U.S. Open showstopper

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA | As the great unveiling of Los Angeles Country Club comes into full focus this week with the U.S. Open, the place itself may be the one thing capable of distracting the attention away from the aftershocks (that’s a dangerous word around these parts) of the PGA Tour/Public Investment Fund announcement you may have heard about last week.

Holding the U.S. Open at LACC is like a Rembrandt that was found getting dusty in someone’s attic, wiping it off and then showing the world a little bit of brilliance that had been hidden away for years.

LACC is one of those places where if you have to ask, you already should know that the answer is, “No.” It revels in its privacy, its aristocracy and its 1,300-word dissertation on what is and isn’t allowed at the club in one of the most liberal cities in the world. (Hint: Should you ever be invited to LACC, leave your shorts, your denim, your cellphone and your cap out on Wilshire Boulevard, which runs in front of the club, and make sure that your shirt is tucked in prope...