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The US Open took place at the Los Angeles Country Club in Southern California over the weekend, and it didn’t disappoint. Longshot Wyndham Clark edged Rory McIlroy by a stroke to secure the win with the final round going late into the evening on Sunday.
But while the play on the course was exciting, there were other areas in which golf fans think the tournament could’ve improved.
Those issues dealt mostly with the fan experience at the course. Many were upset upon seeing the small crowd sizes and lack of fan interaction throughout the event.
Those critics believe it would’ve made the Open much more entertaining.
Many rushed to social media to post their frustrations.
I hate watching Rickie Fowler implode like this. Brutal. Also, the crowd at this US Open is very weak. Looks like the crowd at my local Country Clubs Member-Guest tournament. Bad look for the PGA.
— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) June 18, 2023
While it seemed like a great idea to hold the tournament at LACC, some believe it backfired. They cited problems with both the atmosphere and the play on the course.
USGA thought they were going to be cool having the US OPEN at LA CC, but in reality it just doesn’t feel like a US OPEN. Fairways too wide to really punish no matter what you do with the rough and the complete lack of crowd due to restrictions makes it seem like the John Deer. pic.twitter.com/48h74wUT9G
— JUCOadvocate – Brandon Goble (@JUCOadvocate) June 18, 2023
This coming just a month after a fantastic PGA Championship.
US Open course, crowd, and coverage all suck this year. after the unreal PGA Championship this is a big let down. LA just sucks
— DeJordan DeGoodhart (@GoodhartJordan) June 18, 2023
Some went as far as to say it felt like a practice round.
This US Open crowd feels like a practice round, it’s cool because it’s easy to go wherever you please, but makes the stage feel less than it should for our major
— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) June 18, 2023
Even the golfers felt the lack of energy, with Matt Fitzpatrick saying the following about the atmosphere.
“Very poor… It’s disappointing on the USGA side. They want a great tournament—from what I’ve heard a lot of members bought tickets and that’s why there’s so many less people. Hopefully it’s not the same for other US Opens going forward.”
Unfortunately, ticket prices and lack of availability appear to be at the root of the cause for the poor turnout.
Details on LACC tickets. 23,000 for sale to the general public—but 14,000 of those were for hospitality. Those are very expensive. Only 9,000 GA warriors. These are the people that bring the energy, the atmosphere. And that’s just a shockingly low number. The corporate Open.
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 18, 2023
Hopefully, fans are more impressed with the British Open next month.