Max Homa is hoping for “carnage” in the 123rd US Open to ensure his course record remains firmly intact.

Homa shot a stunning nine-under-par 61 at Los Angeles Country Club on his way to winning the prestigious Pac-12 title in 2013, a tournament which also featured two-time major winner Jon Rahm.

To no-one’s surprise, Rahm predicted on Tuesday that typical US Open conditions would ensure there would be no repeat of Homa’s heroics this week, with Branden Grace’s men’s major record of 62 also looking safe.

“It’s going to be pretty hard,” Homa said.

“I think the sun being out is real helpful. A little bit of wind is going to make it spicy. I hope it’s carnage. I hope it’s a typical US Open. This golf course lends itself to that.

“It’s generous enough off the tee, and it’s kind of a second-shot golf course in a way. You can get around here probably hitting a lot of shots from the fairway, but you’re going to have to hit really quality shots.

“The greens are severe, and if they keep getting firmer and faster I think it’ll be a really good test. I think it will be really fair.

“One of the more severe US Opens I’ve been to was Winged Foot (in 2020), but it’s so penal off the tee that once you mess that up, everyone is doing the same thing.

“This course will be a lot different. I think it’ll be a great test of all areas of your golf, and it will really show a quality shot will go to a good spot, and one that’s not great is going to go to a bad spot and you’re going to see a lot of silliness go on.

“This venue is awesome for a US Open.”

Homa has yet to record a top-10 finish in 15 major appearances, with a best result of 13th in the 2022 US PGA, but the California native has won four of his six PGA Tour titles in his home state.

And with his course knowledge also potentially a significant advantage, the 32-year-old American finds himself among the favourites for the year’s third major championship.

“I really do believe that my golf game is plenty good enough to contend in these things,” the world number seven said.

“I think I’ve shown that in other PGA Tour events. I’ve won six times, a lot of them recently. I’ve done it on some pretty great golf courses, some hard golf courses. I just think I get here and I try too hard.

“I’m a perfectionist and it makes me work really, really hard. I’m very diligent. But it’s like a double-edged sword. I get in these things and I can’t seem to understand that it’s OK to make bogeys and it’s OK to mess up.

“Oak Hill (for last month’s US PGA Championship) was a great example. Thursday morning I had the greatest warm-up I have ever had and in my head I’m thinking ‘Finally, I have it’.

“I came out and hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway and missed the green and immediately went into fight or flight, and that’s just something I need to get over.

“I think I’ve been waiting for the weeks to click with my golf game and realising that it’s not the golf game. This week will be a mental test for me, which is good.”

Changing a key piece of equipment at a major championship, when your worst result of the year is a tie for 12th, would usually seem like madness.

Yet that is the situation in which world number one Scottie Scheffler finds himself at the US Open as he seeks a solution to the putting problems which have plagued his most recent performances.

As well as winning the prestigious Players Championship and defending his title in the WM Phoenix Open in 2023, Scheffler has finished runner-up in the US PGA Championship and third in the Memorial Tournament, despite struggling badly on the greens.

Third place at Muirfield Village was achieved on the back of gaining 20.74 strokes from tee to green, the second-best performance since the PGA Tour began tracking such data 20 years ago.

And it was just as well his ball striking was so outstanding as Scheffler lost a remarkable 8.58 strokes to the field on the greens, ranking him dead last of those to make the cut.

It was therefore no surprise to see Scheffler testing a slightly different putter in practice rounds at Los Angeles Country Club ahead of the 123rd US Open, although he declined to commit to a switch.

“You guys can find out Thursday,” the former Masters champion said in his pre-tournament press conference.

“I don’t ever take decisions on switching equipment lightly. I think it’s strange that I’ve been struggling the past few weeks with my putter.

“The PGA I actually felt like I rolled it pretty good. Few putts here or there that lipped out that should have gone in. Memorial obviously had an off week on the greens or probably would’ve won that one.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to bring another putter around there to make the original one scared. I’ve never really been one to try and overthink things, so I try and keep things as simple as possible.

“I looked at that one that’s a little bit bigger, and I still am kind of undecided on what I think of it.

“Putting is such a weird thing. Sometimes when you’re on the green when you feel good you feel like you’re never going to miss, and then sometimes when you feel terrible you feel like you’re never going to make.

“Putting is just so different than the rest of the game, so when it comes to putters, it’s all personal.”

Despite Scheffler’s struggles on the greens, his stellar long game means he has been installed as 7/1 favourite for the US Open ahead of the man who succeeded him as Masters champion, Jon Rahm, and US PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka.

The 26-year-old also has the advantage of being one of a handful of players to have competed on the North Course in tournament conditions, winning one point from two matches as the United States thrashed Great Britain and Ireland 19-7 in the 2017 Walker Cup.

“I don’t recall playing my best here during the Walker Cup, but I remembered it being pretty difficult,” Scheffler added.

“If my memory serves me well, it’s a pretty hard course. It’s got a good mix of holes where you have some of those holes that you really need to get after, and then you have other holes out here where you’re kind of hanging on.

“You’re hitting a lot of different clubs into greens and it gives you a lot of options, and it’s a really good test.”

Under-fire commissioner Jay Monahan is “recuperating from a medical situation”, the PGA Tour has announced.

A joint statement from Monahan and the PGA Tour’s policy board was released on Tuesday evening.

It read: “Jay Monahan informed the PGA Tour Policy Board that he is recuperating from a medical situation. The Board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone respecting his privacy.

“During Jay’s absence, Ron Price, chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, executive vice president & president, PGA Tour, will lead the day-to-day operations of the PGA TOUR with the assistance of the great team Jay has built, ensuring seamless continuity.

“We will provide further updates as appropriate.”

Price and Dennis also released a statement which read: “Our thoughts are with Jay and his family during his absence, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“We have a strong and experienced leadership team in place and our priority is to support our players and continue the work under way to further lead the PGA Tour and golf’s future.”

The news came a week after the shock announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.

Monahan faced calls to resign at a 75-minute players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”.

The 53-year-old accepted that he will be labelled a “hypocrite” for making the deal with the PIF but insisted the players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour – and in some cases turned down enormous pay-outs to join LIV –  had made the right decision.

“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model,” Monahan said.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of the US Open, Masters champion Jon Rahm admitted players felt “a bit of betrayal from management” after being kept in the dark about the deal.

The PGA Tour had earlier expressed confidence that it will be able to assure Congress it controls the new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.

Under-fire commissioner Jay Monahan is “recuperating from a medical situation”, the PGA Tour has announced.

A joint statement from Monahan and the PGA Tour’s policy board was released on Tuesday evening.

It read: “Jay Monahan informed the PGA Tour Policy Board that he is recuperating from a medical situation. The Board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone respecting his privacy.

“During Jay’s absence, Ron Price, chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, executive vice president & president, PGA Tour, will lead the day-to-day operations of the PGA TOUR with the assistance of the great team Jay has built, ensuring seamless continuity.

“We will provide further updates as appropriate.”

Price and Dennis also released a statement which read: “Our thoughts are with Jay and his family during his absence, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“We have a strong and experienced leadership team in place and our priority is to support our players and continue the work under way to further lead the PGA Tour and golf’s future.”

The news came a week after the shock announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.

Monahan faced calls to resign at a 75-minute players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”.

The 53-year-old accepted that he will be labelled a “hypocrite” for making the deal with the PIF but insisted the players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour – and in some cases turned down enormous pay-outs to join LIV –  had made the right decision.

“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model,” Monahan said.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of the US Open, Masters champion Jon Rahm admitted players felt “a bit of betrayal from management” after being kept in the dark about the deal.

The PGA Tour had earlier expressed confidence that it will be able to assure Congress it controls the new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.

Brooks Koepka insists he will relish the “chaos” surrounding men’s professional golf as he targets moving a step closer to his goal of 10 major titles.

Koepka claimed his fifth major in May’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill and, after overcoming career-threatening injuries, looked back to being the player who won his previous four in an eight-tournament stretch.

Yet just as a relatively stable status quo seemed to have been established, last week’s shock announcement of a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plunged it back into turmoil.

“Like I’ve said, the more chaotic things get the easier it gets for me,” double US Open champion Koepka told a pre-tournament press conference at Los Angeles Country Club.

“Everything starts to slow down and I am able to focus on whatever I need to focus on while everybody else is dealing with distractions, worried about other things.

“I think there’s a few reasons (I peak at majors), but I think it’s definitely one of them. I enjoy the chaos.”

A third US PGA title means Koepka has now won more majors than regular PGA Tour events and he has never made any secret of being more motivated by chasing the game’s biggest prizes and a place in history.

“Growing up you knew how many majors Jack (Nicklaus) has, you knew how many Tiger (Woods) has, you knew how many Arnold Palmer has, you knew how many Gary Player, (Tom) Watson, all these legends,” Koepka added.

“But I never knew how many PGA Tour events or wins they had total.

“That’s what you’re judged on. It’s major championships. You look at basketball, you’re judged on how many championships you’ve won, not how many games you’ve won. Same thing in every sport.

“Double digits, that’s what I’m trying to get to. I don’t think it’s out of the question for me. I think the way I’ve prepared, the way I’ve kind of suited my game for these things is going to help me.

“And I’m only 33, so I’ve definitely got quite a bit of time. I’ve just got to stay healthy and keep doing what I’m doing.”

Each of the last three US Opens has been won with a total of six under par, while the last 12 have been claimed by a player ranked inside the world’s top 30.

“I just love when maybe somewhere closer to even par wins,” Koepka, the world number 13 said. “If it’s going to be a birdie-fest where 20, 21 under wins, that’s really not the style.

“I just feel like I can outlast everybody when it comes to having to par things to death or just kind of wearing guys out on the golf course and just mentally beating you and knowing when it’s my time to kind of take that opportunity and go with it.”

Days after describing his press conference before the Canadian Open as the “most uncomfortable” he has felt for a year, Rory McIlroy made sure to avoid a similar situation at the US Open.

McIlroy was due to speak to the media at 9am local time on Tuesday at Los Angeles Country Club, but informed tournament officials on Sunday he wished to cancel.

The four-time major winner is also currently not scheduled to speak on Wednesday ahead of the year’s third major championship, which he won at Congressional in 2011.

Speaking ahead of his title defence in the Canadian Open, McIlroy admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” and still “hated” LIV Golf as he responded to the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.

McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but were both kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced last week.

Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.

McIlroy, whose previously close friendship with Sergio Garcia broke down after the Spaniard joined LIV, said: “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.”

Asked following his opening round if he felt more pressure on the golf course or off it, McIlroy said: “Off. You know, the most uncomfortable I’ve felt in the last 12 months was my press conference yesterday.”

McIlroy will partner another LIV player and US PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka in the first two rounds in Los Angeles, along with former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.

On Tuesday the world number three was listed as starting a solo practice round at 6.45am local time.

The PGA Tour is confident it will be able to assure Congress it controls the shock new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.

The PGA announced a week ago a plan to combine its commercial business with those of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which includes the LIV Golf series that the PGA had previously been in open dispute with.

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to PGA Tour chief executive Jay Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.

Senator Blumenthal wrote in his letter to Monahan: “PGA Tour’s agreement with PIF regarding LIV Golf raises concerns about the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution.”

In response, the PGA Tour issued a statement which read: “We are confident that once Congress learns more about how the PGA Tour will control this new venture, they will understand the opportunities this will create for our players, our communities and our sport, all while protecting an American golf institution.”

The PGA insists the new venture is not a merger and that it is not owned by PIF. It says PIF will be investing in this new subsidiary, with the PGA Tour retaining majority ownership and control.

Senator Blumenthal asked for relevant documents and information to be shared by June 26.

He noted in both letters that the announcement last Tuesday marked “a sudden and and drastic reversal of position” from the PGA Tour towards LIV Golf which raised “serious questions”.

The PGA and LIV Golf had been involved in litigation in the US courts, with a number of players defecting from the PGA to LIV for huge sums of money.

The new venture, which the PGA promised would “unify the game of golf, on a global basis” and which also includes the European Tour, is sure to be a major topic of discussion as players gather for this week’s US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Rory McIlroy, one of the PGA’s most high-profile supporters in its battle with LIV, said last week he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” after the deal was confirmed.

Matt Fitzpatrick admits he is as confused as anyone about the direction golf is heading in but insists it will not affect his thinking when he begins the defence of his US Open title on Thursday.

The dust is still settling a week on from the shock announcement of the commercial merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF (Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund), which has been the backer of the breakaway LIV Golf.

On the face of it golf’s bitter civil war appears to be over but under the surface there are many so-far unanswered questions and residual feelings of resentment by a large section of the two main tours’ membership at how they have been treated in the whole saga.

But although several days have passed since PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan went on live network television in the United States with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to announce the surprise deal there are very few details about how things will work, and that has led to dissent among the rank and file.

“I guess the whole thing is confusing. It was confusing last year,” said the Sheffield golfer, who swerved a question about whether those players who remained loyal to the established tours should be suitably compensated for missing out on LIV’s millions.

“I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on. Are we signing with the PIF? Are we not signing with the PIF? I have no idea.

“Even though I guess it is confusing, it’s pretty clear that nobody knows what’s going on apart from about four people in the world.”

That will not cloud his thought process when it comes to mounting a defence of his breakthrough major title from Brookline 12 months ago.

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“No, I think it’s over-rated. I think you’re not going to be stood on the first tee thinking ‘Oh what’s going on in the golf world?’.

“You’re thinking, ‘It’s a par four, where do I need to hit it? Where is the wind?’ That’s all you’re thinking about.”

Fitzpatrick will have plenty of things to think about at the Los Angeles Country Club, which he last saw in February on a reconnaissance mission.

That differs from Brookline, a course on which nine years earlier he had won the US Amateur.

“I seem to remember just last year just thinking about the tournament, just the US Open,” he said.

“It was obviously different because I had a tie to the golf course and the history there, so probably was easier for me to mentally focus on that and be in a better place than obviously all this confusion that’s going on this week.

“I guess in this day and age you’d like to think there might be some artificial intelligence you could use to kind of plot your way around. That’s probably something I’ll have to look into.”

Fitzpatrick admits finally getting a win over the line in a major has done wonders for his self-belief, even if a back problem has restricted him this season.

A year ago he rose to the occasion coming down the stretch, memorably hit a brilliant approach from a fairway bunker to 20 feet to save par and secure a one-shot victory over Will Zalatoris, who missed a birdie putt to force a play-off.

“It’s obviously been a huge boost. Winning last year gave me the boost that when I played my best or when I play well I can compete with anyone and I can win a major,” added the 28-year-old, who revealed he took the US Open trophy on holiday with him to Italy last summer, stopping off at Capri, Amalfi and Positano.

“I think that was the biggest thing for me to take away, (now) turning up to events knowing that (if) my game feels in good shape I’ve got a chance to win this week.

“Maybe previously I’ve almost felt like I played well and not necessarily competed in majors, whereas now I feel like it’s kind of the opposite.

“As long as my game is there or thereabouts, I feel like I can perform.”

The US Senate has launched an investigation into the planned commercial merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf.

Richard Blumenthal, chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation, has written to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan requesting all documents and information relating to the controversial agreement.

Blumenthal has raised concerns over the involvement of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns LIV Golf.

“PIF’s role as an arm of the Saudi government and PGA Tour’s sudden and drastic reversal of position concerning LIV Golf raise serious questions regarding the reasons for and terms behind the announced agreement,” Blumenthal writes.

“Prior to this agreement, PGA Tour was one of the loudest critics of LIV Golf’s affiliation with Saudi Arabia.”

Blumenthal also talks about the “risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution” and notes that the PIF is using its investment in sport to “further the Saudi government’s strategic objectives”.

The PGA’s intention to preserve its tax-exempt status once the merger has been completed raises additional concerns, according to the Democratic Party senator for Connecticut.

The documents requested by the investigation must be provided by June 26, three weeks after news of the merger broke.

While signalling the end of a year of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of the LIV Golf circuit, the arrangement is highly contentious and has been met with shock by some players.

A PGA professional with cerebral palsy hopes his achievement will encourage more players with a disability to follow in his footsteps.

Gregor McDonald recently graduated from the PGA’s degree programme to become a fully qualified professional, successfully completing modules ranging from coaching and club repairs to sports science, business principles and finance.

McDonald’s physical limitations meant that he effectively had to perform club repairs with one hand, but the 27-year-old did not ask for any accommodations to be made for his condition.

“I’m very proud of myself,” McDonald, who is based at the Cluny Clays facility in Kirkcaldy, told the PA news agency.

“It was a massive weight lifted off my shoulders when I found out I’d passed and a massive achievement for myself. I didn’t think I would get there when I was younger so it’s good to be able to do something I’m passionate about as my job.

“I don’t actually know any other disabled PGA pros at the moment so I hope it inspires a lot of people to do this. There’s no limits on what you can and can’t do. You can always achieve what you want to.

“I’ve proved that a disability shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your goals.”

McDonald was introduced to golf by his father Steve and had to make numerous adjustments to his game due to his condition.

“My dad took me to a local driving range and taught me all the basics,” McDonald said.

“I wouldn’t say I was a natural, but my dad worked hard with me in terms of getting everything correct. There were a lot of compensations in how I hold the club and I play cack-handed.

“There’s very little strength in my right arm so it’s mainly all left-hand power. My right hand basically just holds on to the club and I have lighter shafts in my clubs to help me get a wee bit of extra distance.

“I went on to get lessons from Craig (Donnelly), who is now my boss, and then did a college course in professional golf at Elmwood and then the natural progression was to go on and do the PGA course.

“Graduating from that is a nice reward for all the hard work I’ve put in, as well as for those who have helped me.”

Nick Taylor has become the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open since 1954 after beating Englishman Tommy Fleetwood in a thrilling playoff finish, landing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole on Sunday.

The raucous crowd in Toronto willed the ball into the hole as Taylor hit the longest putt of his PGA Tour career, securing his third PGA Tour victory.

Taylor said after the tournament: “I’m speechless. This is for all the guys that are here. This is for my family at home.

“This is the most incredible feeling.”

As Taylor celebrated, throwing his putter into the air, his close friend and professional golfer Adam Hadwin was tackled by security as he ran onto the green to congratulate Taylor.

A strong outing for Tommy Fleetwood looked like he might land his first PGA Tour victory, but it was not to be.

“I played great today, even though I missed some chances, if you like, on those playoff holes,” Fleetwood said.

“Yeah, it was close. I just have to take the positives from it and start practicing tomorrow. I got a major next week. So can’t dwell on it too much.”

Taylor finished strong on the last day with eight birdies and two bogeys, with a crucial birdie on the 18th to send it to a playoff finish.

Fleetwood had the chance to win in regulation play on the 18th, but failed to capitalise, missing the birdie for a par.

English duo Tyrell Hatton and Aaron Rai narrowly missed out on joining Taylor and Fleetwood in the playoff, finishing one stroke short of the pair.

Joining them on 16 under par was CT Pan, while Rory McIlroy finished five strokes behind.

England’s Dale Whitnell completed the journey from courier driver to DP World Tour winner as he claimed an emotional victory at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.

Whitnell was regarded as one of British golf’s brightest prospects when he turned professional in 2009, shortly after playing on a Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team that included future European number one and Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood.

But he struggled to find his feet in the paid ranks and took on work as a delivery driver while playing on satellite tours before claiming a win on the Challenge Tour in 2019, the same year he earned his DP World Tour card via the Qualifying School.

He has been establishing himself on the main circuit since and a closing 70 in Stockholm handed him a 21 under total and a three-shot victory over American Sean Crocker.

“It’s awesome,” said a clearly emotional Whitnell. “It tested me out there.

“It’s been a long time coming, I’m ecstatic. It means everything to me, it’s what I get up every day for. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I’ve dreamt of this for a long time.”

The 34-year-old brought a six-shot lead into the weekend and extended that to eight at one point on Saturday but he was not to have it all his own way at Ullna Golf and Country Club.

Despite a bogey on the second, he led by six after four holes of his final round but the advantage was back to four at the turn and when Crocker made a second eagle of the day on the 15th and Whitnell found water on the 13th, the lead was just two.

A seemingly nerveless 17-foot birdie putt on the 17th handed the leader some breathing room, however, and after finding the green in two at the last, he and caddie Garry Melia – who was only on the bag for this week – were left to celebrate.

Crocker’s closing 65 left him at 18 under, three shots clear of German Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul and Anne Van Dam, who was the leading women’s player.

English duo Gabriella Cowley and Paul Waring were at 14 under, with Swedish amateur Hugo Townsend, son of two-time Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend, two shots further back.

Robert MacIntyre could be forgiven for having mixed feelings on several fronts when he sits down to watch the US Open on TV.

First and foremost is the fact that it will be just the fourth major championship which MacIntyre has missed since he made his debut in the game’s biggest events with a tie for sixth in the 2019 Open.

Secondly, this year’s US Open is being staged at Los Angeles Country Club, venue for the 2017 Walker Cup in which MacIntyre represented Great Britain and Ireland and won 1.5 points from his three matches.

But while MacIntyre enjoyed a “great experience” six years ago, the visitors were beaten 19-7 by a United States team featuring current world number one Scottie Scheffler, two-time major champion Collin Morikawa and PGA Tour winners Will Zalatoris and Cameron Champ.

“I knew they were good but you never know how good they’re actually going to become,” MacIntyre told the PA news agency.

“They’ve probably exceeded their own expectations at times but that team is going to go down as one of the best Walker Cup teams in history so it wasn’t too bad getting absolutely hammered by them!”

In fairness, MacIntyre did thrash Champ 6&4 in the opening day’s singles and, after suffering a foursomes defeat alongside Matthew Jordan on day two, also halved a rematch with Champ to emerge with great credit from a testing week.

“It was brilliant. The Walker Cup was a great experience,” the left-hander from Oban said.

“The set-up of the golf course was incredible. The place was playing firm and fast, it was the first time I’d putted on greens with that kind of speed and slope.

“And the whole place, the setting of it right in the middle of LA is absolutely spectacular from the minute you drive in through the gates to the minute you drive out.

“It’s completely different to where I come from and for me it was a cool experience to be there to see. The golf course is brilliant but it’s super, super long, as everyone’s going to find out.

“It was reasonably thick rough, there were certain holes you didn’t want to miss the fairways because you couldn’t get it there, but I just remember it being so fast.

“If you hit the fairway it would run 70-80 yards with the driver and the greens were probably running at 13 (on the stimpmeter).”

MacIntyre described Oak Hill as an “absolute monster” as he suffered his first missed cut in a major in last month’s US PGA Championship and Los Angeles Country Club could prove equally tough.

The 7,423-yard, par-70 layout includes a 623-yard par five and two of its five par threes measure 284 and 290 yards, although the shortest hole on the course will not exactly be a walk in the park either.

“It could be absolutely anything depending on what they’ve done to the place,” MacIntyre added. “They will grow the rough and narrow the fairways. It could be crazy.

“In one round in the Walker Cup all the par threes were played off the back tees except the 15th.

“They were playing it at 101 yards to a front-right pin and guys were missing the green because of the firmness. If you hit a certain point on the green it was kicking into the back bunker.

“It’s the best players in the world so length doesn’t really cause them problems, but it will depend on how firm and fast it is. It will be entertaining to watch that’s for sure.”

Rory McIlroy’s bid for a third successive Canadian Open title stepped up a gear as he moved into a tie for second heading into the final round in Toronto.

McIlroy’s third round 66 leaves him two behind leader CT Pan and in a group of six players tied on 12-under-par, which includes English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose.

They are joined by Americans Mark Hubbard, Harry Higgs and Andrew Novak while England’s Aaron Rai is a stroke further back after a 69 left him alongside Canada’s Nick Taylor, who broke the Oakdale Golf & Country Club course record with a 63.

Tyrell Hatton, who was tied second with Rai and Pan at halfway after a second round 64, slipped six strokes off the pace with a 72.

Victory on Sunday would make McIlroy the first player to win three consecutive Canadian Opens – over the space of five years due to Covid cancellations – and the first on the PGA Tour since Steve Stricker in 2009-11.

McIlroy fired six birdies in a blemish-free round and admitted conditions were set up for low scoring after the previous day’s rain.

“It was prime for scoring,” said McIlroy, who will chase a second US Open title in Los Angeles next week. “It’s really that back nine you need to take advantage of. But it was nice to sort of have what I felt was a cushion after playing the front nine so well.

“I’ve never won a tournament three times in a row. I felt like last year the win wasn’t just for me, it was for a few other things. But this one, this year, if I were able to get over the line, will be solely for me.”

Last year’s win came in the midst of LIV Golf’s birth while McIlroy headed into this week’s tournament having said he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” in the wake of the merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the rival Saudi-backed circuit.

“For whatever reason, I seem to play better when there’s a little bit of noise going on in the world of golf,” he said.

“It’s really nice to get inside the ropes and just concentrate on my job at the end of the day, which is trying to get the ball around the golf course.”

Rose, who won his US Open title 10 years ago, shot into contention as he birdied five straight holes from the 12th and added another on the last.

Fleetwood, who is still looking for his first win in the US, would have matched the course record if it were not for Taylor’s earlier effort.

Pan, from Taiwan, birded the final two holes in a round of 66 as he chases a second tour title.

England’s Dale Whitnell will take a four-shot lead into the final round of the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed as he goes in search of a first DP World Tour title in Sweden.

A stunning 61 on day two in Stockholm had handed him a six-shot advantage after 36 holes and despite dropping a first shot of the week on the second, he responded with four birdies in his next five holes to lead by eight.

He would not have it all his own way, however, as he made a double-bogey on the ninth after a poor tee-shot and another on the 16th after finding the water, although birdies on the 10th and 15th limited the damage.

German Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul had cut the advantage to three with a tap-in birdie at the last as he completed a 68 but playing partner Whitnell followed him in from 15 feet to get to 19 under after a 70 and stay in pole position for victory.

“I had a couple of instances where it didn’t quite go to plan but I thought I kept my head, just tried to plug away and take one shot at a time,” he said.

“It is hard to go through a round of golf without dropping a shot, let alone two or three or four, so I sort of stuck to my guns, had a gameplan and tried to execute it.

“I mean it wasn’t a bad day, it wasn’t exactly ideal but it was more than acceptable.”

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay was six shots off the pace after a 69 as he looks for a fifth DP World Tour victory and second in as many seasons.

“The boys are playing well in front but I’m within touching distance and the goal was always to be in the mix on the back nine and I feel the back nine has a lot of opportunities,” he said.

“If I can just sort of jostle for position a little bit I can be right there, but you don’t know what they are going to do, all you have got to do is give your best, your 100 per cent and then if an opportunity arises, go for it.”

The Netherlands’ Anne van Dam matched the lowest round of the day with a 63 to be the leading woman at 12 under, a shot clear of English pair Matthew Jordan and Gabriella Cowley, with the latter making three eagles in her 64.

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