Los Angeles Country Club has been hosting history this week at the 2023 US Open. The lowest 18-hole score, the lowest nine-hole score, and now in the third round, the shortest hole in US Open history.
LACC’s par-3 15th hole shrunk by more than a third compared to its first round distance earlier in the week. It was 113 metres (124 yards) in round one, but just a paltry 74 metres (81 yards) today. A change possible both because the tees were moved way up, of course, but also the hole location.
The pin was placed as far forward and to the right of the green as feasibly possible. It leaves players with no more than five paces to work with around the pin. That’s only about 16 square metres of precious Los Angeles real estate which, in case you were wondering, would go for about $A730,000, using the house on LACC’s 15th hole as a price-per-square-metre barometer.
But anyway, back to golf.
As far as exact numbers pros were looking at on Saturday:
- 87 metres to the middle of the green
- 68 metres to cover the front edge
- 74 metres to the pin
Short though the hole may be, US Open players aren’t dummies.
The average proximity to the hole from shots of this range is about 18 feet. Take dead aim at this pin, and you’re looking at an area which brings into play both bunkers and the gnarly rough surrounding them.
“If I hit 10 balls at that pin, I would probably hit the green once. I’m not going to take that on,” Shane Lowry said. “At the start of the week I said, ‘I’m going to aim for the middle of the green and try to spin it back to 20 or 30 feet.’ I hit a great shot and hit it to 25 feet, so I was pretty happy with myself.”
Lowry was in the overwhelming majority of players adopting that strategy in the third round.
Lowry said he played it 87 metres, and aimed at a protruding piece of rough on the back of the green. He was in the overwhelming majority of players adopting that strategy today. In doing so, players shifted their dispersion patterns up and to the left, which almost removed all of the bunker danger. Only a truly terrible shot would find the sand, and most would find the friendly slope on the green.
It was clearly the correct play. But standing on the 15th tee, feeling pretty sure I could throw a ball onto the putting surface, I found myself wondering why pros wouldn’t be tempted into trying. So, after he was finished explaining the ins-and-outs of the smart play, I asked Lowry about the stupid one.
You’re one of the best wedge players on the planet. Weren’t you tempted to just fire straight at the pin?
“At this level you just need to be very disciplined in your decisions,” Lowry said. “Especially because I was playing OK. If I was three or four-over par for the round maybe I would’ve tried to do something.”
