RADIO
As the 2023 U.S. Open approaches, anticipation and excitement fill the air for golf fans around the world. With a rich history and a reputation for testing the physical skills and mental toughness of the finest golfers, the U.S. Open is a championship that every player dreams of conquering and every fan loves to watch.
In this article, you will find my 2023 U.S. Open Power Rankings, which dives into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's national championship. From seasoned veterans to rising stars, these players have demonstrated exceptional form in 2023 and should be considered serious contenders at Los Angeles Country Club this week.
Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of professional golf. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, and their ability to navigate the pressure-packed challenges that major championship golf - and the U.S. Open, specifically - presents. With an elite field of competitors, including major champions and previous U.S. Open winners, the battle for supremacy promises to be fierce on an LA CC layout that will be hosting its first-ever U.S. Open Championship.
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#10. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth fans are used to roller coaster rides from the 29-year-old Texan and that's certainly been the case to this point in 2023.
Spieth has put forth consistent iron play in recent months and already has a handful of near-misses this season as a result, including a playoff loss at the RBC Heritage, a recent top-five finish at The Memorial, as well as T4-or-better outings at the Masters, Valspar, and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He's a three-time major champion that won the 2015 U.S. Open and has consistently shown the ability to play his best golf on the biggest stages. This week's Los Angeles Country Club layout should give him room for the occasional errant tee shot, while also showcasing his creative shot-making and magical short game.
#9. Xander Schauffele
Few have been better than Xander Schauffele in golf's major championships over recent years. The Californian heads to this year's U.S. Open still chasing the first major championship title of his career, but if his track record is any indicator, he should once again be firmly in the mix at Los Angeles Country Club.
Since 2017, Schauffele has made the cut in 21 of his 24 major championship appearances and recorded an eye-opening 10 top-10 finishes. The 29-year-old has especially thrived in the difficult conditions of the U.S. Open, as he's remarkably logged top-seven finishes in five of his last six starts in golf's toughest major championship.
Unsurprisingly, the X-Man comes into the 2023 edition in rock-solid form. He's notched top-25 finishes in six consecutive starts, highlighted by a runner-up result in last month's Wells Fargo Championship.
#8. Max Homa
The PGA Tour's resident social media darling, Max Homa has continued to raise his game to borderline-superstar levels in recent years. Homa has impressively ripped off six wins on the PGA Tour since 2019. Interestingly, four of those victories have come in his home state of California.
This week, the Los Angeles native looks for a major championship breakthrough on a Los Angeles Country Club layout with which he's very familiar. Homa holds the LA CC course record thanks to a 61 fired as a collegian during the 2013 Pac-12 Championships.
While the sweet-swinging 32-year-old has yet to find much success in major championships, his unique connection to this year's host course and track record of success on the West Coast make him a player to keep an eye on this week.
#7. Cameron Smith
The mulleted Smith is the first LIV golfer to make our 2023 U.S. Open Power Rankings, and as Brooks Koepka recently reminded us at the PGA Championship, these guys are still very capable of winning major championships. The Aussie reached as high as No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings last year after winning both THE PLAYERS and the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Many would probably argue that the uber-talented Smith was in fact the best player in the world for stretches in 2022.
After closing last year in red-hot form, Smith's game looked sluggish coming out of the winter break. Following a ho-hum Masters performance (T34), the explosive scorer looked more like himself en route to a T9 in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. For what it's worth, he's also looked much better in his LIV outings, recording top-10 finishes in each of his last five appearances on that circuit.
Smith is an electric scorer that possesses perhaps the game's best combination of scrambling and putting. His biggest weakness is his tendency to get erratic off the tee, though it's possible he'll have more room to operate in that area this week thanks to fairways at LA CC that are expected to be rather generous by U.S. Open standards.
#6. Patrick Cantlay
The deliberate Californian has been one of the game's most consistent producers in 2023 and in recent years. Cantlay ranks fifth on the PGA Tour in Overall Scoring Average this season and has recorded top-10 finishes in half of his last eight starts.
His major championship record is considered largely underwhelming in comparison to his career results in non-major events. However, the 31-year-old has quietly and steadily improved in golf's biggest tests as of late, and comes into the week with top-15 finishes in each of his last four major starts.
Cantlay has consistently performed well in his home state throughout his career and his sturdy, fairways-and-greens skill set is a terrific fit on paper for the rigorous examination that the U.S. Open presents. In addition to his impressive play, he added Tiger Woods' former caddie, Joe LaCava, to his bag last month in hopes that the experienced La Cava can help him to get over the hump in major championships. The newly-paired duo should be considered legitimate contenders this week.
#5. Rory McIlroy
At some point along the way, part of being a Rory McIlroy fan began to include accepting heartbreak in the major championships. McIlroy won four majors across his first seven years as a professional, but has now, infamously, been on a near decade-long dry spell in major championships.
After an encouraging 2022 campaign in which he finished eighth or better in every major, McIlroy opened the 2023 major season with a shocking missed cut at the Masters. He did battle back to record a T7 in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill last month and has flashed some form in subsequent appearances at the Memorial and RBC Canadian Open.
McIlroy's undeniable talent and championship pedigree earn him almost automatic placement on any type of U.S. Open watch list, though his failure to get over the hump on the major championship stage in recent years is concerning.
#4. Jon Rahm
The Spaniard is perhaps a bit lower on this list than expected, especially when considering that Rahm has won four times this calendar year, including 2023's first major championship - the Masters at Augusta National.
However, the 28-year-old superstar has looked slightly less dominant in recent starts, including a surprising T50 at the PGA Championship - where he battled just to make the cut - and a ho-hum T15 at a Memorial event in which he's been dominant in the past.
Despite the recent lull in Rahm's output, golf fans shouldn't make the mistake of sleeping on the Spaniard this week. He's already shown that he has what it takes to win a U.S. Open on a challenging California layout with a victory at Torrey Pines in 2021. Rahm undoubtedly possesses all the necessary tools to take home another U.S. Open title, as he's one of the world's best drivers of the ball and has flashed dramatically improved iron play throughout 2023 that's led to his current standing of second on the PGA Tour in Scoring Average this season.
#3. Viktor Hovland
Many golf insiders have had Viktor Hovland tabbed for superstardom since his collegiate days at Oklahoma State when he won the U.S. Amateur title in 2018. The Norwegian has not disappointed those prognosticators, as he'd picked up five combined wins on the PGA and DP World Tours prior to 2023.
Even with his prior success in mind, Hovland has managed to take his game to another level this year with impressive outings in some of golf's biggest events. The 25-year-old put forth an eye-opening T7 showing at the Masters, as well as a gritty runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, where he battled eventual champion Brooks Koepka down the stretch. Most recently, the young star recorded the most impressive win of his career at the Memorial, an elevated event in which he defeated an elite field of golf's best players on a difficult Muirfield Village layout.
Few have been better from tee to green than Hovland in 2023, and as his previously-clunky short game continues to evolve, he is quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in major championships.
#2. Brooks Koepka
Brooks is back! After battling injuries and confidence issues for the better part of the last three years, Koepka has reestablished his dominance in major championships in 2023.
The Florida State product held a 54-hole lead at the Masters before ultimately settling for a runner-up finish. Koepka would get the job done at the PGA Championship by looking cooly dominant en route to his fifth major title at Oak Hill.
With the injury concerns that led him to jump to LIV Golf last year now firmly behind him, the 33-year-old's reputation as the game's preeminent "Big Game Hunter" has been restored in 2023. He's a two-time U.S. Open champion with both the length and mental toughness needed to thrive at Los Angeles Country Club this week.
#1. Scottie Scheffler
The world's No. 1 ranked player, Scottie Scheffler has been consistently elite throughout 2023. The talented Texan won at both the WM Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship this year.
Even when he hasn't lifted a trophy, Scheffler has been regularly in contention. He's recorded five top-five finishes this year, including a runner-up result at the PGA Championship. Remarkably, last year's Masters champion hasn't logged a finish worse than tied for 12th in a tournament since October of 2022.
The 26-year-old has been plagued by a cold putter throughout the year - which makes all of his accomplishments that much more impressive. Scheffler's most recent start at the Memorial is a telling microcosm of his season, as he gained a mind-blowing 20.7 strokes on the field from tee to green, only to lose a massive 8.5 strokes on the greens. If he can find some type of rhythm with the flat stick this week, Scheffler could very soon be adding a U.S. Open title to his growing list of accomplishments.
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