The 2023 US Open will tighten professional standards.

After a spectacular first round, the organizers significantly lowered the average performance level in the second round by simply extending it to four holes and maintaining the green quickly.

The US Open, hosted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is being held this year on the par-70 North course at Los Angeles Country Club. Round 1 on June 15th saw Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shoot 62 strokes, jointly setting a new record for the fastest 18-hole finish in US Open history. The previous record was 63 strokes, set by Johnny Miller in the final round, which secured his victory in the 1963 tournament.

The overall professional summary for this year's opening round also shows an average score of 71.328, better than the previous ceiling of 72.29 in 1993, with six players shooting 65 or fewer strokes - the most since the course opened in 1895.

At the end of Round 1, the USGA Tournament Director stated that the Round 2 setup on June 16th would be more intense, but not overly difficult. Following that direction, the organizers mowed the grass and rolled the greens to maintain a "faster score" of over 13.0, repositioned the holes, and increased the length of holes 3, 7, 10, and 11. As a result, the total course length increased to 7,423 yards, a 171-yard increase from Round 1.

According to that adjustment, holes 7 and 11, although both par 3s, are both close to the 300-yard mark. This is an interesting paradox, as that length, a par 3 hole, forces many players to tee off with a 3-wood, including Andrew Putnam, when normally a medium iron would suffice. "I teed off with a 3-wood on those two holes and hoped the ball would land on the green," Putnam told Golf Channel .

Putnam hits a shot from the sand trap on the par-5 8th hole in the second round of the US Open. Photo: USGA — Putnam hits a shot from the sand trap on the par-5 8th hole in the second round of the US Open. Photo: *USGA*

With these technical adjustments, the average score in round 2 rose to 72.22, with only Min Woo Lee scoring 65 strokes and being the deepest under par among the 33 players. As a result, Lee jumped 19 places to T6 (-6). In terms of difficulty, hole 7 ranked first, three places above hole 11.

On the opening day, 55 players achieved even par or under par, with the worst score being 79 strokes. But this morning, that number dropped to 41, and the tournament had two players who shot over 80 strokes, including Hank Lebioda (83) and Justin Thomas (81), despite having won majors and currently being A-list stars on the PGA Tour.

Finishing the second round with a score of -2, Fowler went from T1 with Schauffele to take sole possession of the top spot at -10. Schauffele dropped to T3 (-8) with Rory McIlroy due to a tie. Just above T3 is Wyndham Clark (-9). World number one Scottie Scheffler is T8 (-5) while defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick is T39 (+1), climbing 17 places from the end of the first round. He improved his position thanks to a hole-in-one on the 15th hole.

This was the 51st ace in US Open history, the third from the 15th hole in the 2023 tournament, following Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns in the first round.

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