2023 US Open: Why Were the Tee Times at the Major in Los Angeles Country Club So Delayed?

The 2023 US Open drew to a thrilling end at the Los Angeles Country Club, with the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Clark claiming his maiden major. There was much chaos leading up to the event, especially since it was the first time in 75 years that the US Open was being held in the City of Angels.

While the tournament at LACC proved to be a success, many were left scratching their heads over the unusual tee times. Golf fans outside of the US had to stay up very late into the night to witness their favorite players in action. So, what went down with the tee times at the American Open? Let’s find out!

The unusually late tee times at the 2023 US Open

By now, golf enthusiasts who live outside of America have adapted to enjoying the sport late at night. But the tee times at the 2023 US Open tested the patience of even the most experienced night owls.

During the event’s third round, golfer Ryan Fox, playing in the first group, went off at 9:33 a.m. local time. This meant that golf fans in the UK got to see him at 5:33 p.m. Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark, playing in the same group in the third round, didn’t begin to play until 3:40 p.m. local time!

The 2023 US Open wasn’t the first instance wherein golf enthusiasts living across the world had to wait a long time to see their favorite players tee off. Most recently, at the PGA Championship in Oak Hill, Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners hit their opening shots mere minutes before the clock struck 3 in the afternoon. Last year, during the Open Championship at St Andrew’s, fans also had to wait a long time to watch Cameron Young and Cameron Smith. The two players did not start playing until 3:55 p.m. UK time!

The reason behind the late tee times at the US Open

While golf is a game enjoyed by fans globally, the late tee times are mostly so that the game can benefit from TV prime time. After much speculation surrounding the delayed tee times at the US Open’s third round, a USGA representative finally revealed the reason for the same.

Speaking to National Club Golfer, they shared that the tee times had been carefully planned to make good use of the prime-time broadcast window on America’s east coast. The plan somewhat worked, with the 2023 edition becoming the most-watched tournament since the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach. Per NBC Sports, the entire event averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 3.4 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network. The number was also up 27% from the 2022 US Open.

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As for the final round, NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital averaged 8.8 million viewers in prime time. Viewership peaked at 10.2 million viewers from 9:30–9:45 pm ET! While the shift in schedule did boost the tournament’s viewership, some players did have a bone to pick with the delayed timing.

How do players feel about delayed tee times?

Primetime golf. That is something fans of the sport don’t get often. While the change in tee times is ultimately good for the game’s viewership, certain players can’t help but feel frustrated.

While Wyndham Clark did eventually go on to lift the US Open trophy, he wasn’t a fan of the late tee times in the event’s third round. The golfer was in the same group as Rickie Fowler and kicked things off at 3:40 p.m. local time (6:40 p.m. ET).

“It’s a little ridiculous that we teed off that late,” Clark said after the round was over. “I mean, I don’t personally understand why we teed off—we played twilight golf.” The PGAT pro also alleged that his bogey on the 17th and Fowler’s bogey on the 18th at LACC were due to the fact that they couldn’t see clearly.

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The two golfers had finished their rounds just as the sun was setting over Beverly Hills. The US Open winner had further stressed that the first group, which didn’t begin play until 9:33 a.m., should have started an hour or two earlier. Do you share his opinion? Let us know in the comments below!