Records were toppled, new chapters of history were written, but it was not all birdies and good times for players the first two rounds of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. A number of big names failed to secure themselves a weekend tee time including Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Phil Mickelson. Los Angeles native Max Homa was also sent packing early as the firmness of LACC bit back late Friday afternoon and claimed him as its victim.
Both Spieth and Mickelson battled early Friday to make their way inside the eventual 2-over cutline. The former major champions found themselves well inside the cutline before the difficult back nine of LACC imposed its will on the two.
Mickelson began his day in red figures and had even gotten as low as 3 under early in his first round. A poor finish seeped into Friday and saw the six-time major champion turn in 2 over for the championship. Still inside the comfort zone, the birthday boy's mishap on the lone par 5 on the back side proved to be costly and one of two mistakes in his final four holes to finish at 3 over. Mickelson will continue to seek a U.S. Open as he looks to complete the career grand slam.
Spieth's downfall was more erratic. After opening with a 72, he carded two birdies against two bogeys in his first five holes to remain where he started. A birdie on the par-5 8th and another on the long par-3 11th got him back to even and with a chance for some upward movement. Three dropped shots from Nos. 13-17 spoiled all of Spieth's hard work and secured him an early flight out of Los Angeles.
Down in two from 297 yards. @JordanSpieth makes birdie at No. 11. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/JwZlsVK9qf
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2023
Homa was in red figures through the first 25 holes of the tournament before disaster struck around the turn. Back-to-back double bogeys on Nos. 17-18 immediately put the hometown favorite on his heels. Homa pushed and pushed and pushed holing clutch par putts when needed, but the wind was taken out of his sail when a third double bogey occurred on the par-3 7th. A second-round 76 secured Homa's eighth missed cut in 15 major appearances.
Unlike the other three, Thomas was never in the fight. The two-time PGA Championship winner opened with a 73 before carding four straight bogeys to start his second round. A double on the 17th saw him turn in 41 and gave Thomas a stress-free walk on his back side as a spot in the top 60 was too far-fetched as he went onto sign for an 81.
Thomas' play at LACC continues a stretch of some uninspired golf from the American. He memorably missed the cut at the Masters in the downpour of early Saturday morning and needed to hole an 8-foot putt on the 36th hole to make the weekend at the PGA Championship. The 30-year-old's putter remains cold and his iron play is trending towards the same temperature. The PGA Tour postseason looms, and Thomas is on the outside looking in.
Justin Thomas finishes his U.S. Open with an 81. +14 for two days.
— Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) June 17, 2023
156th (last) off the tee
145th in approach
144th in putting
Other notables inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings to miss the cut include Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley, Nick Taylor and Adam Scott.
2023 U.S. Open notable missed cuts
| OWGR | Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
7 | Max Homa | +4 |
10 | Jordan Spieth | +3 |
16 | Justin Thomas | +14 |
19 | Sungjae Im | +6 |
20 | Kurt Kitayama | +5 |
23 | Jason Day | +9 |
24 | Keegan Bradley | +6 |
25 | Justin Rose | +4 |
37 | Adam Scott | +5 |
83 | Phil Mickelson | +3 |
