2023 US Open
Los Angeles Country Club
Hello, DFSArmy, it’s your boy DFSUpNorth, aka Josh Thomas, back with another course preview and this week we have a rare west coast US Open! The 2023 US Open takes place at the Los Angeles Country Club, a classic design from the golden age of golf design that has been renovated by US Open doctor, Gil Hanse! Let’s dive into the details and look at who is a great course fit for this week!
The Course:
The Los Angeles Country Club is a par-70, stretching across 7,400 yards. Founded in 1897, it’s one of the oldest golf clubs in California. The club has two courses: the North and South courses. The North Course, where the U.S. Open will be held, came into existence in 1921 and is known for its challenging layout and scenic vistas of Los Angeles.
Notable architects, such as Herbert Fowler and George C. Thomas Jr., have contributed to the design of the club. Their work was later refined by renowned course architect Gil Hanse, who took on the significant task of redesigning the North Course to prepare it for the 2023 U.S. Open.
George C. Thomas Jr. is one of the most revered figures in the world of golf course design. Active in the early 20th century, primarily during the “Golden Age of Golf Course Design” from the 1910s to the 1930s, Thomas made a profound impact with his strategic and aesthetic design principles.
Thomas was born in 1873 in Philadelphia and started his career as a botanist and horticulturist, but he eventually found his true calling in golf course architecture. His deep understanding of plant life and the natural environment heavily influenced his design approach, leading to courses that not only presented a challenge to golfers but also blended seamlessly with their natural surroundings.
Thomas moved to California in 1919 due to health issues and began designing courses in the local area. His first major project was at the Los Angeles Country Club, where he was responsible for the redesign of the North Course in 1921. The success of this redesign catapulted his reputation, and soon he became a prominent figure in West Coast golf architecture.
Thomas was fond of creating risk-reward scenarios on his courses, forcing golfers to weigh their decisions carefully. Hehad a keen eye for the aesthetic aspect of the design. His courses are known for their visually appealing features like beautiful bunkering and well-positioned water hazards. He used these elements not just as strategic challenges but also as visual enhancements that would elevate the golfer’s experience.
Despite his passing in 1932, George C. Thomas Jr.’s legacy lives on. His courses continue to be celebrated for their strategic and visual qualities, and they are considered among the finest examples of golf course architecture from the Golden Age. The principles he laid down continue to influence the field of golf course design to this day, particularly starting off courses with a ‘getaway hole’, an easyish par 5 before testing them with a difficult par 4 on the second. Something he did here at LACC as well as at Riviera and Bel Air.
Hanse, known for preserving the spirit of classic golf design while weaving in modern challenges, did a commendable job at the LACC with his reworking. Restoration centered on returning the course to its original rugged, rustic look, restoring fairway contours and bunkers, new greens, and eliminating non-native vegetation, particularly in the dried up creek beds that meander through the course and give it a very rugged look, particularly on the front nine.
The fairways ‘look’ wide but due to the steep canter and tight lies with runouts to hazards/rough, the course will likely play very difficult, especially off the tee. I do think that distance will obviously play a role here, especially on the long par 4’s that could play into the wind, but think there’s potential for a ‘plodder’ who just finds fairways and greens to be successful and the right way to attack this course.
Bunkers and green complexes were redesigned to their original intent and are very severe looking to the eye and likely will make some of the par 5’s real three shot holes, especially if they play into the wind prevailing winds.
Hanse has done an outstanding job on the redesign and retained the course’s traditional features and bolstered its strategic depth, making it a fitting venue for a major championship like the U.S. Open.
Tournament Set-up:
Los Angeles Country Club
Par: 35-35—70
Yardage: 7,421
Stimpmeter: 13
Greens: Pure Distinction Creeping Bentgrass (cut to maintain speed)
Collars: Pure Distinction Creeping Bentgrass .275”
Approaches: Tifway 2 bermudagrass .275”
Tees: Tifway 2 bermudagrass .375” Fairways: Tifway 2 bermudagrass .375”
Rough: Tifway 2 / Bandera bermuda 3-4”
This will be the first U.S. Open with bermudagrass rough since 2005 at Pinehurst, check out HOW THICK it is below!
https://twitter.com/usopengolf/status/1667693690805178369
Links to DFS Army Tools
- PGA Research Station – Every single stat you could want for this week’s event!
- PGA Cheatsheets – Notes on all the viable players in the field
- PGA Domination Station – One-click Optimized Lineups in Seconds
Important Statistics
Being that this is a new course, it’s tough to say what will be most important this week but here are some stats that I will be focusing on.
Given the LACC’s unique layout and high-stakes nature of the U.S. Open, focus on these strokes gained categories:
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG:T2G): LACC tests players’ entire game from tee to green, making this category highly relevant.
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG:APP): The course’s design puts a significant premium on approach play, given the strategic bunkering and green complexes.
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG:ARG): The green complexes at LACC are notoriously tricky, with tight run-off areas, emphasizing the importance of a robust short game.
- Par 5 Scoring: Making hay while the sunshines on these par 5’s will be vitally important, you need to find SOME birdies on these par 5’s, especially number one.
Key Factors Impacting Course Design
- Course Length: LACC, with its long par-4s, will challenge players to deliver both distance and accuracy.
- Bunkering: Hanse’s redesign included strategic bunker placements, testing players’ skills off the tee and on approach shots.
- Green Complexes: The large, undulating greens demand excellent green-reading abilities and precision.
- Hanse’s Redesign: Hanse’s renovation work has brought new strategic considerations into play while preserving the course’s classic feel.
These key stats can serve as a starting point for evaluating a golfer’s potential success at LACC. When building DFS lineups or making predictions, consider each player’s current form, tournament history, and how their skill set aligns with these crucial areas.
Golfers coming in 🔥🔥🔥
Tyrrell Hatton: 53.21 SGT
Scottie Scheffler: 50.09 SGT
Viktor Hovland: 36.94 SGT
Adam Scott: 34.13 SGT
Tommy Fleetwood: 33.05 SGT
Hatton made a run at it last week, but it was just too little too late for the Englishman. He had a really poor Saturday otherwise he would have very likely won going away. LOVE him again this week. Scheffler is a great play as always and Adam Scott is WAY TOO CHEAP.
Golfers with 🔥🔥🔥 US Open History
Xander Schauffele: 46.87 SGT
Dustin Johnson: 43.21 SGT
Jon Rahm: 42.69 SGT
Rory McIlroy: 42.69 SGT
Brooks Koepka: 40.92 SGT
One player not listed here who has sneaky good US Open History, has started to play a bit better, and is mega cheap/low owned is Harris English $7200.
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Weather:
California in June is about as perfect as it gets. Low 70’s, a slight gust, it’s going to be prime conditions for golf all week. One impact this week may be the afternoon tee times with the tree’s and the shadows they produce on the course, tricking players with their sight lines, and removing their depth perception on some of these fairways.
Final Thoughts:
The 2023 US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club is shaping up to be a great test and I’m so excited to see how the course plays on TV. It’s going to be visually stunning and a great opportunity for us to make some MONEY. By understanding the course’s unique characteristics and tailoring our DFS strategy accordingly, we can put ourselves in a prime position to succeed. I will break it all down for our VIPs with my weekly PGA Cheatsheets! This is DFSUpNorth, Josh Thomas, signing off. Best of luck to everyone in their DFS contests this week. Let’s get those green screens!
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