Power Rankings: U.S. Open

A couple of A-listers among course architects return for leading roles in, where else, Los Angeles.

Although it’s been well over a decade since Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner restored the North Course at The Los Angeles Country Club, the star power of their artistry continues to shine, and the playground nestled against Beverly Hills promises to yield a standing ovation for the 123rd edition of the U.S. Open.

More on the engaging test, what the winner will need to do on his walk of fame and more can be found below the expanded ranking of projected contenders.

Collin Morikawa, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider.

Hanse and Wagner were responsible for the updates and upgrades to Southern Hills Country Club and The Country Club for the 2022 editions of the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, respectively, but they arrived at LACC before both of those projects, and they were joined on the job by Geoff Shackelford.

As always, their objectives at LACC were wide-ranging, but the primary mission was to resuscitate the nearly 100-year-old design of George C. Thomas, Jr., himself a redesigner of Herbert Fowler’s original work. The finished product is compelling. It’s the kind of sensory experience that genuinely deserves hole-by-hole analysis to appreciate, for superlatives fall short even in the shadows of Hollywood and its inherent hyperbole.

On the scorecard, the North Course is a par 70 with five par 3s and three par 5s, and it can tip at 7,423 yards. Fully stretched, the back nine is 351 yards longer than the front. That’s due primarily to the fact that the outward side has three par 3s, one of which is No. 7, which, despite its max of 284 yards, actually can be reached in 1! Run-ups encouraged.

With elevation changes, barrancas and sharp angles, there is so much character to the course in the context that every club and every shot will be put to the test. Fairways are generous but there’s so much tilt, trickle-down and run-off that position off the tee is more important that power. Practice will be paramount in this land of pictures. Distance control and precision are prerequisites.

For the first time since Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course hosted the U.S. Open in 2005, bermudagrass blankets fairways and rough, the latter of which will be about three inches high at LACC. Bentgrass greens are presented in all shapes and sizes. Unfamiliar undulations will make them feel like they’re running faster that the prepared measurement of a slick 13 feet on the Stimpmeter.

There’s also irony. For a course so visually striking, there are a few blind shots off tees, so moments of splendor will occur when arriving at (read: finding) drives resting on favorable lies for approach into attractive green complexes. However, you’re excused if you yearn subliminally to consider the purchase of a new car because the familiar backdrop of the cityscape has a supporting role in the visuals. Elevated viewpoints sell. If there was any loss of situational awareness along the way, the boundary left of the target on the par-4 13th hole shares a property line with the Playboy Mansion.

Just like last week’s marvelous test at Oakdale Golf & Country Club, apropos of a national championship that, when possible, makes the most sense contested on a neutral field, few are familiar with LACC. It was only six years ago, but the Walker Cup featured a couple of guys you made have heard of – Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa. The unofficial course record of 61 belongs to Max Homa when he spun it in the opening round of the Pac-12 Championship in 2013.

LACC is six miles from the Pacific Ocean, so morning fog can’t be ruled out as a delay tactic by Mother Nature. Otherwise favorable conditions are expected throughout. Light winds will be prevailing from a southwesterly direction and daytime temperatures should touch 70 on the daily.

The 36-hole cut for the U.S. Open is low 60 and ties. The champion will earn 600 FedExCup points, a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open, five-year exemptions into the other three majors and fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR through 2028. (As of Monday, the purse and how it will be distributed was not released.)

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled.

MONDAY: Power Rankings

TUESDAY*: Sleepers

WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider

FRIDAY: Medical Extensions

SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Qualifiers, Reshuffle

* - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.