The field averaged 25’01 Saturday after 19’07 and 17’11” in the first two rounds.
Sunday? Expect the hole to play about 135 to 140 yards to the back right hole location (see later in this email). With the prevailing breeze off the left it’s my second favorite pin on the green. There will be birdies!