Seamus Power’s had his first look at this week’s ultra-exclusive Beverly Hills located U.S. Open host course and reckoned it’s ‘cool’.
Power, 36, is teeing-up in a second straight U.S. Open and also just a seventh showing at the game’s highest level, since making his Major debut at last year’s Masters.
It’s not only a first look at the host L.A. Country Club for the West Waterford man but also for a small handful of players in this year’s 123rd hosting of the U.S. Open on a redesigned North Course.
The two courses at LACC are tucked away, virtually out of sight and located as it is just six miles east from where Power has travelled in the past few years to the Riviera course that plays host to the Genesis Invitational. It was the Riviera course that previously hosted the only U.S. Open staged in America’s most populous city, and that was in 1948 when legendary Texan Ben Hogan won.
“Oh, it’s very cool,” said Power, speaking with Brian Keogh from the Irish Independent.
“It wasn’t what I was expecting in this neck of the woods. It’s very cool. Very unusual. Unique visuals and all sorts of stuff, but it’s great.
“The defence is going to be around the greens. The complexes… like your whole strategy, could change based on where they move the pin and stuff. It’s going to be fun, as Pádraig said, as regards options, there’s going to be plenty here. So yeah, it’ll be fun”.
Power chose not to play in last week’s RBC Canadian Open, so is returning to competition after a mid-field finish last fortnight in the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial, and missing the cut a fortnight prior to Jack’s event at the PGA Championship.
All six of Power’s rounds, four in Ohio and the two in upstate New York, were in the 70s, however, a refreshed current World No. 46 is looking forward to tackling this week’s unknown challenge.
“It’s definitely going to be complex,” he said.
“It’s not particularly windy today, but it’s breezy. If it blows like this, it could be tricky because, again, you’re going to end up in spots where you might not be able to do much, but it was very fun. They can make it as hard as they want.
“There are going to be a lot of unusual shots because there are some unusual green designs. There are even a couple of greens where, like, a bunker goes up the middle, and you have a little wing here and a little wing here. And they’re both quite narrow and if they put the pin there, you have to make a decision.
“Are you going to hit it 50 feet behind the pin and try and put down a fast green, or are you going to try to get aggressive, and if you are, the margin is going to be small.
“So, it’s going to be interesting. It’s so different from what I was expecting.
“With those greens, they can protect it with whatever they want, as they’re playing fast, and you can put the pins in spots where it’s just going to be tough to get to. You do have birdie chances, though.
“On the front, there are three or four legitimate birdie chances, which is probably unusual for a US Open. But again, there’s going to be danger everywhere.”
Power will tee-up at 4.35pm (Irish time) Thursday in the company of fellow Irishman and reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champ, Matthew McClean.
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