US Open: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick among those trying to win in Los Angeles

Matt Fitzpatrick hit a sensational bunker shot on the final hole of the 2022 US Open as he won his first major title by one shot

Twelve months ago, amid the initial turmoil of the arrival of the breakaway LIV tour, Matt Fitzpatrick triumphed at a thrilling US Open venue to land his first major title.

Given that the young Englishman's win came in the classic environs of Brookline, a place he had earmarked for a repeat success ever since winning the 2013 US Amateur at the same Boston course, it was a script fit for the movies.

Fitzpatrick's daring nine-iron approach from a fairway bunker on the closing hole helped him beat a chasing pack that included the reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and former US Open winners Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.

It was a dramatic finish to a championship that, for its four days, pushed the breakout of the sport's civil war into the background, a glorious tournament that showcased golf in its best light.

This week fans will be hoping for something similar. The sport remains in tumult after last week's shock announcement of a commercial merger between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour with LIV's backers, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.

No doubt the days building up to Thursday's start will be dominated by talk surrounding implications of this extraordinary deal. But once the first tee shot is struck, it will be all about the golf.

And where better for a blockbuster storyline than Tinseltown itself.

For the first time the US Open is staged in the ultra exclusive Los Angeles Country Club (LACC). It is a magnificent course nestling close to Beverly Hills at a club that was once so picky, entertainers - Bing Crosby included - were not welcome.

"Dad would have loved to have joined there," Nathanial Crosby, his son and former Walker Cup captain, once said.

In 1982 the club's committee voted 5-4 against accepting the opportunity to hold the US Open four years later. The well-heeled members did not want their golf interrupted.

But following a revamp of the esteemed North Course - which started in 2009 - by leading designer Gil Hanse along with architect and pundit Geoff Shackelford, a slightly more relaxed LACC is now ready to welcome the eyes of the golfing world to their property.

In 2013 it staged a Pac-12 college event won by current PGA star Max Homa and four years later a strong US team including major winners Scheffler and Collin Morikawa won the Walker Cup there, beating Great Britain and Ireland 19-7.

Scheffler and Morikawa are among the favourites this week on an undulating 7,423-yard par-70 course that is more than fit to stage its maiden major. The course has a wonderful flow, building to a tough closing finish where pars will be golden.

It is the first time Los Angeles has held the US Open since Ben Hogan won at Riviera 75 years ago.

This is a part of the world where big names thrive and stars are born. This appears a stage difficult enough for a US Open and if the rough does not prove too ridiculous - always a danger at a US Open - it is sufficiently spectacular to wow those watching.

It is just what the game needs, given the ongoing unrest at the top of men's professional golf.

"I'm really rooting for this US Open to rescue us all for a few days from the story that I think everybody knows has been so divisive and I think that the LACC North Course is just the place to do that," said US broadcaster Dan Hicks who leads the NBC commentary team.

Since Fitzpatrick's success, which propelled the 28-year-old from Sheffield into the world's top 10, the following majors have been won by players of world-class pedigree: Cameron Smith (The Open), Rahm (the Masters) and Brooks Koepka (the US PGA Championship).

There is good reason to expect that trend to continue. Koepka, who was runner-up to the Spaniard Rahm at Augusta, was imperious in proving some LIV players can still compete at the highest level when he won at Oak Hill last month.

The American and Australian Smith are two of 15 LIV players playing this week, the list including former US Open champions Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer, as well as Sergio Garcia, who returns to major action after qualifying in Austin, Texas.

Rahm is a California specialist. His 2021 US Open title came at Torrey Pines in relatively nearby San Diego and is one of his five victories, including two this year, in the Golden State.

No one is striking it better than Scheffler, but the tall Masters winner of 2022 needs to rediscover his touch on the greens.

For McIlroy it is perennial problems with getting stuck in his wedge play. Precision will be key on this formidable layout.

He overachieved with his tie for seventh at Oak Hill, where his long game was largely out of sorts, and the ongoing fall-out from his prominent role in the "golf wars" appears to be taking a toll.

This might not be the week for the man from Holywood to prosper in Hollywood, but he has defied expectations in the past.

For the second week running he faded in the final round of a PGA Tour event on Sunday at the Canadian Open. Tommy Fleetwood did plenty to encourage the Englishman's fans, beaten only by Nick Taylor's spectacular 72-foot putt at the fourth hole of sudden death.

The in-form Viktor Hovland's impressive ball striking makes the Norwegian another decent bet for European success, while for the home nation Xander Shauffele and Tony Finau could also fit the necessary profile.

Justin Rose is entitled to fancy his chances in what has been a highly encouraging year for the English veteran, who won this trophy a decade ago. He, like Tyrrell Hatton, had another decent week in Canada.

But could this, finally, be the week for major success for Patrick Cantlay? The 31-year-old American has only one top -hree finish in 25 attempts in the four grand slam tournaments - a huge underachievement for his talents.

Cantlay, who hails from Long Beach which is a 40-minute drive from LA, was heavily criticised for his pace of play at the Masters in April. But this might be the time for him to make happier headlines.

Six of the past seven US Open winners have been first-time major champions and the world number four is relentlessly consistent. He has posted five top 10s since February.

An overdue maiden major victory in his home state could be a fitting storyline, but he will need to beat a heavyweight cast all thirsting for the lead role.