As it turns out, some things aren't worth the wait.
The Los Angeles Country Club hosted the 2023 U.S. Open, the first major at the club and the first PGA Tour event held there since 1940. While winner Wyndham Clark is probably thrilled with how the course played, some other golfers are none too pleased with the venue.
Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 U.S. Open winner), Brooks Koepka (winner in 2017 and 2018) and Viktor Hovland were just three golfers who had vocal criticisms of LACC this weekend. All three seemed to take issue with the course's layout and atmosphere, both of which were unlike U.S. Opens of prior years.
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Fitzpatrick openly criticized the atmosphere at LACC saying that the crowds felt very light over the weekend, going as far to say it was "disappointing" on the USGA side.
"It’s disappointing on the USGA side," Fitzpatrick said. "They want a great tournament — from what I’ve heard a lot of members bought tickets and that’s why there’s so many less people. Hopefully it’s not the same for other U.S. Opens going forward.”
Fitzpatrick also wasn't crazy about the course itself, saying that there's a little bit more luck than skill involved in playing a good round.
Yeah, I just think the golf course is interesting, to be polite, I think. There's just too many holes for me where you've got blind tee shots and then you've got fairways that don't hold the ball. There's too much slope. I think the greens certainly play better when they're firmer. I definitely think that's the case. They're rolling really, really well. Some of the tee shots are just -- I think they're a little bit unfair. You hit a good tee shot and end up in the rough by a foot and then you're hacking it out. Meanwhile someone has hit it miles offline the other way and they've got a shot. Yeah, not my cup of tea.
Fitzpatrick finished at 1-under (-69) and tied for 17th in the tournament, tied with Koepka. Coincidentally, Koepka was also none too pleased with the course over the weekend, criticizing the layout and the tee shots, specifically.
"I’m not a huge fan of this place. I’m not a huge fan of blind tee shots, and then I think there’s just some spots that no matter what you hit, the ball just ends up in the same spot," Koepka said Friday. "I think it would be more fun to play just a regular round than it would be a U.S. Open. There was, what, two 8s (62) yesterday (Round 1)? That doesn’t happen. …
"I've won majors on golf courses I haven't really liked too much. This one, it's just not my favorite."
Hovland (19th, even) was probably the most outspoken on the failures of the course, saying that there were no "great holes," which turned out to be the case over the weekend.
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"You know what, I'm not a big fan of this golf course, to be honest," Hovland said. "I think there's some good holes. I don't think there's any great holes. I think there's a few bad holes. I think No. 9 is probably the best hole out here in my opinion."
Round 1 of the U.S. Open saw golfers making a playground of the course. Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele both shot 8-under 62s in Round 1, setting a U.S. Open record for a low score in the tournament. Clark would post a 64 in Round 1, matched by Dustin Johnson.
Even as the course dried out and settled in, low scores were still in play, uncommon for a U.S. Open. Tommy Fleetwood posted a 63 in Round 4, tying the former U.S. Open record for a low score.
Clark outlasted Rory McIlroy to take his first major win, with the pair shooting matching 70s in the final round. While the bunkers and other hazards on the course made for trouble for some, most navigated the course's wide fairways and luxurious greens with ease.
With the U.S. Open returning to the LACC in 2039, there's plenty of time for course architects and planners to fix it up.