U.S. Open – Five things to know presented by OCEANTEE

The 123rd U.S. Open visits The Los Angeles Country Club this week for the penultimate men’s Major Championship of the year as a host of DP World Tour stars take to the stage. Here are your five things to know.

Fitzpatrick defends

Matt Fitzpatrick fulfilled his ‘dream’ of winning a Major last year as he prevailed in a gripping finale to claim the U.S. Open from Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler by one stroke. All three players held the lead during a dramatic final round, before a stunning recovery shot from a fairway bunker helped the Englishman complete a historic double at Brookline Country Club. Victory saw him become just the second man after Jack Nicklaus to win the US Amateur and U.S. Open on the same course. The 28-year-old may not have added to his eight DP World Tour titles since then but has enjoyed success Stateside. After an injury-impacted start to the season, he defeated defending champion Jordan Spieth on the third play-off hole to win the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island in April. He has since recorded top 20s at the Memorial Tournament and RBC Canadian Open last week to ensure he is feeling good ahead of his title defence.

A European hat-trick?

The last two winners of the U.S. Open are both European, with Fitzpatrick following on from Jon Rahm a year earlier. The Spaniard will be hoping to draw on his fond memories in California, having made his Major breakthrough at Torrey Pines. Rahm is also the man with the longest active streak of cuts made in Majors with 15. Since the first World War, there has never been three consecutive winners from European soil at golf’s second oldest Major. But with four of the world’s top 10 on the Official World Golf Ranking coming from the continent there is every reason to believe that could change.

Rose on song ten years on from greatest triumph

One of the enduring images from the U.S. Open in recent memory is Justin Rose celebrating his first Major victory a decade ago by kissing his golf ball and pointing skywards. It was a poignant touch to remember his late father and mentor Ken on Father’s Day. On the milestone tenth anniversary of his triumph at Merion, the former World Number One is back playing at somewhere near his best. He ended a four-year title drought at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in February to climb back into the top 50 in the world and has since been on a continued upward trajectory with a run of strong results on the PGA TOUR. Could this be the week the Englishman lands a second Major win?

New venue on the Major scene

The Los Angeles Country Club is hosting its first Major in the club’s 126-year history. The city of Angels hasn’t hosted the championship since 1948 – when Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Opens at nearby Riviera Country Club – or a Major since 1995. Once a bean and barley farm, the venue was shaped by architects Herbert Fowler and George Thomas in the 1920s. Since the turn of the century, it has been restored and the North Course hosted the Walker Cup in 2017, where Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa both featured in an American victory over Great Britain & Ireland. Water is nowhere to be found on the par-70 layout that features five par threes, including the signature downhill 11th which is set to play 290 yards. Another hole to look out for is the risk-reward driveable 325-yard par four sixth hole where players will be hitting a blind tee shot. Perhaps its most notable features are the elevation changes and slopes, while the bunker faces are rough-laden.

Inside the field

Eight players are contesting this week by virtue of advancing via Final Qualifying which returned to Walton Heath after a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among those are English pair Ross Fisher and David Horsey, who both make long-awaited returns to the Major scene. They are joined by South African pair Wilco Nienaber and Deon Germishuys, who is making his first Major start after winning at the Surrey venue last month. Matthieu Pavon, Jens Dantorp and Alejandro Del Rey also secured one of the initial seven spots on offer, before first alternate Jordan Gumberg was awarded a spot in the field after a reallotment by the USGA. Among those who are also taking their place in the field are Romain Langasque and Simon Forsström after the duo topped the standings of the four-event DP World Tour U.S. Open Qualification Series, consisting of the DS Automobiles Italian Open, Soudal Open, KLM Open and Porsche European Open.