US Open’s Par 3s Will Test the Long…and Short Games of the World’s Best

The United States Open is commonly described as the most challenging Major Championship in Golf. Commonly outfitted difficult course conditions in terms of long rough, fast greens, Los Angeles Country Club is going to offer something more: versatility on the Par 3s.

Both Numbers 7 and 11 will be long enough for most amateurs to consider pulling out driver, but many of the competitors at the U.S. Open will still need a three wood to get to the green. The 11th is playing 290 yards, while the 7th is around 284, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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Meanwhile, the 15th will play as short as 80 yards, requiring nothing more than a lob wedge for most, but even many of the players will be taking some off of that to get it close to the pin.

😮‍💨 The 11th hole at LACC #USOpen pic.twitter.com/hEWntJOWZf

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 11, 2023

Length has been one way many courses have combated lower scores at the Majors. One of the best examples of this is 13 at Augusta National, where the course has continued to buy land behind the tee box to take away the possibility of having just a short iron into the Par 5 that is protected by Rae’s Creek.

But it doesn’t go without criticism.

Last year, Tyrell Hatton cast stones in the direction of the PGA and USGA, who seemed to be “in a bit of a fight about who’s got the longest golf course and who’s got the longest par-3.”

“It would be nice if they were a bit more creative with course setup rather than just trying to make it hard through length all the time,” Hatton said. “PGA seems to just be getting longer each time we come back and play.”

This weekend’s U.S. Open aims to test the mettle of those who are competing, like any other tournament. But there are many expecting low scores due to the length and course conditions. Currently, CBS Sports predicts the winning score to be -4.

Cover Image via Twitter