There was uncertainty about how Los Angeles Country Club would handle its first U.S. Open. The course is a visual masterpiece, accentuated by tall strands of Bermuda grass and a skyline view of the City of Angels.
But it had never hosted a major, and no amount of money — not even $60 million worth — could set the stage for what was to come on the first day.
There are still three rounds to go, but after one spin through, one word comes to mind: easy.
MORE: U.S. Open leaderboard 2023: Live golf scores, results | Round 2 tee times
The first round of the U.S. Open was a dream for those yearning for clean, precise golf. Drives were pinpoint. Putts were inch-perfect. Chips were sumptuous (save for Rory McIlroy’s flub on No. 18).
Thursday’s scores reflected the mad elegance. Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele ended the day at 8 under par. Their dueling 62s represent the lowest single rounds in tournament history and tied for the lowest in a major.
They weren’t the only ones rollicking in California delight. By the end of Thursday, the cut line sat at 1 over par. By comparison, the cut line for this year’s PGA Championship was 5 over.
MORE: Projected cut, rules, updates for Friday’s leaderboard
So, is Los Angeles Country Club too easy? The Sporting News looks at the numbers behind an abnormally low scoring day at the U.S. Open.
U.S. Open first round, by the numbers
71.328 scoring average
With a scoring average of just over 71 among the tournament’s 156 competitors, the 2023 U.S. Open made history. No U.S. Open has ever produced a lower opening-round scoring average, per Elias Sports Bureau. Even the 2019 event at Pebble Beach, highlighted by Gary Woodland’s 13 under par, proved more challenging after 18 holes.
Perhaps it was the cushiony greens. Or maybe those Bermuda grass beanstalks weren’t quite long enough. But any way you slice it, players weren’t faced with too many obstacles in Round 1.
| Scoring average | Year | Course |
| 71.328 | 2023 | Los Angeles Country Club (North) |
| 72.290 | 1993 | Baltusrol |
| 72.560 | 2020 | Winged Foot |
| 72.680 | 2003 | Olympia Fields |
| 72.690 | 2019 | Pebble Beach |
Highest score in Round 1: 79
If you want a true indication of just how difficult a course is, it’s best to look at the bottom of the leaderboard. The opening round of this year’s U.S. Open proved easier than any other first round in tournament history.
The worst score in the 2023 event’s first round was 79 (Aaron Wise and Alexander Yang). For the first time in U.S. Open history, an entire 156-player field finished below 80. That’s an unprecedented amount of consistency in a tournament lauded for its unpredictability.
MORE: Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele headline low-scoring U.S. Open Round 1
37 players under par
More than three dozen players ended the day under par. That’s not the highest total in the opening round of the U.S. Open — that honor belongs to the 2017 tournament at Erin Hills.
But it’s pretty close. Only three iterations have bettered Los Angeles Country Club’s total. That’s great for those who desire gorgeous golf free of blemishes, but that doesn’t always make for the most entertaining watch. The stakes of bogeys, the drama of attempting to save par under the most stressful of conditions, all of it swirls to create the beauty of golf. That was noticeably absent in Round 1 this year.
| Players under par after Round 1 | Year | Course |
| 44 | 2017 | Erin Hill |
| 39 | 2019 | Pebble Beach |
| 39 | 1990 | Medinah No. 3 |
| 37 | 2023 | LACC (North) |
| 29 | 1992 | Pebble Beach |
A pair of aces
One ace is nice. Two on the same hole? That’s historic. That’s just what Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns did on Hole 15.
The two recorded the 49th and 50th holes-in-one in U.S. Open history. Put differently, 4 percent of the aces ever made in the competition’s history occurred during the first round of this year’s tournament. If that doesn’t show how painless this year’s first round was, what else will?