LOS ANGELES — The biggest star of the 2023 U.S. Open isn't Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy or Brooks Koepka, it's the Los Angeles Country Club, playing host to its first major championship and opening its doors to the golf world.
Architect Gil Hanse has a special affinity for the place, having brought it much closer to the original design of George C. Thomas in a 2009-10 restoration.
"Architecturally, there's very little we can do to challenge these players with distance and the physical part of the game," said Hanse, surveying the course from the clubhouse deck. "But George Thomas was a genius at challenging the mental part of the game. I think the players are really finding that out."
