LOS ANGELES — Major championships don’t need a lot of extra juice, and this week’s 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club is no different.
The field of 156 players is filled with some of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s best, like Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith and Phil Mickelson, as well as a handful of players who survived the 36-hole marathon that is final qualifying.
While the players mentioned above may currently compete on different tours, they all have one thing in common this week: a chance to etch their name into the record books.
Here’s a look at some of the history that can be made this week at the 2023 U.S. Open.
U.S. Open: Leaderboard, tee times, hole-by-hole
California majors
Tiger Woods is the only player to win more than one major championship in California after he claimed the U.S. Open in 2000 at Pebble Beach and again in 2008 at Torrey Pines. Three players can join him this week:
- Jon Rahm (2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines)
- Collin Morikawa (2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park)
- Gary Woodland (2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach)
Defending champions
Matthew Fitzpatrick will attempt to become the eighth player to defend a U.S Open title and join the following:
- Willie Anderson (1903,1904,1905)
- John McDermott (1911,1912)
- Bobby Jones (1929,1930)
- Ralph Guldahl (1937,1938)
- Ben Hogan (1950,1951)
- Curtis Strange (1988, 1989)
- Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018)
Career grand slam
Phil Mickelson has often been the bridesmaid at the U.S. Open, but never the bride. He’s finished runner-up or T-2 on six different occasions (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013), and has been looking to complete the feat since his 2013 win at the Open Championship.
Will this be the year Lefty finally does it?
No. 1 winner
Speaking of the Big Cat, Woods is also the lone player to win the U.S. Open while ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he did it on three separate occasions in 2000 (Pebble Beach), 2002 (Bethpage Black) and 2008 (Torrey Pines).
Current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has finished T-2 (2022) and T-7 (2021) in his last two starts in the U.S. Open, and was the low amateur in 2017 at Erin Hills.
Double dipping
Three players have won the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in the same year since 1958: Jack Nicklaus (1980), Tiger Woods (2000) and Brooks Koepka (2018).
After winning the PGA Championship earlier this year at Oak Hill, Koepka could become the first to complete the feat twice if he were to win his sixth major championship this week.
When it comes to the Masters and the U.S. Open, a player has won both in the same season on six occasions: Craig Wood (1941), Ben Hogan (1951, 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordan Spieth (2015).
World No. 2 Jon Rahm is aiming to be the first non-American to win both in the same season.
Champion Golfers of the Year
Three reigning British Open champions have won the U.S. Open after claiming the Claret Jug: Harry Vardon (1900), Jack Nicklaus (1967) and Tony Jacklin (1970).
Cameron Smith feels confident this week and is looking to join this exclusive group.
