Matt Fitzpatrick on the 15th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Fitzpatrick rips U.S. Open over poor crowd atmosphere

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 6/18/23

Matt Fitzpatrick ripped the USGA on Saturday over what he feels has been a poor crowd atmosphere at The Los Angeles Country Club.

Fitzpatrick won the event last year at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. The defending champion finished his round on Saturday tied for 15th at 1-under par. After his round, he was critical of the atmosphere at this year’s event, via Yahoo.

“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 U.S. Opens going forward,” Fitzpatrick said.

The Los Angeles Country Club is very exclusive and seemingly has lots of rules. So there is some thought that the atmosphere is toned-down for that reason.

But one other explanation could be the tee times.

The golf got started very late on Saturday, with Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark not teeing off until nearly 4 p.m. local time.

Fowler received a solid applause after making a nice putt on the seventh hole Saturday.

Huge birdie putt for Fowler to keep up pic.twitter.com/bIUH8Eq6zO

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) June 18, 2023

By the time he hit the 13th hole, the atmosphere seemed dead after he made a 69-foot putt.

From 69 feet away@RickieFowler rolls in a lengthy birdie at No. 13. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/75FCIgUNjf

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023

Whether it’s the exclusive membership comprising the majority of the gallery or the late tee times — or something else — something may be off this weekend at the U.S. Open.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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