What should players expect from the 2023 U.S. Open?
After 75 years the U.S. Open is returning to Los Angeles. Golfweek’s Adam Schupak explains what will make this course so challenging.
Sports Pulse
What will they do for an encore at the 123rd U.S. Open?
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele each got off to record-setting starts Thursday by shooting 8-under par 62s, the lowest rounds in the tournament’s 123-year history.
Second-round play is underway at the Los Angeles Country Club with the rest of the field chasing Fowler (4:32 p.m. ET tee time) and Schauffele (4:54 p.m. ET). Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark are two shots off the pace after shooting 6-under 64s. Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman begin the day another shot back at 5-under.
USA TODAY Sports will bring you the latest news, updates, highlights and more throughout Friday’s second round. Follow along.
ROUND 1 RECAP: Fowler, Schauffele fire record-setting 62s to share lead
Fowler continues to lead the U.S. Open close to halfway through his second round, but he lost a stroke when he bogeyed the seventh hole — but that produced a humorous moment with someone in the crowd.
After Fowler came up short on a putt that would have saved par, a spectator loudly asked “what are you doing?” Fowler looked in the direction of the question and hilariously shrugged before he tapped in his fourth shot.
He threw a brush-off wave in the direction of the fan as he retrieved his ball from the hole and moved on to his next hole sitting at 10-under.
Rickie Fowler is picking up where he left off.
After shooting an 8-under 62 on Thursday, the lowest round in the tournament’s 123-year history, the American started his second round with birdies on his first three holes to bring him to 11-under for the tournament. He’s now in the sole lead for the tournament, two strokes ahead of American Wyndham Clark, who is 9-under.
Fowler shot 10 birdies in his historic opening round, and now has 13 birdies in 21 holes played.
How many more will he have today?
Close, but no cigar.
Rory McIlroy nearly shot an ace on the par-3, 171-yard ninth hole. He teed off on his last hole of the second round and his ball rolled less than three feet from the pin. Although he didn’t get the desired eagle, McIlroy was able to tap the ball in for a birdie, his seventh of the round. He is 8-under for the tournament and is tied for third place with Xander Schauffele.
It’s the opposite end result for McIlroy, who finished his opening round with a bogey on Thursday. He last won the U.S. Open in 2011 and is in striking distance of the top.
Jordan Spieth is on the wrong side of the cut line.
The three-time major winner finished with a 71 on Friday, shooting five bogeys and four birdies. His second round was slightly better than his 72 opening round, but it won’t be good enough to make it into the weekend. He currently sits at 3-over for the tournament, one stroke above the cut line at 2-over.
Spieth won the U.S. Open in 2015.
After an opening round 69 on Thursday, Phil Mickelson’s fortunes took a turn for the worse in the second round when he carded a 4-over 74 to bring his two-day score to 3-over. The six-time major winner, who turned 53 Friday, is still seeking his first U.S. Open championship after finishing second or tied for second six times in his career. The USGA just announced a projected cut of 2-over, meaning Lefty will fall just outside the line. Following 36 holes, the low 60 players and ties will advance to the final two rounds this weekend.
Wyndham Clark bogeys No. 4 to fall back into a three-way tie with Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele through the second round at Los Angeles Country Club.
Tony Finau and Sam Bennett are closing in, currently at 5-under. Min Woo Lee has birdied three of his last four holes and is at 4-under with Harris English, Brian Harman, Rory McIlroy, who started his back nine with a birdie on the par 5 No. 1 and Dustin Johnson, despite his quadruple bogey earlier in the round.
The scores have maintained with the weather cloudy and the players not having to worry about the wind for now, but conditions are expected to change later in the afternoon.
American Wyndham Clark got off to a strong start in his second round, taking the lead at 9-under with three birdies on his first seven holes, fueled by a spectacular shot at the 15th hole.
After just missing the green in two on the mammoth 605-yard par 5, Clark found himself with an extremely difficult uphill lie in thick rough with a bunker sitting between his ball and the flagstick.
He had several options, but the most daring route was the one he chose. Taking a full swing, Clark made solid contact as the ball soared high in the air, over the bunker, to within 10 feet of the hole.
After that, sinking the putt for birdie was a relative piece of cake.
He followed that up with another birdie two holes later to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of first-round leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.
While most country clubs have strict guidelines in terms of protocol and how they want their venue run, Los Angeles Country Club drew the ire of some fans with its rather unique set of rules.
Here are some of the doozies:
Audible calls and messages are only permitted inside closed vehicles in the parking lots, in the Phone Room, or in the phone booths in the Men’s and Women’s Locker Rooms. (Yes, phone booths.)
No photos or videos of the club on social media.
No athletic clothes or apparel with slogans.
Shorts of any kind, including skorts and culottes. Cargo pants, warm-up suits, leggings, jogging and gym attire are also banned.
No tipping allowed.
Also, don’t even try to change your shoes in the parking lot.
Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson began his second round within striking distance of the leaders after shooting a brilliant 64 on Thursday. However, his bid for a third major got a little more difficult when he took an 8 on his scorecard on the 490-yard par-4 second hole.
After hitting into the left-side bunker off the tee, Johnson was unable to find the fairway on his second shot. From a gnarly lie in the rough, his third shot from 116 yards found the barranca in front of the green.
After a drop, Johnson flew the green with a wedge — forcing him to chip back down the slope before two-putting for his quadruple bogey.
Ouch.
The famed Los Angeles Country Club, which ranks as the No. 2 private course in California, is making its debut as a U.S. Open host, ending a 75-year drought for the U.S. Open in L.A. since Riviera hosted back in 1948. The ultra-exclusive club off Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills has been hesitant to open its doors to the outside world for years, let alone for major championships attended by tens of thousands.
But hosting an event of this magnitude comes at a cost. Here are some pros and cons of hosting the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. — Adam Woodard, Golfweek
Competing in his first U.S. Open, qualifier Brent Grant began play Friday at 2-over and lost a shot on his second hole of the day. But he made it up in spectacular fashion on hole No. 12, nailing a birdie putt from 61 feet.
Grant, 27, has one win as a professional: the 2022 Simmons Bank Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.
When you’re going to play golf in Hollywood, the stars are going to come out, right?
The 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club sort of fits that bill. It’s not quite in Hollywood this year — it’s in Beverly Hills if we’re being exact. And while we might see celebs in the gallery this week, there are some homes around the course that belong to some very famous names.
And by homes, I mean MANSIONS. Here’s a guide to some of those palatial homes you might see all week. — Charles Curtis, For The Win
The leaderboard at the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club looks more as if it was the Bob Hope Desert Classic down the road in Palm Springs.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set the pace with record-breaking 8-under 62s. The only other PGA Tour event with multiple 62s this season? The Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
“Seeing Rickie and Xander take it deep out there, it’s like, well, this isn’t your typical U.S. Open mindset of like I’m just playing for par,” said Harris English, who shot 67. “I mean, you got to make some birdies to keep in line with those guys.”
Here’s how three decorated challengers managed to stay within striking distance while the world’s top two players got off to sluggish starts. — Adam Schupak, Golfweek
In addition to Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele setting a U.S. Open record by shooting 62s in Thursday’s first round, the rest of the 2023 field helped rewrite part of the record book as well.
The composite first-round scoring average of 71.38 strokes was the lowest for an opening round in U.S. Open history, besting the 72.29 average in 1993 at Baltusrol. It was also the sixth-lowest in major championship history.
In addition, six players posted scores of 65 or better, the most in a single round in U.S. Open history. And for the first time ever, no player shot 80 or higher in the first round of a U.S. Open.
Before Thursday, six players shared the U.S. Open record of 63, the most recent being Tommy Fleetwood at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf also shot matching 63s in the first round of the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol.
Xander 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 he knows 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.” — Adam Schupak, Golfweek
Rickie Fowler’s reboot works wonders with record US Open round
Rickie Fowler had less than 30 minutes on Thursday to enjoy sole possession of a U.S. Open record for lowest round when he shot a 62 at the Los Angeles Country Club.
Before the new ink could dry in the record books, Xander Schauffele tied the record with his own round of 62 on the par-70 during the first round of the tournament. But while the two golfers share the record, the moment belonged to Fowler.
His scintillating round marked another step back from a career descent, during which he lost his confidence, lost his way and almost lost his PGA Tour card. — Josh Peter
Rory McIlroy maintains silence after chip shot blunder
The questions keep piling up for Rory McIlroy.
Now at the top of the list: What happened when you whiffed on the chip shot in the rough just off the 18th green on Thursday?
Mum’s the word for McIlroy, the 34-year-old Northern Irishman with four major championships.
It’s unclear if or when answers are coming. McIlroy declined interview requests made through the United States Golf Association Thursday after his 5-under 65 in the first round. — Josh Peter
US Open second round tee times, pairings
All times are Eastern.
Hole 1
- 9:45 a.m. — Ross Fisher, Nico Echavarria, Paul Haley II
- 9:56 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Nick Hardy, Sam Stevens
- 10:07 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Aldrich Potgieter, Romain Langasque
- 10:18 a.m. — Andrew Putnam, Victor Perez, Abraham Ancer
- 10:29 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Keegan Bradley
- 10:40 a.m. — Mito Pereira, Emiliano Grillo, Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
- 10:51 a.m. — Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young
- 11:02 a.m. — Sam Burns, Dustin Johnson, Keith Mitchell
- 11:13 a.m. — Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay
- 11:24 a.m. — Davis Thompson, Min Woo Lee, Justin Suh
- 11:35 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Mackenzie Hughes, Ben Carr
- 11:46 a.m. — Patrick Cover, David Nyfjall, Frankie Capan III
- 11:57 a.m. — Austen Truslow, Christian Cavaliere, Alex Schaake
- 3:15 p.m. — Berry Henson, Ryutaro Nagano, Hank Lebioda
- 3:26 p.m. — Michael Kim, Jordan Smith, Wenyi Ding
- 3:37 p.m. — Scott Stallings, Preston Summerhays, Lucas Herbert
- 3:48 p.m. — Jens Dantorp, Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Armour
- 3:59 p.m. — Thomas Pieters, Aaron Wise, Gordon Sargent
- 4:10 p.m. — Bryson DeChambeau, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton
- 4:21 p.m. — Tom Hoge, Sergio Garcia, Sepp Straka
- 4:32 p.m. — Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day
- 4:43 p.m. — Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Si Woo Kim
- 4:54 p.m. — Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
- 5:05 p.m. — Martin Kaymer, Stewart Cink, Michael Thorbjornsen
- 5:16 p.m. — David Horsey, Brendan Valdez, Paul Barjon
- 5:27 p.m. — Jordan Gumberg, Kyle Mueller, Bastien Amat
Hole 10
- 9:45 a.m. — Brent Grant, Vincent Norrman, Charley Hoffman
- 9:56 a.m. — Simon Forsstrom, Carlos Ortiz, Maxwell Moldovan
- 10:07 a.m. — Eric Cole, Thirston Lawrence, Adam Schenk
- 10:18 a.m. — Luke List, Wilco Nienaber, Alejandro Del Rey
- 10:29 a.m. — Adrian Meronk, Harris English, Joaquin Niemann
- 10:40 a.m. — Alex Noren, Wyndham Clark, Austin Eckroat
- 10:51 a.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Cam Davis, Russell Henley
- 11:02 a.m. — Cameron Smith, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Bennett
- 11:13 a.m. — Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, Brian Harman
- 11:24 a.m. — Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy
- 11:35 a.m. — Sebastian Munoz, Nick Taylor, Taylor Montgomery
- 11:46 a.m. — Olin Browne Jr., David Puig, Karl Vilips
- 11:57 a.m. — Corey Pereira, Isaac Simmons, J.J. Grey
- 3:15 p.m. — Omar Morales, Deon Germishuys, Jacob Solomon
- 3:26 p.m. — Ryan Gerard, Yuto Katsuragawa, Michael Brennan
- 3:37 p.m. — Hayden Buckley, Adam Svensson, Pablo Larrazabal
- 3:48 p.m. — Carson Young, Dylan Wu, Roger Sloan
- 3:59 p.m. — Ryo Ishikawa, Kevin Streelman, Matthieu Pavon
- 4:10 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
- 4:21 p.m. — Sungjae Im, K.H. Lee, J.T. Poston
- 4:32 p.m. — Gary Woodland, Adam Scott, Corey Conners
- 4:43 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler
- 4:54 p.m. — Denny McCarthy, Joel Dahmen, Adam Hadwin
- 5:05 p.m. — Matthew McClean, Seamus Power, Ryan Fox
- 5:16 p.m. — Mac Meissner, Barclay Brown, Gunn Charoenkul
- 5:27 p.m. — Alexander Yang, Jesse Schutte, Andy Svoboda
2023 US Open golf TV schedule
Coverage starts Friday at 9:40 a.m. ET on the Peacock streaming service. USA Network will continue at 1 p.m.-8 p.m., and then coverage will switch to NBC from 8 p.m.-11 p.m.
How to watch the US Open 2023 via stream
Golfers can be followed on the live stream at USOpen.com and Peacock.
US Open broadcasters
- Play by play: Dan Hicks / Terry Gannon / Steve Sands
- Analysis: Paul Azinger / Brad Faxon / Brandel Chamblee / Morgan Pressel / Paul McGinley / Nick Dougherty
- Tower: Brad Faxon / Curt Byrum / Peter Jacobsen / Steve Sands / Jimmy Roberts
- On-Course: John Wood / Notah Begay III / Smylie Kaufman / Arron Oberholser / Jim Gallagher Jr.
- Interviews: Damon Hack
- Essays: Jimmy Roberts
What is the weather forecast for Los Angeles on Friday?
The forecast calls for temperatures in the low to mid-70s with partly cloudy skies, with the sun possibly breaking through later in the day and light winds.
Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course, site of the 2023 U.S. Open, was designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and opened in 1928. It was restored by the team of Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford in 2010.
Situated on a terrific piece of rolling ground and serving as an urban oasis off the busy Wilshire Boulevard, the North Course will play to 7,421 yards with a par of 70 for the U.S. Open. The course features three par 5s and five par 3s, with two of the downhill par 3s playing longer than 280 yards.
Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course ranks No. 2 in California on Golfweek’s Best list of top private clubs in each state, and it is No. 14 on Golfweek’s Best list of top classic courses built in the United States before 1960. — Jason Lusk
LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB: Full course map, yardage book
Is Tiger Woods playing in the US Open?
No. In May, Tiger Woods withdrew from the U.S. Open as he recovers from ankle surgery. Woods will also miss next month’s British Open, according to a report on Friday.
Past US Open winning scores
- 2022: Matt Fitzpatrick: -6, 274 (The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.)
- 2021: Jon Rahm: -6, 278 (Torry Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, Calif.)
- 2020: Bryson DeChambeau: -6, 274 (Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N.Y.)
- 2019: Gary Woodland: -13, 271 (Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif.)
- 2018: Brooks Koepka: +1, 281 (Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills, N.Y.)
- 2017: Brooks Koepka: -16, 272 (Erin Hills, Erin, Wis.)
- 2016: Dustin Johnson: -4, 276 (Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.)
- 2015: Jordan Spieth: -5, 275 (Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash.)
- 2014: Martin Kaymer: -9, 271 (Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, N.C.)
- 2013: Justin Rose: +1, 281 (Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.)
- 2012: Webb Simpson: +1, 281 (The Olympic Club, Daly City, Calif.)
- 2011: Rory McIlroy: -16, 272 (Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Md.)
- 2010: Graeme McDowell: E, 284 (Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif.)
US Open purse 2023
USGA CEO Mike Whan announced a $20 million purse for the 2023 U.S. Open.
US Open payouts 2023
The winner will earn $3.6 million.
