Thursday At The U.S. Open: Two 62's In A Major
Thursday At The U.S. Open: Two 62's In A Major
Southern Californians Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele break the U.S. Open record and lead on a stunning day of scoring at Los Angeles Country Club.
Well that escalated quickly.
We knew L.A. North might be gettable under the moisture-sticking marine layer.
But two 62’s and two 64’s gettable? 😱
Before the USGA can even cut Friday’s cups, the masochists and par protectors will be calling for John Bodenhamer’s Stimpmeter. His LACC honorary membership prospects may be more precarious, but Thursday had been primed for low scoring given the combo platter of factors: a wet and grey spring, the USGA’s desire to ease players into the week—notably on a golf course that they’ve never set up for a major—and a pragmatic need to finish the round.
Hey, that reminds me. Good news! Pace of play was amazing.
Then again when the field averaged 71.390 and 55 post par 70 or better, they should not take more than five hours.
Leading the red numberfest were new record holders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele. They posted 62’s within twenty minutes of each other, each penciling in 10 birdies to set a new record for the most ever in any U.S. Open round. (Justin Thomas made 9 birdies and one eagle in the 2017 U.S. Open final round).
Schauffele confirmed that course conditions helped his cause.
“I'd say the sun didn't come out and it was misting this morning, so I'd say the greens held a little bit more moisture than anticipated for myself at least,” said Xander Schauffele, one of the two to break the record and become one of only three to shoot that score in a major. “I think it made the greens sort of that more holeable speed almost, and then coming into greens you're able to pull some wedges back. And then the fairways are a little bit softer, too, because of that sort of overcast, and without the sun out it's not drying out much.”
There’s a newsflash from Century City.
Some cynics might not believe this, but low scores on a dry, difficult course like L.A. North pay a compliment to the architecture. Sometimes a course punches back too much, sometimes the players punch back more. Finding that middle ground can be tricky when the designer in question pledged to reward risk taking. Like it or not, the George Thomas design functioned as it should under the attack of elites who are armed with too much firepower in benign conditions.
Even in its limited history, Los Angeles Country Club is no stranger to low, outlier rounds. Max Homa opened the 2013 Pac 12 Championships with a 61, four clear of the next best score. Lawson Little posted a final round 65 in the 1940 Los Angeles Open here, ten strokes better than the average that day.
Still, in 66,000 plus major rounds only one previous 62 had been posted and we saw two on Thursday. But at least we now have a definitive recipe for low U.S. Open scores!
156 players in peak summer form.
18 groomed fairways offering a respectful 43-yard average width to ensure things do not turn silly if the ball is running.
18 Pure Distinction bent grass greens free of the golf professional’s kryptonite, a.k.a. poa annua.
18 magnificent holes designed to reward good play.
Comfortable, humid conditions with grey skies taking away shadows while keeping moisture in the greens.
No wind.
Decent pace of play by modern standards.
Bags full of launch monitor tweaked clubs featuring only the freshest grooves, fine-tuned wedge bounces, and driver clubface dynamics likely skirting the current testing parameters.
None of that is to in any way demean the stellar play. But the numbers are both staggering and a little shocking for a U.S. Open.