At this point, it’s an annual tradition. Each and every June, the golf world anxiously awaits its first look at the US Open rough. We put out cookies and milk, we hang our stockings with care and we go to bed knowing that in the morning, Rough Santa will have some absolutely nasty lettuce waiting for us beneath the tree.
This year, however, has been a little different. The US Open is heading to La La Land, where the only thing that’s been gnarly are the waves, brah. Rumours are swirling that the LACC rough has been slow to grow thanks to a cool spring and that the USGA is freaking out. Some have questioned whether or not the world’s best might go low this weekend in Beverly Hills. If these initial looks at the LACC salad are any indication, however, the sadists among us can rest easy.
Giving the people what they want.
Cheers to the unofficial start of #USOpen week! pic.twitter.com/r3zLWG0Ou7
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 11, 2023
https://twitter.com/PGAPappas/status/1667940120790552579
To paraphrase an already badly paraphrased quote by the great Mark Twain, the rumours of the US Open’s death have been greatly exaggerated. What we’re seeing is probably largely what the USGA wants us to see, but the message is simple: there’s rough. There’s rough off the tee. There’s rough around the greens. There’s rough coming out of your ears and eyes. Is it “Abandon Hope All Ye’ Who Enter Here” levels? Not quite, but it looks like a stern test and that is exactly the point.
Of course we don’t know what the rough on the rest of the course looks like. We’ve only seen snippets of the 570-metre (623-yard), par-5 14th and one unspecified green, but if you’re a carnage-aholic, this should still make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
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