LOS ANGELES — Collin Morikawa already made some fine memories at Los Angeles Country Club in 2017, where, as a 20-year-old, he helped Team USA defeat Great Britain and Ireland, 19-7, and reclaim the Walker Cup title.
The former La Cañada High School standout will tee off again at the Westside course, starting at hole No. 1 on Thursday at 8:13 a.m., and he’ll do it as a member of probably the most high-profile grouping in the field.
That’s a must-see trio of Morikawa, now a two-time major winner; world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler; and seventh-ranked Max Homa, a Burbank native and former Valencia High standout who has some warm feelings about LACC too, having won his 2013 Pac-12 individual title at the site.
That supergroup was among the highlights when the USGA announced tee times for the opening two rounds at LACC’s North Course, which will be set up Thursday to play 7,423 yards, to a par of 35-35–70.
Others to keep an eye on:
Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy (1:54 p.m., No. 1): The two-time U.S. Open winner Koepka, who just won last month’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill, will make the round with 2021 Masters winner Matsuyama and world No. 3 McIlroy.
Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay (1:43 p.m., No. 10): Cantlay, a former UCLA standout, joins Finau as two of the best players without a major (yet). They’ll play with a guy who has three majors in Spieth, whose titles include the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay near Tacoma.
Also: Cameron Smith, Sam Bennett, Matt Fitzpatrick (1:32 p.m., No. 1): Smith is the reigning British Open winner, Bennett is the reigning U.S. Amateur winner and Fitzpatrick is the defending U.S. Open winner.
LA QUINTA GOLFER READY TO ROLL
“Hensonator Nation” will be called to duty Thursday at 6:45 a.m., when they’ll gather at hole No. 10.
That’s what La Quinta’s Berry Henson is calling his supporters who he expects will be going “very strong this week,” he said Monday.
Henson is a 43-year-old qualifier who graduated from Palm Desert High School, plays out of the Palms Golf Club and will be living the dream this week. Or a version of it.
“I’ve had two lifelong goals in my career in golf, and one was to play a tournament at St. Andrews, and I’ve played the Dunhill Links twice,” Henson said during a news conference at LACC on Monday. “So I’ve accomplished that goal.
“Another goal was to play a major championship at Pebble Beach. This was never in the rotation, so I never really gave it that much thought. To play a major in California but even closer to where I grew up in Southern California is just a dream come true, and I’m very humbled and I’m very blessed.”
And he’s ready to compete, to take this opportunity in The Most Democratic of Majors and, like Arroyo Trabuco club pro Michael Block did at the PGA Championship, make it count.
“I’m a grinder,” Henson said. “I’ve been doing this for 20-something years. I feel like I have that type of mentality. I make a lot of pars. I can get up and down from the trash can. I don’t get down on myself and just enjoy what the course gives me.
“I know it’s going to be difficult. I know I’m going to get in some tough situations this week, but if I can handle it good and just stick with what I do best and grind and make those par putts that are going to be key, then I think I should have a pretty good week.”
