Tag: LACC

Lynch: Rickie Fowler had reason to pout, but didn’t. That attitude is why he’s back

During his struggles, Fowler remained professional and courteous. He put his head down and kept grinding.

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LOS ANGELES — More than any championship in golf, the U.S. Open makes competitors acutely aware of how little separates yesterday’s pigeon from today’s statue. Witness Brooks Koepka. He won the PGA Championship last month, but was bruised in the early going Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club. He didn’t lack for company on skid row; expected contenders Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas were also among those struggling.

Perhaps more than any player in the 156-man field, Rickie Fowler understands how capricious golf’s cycles can be, and not just at the U.S. Open.

On Thursday, Fowler posted an near-flawless 62, the lowest round in the Open’s 123-year history and tying the lowest ever in any major. By the time he pulled out of the parking lot, he was tied with Xander Schauffele atop the leaderboard, the record-setting duo a handful clear of the competition.

Rewind 364 days. Fowler pulled out of The Country Club on opening day of the U.S. Open in an altogether less glamorous position. He was the first alternate but a call to the tee never came — an undignified exit for one with his undeniable star power. But the attitude he displayed that day in Boston goes some way to explaining the position in which he now finds himself in L.A.

More: Rickie Fowler through the years in photos

“I enjoyed being around and playing with the guys and getting in some good work on the range,” he said 12 months ago. “So there is a lot of good stuff to take away from not being able to play.”

Commercialism has made Fowler an easy target for criticism. He has far outpaced peers in being the face of blue-chip brands while trailing them in victories, the kind of jarring imbalance that is catnip for the Socratic analysis prevalent on social media. On the other hand, attitude – not so much on good days like today, but on lousy days like in Boston – make him an easy guy to root for.

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There have been plenty of disappointing days in recent years. The last of his five PGA Tour wins was more than four years ago, around the time he began working with John Tillery on swing changes that never quite took. He went 29 consecutive events without recording a single top-10 finish, a run of poor form that saw his world ranking – once as high as No. 4 – plummet to 185th, rendering him ineligible for most major championships. Prior to his record-setting showing at L.A. Country Club, he last played a U.S. Open in 2020 in New York.

The struggles were granular too. Where once he led the PGA Tour in putting, he dropped outside the top 160 in ‘22, and his once-vaunted ball-striking didn’t crack the top 100. He was still a familiar presence on weekend broadcasts, but that owed more to his ubiquitous commercial presence than to on-course performance, a fact that detractors were not shy in pointing out.

It was a confluence of miseries of the type that would have many of his peers making fools of themselves—club-throwing tantrums, snapping at a luckless caddie, blanking fans, stiff-arming media and generally adopting a ‘woe is me’ disposition more befitting a raft-riding refugee than a golfer bouncing around on a private jet. But Fowler didn’t do any of those things. He remained unfailingly professional and courteous. He put his head down and kept grinding.

He reconnected with his old coach, Butch Harmon, who is as much psych-svengali as swing guru. “Butch is great, just his voice and having him in your corner,” Fowler said Thursday. “Just telling you something to give you a little confidence to go out there and just go play golf and keep it simple.”

He still hasn’t won since early 2019, but Fowler’s incremental progress is no less impressive for the absence of trophies. His last dozen starts have yielded 10 finishes inside the top 20, with just one missed cut. His statistical performance shows enormous gains in every category. He’s back inside the world’s top 50. In the world of small victories, Fowler has been on a heater.

“A lot of it for me is what I’ve been able to get out of off weeks where I’m not playing very well and still able to make the cut and kind of turn those into at least top 20s or top 10s,” he said. “The last few years those were missed cuts and going home.”

Fowler grew up about 90 miles southeast of here in Murietta, but this is about as close as he’s ever likely to get to a hometown major championship. And as he has done through the lousy times, he’s making the most of the situation.

“It’s definitely been long and tough. A lot longer being in that situation than you’d ever want to,” he admitted. “But it makes it so worth it having gone through that and being back where we are now.”

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Sam Burns makes second hole-in-one on No. 15 at 2023 U.S. Open

The ace by Burns is the 50th in U.S. Open history.

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LOS ANGELES — Good things are coming in pairs at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Thursday’s first round at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course produced two 62s, first by Rickie Fowler and followed soon thereafter by Xander Schauffele.

Deuces were also wild on No. 15, with two holes-in-one on the par-3 hole.

A few hours after Matthieu Pavon aced the par-3 hole, Sam Burns followed suit on the hole playing 124 yards.

Playing alongside Dustin Johnson and Keith Mitchell, Burns had just birdied the 14th hole, his fifth hole of the day, as he started on the back nine. He then stepped up to and made the one of the more memorable shots of his life.

The ace by Burns is the 50th in U.S. Open history.

Bryson DeChambeau continues trend of LIV Golf players contending at majors at 2023 U.S. Open

Another men’s major championship, another LIV Golf player near the top of the leaderboard.

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LOS ANGELES – Another men’s major championship, another LIV Golf player near the top of the leaderboard.

At the Masters it was Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed leading the charge for the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Koepka then won the PGA Championship, with Bryson DeChambeau just a few shots back. At this week’s 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, DeChambeau is back in the mix once again.

The 2020 U.S. Open winner shot a 3-under 67 in the opening round at the exclusive club in Beverly Hills and walked off the course T-3 behind Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who each made major championship history with their efforts of 8-under 62.

“Pretty much how I thought it would play,” said DeChambeau of Thursday morning’s fair conditions. “The greens were definitely receptive, which was nice. I think they’re going to get a lot firmer. Obviously tomorrow afternoon is going to be firm. This afternoon is going to be firm, and the wind is picking up, so it’s not going to be too easy. Hopefully the wind isn’t present tomorrow. That’ll be a huge advantage for us in the early wave.”

U.S. Open: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole

“But you had to get after it today. If you didn’t, you’re going to be behind the 8-ball,” he continued. “Lucky enough to shoot a good score today.”

The former bulked-up bomber is still no small fry but has slimmed down since he brought Winged Foot to its knees in 2020. Before his opening round, DeChambeau spent a considerable amount of time on the range Wednesday mashing drivers and working to replicate a swing feel he used to have.

“I’ve been hitting more golf balls than I would like to ever. It’s just, again, I’m trying to figure out what I did in 2018 that made it so repeatable, and I’m very close to figuring it out,” said DeChambeau. “Just going to a take a little bit more time, little bit more grinding, a little more thought. Got to come up with something unique that allows me to be super stable through impact like I was.”

Starting his round on the back, DeChambeau was even par through his opening nine holes before he caught fire on his second nine. He sandwiched two birdies around a bad bogey on the par-4 second hole and added two more on Nos. 6 and 10, a drivable par 4 and two-shot par 5, respectively.

“Yeah, certainly there’s the idea of laying up and having a nice wedge in there, but if you miss your wedge you’re in the stuff,” DeChambeau said of the risk-reward to go for the green on No. 6. “I think personally just being in the stuff right off the tee and chipping it up there hopefully close on the green and giving yourself a 20-footer for birdie, worst case scenario, is the best thing you can do every day. I’ve been going for it, and hopefully it pays off.”

DeChambeau fancies himself a big-brain thinker, and noted how every course has its own unique strategy that you can apply. He was able to exploit Winged Foot with his distance, which is still an advantage here at LACC, but the course requires more than just a long ball.

“This golf course you’ve got to be a great putter. You’ve got to have great iron play into the greens. You’ve got to be disciplined. It teases you wanting to go for certain shots in certain places, and you’ve got to be a great driver of the ball,” he said. “Everybody thinks the fairways are wide. No, no, no. If you pull it or push it it’s rolling out of the fairway. That’s how firm and fast they are and how much slope there is. You can say they’re wide fairways but realistically they’re like 25-yard fairways at best in some areas.”

DeChambeau struggled early in the year at the Masters with a missed cut and also in LIV Golf events, with finishes of T-23, T-44, T-16, T-26 and T-19 in the first five 48-player field tournaments of the season. Over the last two months, he finished T-5 in Tulsa and T-9 in Washington, D.C., as well as T-4 at last month’s PGA Championship.

“If I have what I had at the PGA, I’ll be contending (this week) for sure.”

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‘Monkey see, monkey do:’ Xander Schauffele shoots the second 62 in U.S. Open history, ties record set 22 minutes earlier

Xander Schauffele shot a 62 about 22 minutes after Rickie Fowler did so at LACC.

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LOS ANGELES – On the 50th anniversary of Johnny Miller shooting 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open, two Southern California natives shattered the mark within 22 minutes of each other, posting rounds of 8-under 62 at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course to share the opening-round lead at the 123rd U.S. Open.

Rickie Fowler, 34, of Murrieta, California, carded 10 birdies and two bogeys to set the mark, but it didn’t take long for him to have company as Xander Schauffele, 29, of San Diego, matched the historic 62 with a bogey-free performance.

“It’s not really what you expect playing a U.S. Open,” said Schauffele of how he and Fowler shot five strokes better than the next best score in the morning wave. “But monkey see, monkey do. Was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front of me.”

U.S. Open: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole

There had been 66,448 rounds in majors since 1983 and just one 62 before Thursday’s opening round at LACC. The pair of 62’s matched the all-time lowest 18-hole score in any of the four men’s majors, previously belonging solely to South Africa’s Branden Grace, who set the mark in the third round of the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale.

“It was a great day,” Fowler said. “Close to a dream start.”

Playing two groups behind Fowler, Schauffele had a 24-foot birdie putt on his closing hole for 61.

“I think the USGA will be a bit frustrated that the number was that low today. I don’t think you’ll be seeing too much of that over the weekend,” said world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. “I didn’t see 8-under out there today.”

Schauffele, No. 6 in the world, is making his seventh start at the U.S. Open and hasn’t finished outside the top 15 in the championship — T-14 last year, with the other five finishes all in the top seven. Schauffele took advantage of a cloud-covered day where the marine layer never burned off in the morning, making for good scoring conditions and allowing for aggressive play.

“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,” Schauffele said. “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. I think fairways are easier to hit and greens are a little bit softer.”

Schauffele capped off his birdie barrage with birdies at two of his last three holes. At No. 7, he drew what he called “a tomahawk 4-iron” to the 258-yard par-3, which rolled inside 10 feet.

“That’s pretty much all I have in my body,” he said.

Schauffele is the only player with a top-20 finish in each of the last five majors (finished T-13 at the 2022 PGA Championship, followed by finishing T-14 at the U.S. Open at The Country Club, T-15 at The Open Championship at St. Andrews, T-10 at the 2023 Masters and T-18 at Oak Hill last month). Like Fowler, Schauffele’s bidding for his first major title, but knows that there is much more work to be done. As reporters interviewed Schauffele’s caddie Austin Kaiser about his historic round, Schauffele stepped in and said to him, “Dude, it’s just Thursday, my man.”

But if either Schauffele or Fowler shoot 67 or lower on Friday, they will also own the 36-hole U.S. Open scoring mark too.

“I’m anticipating the sun to come out just as much as every West Coast person out here,” Schauffele said. “I’m thinking the course is going to firm up a little bit.”

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Faith, family and friendship with a five-time PGA Tour winner guides Jacob Solomon to memorable U.S. Open debut

Faith, family and guidance from a five-time PGA Tour winner guide Jacob Solomon to memorable U.S. Open debut.

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LOS ANGELES – Jacob Solomon’s professional goal is clearly laid out in his LinkedIn bio: “My career mission is to become the best golfer in the world.”

Not many professional golfers have active LinkedIn profiles, but Solomon’s story is different than most of his contemporaries in the 156-player field for this week’s 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, not that you’d know so by looking at his score. The 26-year-old was briefly in the lead during the first round and fired a 2-under 68 in his U.S. Open debut on Thursday.

“Yeah, obviously a dream come true for me, but I believed in myself to get to this point, and playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this year has been a step in the right direction for me,” said Solomon after his round. “Yeah, as a little kid, to see your name towards the top of the leaderboard in a U.S. Open, I wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me when I was 15 years old that this was happening today.”

U.S. Open: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole

Solomon was first off on No. 1 at 6:45 a.m. local time alongside amateur amateur Omar Morales and Deon Germishuys. He credited his early tee time for his stellar start, where he was 4-under after his first 15 holes of U.S. Open golf.

“Definitely had the right tee time. I was pumped to see that I was first out,” said Solomon. “I relished that opportunity. I liked it. The liked the way it played.”

The Auburn product by way of Northern California is the same age as two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, and the pair know each other well dating to their junior golf days. During his senior year with the Tigers, Solomon played a lot with then-Oklahoma State star Matthew Wolff, who turned pro and won on Tour shortly after his sophomore season.

“What I like to say is everybody’s timing is different,” said Solomon. “My path is just a little more rocky than most of them.”

Solomon struggled his first few years out of college. He played mini tours, Monday qualifiers, anywhere he could. He worked his way to PGA Tour Canada last season and has since found his way to the Korn Ferry Tour, and now finds himself just one step away from the PGA Tour.

“Really it was just a difference of believing in myself,” said Solomon of how he was able to grind through the difficult years, giving loads of credit to his faith and family. “It’s actually crazy how much power and influence that has when you tell yourself, ‘I can do this.’ I think those things are kind of what carried me through the tough times.”

That, and a little guidance from five-time PGA Tour winner and fellow Auburn grad and resident, Jason Dufner.

“Yeah, Jason has been really helpful in my career. I remember freshman year of college actually he walked all 18 holes with me in a tournament we played, and he came out there. He’s always been a big supporter. He’s a great guy,” said Solomon. “He’s fun to joke around with and we’ll hit golf balls on the range for a couple hours, chat about the golf swing, and obviously he’s one of the greatest Auburn players of all time. It’s an honor to get to share that friendship with him.”

“All he told me was go play as much as you can. Play as many tournaments as you can,” he continued. “That’s how you get experience. When I got in this event, he texted me and said it will be a really great experience for your professional career.”

There’s no way Dufner could have known that Solomon would be on the front page of the leaderboard after day one, especially given his lack of experience in the big moments. But like his first-off tee time, Solomon has embraced the moment and is in position to make the cut in his first U.S. Open appearance.

“It’s one of the coolest days of my life, no doubt.”

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2023 U.S. Open: Ads outnumber golf shots shown on large swaths of USA Network Round 1 coverage from Los Angeles Country Club

The USGA promised to reduce commercial breaks for this week’s U.S. Open at LACC. How is that going for Round 1?

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USGA CEO Mike Whan spoke Wednesday at the U.S. Open about how his organization worked with NBC to reduce the number of ads that will be shown in this year’s coverage, with plans to cut commercial breaks by 30 percent this week.

So … how is that going midway through Round 1 of the Open?

Coverage from Los Angeles Country Club began Thursday on Peacock, then switched to USA Network – which is owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming – for most of the afternoon. Listening in from the home office, it was clear there were a lot of commercials. So out came the stop watch.

In the first 12 minutes and 45 seconds of coverage starting at 2 p.m. ET, USA Network showed 15 commercials. That was compared to just 11 golf shots. The network also showed a one-minute, in-broadcast promotion for the USGA, featuring Whan. In all, that was six minutes of commercials (both full-screen and split-screen with the playing-through feature), one minute of promotion and 5 minutes and 45 seconds of actual full-screen golf coverage.

Wanting to make sure that wasn’t an anomaly, the same procedure was repeated starting at 3 p.m., using an even longer window. In the first 24 minutes of coverage starting at 3 p.m., coverage included 20 commercials (in both full-screen and split-screen formats) and 23 full-screen golf shots. That equated to 9 minutes of ads in either format and 15 minutes of full golf coverage.

The ads ran the spectrum, from golf equipment makers to MTV.

Combining those opening coverage windows for the prime hours of 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., that meant there were a total of 34 golf shots shown against 35 commercials.

The longest continuous uninterrupted window showed 15 shots in a row (starting about 3:13 p.m.). Those 15 shots were surrounded by 13 ads in either format divided on either side of the full-screen golf coverage.

The shortest full-screen golf window was just five uninterrupted golf shots, starting at 2:03 p.m. Those five shots were preceded by seven ads and were followed by the 1-minute USGA promotion. Then came six more full-screen golf shots, then eight more ads.

‘Just a perfect shot’: Matthieu Pavon makes first hole-in-one at 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

“I just heard the crowd getting more and more loud and then I just, I just knew it was in,” he said.

LOS ANGELES — Talk about a dream start to the U.S. Open.

Playing in his third U.S. Open, Matthieu Pavon made the first hole in one of the 2023 championship during Thursday’s opening round. The 30-year-old from Medoc, France, put a one on the scorecard after he aced the 124-yard, par-3 15th hole.

“So that was just, that was just a perfect number. Because it was a full gap. I had nothing to change, just a normal one. Not a three-quarter, not a punch, whatever, it was just a perfect number,” said Pavon of his ace. “With my caddie we agreed that we need to pitch like one or two yards left. And the ball went straight where I wanted. So after like getting that hole-in-one it’s just like a bit of luck, but that shot like from the strike to the end was just a perfect shot.”

Pavon landed his tee shot a good 10 feet past the hole, then spun his back back towards the pin and into the bottom of the cup. It was a rather muted celebration with some high-fives from playing partners Ryo Ishikawa and Kevin Streelman, given the fact he just made a hole-in-one at a major championship. Why? He couldn’t see it go in.

“No, I reacted to the crowd. The thing is like the hole is just behind the slope so we can’t really see it,” he explained. “I just saw the bounce forward and kind of like seeing it was zipping left-to-right. So I knew it was close, but I just, I just heard the crowd getting more and more loud and then I just, I just knew it was in.”

Pavon made his U.S. Open debut in 2018 with a T-25 finish at Shinnecock Hills. In his last appearance in 2019 at Pebble Beach he missed the cut. Pavon is now the first Frenchman to make a hole-in-one in the U.S. Open.

“I don’t know how many players have got a hole-in-one in a U.S. Open. It’s quite cool to be part of this group of people and it’s my first as a professional,” he added. “So sharing this with the crowd today was just a moment I would never forget.”

Pavon’s ace is the 49th in U.S. Open history and the first since Cameron Young made one last year in the second round at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

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Johnny Miller on ‘the choke factor,’ his magical 63 at the U.S. Open 50 years ago and in praise of Bobby Jones

Johnny Miller was behind the microphone one more time.

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LOS ANGELES – Johnny Miller was behind the microphone one more time.

On Wednesday, on the eve of the 123rd U.S. Open at LACC, the occasion was to talk about receiving the Bob Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor. Miller, 76, who won two USGA titles in a Hall of Fame career and retired as lead analyst for NBC Sports in 2019, has made few public appearances in recent years.

“I’ve been sort of not available for press things since I retired, and just wanted to sort of walk away like ‘Dandy’ Don Meredith. Remember how he walked away? I was like, that’s cool,” Miller said, referencing the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned ABC Monday Night Football announcer.

But this was different. Given his accomplishments in the game and the way he became equally beloved and hated for his announcing, Miller fields numerous requests to be honored and given awards and usually turns them down. But the Bob Jones Award celebrates more than performance on the course; it recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, the winner of nine USGA championships.

“I thought Bobby Jones might have been the greatest golfer ever,” Miller said. “A lot of people go to other players like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, but when you think of what he was able to accomplish in his 20s, it was crazy. He was amazing. I was sort of always a fan of Bobby Jones. I thought he was a gentleman’s champion. Really just an amazing person.”

Family ties

And so Miller attended a dinner ceremony on Tuesday evening and received a standing ovation when he finished speaking. He admitted he became emotional, realizing that this might be his final public bow in a career worth celebrating. The part that brought him to tears was hearing his son, Todd, speak, recounting the trip he made to Oakmont in 2016, his first visit to the famed Pennsylvania club since his father won there in 1973 and shot his record 63.

“We’re really tight, the two of us, and he made me sort of break down, in a nice way,” Johnny said. “I don’t mind breaking down if it’s from the heart.”

On the Monday morning after Dustin Johnson claimed the 2016 U.S. Open, Todd recounted how he played Oakmont and as he marched down the first hole he felt a closeness to his dad.

“I never felt those emotions before on the golf course,” he said.

About that final-round 63

Oakmont is hallowed ground for Johnny. It’s where in the final round of the 1973 U.S. Open he erased a six-stroke deficit to win his first major with a remarkable 63 that was voted the greatest round of the 20th century.

“I shot it on Sunday and it was enough to win the U.S. Open. There will be guys that will shoot 61 or 62, but can they do it on Sunday to win? That’s what makes the round what it is,” Miller recalled.

Fifty years have come and gone since that fateful day but Miller’s memories are tattooed to his brain. His recall of that round is remarkable.

“I knew after four holes,” he said. “I was six strokes back and I birdied the first four holes and I knew that I was in the running. The hair on the back of my neck sort of stood up when I said that to myself: ‘You’ve got a chance to win.’ That made the adrenaline just start pumping.”

He still bites his lip at the memory of his 3-putt at the eighth hole, the lone blemish on his scorecard that day.

“After I three-putted I went from sort of choking to getting a little bit mad,” Miller recalled. “Not mad where I’d throw a club, but mad like what the heck are you doing, man? It was like, you’ve got a chance to win the U.S. Open and now you’re missing these short putts.”

He settled down and birdied 8 and added three more circles on the card at Nos. 11, 12 and 14.

“I still didn’t know if what I was doing was going to be good enough to win, so I still had the gas pedal down,” he said.

He lipped out for birdie at 17 on the high side. At 18, he swung with all his might.

“I guess I hit the longest drive of the day on 18 and then hit an iron shot that I mean, you couldn’t see the flag from the ball when it landed,” he said. “It hit the top of this little ridge instead of hopping up which would have put me like within five feet of the hole. It stopped and then rolled back down the hill, and I hit this putt and it went down in the hole on the high side, down in the hole and kind of came out.

“So, you know, it wasn’t like I shot 63 by holing out a bunker shot or chipping it in from off the green or by making a 60-footer or even a 40-footer or even a 30-footer. It was just a great round of golf. … it was like somebody was helping me up there. It was not a normal round.”

The ‘choke’ factor

As an announcer, Miller was anything but a run-of-the-mill analyst. He revolutionized the role.

“It’s not like I just lollygagged around and see how wonderful everything is. It was always like I put myself out there,” he said. “The greatness of golf is the choke factor. I don’t care if you’re playing for a milkshake or $5 Nassau or whatever. The greatness of golf is whether you can make that putt to win, and to ignore that is sort of missing the greatest part of golf, no doubt. Nobody wanted to talk about it.”

Only on the subject of his family did Miller get choked up, his eyes red and glassy. For one hour, Miller had the microphone again. If it is his last public appearance, he did it once more with feeling.

Rickie Fowler shoots 62, records lowest round in U.S. Open history

Rickie Fowler had 10 birdies at the 123rd U.S. Open.

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LOS ANGELES — There have been six golfers to shoot a 63 in the U.S. Open. In the 123rd rendition of the national championship, Rickie Fowler one-upped them all.

Teeing off at 8:02 a.m. local time alongside Justin Rose and Jason Day, who each ended their victory droughts earlier this year, Fowler birdied his first (the 10th hole) to get things going. He made the turn in 32 and the promptly birdied Nos. 1, 2 and 3 to get to 6 under. Another birdie on No. 6 got him to 7 under and put him on track for a 63.

Fowler, who didn’t qualify for the last two U.S. Opens, got into some trouble on the 537-yard par-5 8th, sending his tee shot into a barranca down the right side. No problem. Fowler got it back on the fairway, hit his third to about 25 feet then drained a bending birdie putt to to get 8 under.

Facing a long birdie putt on the par-3 9th, his final hole of the day, he needed a two-putt from 57 feet for a 62 and he got it.

“I knew there was birdies to be made out here, but you have to drive it well and get the ball in position first. Yeah, did that, and from there just managed our way around really well,” he said.

It’s the first 62 ever in the U.S. Open and just the second in major championship history. Brendan Grace had a 62 in the 2017 Open Championship. About 20 minutes later, Xander Schauffele joined the 62 Club when he parred the 9th hole to cap an 8-under round.

NBC Sports reports that in 66,448 rounds in all four majors (since 1983) prior to Thursday, Grace had the only 62. Now there are three of them.

Fowler was 8 under Thursday. Johnny Miller shot an 8-under 63 in the final round at Oakmont 50 years ago to the day. Justin Thomas’s 63 in 2017 at Erin Hills was a 9-under round.

Fowler hasn’t won since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open. This season, he’s posted eight top-10s in his last nine starts, with a missed cut at the PGA Championship the lone blemish during that run.

After his round he noted that he wasn’t feeling comfortable with his swing or putting earlier in the week but something clicked Wednesday.

“He’s been trending in the right direction,” said Fowler’s caddie Ricky Romano said. “It just all came together today.”

Fowler is 11th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings; he’s 45th in the Official World Golf Ranking but it just last September when he sunk to No. 185 in the OWGR, his worst ranking in more than 12 years. Fowler had a stretch of 60 events with just four top-10s. He had 10 more missed cuts (24) than he had top-25 finishes.

But things have turned around and heading into LACC this week, Fowler has posted 12 top-25 finishes and just two missed cuts in 17 starts.

“It’s definitely been long and tough,” Fowler said. “A lot longer being in that situation than you’d ever want to. But it makes it so worth it having gone through that and being back where we are now.”

But he knows it’s only 18 holes of a 72-hole tournament.

“There’s still plenty of golf to be played,” he said. “It’s going to be tough tomorrow [Friday] afternoon. But at least got out of the gate and we’re off to, like I said, a good start.”

Tom D’Angelo from the Palm Beach Post contributed to this article.

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2023 U.S. Open staff picks for Los Angeles Country Club

A couple first-time major winners may be in the mix this week at the 2023. U.S. Open.

LOS ANGELES – For the first time in 75 years the eyes of the golf world are focused on Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Country Club will open its doors and make its debut as host of the 2023 U.S. Open on Thursday, making for the fifth time the USGA has held a championship at the exclusive club in Beverly Hills.

The third men’s major of the season will provide a unique test this week, and there are more than a few favorites and longshots in the field of 156 players.

Check out the Golfweek and USA TODAY Network staff picks for the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.