LOS ANGELES — Brute force will serve golfers well at times during the U.S. Open that starts Thursday. But they’ll need to be far more surgical to survive what is set to become the shortest hole in U.S. Open history.
It’s the par-3 No. 15 at The Los Angeles Country Club. Although the hole is listed at 124 yards, in one round of the tournament it is expected to be shortened to 80 yards from tee to green when the tee boxes are moved forward.
Of course this is a mere chip shot for the world’s best players, and some of the world’s worst might think, “I can play that hole!’’
Not so fast.
As noted by Golfweek, the putting surface is firm and bouncy and tilted as much as 3 degrees from left to right. The green is as narrow as eight paces across but does widen in the back.
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“It’s really kind of a genius design with the way the green is,” said Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer. “I love those little short par-3s. I think that’s the way most par-3s should be, just because there is opportunity for birdie and bogey. I think they’re good separator holes.”
What makes the hole so tough?
The pitch-and-putt distance looks deceptively easy.
Take a closer look. The green provides a small landing pad that requires players to control not only distance but the spin of their ball.
Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner, played that very hole at a mere 78 yards from tee to green in 2017 when he was a member of the U.S. team that won the Walker Cup.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating because you can hit an OK shot and not get rewarded at all,” Morikawa said. “Especially out here you can’t land it in the rough. It’s not going to bounce out. You’ve got to land it in the right spot. …
“I just remember it was a very tough shot, I pulled it off, and I think I still had like 20 feet for birdie.
“I remember like you almost had to (be) practicing teeing up with a 60-degree lob wedge like an inch off the ground, which you never do,” Morikawa added, “and just trying to try and hit it perfect, because you had to with height, with spin.
“It’s only going to be that much more important this week if they do move it up. I’m sure they will. So, yeah, you have like a yard-and-a-half to land it if you want to hit a good shot. If not, you’ve got to play left and hopefully hit a good putt.”
What the truthful would say
Matt Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Open champion, pointed out another daunting challenge – the 290-yard par 3 at No. 11 that will have him reaching for a 3-wood.
“I would argue that at 78 yards, (standing) there with a lob wedge in your hand, you’re going to be a little bit more intimidated than (if you) stood there with a 3-wood in your hand,” he said. “I would probably say that’s pretty truthful amongst everyone in the field.
“I imagine that the target is going to be very small and you’re going to have to hit a good shot. I think we need more short par-3s that are challenging, so I’m excited to see what that looks like.”
