UNITED STATES OPEN 2023: Tuesday
Welcome to the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club (North Course)!
The track is LA chic. The layout is long, at 7,423 yards, playing just par 70. Players get a few nasty long par 3s - 4 & 7 come to mind - playing 228 and 284, respectively. But, then a sneaky short one, like the 15th. Got Lionel Richie’s enormous mansion right, off 5 fairway and the Playboy mansion behind 13 green, wide right of 14 tee.
Overcast skies kept the temps relatively mild today, but it’s looking to heat and clear up later in the week. The wind was just breezy enough to cause some drives to run through the slick fairways.
What is the defending thinking heading into the week, not having seen the course since February?
“I guess in this day and age you'd like to think there might be some artificial intelligence you could use to kind of plot your way around, I guess.” Fitzy mused. As he’s known to record every shot he’s ever hit in a tournament, it’s tough to believe he’d be relying on AI to defend his title. But, appreciate the lightheartedness from the Englishman hocking Sketchers slip-ons.
The rough here is deceptive. Its not too deep but the ball can get stuck. It’s also slippery. It’s dried out and the ball can still run through it. Cam Smith explained it well today, after describing it as “a little bit different” than the typical US Open rough:
“I guess we're used to that kind of really thick, juicy rough. It's a little bit different here. I think the Bermuda rough, I think you can get kind of lucky or unlucky. There's patches out there where they're actually quite thin and you can get away with kind of a bad shot and other patches where if you're in there it's no good at all. I think that's a little bit different…But I think that Bermuda rough is definitely a little bit different. Typically we're playing in the northeast and get that really dense kind of wet rough.“
This tells us the rough will Not be as penal as it usually is for an Open. Cam’s biggest “weakness” coming in is his driving accuracy - he’s losing a half shot (SGOTT) off the tee. If he can get away with a few wayward tee-balls, it opens up the Championship. It no longer becomes just about fairways and greens, like we saw at the PGA.
He continues:
“I'd like to think that I play my best golf around kind of tough golf courses. I know kind of my U.S. Open record isn't that great. For me, the driver has always been the one club where it gets me in trouble in the U.S. Open and probably the PGA, the U.S. PGA. You have to drive the ball strong. I think that's where a golf tournament can get away from me, but the driver is starting to feel really good, and I think there's a few opportunities around here to make birdies, so i think that falls into my hands a little bit.”
You can definitely get some gnarly, unplayable lies in the rough, but the ability to get away with some errant shots, will be big.
If Cam is on with the driver, or can get away with a few misses, lookout:
“Like I said, 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.”
And, if his game isn’t dialed in, it’s clear his mind is. When asked “what makes you nervous” he replied casually, “not much, to be honest.”
But, the interviewer persisted, “That's part of the reason for the question…”
Undeterred, the resident-Floridian joked, “Being offshore in a boat and the motor goes out makes me nervous” but, then admitted, “on the golf course I think once I get past that first tee, I definitely have a little bit of a nervy feeling on the first tee every tournament, and then the last day with a lead probably makes me a little bit nervous, as well.”
You gotta love this guy. At 30:1, with a major already under his belt in the last 12 months, look out for Cam Smith.
If Phil the Thrill wins this week, he can complete the Career Grand Slam. Does Cam - fellow LIV player and competitor - think Phil can do it, this week?:
“It would be awesome to see him do it this week. I think the golf course as far as I've seen sets up for a straighter hitter, so maybe not. But we'll see how it goes.”
On point for both Phil, and maybe surreptitiously, himself, as well.
Look for Cam on the final page of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon in LA.
Be sure to check USOPEN.com or USGA.org for additional tournament updates and details.