Seven Australians will tee up at the 2023 US Open as Los Angeles Country Club pulls back the curtain on one of America’s most exclusive and lavish golf clubs.
ABOUT LACC
LA Country Club has never hosted a major championship. The uber-private club, famous for the Playboy Mansion sitting beside the 14th tee, will welcome the world’s best golfers for the first major played in LA since the 1995 US Open at nearby Riviera Country Club. The last US Open held in LA was in 1948, also at Riviera CC. Since Gil Hanse’s renovation, the only big event played there was the 2017 Walker Cup, which included a powerhouse US team of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Will Zalatoris.
LACC is distinctly Hollywood, with singer Lion Ritchie’s house located off the par-3 fourth. Richard Nixon, Bing Crosby, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, James Stewart and Fred Astaire were all LACC members.
The club has strict rules. It still does not permit the wearing of shorts, notwithstanding weather data that shows monthly average high temperatures in the 20C-26C in eight consecutive months, April through November, in Beverly Hills. And its restrictions on mobile phones are borderline draconian (“the discrete use of cellular phones in silent mode only” and “photographs may be taken on cameras, not cell phones or tablets”). Members and guests are forbidden from sharing any part of their experience at LACC on social media.
Those rules, of course, will not apply to US Open spectators, who can don shorts and take all the pictures they want with their phones. Yet, expect this to look and feel very much like the most “boutique” of the smaller Opens at similarly confined sites such as Merion and The Country Club. The 22,000 tickets distributed each day will be the fewest in the modern history of the championship, and thanks to LACC’s verve for selling corporate hospitality (the footprint being the largest in the event’s 123-year history), approximately 14,000 fans will have access to the cushy confines of those venues—meaning there will be only about 8,000 of those from the “general public” to roam the grounds.
What’s happening with the Australians?
Cameron Smith leads the Australian contingent, having earned his best finish at the PGA Championship when he tied ninth at Oak Hill in New York last month. With an “Aussie feel” to LACC, the reigning British Open champion is liking his chances at this US Open. A good result would reverse a trend for Smith at the US Open, having struggled for results since sharing fourth on debut in 2015.
Recent form also has Smith licking his lips. Along with the PGA Championship top 10, Smith has recorded four straight top-10s on his LIV Golf tour coming into the US Open, including a playoff loss to Dustin Johnson in Tulsa.
“The last six or seven weeks the game has started to feel like it’s really flipped a switch and has started to be in the right direction,” he said at LACC. “These couple of weeks have been nice, though. I think it was kind of a really busy, stressful time traveling a lot, as well, different continents and stuff like that. Two weeks at home, rest the body and rest the mind was really nice.”
LACC is a quirky course with five par 3s and three par 5s. One of those par 3s, the seventh, will play almost 280 yards while the signature par-3 11th will play almost 300 yards on some of the tournament days from the back tees.
It also has a Melbourne Sandbelt feel with generous tee shots, but thoughtful and testing approach shots to greens that have severe runoff areas. Smith likes what he sees.
“I’d like to think that I play my best golf around kind of tough golf courses,” said Smith, whose best finish since 2015 is a share of 38th at Winged Foot in 2020.
“I expect it will get really firm and fast, and you might have to be a little bit creative from the fairways to get to some pins. Just be really accurate with your landing distances and knowing how far the ball is running out. For me, the driver has always been the one club where it gets me in trouble in the US Open and probably the US PGA.”
Smith will play alongside defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick and reigning US Amateur champion Sam Bennett in the first two rounds and will commence his first round at 6.32am Friday morning AEST.
Scott is coming off a tie for ninth at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio and a top-30 at the PGA Championship. He spent last week in LA preparing at LACC and will tee up with 2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland and Canadian Corey Conners.
Lucas Herbert and Jason Day come in with similar form, having missed their past two cuts after recording victories. Day broke a five-year win drought on the PGA Tour in Texas while Herbert notched a DP World Tour win in Japan earlier this year.
Rounding out the Australian contingent is Cam Davis, Min Woo Lee, and amateur Karl Vilips, who qualified through 36-hole finals for the US Open. Vilips plays out of Stanford University, Tiger Woods’ old college, and this week has Day’s former caddie, Col Swatton, on the bag.
WHERE CAN I WATCH IT?
Live TV coverage AEST
All programming on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports
Wednesday
9am Live From The US Open
Thursday
9am Live From The US Open
11.40pm-5am Round 1 Featured Groups
Friday
5am-1pm Round 1
1pm-3pm Live From The US Open
11.40pm-5am Round 2 Featured Groups
Saturday
5am-1pm Round 2
1pm-3pm Live From The US Open
Sunday
12am-5am Round 3 Featured Groups
5am-1pm Round 3
1pm-3pm Live From The US Open
Monday
12am-4am Round 3 Featured Groups
4am-12pm Round 4
12pm-2pm Live From The US Open
WHAT ARE THE AUSSIE TEE TIMES?
Round 1 tee times AEST
12.07am* Lucas Herbert, Scott Stallings, Preston Summerhays (a)
1.02am Adam Scott, Gary Woodland, Corey Conners
1.02am* Jason Day, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
1.35am Ryan Fox (NZ), Matthew McClean (a), Seamus Power
6.21am Cam Davis, Kurt Kitayama, Russell Henley
6.32am Cameron Smith, Sam Bennett, Matt Fitzpatrick
6.54am* Min Woo Lee, Davis Thompson, Justin Suh
7.16am Karl Vilips (a), Olin Browne Jr, David Puig
FORM OF THE AUSTRALIANS
Cameron Smith
World ranking: 9
Age: 29
Major wins: 1 (2022 Open Championship)
PGA Tour wins: 6
Best finish at the US Open: T4 in 2015
Best finish in 2023: 2nd at LIV Golf Tulsa
How he qualified: Winner of 2022 Open Championship
The expectation: With his Open defence on the horizon, Smith stormed home with a record-equalling final round to finish tied for ninth at the US PGA Championship. Shot 9-under in the final round at LIV Golf Tulsa to force a playoff with Dustin Johnson that Johnson ultimately won. The creativity necessary around the greens at LA Country Club should play to Smith’s strength as he chases a second major championship.
Jason Day
World ranking: 23
Age: 35
Major wins: 1 (2015 US PGA)
PGA Tour wins: 13
Best finish at the US Open: T2 in 2011, 2013
Best finish in 2023: Won AT&T Byron Nelson
How he qualified: Top 60 points leaders in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 22, 2023
The expectation: Won his 13th PGA TOUR title the week before the PGA Championship which perhaps impacted his preparation for the brutal test that was Oakmont. Just missed the cut there and at Memorial but has been without doubt one of the form players of 2023 and has a history of contending in US Opens. Fresh, fit and ready to fire.
Adam Scott
World ranking: 37
Age: 42
Major wins: 1 (2013 Masters)
PGA Tour wins: 14
Best finish at the US Open: T4 in 2015
Best finish in 2023: T5 at Wells Fargo Championship (PGA TOUR)|
How he qualified: Those players who qualified and were eligible for the 2022 season-ending Tour Championship
The expectation: Somewhat slow out of the blocks to start 2023, Scott has logged top-10 finishes in three of his past four starts ahead of his 22nd US Open appearance. Although perhaps not his favoured major with regards to suitability, a switch to a TaylorMade Stealth driver in recent months has him ranked tied for 14th in Driving Distance and tied for 15th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. A good driving week will be key in improving on his US Open record (three top-10s) in what is his 88th straight start in a major.
Cam Davis
World ranking: 53
Age: 28
Major wins: 0
PGA Tour wins: 1
Best finish at US Open: First appearance
Best finish in 2023: T4 US PGA Championship
How he qualified: Top 60 points leaders in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 22, 2023
Expectation: Delivered by far his best performance in a major championship with a tie for fourth at the US PGA Championship at Oakmont last month. Given he was also tied for sixth at THE PLAYERS Championship in March, is showing growing confidence at the game’s highest level. No reason to expect he can’t feature deep into the weekend once again.
Lucas Herbert
World ranking: 55
Age: 27
Major wins: 0
PGA Tour wins: 1
Best finish at the US Open: T31 in 2020
Best finish in 2023: Won ISPS HANDA Championship (DP World Tour)
How he qualified: Top 60 points leaders in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 22, 2023
The expectation: Given his US Open record (3 starts, 2 MCs) and the roller-coaster nature of his season to date, it is hard to know what to expect from the mercurial Victorian. His status as one of the best putters on the planet means that if he can marry up his ball-striking for four days, he will put himself in the mix going into championship Sunday.
Min Woo Lee
World ranking: 65
Age: 24
Major wins: 0
PGA Tour wins: 0
Best finish at the US Open: T27 in 2022
Best finish in 2023: T2 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (DP World Tour)
How he qualified: The top player on the 2023 Race to Dubai Rankings as of May 22, 2023, who is not otherwise exempt
The expectation: Followed up his breakout performance in the US at THE PLAYERS Championship with another strong showing at the PGA Championship. Tied for 10th entering the final round, Lee lost ground in Round 4 yet his tie for 18th was his second top-20 finish in a major championship. Was tied for 40th in his only start since at the Charles Schwab Challenge so should arrive at LA Country Club feeling confident and mentally fresh.
Karl Vilips (a)
World amateur ranking: 63
Age: 21
Major wins: 0
PGA Tour wins: 0
Best finish at the US Open: First appearance
Best finish in 2023: 5th at The Prestige (College)
How he qualified: Shot 68-70 in Final Qualifying at Woodmont Country Club
The expectation: Not only is Vilips making his major championship debut but it is his first start on any major men’s world tour. Hailing from Perth, Vilips was a standout junior who enjoyed success on the world stage, including two US Kids World Championship wins and two Callaway Junior Worlds titles. That led to offers from US high schools where he continued his junior success and was offered a spot on the Stanford University Golf program. A two-time junior Presidents Cup representative, Vilips goes by the Instagram handle of ‘Koala Karl’ and won gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics. This week represents another step towards his ultimate destiny as a professional golfer.
Australian winners of the US Open
David Graham (1981, Merion)
Geoff Ogilvy (2006, Winged Foot)
-Additional reporting, Tony Webeck via Australian Golf Media
