US Open Golf Update 2023: Latest News & Players to Watch

The 2023 US Open is fast approaching—it’s due to start on June 15 and will be held on the North Course of Los Angeles Country Club, LA, California. But what’s been happening in the run-up to the event, and which players are expected to perform well? We’ve got all the latest news in this quick update. 

Current Favorites 

There are no surprises in the list of the current favorites to take home the title at the third major golf championship event this year. If you’re interested in betting on sports, the following players are the most likely to bring you a win. Here are their current odds and why they’re so favored.

• Jon Rahm +900: He won the Masters in April finishing with an impressive -12, so it’s clear to see why the world’s top-ranked golfer is the favorite to win the Open, too. He also won the Open in 2021, but 2023’s edition of the tournament is the first PGA Tour to be held at Los Angeles Country Club in almost 100 years. So, the course is likely to throw up a few surprises for the many players who aren’t local, including Rahm. However, current PGA Tour official stats show Rahm topping the leaderboard both for birdies and scoring, so there’s every chance he’ll keep up these impressive performances during the Open.  

• Scottie Scheffler +1000: He’s the world’s number two, and also the second favorite to take home the prestigious US Open title. He was just one point behind the winner in last year’s tournament, yet he placed a disappointing T10 in the Masters last month. 

• Rory McIlroy +1100: The current world’s number three didn’t even make the cut in last month’s Masters, but he’s still among the bookies’ favorites to win the Open. Rory McIlroy placed a respectable T5 in the Open last year, and if current odds are anything to go by, he seems set to perform even better this year. 

Qualifying Conundrums

Players hoping to qualify for the US Open were surprised to only play 17 holes during the qualifying event held at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield. An irrigation pipe burst on the seventh hole, rendering the putting surface unplayable.

As a solution, the tournament organizers made the call to eliminate that hole entirely and granted all participants a par score for that hole. This resulted in a 17-hole competition as opposed to the standard 18-hole course. Aside from this mishap, play continued as normal, with Patrick Cover and Griffin Mitchell emerging as the top finishers and securing spots in the US Open. The other four spots went to Michael Chanaud, Zac Oakley, Chris Crawford and Matthew Bastian Jr.

Self-disqualification

During a separate qualifying event at Illini Country Club, Springfield, Tommy Kuhl (one of the top collegiate golfers) played a course-record 62, putting him on track for the final qualifying round. 

However, he realized that he had unknowingly violated a rule when he overheard a teammate mentioning the difficulty of putting on aerated greens. Kuhl had been fixing aeration marks on the greens, an act that is against the rules unless a local rule permits it. Consequently, Kuhl disqualified himself, feeling remorseful for his mistake. 

Despite this setback, Kuhl, a fifth-year senior at the University of Illinois, has had a successful collegiate career and is likely to have future opportunities to compete in the U.S. Open—watch this space.

USGA’s US Open Showcase Brings Championship Experience to Local Fans

The USGA has announced the U.S. Open Showcase, a free-to-attend event taking place from June 15-18, 2023, at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. 

This event aims to provide local sports fans with an immersive and engaging experience to celebrate the much-anticipated return of the U.S. Open to Los Angeles after 75 long years. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to experience the buzzing energy of the tournament without having to buy a ticket. They’ll be able to watch live broadcasts, enjoy live recordings of golf podcasts, witness celebrity guest appearances, and enjoy visiting the pop-up US Open merchandise shop. 

The Showcase will cater to all ages, although the live music, comedy performances, and DJ sets are for adults only. Keep your eyes peeled for more scheduling updates nearer the time when the event kicks off.