LOS ANGELES — Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland lines up a putt on the first hole during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 17, 2023. | Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Austin Eckroat, the 24-year-old from Oklahoma, carded a 29 on Sunday at the U.S. Open—the second 29 of the championship.
The Los Angeles Country Club’s opening nine holes have produced record-low scoring at the 123rd U.S. Open.
Two players have shot a 29 on LACC’s front nine, marking the first time two scores of 29 have been recorded at the same U.S. Open.
On Saturday, Tom Kim made six birdies over his first nine holes to go out in 29. The five-footer he made for birdie on the 179-yard par-3 9th hole made Kim the fifth player to shoot a 29 in any U.S. Open.
Then, during Sunday’s final found, Austin Eckroat, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, shot a 29 to launch himself up the leaderboard. He birdied the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th holes, then eagled the par-5 eighth.
He could have shot a 28, but his 6-footer for birdie on the 9th was not meant to be.
Rory McIlroy has made his mark on the front nine too. He shot a 30 on the front on both Thursday and Friday as he has played the opening nine at 11-under for the championship. On the flip side, he has struggled on the back nine—shooting 2-over par overall.
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LOS ANGELES — Rory McIlroy chips on the eighth green during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 17, 2023.
The front nine features two par-5s and three par-3s as it plays about 400 yards shorter than the brutal back nine. The par-35 front side has a scoring average of 35.22, a mark not often seen in U.S. Opens. The back nine, also a par-35, is averaging 36.66, as of this writing per the USGA.
Along with the two par-5s, the little par-4 6th provides plenty of opportunity for the field to score. This week, the scoring average is 3.76, making the 316-yard hole the easiest par-4 on the course.
It is a tale of two halves between the front and back sides at LACC. Midway through the final round, the field is 87-over par on the front while they are 622-over par on the back, per NBC.
The four easiest holes—the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 8th—are on the front side, while the three most difficult holes—the 11th, 13th, and 17th—reside on the back nine.
So if players want to post a good score, they need to attack LACC early and hold on for dear life coming down the stretch.
Watch for the leaders to be aggressive on the opening nine while playing conservatively on the back. Whoever makes the least mistakes over the final few holes will be the 123rd U.S. Open champion.
