Key EventsShowcasing the Key Moments
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Finally, we welcome the final group, consisting of Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark, to the first tee. Fowler’s drive finds the left side of the fairway. Although we don’t witness Clark’s shot, the official website informs us that he has crushed one 375 yards down the right.
At the green, Rory makes a precise eagle attempt that settles near the tap-in range. This birdie puts him one stroke behind the leader. Schauffele recovers from his bunker mishap by executing an excellent up and down shot from 130 yards, only resulting in a bogey. While this is a significant error on such an easy hole, it reduces the potential four-shot swing between Schauffele and McIlroy to just two.
Current Leaderboard:
-10: R Fowler (-)
-9: R McIlroy (1), W Clark (-)
-8: H English (1)
-7: D Johnson (1), X Schauffele (1)
-5: S Scheffler (3), M W Lee (2)
Wow, what a meltdown for Schauffele at the first hole. After landing in the sand with his drive, he thins his second shot from the bunker and the ball rebounds behind him. In a shocking turn of events, he repeats the same mistake with his third shot. Finally, he manages to get out, but it’s already a four-shot deficit. He’s now facing a double bogey on a hole where birdie is considered par. Unbelievable. In contrast, McIlroy remains unfazed by the chaos and lands his shot beautifully within 16 feet of the hole, setting up an eagle opportunity.
Updated at 23.42 BST
Now it’s time for the penultimate group, consisting of Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, to take to the course. Schauffele starts off with a drive that lands straight into the sand on the left side. On the other hand, McIlroy smashes a shot onto the fairway, his confident stride reflecting his strong performance in the front nine so far. We can expect some exciting moments from these two players over the next couple of hours.
At the green, Harris English calmly sinks a 10-foot putt for a birdie, bringing him up to -8. DJ also secures a birdie, taking him to -7. The leaderboard is now active with various players vying for the top position.
Current Leaderboard:
-10: R Fowler (-)
-9: W Clark (-)
-8: H English (1), R McIlroy (-), X Schauffele (-)
-7: D Johnson (1)
-6: M W Lee (1)
Tom Kim and defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick experience contrasting fortunes at the 81-yard par-15th hole. Fitzpatrick comes agonizingly close to a hole-in-one, narrowly missing out for the second time this week. On the other hand, Kim struggles and requires four swings to reach the hole, resulting in a loss of shots. Kim had a remarkable start with seven-under on the first 10 holes, but now he has given back two shots in the last three holes, leaving him at -4 (10th) overall. Thanks to his birdie, Fitzpatrick moves to -2 (21st).
Min Woo Lee misses an opportunity for birdie at the first hole, which he will surely regret. He remains at 6-under.
Scottie Scheffler begins his round with a routine two-putt birdie at the first hole, as expected from such an easy starter. This brings him up to -6, four shots behind the leader.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the walk-on music. Matt Round suggests that for Padraig Harrington, who has a chance to break free from the pack in the final group, he could come out to Old Man by Love, a band whose lead singer Arthur was Min Woo’s father. Just a suggestion.
Boom! Brooks Koepka, sporting a vibrant yellow shirt, knocks his ball into the cup from a bunker for a birdie on the 12th hole. He now has four birdies and one bogey in his round. Although he is currently tied 16th at -3, it’s still uncertain if he can make a significant impact in the tournament. I’m still skeptical.
If you’re just joining us and haven’t been following the tee times, here’s an update on Rory, Rickie, and the leaders: they have not teed off yet, but they are about to. The schedule is as follows:
23:18 Harris English (US), Dustin Johnson (US)
23:29 Rory McIlroy (NI), Xander Schauffele (US)
23:40 Wyndham Clark (US), Rickie Fowler (US)
Bryson DeChambeau seems to be gaining momentum with his round. He started with two birdies and two bogeys in his first five holes, leaving him at the same position. However, he has just scored birdie-birdie-birdie at holes 7, 8, and 9, bringing his score to 32 for the front nine. This burst of birdies places DeChambeau in a tie for 11th at -1, six shots behind the leader.
Harrington matches Cantlay’s low round of the day with a 3-under 67. Impressive performance from last year’s Seniors US Open champion, placing him in a tie for 25th.
Meanwhile, Kim misses the green with his approach shot at the 13th hole, unable to recover, resulting in a dropped shot. This halts his forward momentum, and thoughts of another 62 are now unlikely. He returns to -6 for the day and -5 overall.
Sam Burns, who had a hole-in-one on Thursday, adds another highlight to his round by holing out from the fairway for an eagle at the 6th hole. This elevates him to a tie for 12th. On a side note, when did he start sporting that peculiar clump of hair sticking out from the back of his cap, reminiscent of American golfers from previous decades?
Kim may not be known for his long drives, as he ranks 107th out of 198 in Driving Distance on the PGA Tour, but he impressively manages to send his ball 307 yards down the fairway on the 13th hole. With another 212 yards to go for his approach shot, the par-4 hole presents a significant challenge.
Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters winner, experiences a setback with a bogey on the same hole. This follows another dropped shot at hole 11, pushing him back eight shots from the leader. Despite his brief appearance in the top 10, Matsuyama faces an uphill battle. On the other hand, Viktor Hovland secures a two-putt birdie from just off the green at hole 8, his first successful attempt in the round. Hovland currently sits in 12th place, seven shots behind the leader, and needs to pick up the pace.
Kim now has a birdie opportunity at the 12th hole, but unfortunately, he fails to read the break properly and ends up sending his 27-foot putt too far to the right. He successfully cleans up for par, maintaining his impressive performance at 7-under for the day and tied for sixth alongside Dustin Johnson and Min Woo Lee, who are set to tee off within the next hour.
Let’s take a look at the best Saturday rounds so far and their impact on the tournament. The leading score to this point is Cantlay’s 67, although it wasn’t quite enough to push him into the top 20.
Top Saturday Rounds:
67 Patrick Cantlay -1 (23rd)
68 Shane Lowry Evs (31st)
68 Russell Henley Evs (31st)
69 Ryan Fox +1 (43rd)
70 Jon Rahm +2 (51st)
70 Tommy Fleetwood +2 (51st)
Updated at 22.35 BST
We still have over an hour before the last two-ball tees off. During Matt’s coverage, we’ve had the chance to think about possible walk-on music. In line with the LA theme and as both main contenders are Californians lacking a major win, how about The Doors’ “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”? This song reminds me of the statistic that 73% of teenagers visiting Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris can’t name more than four Doors songs. Although I made that up, it feels about right.
Rory McIlroy claims his go-to music includes hip-hop, dance, house, and 60s psych. Given his recent statement about focusing on himself rather than battling against the PGA Tour, let’s go with “Me Myself and I” by De La Soul.
As for Wyndham Clark, as he has the opportunity to break away from the pack in the final group, we’ll leave that as a surprise.
Updated at 22.28 BST
The 15th hole, despite being the shortest in US Open history at just 81 yards, has proven to be challenging with many players failing to reach the green. However, Padraig Harrington manages to spin his wedge back to within six feet and successfully sinks the putt. Harrington has been exceptional in this round, with an eagle at the 8th hole and birdies at 12 and 15, taking him to 4-under for the day and -2 overall. Unfortunately, he gives one back at the 16th hole, resulting in his first blemish of the day. He drops to 23rd after starting the day in 14th.
After going out in a remarkable 29 strokes, Tom Kim
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