The year’s third major, the US Open, is upon us with the world’s top players including seven Australians set for a brutal test at the mysterious Los Angeles Country Club.
Former champion Geoff Ogilvy and Australian pro Paul Gow discussed the prospects of every Australian on Fox Sports’ US Open Preview show, from top hope Cameron Smith to surprise qualifier Karl Vilips.
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Cameron Smith
Geoff Ogilvy: “It’s hard to say (his chances). He’s clearly one of our best contenders, maybe the best contender. He won a major three majors ago!
“He loves the tough stuff. LA should set up pretty well for him. It’s very long, but it’s gonna be a grinding test. He’s going to have to get the ball up and down a lot, and that’s his specialty.
“You know he’s fired up. I think Brooks (Koepka) must have fired up these LIV guys a little bit by winning the PGA and saying we can still win majors and play LIV at the same time.
“Really good chance for Cam I think. It’s hard to do when you haven’t been playing all these tough golf courses every week like the regular guys on the PGA Tour. But he’s clearly got the goods at the end of the tournament.
“He lives for these big moments and I think he’s a really good chance.”
Paul Gow: “He certainly does (love the majors). He’s always embraced the big moments. Not all players do that – he has.
“I’m with Geoff, they haven’t played some of the toughest golf courses on the LIV tour.
“He’s still got that gritty piece about him, he came back here and won the Australian PGA championships. He’s just one of those gritty players.
“This short game is amazing. When you’ve got the best players in the world stopping and watching him hit pitch shots and chip shots around the green, you know you’re pretty good.”
Jason Day
Gow said Day showed he is back in form with his recent win: “He certainly did (show that) down the stretch at Byron Nelson. He’s now number 22 in the world, so the belief is back.
“He’s had to change a lot of things. He’s had all those injuries for a lot of years with his back. He’s slowed down his golf swing. He’s manoeuvred his way around the golf course exceptionally well.
“We know that his mental toughness is coming around. It goes in ebbs and flows, it comes and goes. But I think he is now one of the best players in the world coming back. His ball striking, his stats just show that, don’t they?
“He’s had seven top 10 finishes (in 2023), which means he’s in the mix the entire time. The more times you do that the more times you’re a chance of winning.
“It’s a pretty special time for him here. You never know when you’re going to come back and have another win in your career.”
Adam Scott
Ogilvy: “I’m hopeful for Scotty. He clearly has the pedigree to win the tournament.
“He hasn’t really sort of finished off tournaments very well. He’s started a few tournaments well and sort of drifted back to the middle of the field.
“He drives the ball great.
“I know he’s been on site in LA for quite a long time. So he’s doing all his research like he did in his heyday in the majors.
“I think he’s every chance.
“As always with him, I think the putter is key. His putting stats aren’t terrible but we know it can come and go. If he can have one of those weeks with that long thing that goes really well, he clearly has the ball-striking to do it and his short game is very improved over the last four or five years.
“He lives for these big tournaments, these are really what keeps him going. He’ll be pretty fired up. It’s gonna be a pretty exciting one in LA, it’s right down his street, so we’ll see.
“I think he’s a decent chance but he has to make a lot of putts.”
Gow: “He’s come good in the last few weeks, he’s changed his clubs over two months ago but the clubs are now turning the corner. 42 years of age and he still wants it so that’s good.”
Mega 290-yd par 3 that has people scared | 03:51
Min Woo Lee
Gow: “It’s interesting with Min. He’s working his way up. He plateaued a little bit, he’s going up again.
“You’re right Braith, he’s world class. He’s in progress with his coach Richie Smith to tighten up the game. Meaning he’s such a long hitter, he’s just tightening it up off the tee, the shot selections, and how to hit certain shots with certain spin.
“That is really key when it comes to major championships. The more that he plays in these, the more comfortable he becomes. He’s trying to play a lot more in America.
“He had a great PGA Championships, 17th. Hit a bunch of really good controlled shots, controlled the spin of the ball which is great for somebody with his length to be able to dial it back.
“The US Open, I don’t know if it’s exactly (right) for him just yet. But you never know. If he gets his putter hot he could be off.”
Cam Davis
Ogilvy: “It’s gonna be a tough ask for Cam. It’s a pretty big stage.
“But he got a lot out of the President’s Cup last year. I followed him around for a lot of his rounds there. He was really comfortable at the biggest moments. He learned a lot about how good he is and how much he stacks up against the rest of these guys.
Cam is an absolute flusher. The whole PGA Tour stops and watches him hit balls sometimes when they walk past. When he hits a driver everybody turns around like ‘what noise was that?’
“He’s a really special talent, he has all the tools. He just has to get up in the mix in these majors a little bit more often, get that belief.
“I think he’s got a tendency to overthink golf a little bit and take it a little bit too seriously. If he can play loose and extract all the talent he’s got, he can definitely get in the mix. It’s going to be a really tough ask.
Gow: “He can get a little bit loose off the tee. His putting is starting to improve, his stats are showing that. His whole career so far has been a gradual growth.”
Players react to ABSURD 290-yd par 3 | 03:10
Karl Vilips
Gow: “A great experience. I remember my first US Open. You go to the qualifier – which is really hard by the way! He led at Woodmont, with a lot of good players at this golf course.
“He’s just about finished his college at Stamford, a great school in the US. He’s played really well. He’s in the PAC 12, All American, he’s in the first team there.
“He played the junior Presidents Cup here in 2019. He’s a powerful player, this kid. He was born in Indonesia but comes out of Perth.
“You’ll see a lot more of him here, he’s had a few injuries here and there with his golf game.
“But what a great experience, playing in LA with the best players in the world.
“He’s just got an abundance of game, we’ve seen it from a young age – we’re just waiting for him now!”
Lucas Herbert:
Gow: “I think he’ll go really, really well.
“He’s got the power, we know that. It’s about honing the rest of the game. It’s not all about power this week, it’ll be about getting the ball in the right part of the fairways and obviously the short game.
“And the scrambling that is required at the US Open, he’s starting to get more and more of that.”
Ogilvy relives ‘last man standing’ win | 03:48
Herbert told Fox Sports: “Like you said, fourth US Open coming up, very much looking forward to it.
“I think it takes a few of these US Opens to kind of get used to it and figure out what the beast is that you’re fighting, and sort of mentally preparing for the challenge.
“Honestly, my game feels decent. The results haven’t really shown in the last couple of weeks. I felt like my game is in a better spot than it was.”
The beast: “I think par’s your friend out there at the US Open. Any time you make a par you’re definitely not taking a step backwards, which I think can be a bit of a different mindset from regular Tour events.
“I think it’s getting used to that, getting used to when your ball is out of position, really playing quite defensively.
“A double bogey can take nine holes to get that back sometimes! A bogey you can kind of live with, doubles or triples are what kills you.
“It’s getting your head around that, making sure you’re not trying to chase the shots that you lose if you do make a bogey. Staying as patient as possible, preparing yourself for the test. Everyone is probably struggling out there as well.”
“I’ve never played LA CC yet. I’m looking forward to it, I’ve only heard really good things about it.
I’ve heard the fairways are wide, a lot more of angles and strategy as opposed to just a pure skills test that some of the courses that you see for a regular US Open venue.”
ROUND 1 TEE TIMES AEST
12.07am* Lucas Herbert, Scott Stallings, Preston Summerhays (a)
1.02am Adam Scott, Gary Woodland, Corey Conners
1.02am* Jason Day, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
6.21am Cam Davis, Kurt Kitayama, Russell Henley
6.32am Cameron Smith, Sam Bennett, Matt Fitzpatrick
6.54am* Min Woo Lee, Davis Thompson, Justin Suh
7.16am Karl Vilips (a), Olin Browne Jr, David Puig