LOS ANGELES (AP) — The view from the tee box of the 11th hole on Los Angeles Country Club's North course is the signature shot, as they would say just up the road in Hollywood.
The downtown Los Angeles skyline looms behind the trees backing the green, which is framed below by three foreboding bunkers. On an urban golf venue full of impressive vistas, this spot is the best — even if fans can't really get the full effect because they're not allowed right behind the tees.
Even when atmospheric conditions or smog obscure the view of downtown, it's still one of the most picturesque vistas in all of Los Angeles golf. Although not many people had seen it in person before LACC began opening its doors for big events over the past decade, the image has been incorporated into promotional material for the club, including the 2017 Walker Cup.
The 11th is pretty, but it's also one of the most interesting par 3s in the country, and it has been a big challenge for the pros in the first two days of the 123rd U.S. Open.
The field managed only 15 birdies on the 11th in the first two rounds, fewer than on every hole except the par-3 fourth's 14 birdies. With 106 combined bogeys or double bogeys, it ranked as the fifth-toughest hole during the first two rounds. Even with remarkably low overall scores in the first round Thursday, only four players birdied the 11th.
Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith and Tony Finau all stayed in contention in the second round Friday despite bogeying the 11th. Viktor Hovland was among the few contenders who managed a birdie.
LACC members can play the 11th from as close as 160 yards, but it was set up at 297 yards on Friday, making it one of the longest par 3s that most players will ever encounter. They didn't face a par 3 longer than 245 yards in either of the first two majors this year.
But the 40-foot elevation drop from the tee means the 11th plays about 20 yards shorter than its actual length. Players must decide whether to lay up below the bunkers or try to fly it to the green, which falls away on three sides.
The setup is unique enough that playing groups must sometimes get to the green and then step aside so the next group can hit its tee shots. That's not unusual for drivable par 4s, but it's highly unusual on a par 3, although it also happens at the 10th hole at Riviera — which was also designed by George Thomas.
The North course was the brainchild of Thomas, a World War I veteran and wealthy LACC member who also conjured the famed links at Riviera and Bel-Air. LACC refreshed its layout in the 21st century with an eye toward recapturing the essence of Thomas' original design as the club began to welcome the world into its long-private golf sanctuary.
The 11th is one of five par-3 holes on the North course with a varied array of challenges therein. The typical U.S. Open course has no more than four par 3s, but this assortment is proving to be challenging for the pros and entertaining for fans.
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