Tag: Los Angeles Country Club

Watch: Xander Schauffele struggling to get out of a fairway bunker will make you squirm

If you have issues playing out of the sand, you’ve probably done what Xander Schauffele did Saturday.

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If you have issues playing out of the sand, you’ve probably done what Xander Schauffele did twice on Saturday during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Open.

Standing in a fairway bunker on the first hole, Schauffele had no chance of getting to the green for his second shot, so he took out a wedge and attempted to hit over the lip of the bunker and into the fairway.

Thump.

His ball drilled the lip, went backward and landed behind him in the bunker. Oh, well. Shake it off and try again.

Thump.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch | Sunday tee times

It took Schauffele not one, not two, but three shots to get out of the fairway bunker. From there, he was able to get up and down for a great bogey save, but it wasn’t a good way to begin his third round when he started only two shots off the lead.

This club pro is living the dream as a marker at LACC this weekend for the 2023 U.S. Open

“What a day,” Gardner said. “Hoping to do it all again tomorrow.”

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LOS ANGELES – Tom Gardner had a day during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open.

Gardner, the Los Angeles Country Club director of golf, served as a marker in the first pairing on Saturday morning with Ryan Fox.

“It’s pretty special to do this in front of your membership on the course that you work at,” Gardner said. “If you were out here this morning on the first tee, there was a pretty loud roar. Got the juices flowing a bit.”

Gardner said that the USGA’s Jeff Hall approached him early last week and told him if they happened to get an odd number of players to make the 36-hole cut that they could use his services as a marker.

“I was very honored to be given the opportunity,” Gardner said.

Rory Sweeney, the head professional immediately offered to be his caddie.

On Friday, Gardner was standing behind the 18th green refreshing his phone to see the score and figured out Paul Barjon was the one golfer who could make it an even 66 players to make the cut. He had to play the last three holes in even par to do so. He made par at 16, but when he drained a 61-foot birdie putt at 17, Gardner figured the dream of getting to play at his club on the weekend at a major was over. He left 18 and was heading to meet his wife for a cocktail party.

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“I get a text from a member, and he said, ‘You’re in.’ I immediately called him, I said, ‘No, I’m not. This guy birdied 17.’ He goes, ‘No, he doubled 18.’”

Barjon’s disastrous finish to miss the cut was Gardner’s good fortune. All of a sudden, he was bombarded with texts and emails and the club sent out an email to the membership, who made their pro feel at home.

“They were shouting our names, just something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” said Sweeney, who kept his word and served as Gardner’s caddie. “Just really special to be in between the ropes on a weekend on a major. Just truly special, and especially because it’s home for us. It’s our club and our members. To share it with one of my best mates is something really special.”

Gardner’s highlights included sinking a lengthy putt at the 10th near the LACC member tent.

“Everyone went crazy and was shouting and screaming,” Sweeney said. “It was great.”

“What a day,” Gardner said. “Hoping to do it all again tomorrow.”

Twitter had fun with a few player arrivals on Saturday at 2023 U.S. Open, including Dustin Johnson walking in with The Great One

Saturday at the U.S. Open is off to a great start.

The third round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club is underway and the leaders have arrived at the golf course.

The early noise is coming from Tom Kim, who posted a 6-under 29 on the front nine and birdied the par-4 10th to get to 7 under on his day. He may need a few more, but the golf course is only getting tougher as it dries out so he should be right in the mix Sunday if continues to play well.

Twitter had some fun with a few player entrances Saturday, including Sam Bennett arriving to the course with a freshly-shaven look.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch

Here are some of the best entrances from players before the third round of the U.S. Open.

Tom Kim’s 29 ties U.S. Open 9-hole scoring mark during Saturday’s third round

In a week of U.S. Open record performances, Tom Kim has joined the fun.

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LOS ANGELES — In a week of U.S. Open record performances, Tom Kim has joined the fun.

Kim was just kind of muddling along through the first two days, making the cut by a shot. He was 1 over after 36 holes, but during Saturday’s third round, under the sunniest of skies so far this week at Los Angeles Country Club, he got hotter than his pink Nike shirt.

Kim birdied the first, third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth holes to get to 5 under overall halfway through his round.

His front-nine 29 ties the 9-hole scoring mark, as well.

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It’s the fifth time a golfer posted a 29 in U.S. Open history.

Lowest 9-hole scores in a U.S. Open

  • Neal Lancaster, final round, Shinnecock Hills, 1995
  • Neal Lancaster, second round, Oakland Hills, 1996
  • Vijay Singh, second round, Olympia Fields, 2003
  • Louis Oosthuizen, final round, Chambers Bay, 2015
  • Tom Kim, third round, LACC, 2023

Already this week, fans have been treated to three holes-in-one (the 49th, 50th and 51st aces in U.S. Open history) as well as a pair of 62s, one by Rickie Fowler and the other by Xander Schauffele. Fowler’s second-round 68 gave him a two-day total of 130, which ties the 36-hole mark at the U.S. Open.

Back to Kim. He made another birdie on No. 10 to get to 6 under but then things started to get challenging.

“That back nine is really hard,” he said. Kim shot a 2-over 37 on the back and finished with a 66, his best round of the week. “You just don’t really have any bail-outs. Those three bogeys [on Nos. 13, 15, 16] really don’t feel like bogeys because I barely missed it by a yard or two. But major championship golf, U.S. Open really brings it out of you.

“If you told me at the start of the day, I’d take that score.”

‘Nobody will believe this’: Cameron Young’s tee shot perfectly lands in golf cart ball holder at U.S. Open

What are the odds of this happening?

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We’re not even sure how this is possible, but during Saturday’s third round at the 2023 U.S. Open, Cameron Young’s tee shot on the par-4 10th landed perfectly inside a golf cart’s ball holder insert.

Young was 2 under after making the turn at Los Angeles Country Club thanks to birdies on Nos. 1, 3 and 8 — he bogeyed the par-4 fifth.

He ripped driver down the 10th, but he pulled it toward the gallery. After the mic picked up a quick F-bomb from the 26-year-old, the camera panned to where his drive landed.

It wasn’t behind a tree, it wasn’t in the rough but it did land perfectly inside a golf cart.

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When Young arrived at his tee shot, his caddie Paul Tesori requested someone take a picture of it.

Young went on to make par and was 1 under through 13 holes.

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Why amateur Gordon Sargent has a pivotal weekend ahead at 2023 U.S. Open

There’s a chance Gordon Sargent could be on the doorstep of securing a PGA Tour card.

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Gordon Sargent has a big weekend ahead of him in Los Angeles.

There’s a chance he could be on the doorstep of securing a PGA Tour card.

Sargent, the top-ranked amateur in the world who’s set to begin his junior season at Vanderbilt in the fall, is sitting at 16 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated standings. He has earned two points this week, one for making a start in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club and another Friday after making the cut, moving closer to the 20-point threshold.

If Sargent gets to 20 points by the end of his junior year, he will earn PGA Tour membership. And there’s a chance he could do that before officially hitting a shot representing the Commodores this fall.

Sargent sits at even-par 140 after two rounds of the U.S. Open, tied for 30th. If he were to place in the top 20 come Sunday night, he would earn two more points. Then he’s only two points away, but barring something unforeseen, Sargent will earn those two points later this summer representing the United States on the 2023 Walker Cup team.

PGA Tour U Accelerated was created so high-achieving juniors, sophomores or freshmen could earn PGA Tour membership and become eligible for all open, full-field Tour events. Last month, Ludvig Aberg became the first golfer to earn a PGA Tour card through PGA Tour U, making his professional debut last week at the RBC Canadian Open.

And Sargent, the 2022 NCAA individual champion, is well on his way to becoming the first to earn a Tour card because of Accelerated.

Even if he didn’t finish in the top 20 this weekend, he could earn the remaining four points in numerous ways. He’s essentially a lock to make the Walker Cup team, so that leaves two points left to earn PGA Tour membership.

He could earn a point representing the U.S. in the 2023 World Amateur Team Championship, set for Oct. 18–21 in Abu Dhabi. He was a member of the team last year in France. There’s also three points available at the U.S. Amateur and two at the Western Amateur. Additionally, if he were to make a start in another major, that’s one point. Make the cut in a major or a PGA Tour event, another point.

And he’s going to tee it up in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in two weeks in Detroit, meaning he could get two points for making the cut and a top-10 finish.

It seems unlikely that Sargent wouldn’t get to 20 points before the end of his junior season. Nevertheless, it’s a big weekend for him chasing a PGA Tour card.

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The par-3 15th played 81 yards Saturday at the U.S. Open

Let’s have some fun, golf fans.

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LOS ANGELES — It was 124 yards in the first round. It played 115 in the second.

What will the number be for Saturday’s third round?

Well, the yardage for the par-3 15th at Los Angeles Country Club is 81 yards. It’s the shortest par 3 in modern U.S. Open history thanks to a front pin location and tees pushed all the way up on the hole.

The U.S. Open has already seen three aces this week, and they’ve all come at the short par-3 hole.

Matthieu Pavon of France got the fun started Thursday with the first ace of the week. Sam Burns repeated the feat Thursday. Then on Friday, defending U.S. Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick turned the trick although it first it appeared he wasn’t even sure what he had done.

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The USGA released pin positions ahead of Saturday’s third round and the hole for the 15th will be about as tight up front as it can get.

2023 U.S. Open
Third-round pin placements at Los Angeles Country Club for the 2023 U.S. Open. (Courtesy: USGA)

With the three aces this week, there have now been 51 holes-in-one in U.S. Open history.

Let’s have some fun, golf fans.

Shortest par 3s in a U.S. Open

  • 81 yards, No. 15, third round, LACC, 2023
  • 92 yards, No. 7, final round, Pebble Beach, 2010
  • 98 yards, No. 13, third round, Merion G.C., 2013
  • 99 yards, No. 7, third round, Pebble Beach, 2010

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What is a barranca? Here’s an easy explanation and some of the best pics of it from LACC

If you’ve been watching the U.S. Open there’s a good chance you’ve been asking yourself, “what in the heck is barranca?”

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If you’ve been watching the U.S. Open and hearing the announcers talk about the barranca there’s a good chance you’ve been asking yourself, “what in the heck is barranca?”

Good news. We have a very simple answer: It’s a narrow, winding gorge that snakes through the course at Los Angeles Country Club. It’s also not really a place you want to hit a golf ball into.

U.S. Open Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Fortunately, there isn’t much water in the barranca this week, so players may be able to hit out safely. According to the USGA, anyone who does find themselves stuck in the barranca will be presented with the unpleasant choice to either hit the ball as it lies or take relief for the price of one penalty stroke.

But Dustin Johnson found the barranca during Friday’s second round. The result wasn’t pretty.

Here’s a look at some of the interesting photos of the barranca and the other trouble that Los Angeles Country Club offers up, and how it impacted some of the players this week at the U.S. Open.

Rickie Fowler leads the way, first-time major winners in contention, the course strikes back and more from Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open

Here’s what you missed from a busy second round on Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.

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LOS ANGELES — When co-leader Rickie Fowler birdied his opening three holes on Friday, it seemed as if we were in for another getable day at the 2023 U.S. Open.

But during the afternoon at Los Angeles Country Club, the sun came out, the winds picked up and brought the scores with it. On Thursday, 55 players were even par or better. That number dropped to 41 on Friday, with an average score of 72.22, 0.84 more than Thursday’s record low of 71.38.

A handful of would-be first-time major champs are near the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes in Beverly Hills. Fowler strung together another solid round at 2-under 68 and sits alone in the lead at 10 under, one shot clear of Wyndham Clark (67). Sitting T-3 at 8 under are Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, with Harris English rounding out the top five at 7 under.

From Fowler’s peaks and valleys round to a lacking atmosphere and notable names on their way home, here’s what you missed from a busy Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.

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2023 U.S. Open third round tee times for Saturday at Los Angeles Country Club

The 123rd U.S. Open is headed to the weekend.

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It’s time for the weekend at the 2023 U.S. Open. And what a first 36 holes it has been.

Rickie Fowler is leading at 10-under 130, which ties the lowest 36-hole score at a U.S. Open. His 18 birdies through two rounds shattered another record. However, his lead is only one over Wyndham Clark and two over Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele heading into Saturday.

Fowler hasn’t won in more than four years. Clark captured his first victory last month at the Wells Fargo Championship. McIlroy is looking for his fifth major title and first since 2014. Schauffele is looking to win his first major.

However, there’s a big chasing pack, and the weekend is shaping up to be great.

U.S. OPEN: How to watch/stream the action

Here are the third round tee times for the 123rd U.S. Open. All times listed are ET.

1st tee

Tee time Players
12:33 p.m. Ryan Fox
12:44 p.m.
Adam Hadwin, Jon Rahm
12:55 p.m.
Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry
1:06 p.m.
Ryo Ishikawa, David Puig
1:17 p.m.
Sebastian Munoz, Ben Carr
1:28 p.m.
Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley
1:39 p.m.
Cameron Young, Padraig Harrington
1:50 p.m.
Abraham Ancer, Aldrich Potgieter
2:01 p.m.
Maxwell Moldovan, Sam Stevens
2:17 p.m.
Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia
2:28 p.m.
Tyrrell Hatton, Kevin Streelman
2:39 p.m.
Adam Svensson, Jordan Smith
2:50 p.m.
Jacob Solomon, Hideki Matsuyama
3:01 p.m.
Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim
3:12 p.m.
Collin Morikawa, Gordon Sargent
3:23 p.m.
Patrick Rodgers, Yuro Katsuragawa
3:34 p.m.
Mackenzie Hughes, Brooks Koepka
3:45 p.m.
Billy Horschel, Sahith Theegala
4:01 p.m.
Joaquin Niemann, Viktor Hovland
4:12 p.m.
Si Woo Kim, Bryson DeChambeau
4:23 p.m.
Ryan Gerard, Keith Mitchell
4:34 p.m.
Sam Burns, Austin Eckroat
4:45 p.m.
Andrew Putnam, Eric Cole
4:56 p.m.
Romain Langasque, Nick Hardy
5:07 p.m.
Denny McCarthy, Gary Woodland
5:18 p.m.
Dylan Wu, Ryutaro Nagano
5:29 p.m.
Justin Suh, Brian Harman
5:45 p.m.
Charley Hoffman, Tony Finau
5:56 p.m.
Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler
6:07 p.m.
Sam Bennett, Min Woo Lee
6:18 p.m.
Dustin Johnson, Harris English
6:29 p.m.
Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy
6:40 p.m.
Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler

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