At U.S. Open, par-three 15th hole is short in distance but long on consternation

Start with a club rarely used from the tee box, a 60-degree lob wedge. Set the ball on a tee to maximize spin. And for gosh sake, don’t take a full swing.

Target? A green long and thin, like an anteater’s tongue, flanked on each side by tufts of thick rough that quickly give way to deep bunkers.

The pin placement at the 15th hole Saturday at the Los Angeles Country Club was near the front of the green, 80 yards from the tee box, shorter even than any hole on the nearby charming Rancho Park 3-Par Golf Course.

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But, oh my, looks can deceive. Land below the hole and the ball rolls off the green. Land too far above the hole and a treacherous downhill putt awaits. The shortest hole in U.S. Open history causes consternation to rival the cruelest blind par four or longest par five into a stiff wind.

The last two groups of the third round displayed four ways to make par on No. 15, coming fresh off the 628-yard par-five No. 14 and facing a gauntlet of three difficult holes to complete the round.

Rickie Fowler’s tee shot landed deep and to the right, but he executed a 53-foot lag putt at least 20 feet to the right of the pin and watched it curl around the top of the green, turn left like an IndyCar and leave him inside of four feet.

Rickie Fowler, hitting his tee shot on the 15th hole during the second round, parred the tricky par three Saturday and is tied with Wyndham Clark for the lead at 10 under.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Wyndham Clark, who is tied with Fowler for the tournament lead, and Rory McIlroy, who is one shot back, went conventional, leaving 23-foot putts that didn’t go in but also didn’t roll disastrously beyond the hole.

Xander Schauffele, inconsistent throughout a round of 73 that dropped him to five under for the tournament, had to putt from the top of an exaggerated mid-green bump that LACC members joke is the result of club founder Joseph Sartori being buried there in 1946. Schauffele didn’t flinch, leaving a tap-in for par.

“I need some help at this point now, with such a poor performance today,” Schauffele said. “I saw some guys like shooting 29 on the front, so it’s out there if you’re hitting the ball in the fairway. Just going to have to do something special, and going to need some help from up top probably.”

Wyndham Clark sinks a putt on the seventh hole green during the third round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

With warmer weather firming greens, birdies were scarce. Fowler, who made a U.S. Open-record 18 birdies the first two days, added only three more yet stayed at the top of the leaderboard along with Clark. Tom Kim shot the first 29 of the tournament on the front nine to tie a U.S. Open record and posted the day’s best score at 66, but is a distant three under entering Sunday.

Fowler took a two-shot lead into the last hole but it evaporated on the green as darkness set in. Clark birdied with a six-foot putt to finish one under. Meanwhile, Fowler — whose putter had been on fire for three days — bogeyed after missing a putt inside five feet to finish with an even-par 70. He and Clark — both former Oklahoma State stars — are 10 under.

“It’s a little ridiculous that we teed off that late,” Clark said of his and Fowler’s 3:40 p.m. tee time. “I would say right around hole 15 or 16 it started getting to where you couldn’t see that well.

“We played twilight golf.... I one hundred percent think my bogey on 17 was because I couldn’t see, and I think Rickie’s bogey on 18 was because he couldn’t see.”

Fowler preferred to look ahead.

“Through three rounds we’re in the spot that we want to be in, and tomorrow is when the tournament starts,” he said.

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Looming large — as he has all year — is Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Scheffler finished the round with an eagle and a birdie to finish three behind Fowler and Clark at 67-68-68. He holed out from 196 yards on his second shot on No. 17.

“I saw where it landed and I thought it would funnel out onto the green and I’d have a look for birdie, and then you could see everybody as the noise started to kind of rise, got excited, and then they erupted, which is always nice when you’re standing back there in the fairway,” he said.

Scottie Scheffler hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.

(Matt York / Associated Press)

Scheffler has momentum, spending 29 consecutive weeks at No. 1 last year when he won the Masters. Fowler and Clark have never won a major and McIlroy hasn’t since 2014.

“The golf course definitely got a little bit trickier today than the first couple of days,” McIlroy said. “Felt like I played really smart, solid golf. Hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens. Sort of felt somewhat stress free out there, if you can ever call golf at a U.S. Open stress free.”

Fowler, who grew up in Murrieta, freely acknowledged that winning this particular U.S. Open would be especially meaningful.

“Obviously it would be huge, it would be great,” he said. “Especially being here in Southern California, having a lot of people, family and friends out here this week.

“We have a chance tomorrow. I mentioned out there that after going through the last few years, I’m not scared to fail. I’ve dealt with that. We’re just going to go have fun, continue to try to execute, leave it all out there, see where we stand on 18.”

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Wyndham Clark holds the U.S. Open championship trophy after winning at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark celebrates immediately after winning the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy hits from the 10th tee during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy gets a ruling from a golf official after lodging a ball into the side of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy looks at his golf ball on the 12th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler hits from the 13th-hole fairway during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark chips out of the rough and on to the sixth green during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler looks at his golf ball while on the 12th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler reacts after hitting seventh-hole tee shot during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy hits out of the rough on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark hits from the second tee during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark celebrates with his caddie after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark, right, celebrates with his caddie after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark covers his face with his hat immediately after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Fans cheer after Xander Schauffele sinks a 35-foot put on the second hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler hits from the 10th hole tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark reacts while putting on the 10th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy hits from the third tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Harris English watches his shot from the 15th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Jason Day chips out of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 17.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler hits from the 11th tee during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16.   (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark hits from the seventh tee during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Austin Eckroat, left, and Wyndham Clark walk though the rough on the fourth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Jon Rahm hits out of the rough on the 15th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Wyndham Clark chips onto the second green during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Joaquin Niemann hits out of the rough near the sixth green during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler walks to the 18th green during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Alex Noren hits out of a greenside bunker on sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Tony Finau hits out of a greenside bunker on the 16th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler consults with his caddie before hitting out of the sandy rough on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Despite the gloomy weather, spectators walk along the North Course at the Los Angeles Country Club during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Jason Day hits out of a greenside bunker on the eighth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler walks on a bridge to the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. Fowler shared the lead with Xander Schauffele after the first round following a stellar eight-under-par 62.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler hits out of the rough on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Golfers Gary Woodland, Corey Connors and Adam Scott check the slope of the green and their putting lines on the 14th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rickie Fowler, third from left, walks with Jason Day to the seventh green during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Brooks Koepka, left, and Rory McIlroy walk up to the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Open.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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An excited golf fan tries to get an autograph from Xander Schauffele as he walks to the 17th tee box during a practice round at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Golfers line up their putts on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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June gloom shrouds the downtown L.A. skyline as the first round of the U.S. Open gets underway at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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With the downtown L.A. skyline in the background, Rory McIlroy walks along the 14th fairway during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Spectators walk the course near a grandstand during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Golf fans watch Rory McIlroy putt on the second hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Golf fans cross a bridge over Wilshire Boulevard to exit the course after attending a practice round for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)