Scheffler, Morikawa, and McIntyre all played the 2017 Walker Cup there 2017 US Walker Cup Team, and a few others might still qualify, but I like that we basically have a brand new venue where the “course knowledge and experience” factor is leveled out vs Augusta for example.
I have a feeling there will be a few sleepers that drive it straight and stay out of trouble that squeeze out a Top 10/15. Anyone else have someone in form they like on a tight US Open layout?
I believe Hatton is undervalued right now given his overall pedigree and recent form. I’ve seen 55-1 and 60-1 prices out there, which is honestly an insult to the #6 ranked DG player. If he has a good weekend this weekend and/or a strong Canadian Open, those numbers are gone.
Hatton quietly has three T15’s in the last 5 majors. His run up here reminds me a little bit of 2022 Fitzpatrick.
Excellent points @trmooney8, I feel like Hatton has been knocking on the door for a while now, and playing very consistently in the majors and other top tournaments. I also agree those odds can only go down if he finishes well this weekend or next, very tempting to lock in early.
Max Homa shot a 61 @ Pac 12 Championships at LACC in 2013 to win.
Riviera CC is another George Thomas Jr course and similar design to LACC.
Past winners like DJ, Max, Rahm, Adam Scott will be good fits.
Accurate long iron players will excel.
I think greens will be firm. I dont know that the place will really favor one kind of guy too heavily. I think it is a place where it helps to do everything well, but being a great driver and iron player seem to be the most important.
Agreed, ball striking will be a premium with the rough the way it always is at the U.S. Open. Avoiding double bogeys, and being aggressive on holes that have safer pins will be key.
Augusta, Kiaweh, Kapalua, and Whistling Straights? It’s still 7400 yards on a par 70. Distance is going to be a huge advantage with wide fairways. I’m targeting long guys and +200 yards SG guys.
I agree, I don’t think LACC will play like a typical US Open course (Winged Foot, Brookline, Oakmont, etc.). It’s a long course and has three par 5s. From the flyovers it looks to have wide fairways with lots of slope. It looks like the USGA will be able to tuck pins into some small sections of those greens surrounded by bunkers.
I think it might play a little more similar to Augusta than a typical US Open with the wide fairways, having to hit irons from uneven lies to small sections on the green, three par 5s for the bigger hitters to take advantage of, and chipping from tightly mown areas.
Yup., stills seems like US open to me with those ridiculous rough. I’m not sad to have Bryson on the early @100/1. I’m also going Cam Davies at well over 300/1 on betfair. And like I said, I like how Straka looks this season. Probably gonna add Kitayama also.
Bryson and Wyndam. Wyndam somehow still 100/1 some places. And I’m serious about Schenk 500/1 some places is insane for his form, ball speed and putting.
Everyone keeps talking about how the fairways are so much wider at this course than typical U.S. Open courses, but look at this video. Everything slope so much that if you’re not in the perfect position, it could roll into the rough or roll to a very poor angle to the flag. https://twitter.com/pgatour/status/1668716273990246400?s=46&t=PEtrvPRljQ8gJGGWoZ2IgQ
This is a good point, and something that sometimes gets lost in the noise when the woke golf course architecture people complain about narrow fairways with rough, and go on and on about how wide fairways are better.
To me, wide fairways enhance the test when their wideness allows the ball to travel farther away from where the player wants the ball, hopefully to somewhere bad, probably because of a severe slope.
If fairways are uniformly wide and flat I just don’t get the argument that it is a better test of skill.
But yes, lots of slope this week-- should be epic!