US Open 2023: Matt Fitzpatrick, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm among players in Los Angeles

Matthew Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka are among the favourites for the US Open

The 3rd men's large of the play gets nether mode connected Thursday with the 123rd US Open taking spot connected the northbound people of the exclusive Los Angeles Country Club successful California.

England's reigning champion Matthew Fitzpatrick and Spain's Jon Rahm, who triumphed astatine the Masters successful April besides diagnostic successful the 156-man field.

Mexican University pupil Omar Morales and 43-year-old American Berry Henson, who besides works arsenic a taxi driver, are among six debutants, who volition get play started connected the archetypal and 10th tees astatine 14:45 BST, aft coming done qualifying.

Tiger Woods volition beryllium missing arsenic helium continues to retrieve from an ankle injury, arsenic volition PGA nonrecreational Michael Block, who stole the amusement astatine Oak Hill past month, but was among implicit much than 10,000 players to miss retired successful qualifying.

This volition besides beryllium archetypal large since the daze announcement of a commercialized merger betwixt the PGA Tour and DP World Tour with LIV Golf's backers, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).

And that is apt to guarantee questions astir golf's aboriginal stay beyond the lifting of the championship's 18-inch-tall, sterling metallic trophy connected Sunday.

Here are immoderate of the main storylines going into golf's 2nd oldest large championship.

Koepka relishes the 'chaos'

Brooks Koepka is aiming implicit a PGA Championship and the US Open treble for the 2nd clip successful his career

With the measurement turned up connected speech of what the woody struck betwixt the sport's pre-eminent tours and PIF means for the sport, Koepka says helium is relishing the "chaos".

The 33-year-old American heads to Southern California looking to unafraid his 3rd US Open rubric and his archetypal since winning astatine Shinnecock Hills successful 2018.

Victory astatine the Los Angeles Country Club [LACC] would besides spot the five-time large victor determination a measurement person to his extremity of reaching "double digits".

"The much chaotic things get the easier it gets for me," Koepka said.

"I americium capable to absorption connected immoderate I request to absorption connected portion everybody other is dealing with distractions, disquieted astir different things.

"Growing up you knew however galore majors Jack (Nicklaus) has, you knew however galore Tiger (Woods) has, you knew however galore Arnold Palmer has, you knew however galore Gary Player, (Tom) Watson has, each these legends.

"That's what you're judged on. It's large championships. You look astatine basketball, you're judged connected however galore championships you've won, not however galore games you've won."

Muted McIlroy

Rory McIlroy's property league was cancelled this week with his absorption solely connected winning the US Open again

McIlroy, who partners Koepka and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama for the archetypal 2 rounds cancelled his quality league connected Tuesday.

He faced questions astir the merger astatine past week's Canadian Open, saying the it was "most uncomfortable" helium had felt for a year, and that helium felt similar a "sacrificial lamb" and inactive "hated" LIV Golf.

The satellite fig three's sole US Open rubric saw him break records successful winning astatine the Congressional Country Club successful 2011, with the past of his 4 large occurrence coming 9 years agone astatine the US PGA Championship.

However, helium volition beryllium encouraged by top-10 finishes successful his past 4 appearances astatine this championship, including a necktie for 5th during Fitzpatrick's triumph astatine Brookline past June.

In a abbreviated interrogation with Sky Sports, the 34-year-old said helium has made "big steps of progress" since missing the chopped astatine the April's Masters and ending up successful a necktie for seventh astatine past month's US PGA.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick is aiming to go the eighth subordinate to triumph the US Open successful consecutive years, with Curtis Strange [1988, 1989] and Koepka [2017, 2018] the astir caller to bash so. He comes into the lawsuit successful decent signifier having flooded an aboriginal play backmost injury.

European hopes volition besides remainder with the likes of Rahm, who won his lone US Open rubric successful California astatine Torrey Pines 2 years ago.

The 28-year-old satellite fig 2 has already won 4 times this play and is looking to go the archetypal subordinate to triumph the Masters and US Open successful the aforesaid twelvemonth since Jordan Spieth successful 2015.

World fig 5 Viktor Hovland's crippled looks successful the signifier to spell amended than finishing arsenic a runner-up astatine Oak Hill and helium has slept connected astatine slightest a stock of the pb successful his past 3 majors.

Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton volition purpose to physique connected determination fantabulous performances astatine the Canadian Open arsenic they question an elusive archetypal major.

Fellow Englishman Justin Rose, will besides look to people the 10-year day of his triumph astatine Merion successful benignant aft beardown performances successful the archetypal 2 majors of the season.

The location favourites

Max Homa holds the [LACC] people grounds aft shooting a nine-under 61 during the opening circular of his triumph successful the Pac-12 Championship successful 2013

Designed by George Thomas successful 1928, the rustic northbound people was fixed a Gil Hanse revamp successful 2010 to reconstruct immoderate of its archetypal features and is apt to beryllium a caller acquisition for astir of the tract with immoderate notable exceptions.

Future large champions Scheffler and Collin Morikawa were portion of the USA squad that thrashed Great Britain & Ireland erstwhile Los Angeles Country Club hosted amateur golf's Walker Cup successful 2017.

Scheffler and section boys Morikawa and Max Homa are each considered among the favourites and marque up a marquee trio for the archetypal 2 rounds.

No subordinate with California ties has won the US Open since Woods successful 2008, but 4 of Homa's six PGA Tour wins person travel successful the authorities including some of his successes this play successful the Fortinet Championship and Farmers Insurance Open.

The satellite fig 7 besides finished arsenic runner-up to Rahm astatine the Genesis Invitational, connected the different broadside of Sunset Boulevard astatine the adjacent Riviera Country Club.

It is besides casual to marque a lawsuit for Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, who beryllium astatine 4th and sixth successful the satellite rankings.

Both are California natives, with Cantlay from adjacent Long Beach and some person expressed their excitement and comfortableness astatine what they respect arsenic a location course.

A hidden gem connected afloat display

LACC is the archetypal US Open venue since 1947 to incorporate 5 par-three holes

On the past juncture the US Open teed disconnected successful the City of Angels - 75 years agone successful 1948 - Harry S. Truman was the US President, interstate highways didn't beryllium and 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was inactive 10 days from its debut.

The legendary Ben Hogan was besides astir to triumph the archetypal of his 4 US Open titles immoderate 7 miles crossed municipality astatine the Riviera Country Club.

To adhd to the nostalgia and novelty factor, this is the archetypal clip the famously backstage LACC volition big a large championship, having mostly chosen to cull the overtures of the United States Golf Association implicit respective decades.

Former nine president Charles Older - the justice who sentenced convicted wide murderer Charles Manson to decease - was outvoted 5-4 implicit hosting the 1986 edition.

Actors were besides erstwhile prohibited from memberships, with Bing Crosby and Victor Mature deemed unwelcome, though Ronald Reagan, who began successful that assemblage earlier serving 2 presumption arsenic President, did win with his application.

In a metropolis noted for glamour, signs of the amusement concern are festooned conscionable disconnected 300-acre site, that until present has mostly remained hidden to the extracurricular world.

Aside from having to deed implicit the barranca - a gully featuring unsmooth wasteland - to scope the 4th green, determination is besides the glaring quality of a sprawling spot owned by instrumentalist Lionel Richie to the right.

Some of Los Angeles astir prized existent property is connected amusement connected the edges of the LACC

A 123-room French-inspired chateau built by the precocious TV shaper Aaron Spelling (Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210 among others), overlooks the 623-yard 14th spread and the mansion wherever Playboy laminitis Hugh Hefner spent decades throwing parties comes into presumption connected the 13th hole.

LACC is besides the archetypal US Open venue since 1947 to person 5 par-three holes and the monster 290-yard 11th spread is the second-longest successful title history.

The 284-yard par-three seventh spread is besides apt to beryllium formidable portion the size of the teeing country and extent of the greenish connected the 15th means it could play astatine thing from 78-145 yards and is deceptively difficult.

The people uses Bermuda writer - the archetypal US Open people to bash truthful since 2005 - and it whitethorn mean the extent and toughness of the unsmooth becomes a origin for those straying from the fairways, though the archetypal hole, a generous 590-yard par 5 perchance offers players the accidental to marque an aboriginal birdie oregon better.