After arguably the most turbulent week in what has already been the most tumultuous of years in recent golfing history, the stage is set for the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Matt Fitzpatrick won his maiden tournament in the United States when winning at Brookline last year, becoming just the second English winner in over 50 years.
US Open preview
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A miraculous shot from a fairway bunker on the 72nd hole last year proved the clinching moment for Fitzpatrick, as he held off competition from Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler to claim the US Open trophy, in one of England's finest sporting moments of 2022.
The golfing world is a very different one now though, merely 12 months later, with the introduction of the LIV Tour being the big talking point, but news which broke last week has blown that out of the water.
A staggering U-turn from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan saw him agree a deal with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, to merge the tours together, in a groundbreaking deal.
With the Saudis now essentially in control of the PGA Tour, it raises questions over the future of LIV, as the gulf state have now acquired what they wanted from the very start, with the best golfers now under their stewardship.
The backlash has been extraordinary, as the PGA Tour players were allegedly not told before finding out on social media, leaving many incensed, especially after rejecting the lucrative sums of money offered to them by LIV.
It will dominate press conferences throughout the week, but it will not detract from what should be a fantastic four days of golf in the tournament that is dubbed the sport's biggest challenge.
The PGA Championship last month presented a US Open-styled challenge, with LIV defector Brooks Koepka coming out on top to claim a fifth major - level with the legendary Seve Ballesteros - cementing his place as a legend of the sport.
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After years of injury frustration and a subsequent dip in form, Koepka is back to his brilliant best, and his confidence is evident, as the American will feel the same sense of invincibility he felt during 2018 and 2019 - two years where he claimed both the PGA Championship and the US Open.
All eyes will be on Koepka again as he relishes the challenge of golf's most difficult tournaments, but the PGA's best will be determined to knock him off his perch.
Scheffler had another relatively poor week by his standards at the PGA last month, but in typical Scottie style, the Players' champion shot a five-under-par round on Sunday to climb into tied-second, coming from nowhere to put the pressure on late.
Meanwhile, Masters champion Jon Rahm was way off his game at Oak Hill, finishing seven-over-par in T-50, having been fortunate to make the cut after a dreadful first round.
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However, it would be no surprise to see the Spaniard back challenging on Sunday this week given the calibre of the man, as he looks to wrestle back his US Open crown after winning in 2021.
Rory McIlroy has continued to be vocal about the current issues surrounding golf, and all eyes and ears were on him as he reacted to the news before the Canadian Open last week.
During the tournament itself though, it was another Sunday collapse from the 2011 US Open champion, as a poor run of holes midway through his round saw him fall away, with Nick Taylor taking the title at his home event.
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Some of America's finest players over the last few years remain in the doldrums too, with Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa still struggling for consistent form.
That could open the door for some of LIV's big names to come out on top again, with Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau both winners of this competition in the last seven years.
Before Fitzpatrick's success last year, Justin Rose was England's only winner of this tournament since 1970, but now into his 40s, the 2016 Olympic champion is still showing fine form, and put up a good effort at both the PGA and last week's Canadian Open.
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After many dominant performances over the last two decades, including DeChambeau's six-stroke margin in 2020, Martin Kaymer and McIlroy's eight-stroke wins in 2014 and 2011 respectively, and Tiger Woods all-time record-breaking 15-stroke margin of success in 2000, the last two US Open's have been decided by just one stroke.
With a myriad of players capable of claiming the crown at LACC this week, a similarly close margin could occur again, especially with the USGA hoping to provide a very stern test to the world's best here.
Course guide
This will be the first-ever major held at the Los Angeles Country Club, as the ultra-private club finally opens its doors to the world, and it will also be the first major held in LA for 75 years.
It was never known for hosting outside tournaments, instead prioritising their very well-off members and remaining extremely exclusive.
Unlike the challenge of the Players, the Masters and the PGA Championship already seen this year, this course has no water hazards given the time of the year, but that will not detract from the difficulty of the course.
One unique feature of LACC is the barranca - a steep gully which runs through a lot of the course and represents a hazard the field will want to avoid.
It is kept rugged, but playable, offering the chance for players to play good recovery shots, and the fascinating sixth hole is one of those it runs through.
Hole number six is a drivable par four, but the tee shot is blinded by a hill and oak trees blocking the view of the green, and the green is one of the most narrow in tournament golf, also protected by bunkers on either side for good measure.
Another notable hole is number 13, as a very tricky, sloping fairway means accuracy and length is key, as missing the left-hand side will see the ball roll a long way back down and into the rough, leaving a blind shot to the green facing a huge slope.
A record is on course to be set by LACC too, as one pin position expected to be used on the par-three 15th hole will make it just 78 yards long, the shortest in US Open history.
We say: Brooks Koepka to win
Ahead of America's major, the golf itself will take centre stage for four days at least, amid all the noise surrounding the sport at present.
The excitement of a new course on the rotation presents a very intriguing tournament which will not be for the faint-hearted, as the US Open very rarely is.
After Koepka became the first LIV defector to win a major, some others like Johnson, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith will hope to follow in his path and return to the winners' circle.
Scheffler and Rahm enter the week as the two standout favourites having both already won big honours this year, while McIlroy will hope this can finally be the week where he claims a long-awaited fifth major.
We could get another first-time winner like Fitzpatrick last year too, with many up-and-coming golfers coming into form at the right time while chasing a first major, such as Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns and Max Homa.
However, with the swagger and self-confidence not matched by any other player in golf, our pick is for the man-in-form Koepka to take a third-career US PGA-US Open double in the same calendar year.
