s

2024 U.S. Open: Final round tee times posted for Pinehurst u,s,open,final,round,tee,times,posted,for,pinehurst,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

Another thrilling day at Pinehurst is in the books, as Bryson DeChambeau made the course look easy. He holds a three-shot lead ahead of the final U.S. Open round.

After coming up short to Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship, DeChambeau finds himself in control at the third major of the year.

He will play with Matthieu Pavon in the final pairing as the Crushers GC captain eyes his second U.S. Open title. DeChambeau won his first at Winged Foot in 2020.

Plenty of other big names lurk behind these two golfers. Rory McIlroy shot a 1-under 69 to sit at 4-under and three shots back. The 4-time major winner finds himself in contention at another major.

He will play with Patrick Cantlay, who finished even par on Saturday and is also at 4-under.

After three days of play at the tricky Pinehurst No. 2 track, there are only 11 players at even par or better. Seven sit in red figures.

Nevertheless, here are the starting times for Sunday’s thrilling final round at Pinehurst No. 2.

U.S. Open Final Round Tee Times (ET):

(All play will begin on the 1st hole)

7:30 a.m. — S.H. Kim, Gunnar Broin (a)

7:41 a.m. — Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jackson Suber

7:52 a.m. — Brandon Wu, Austin Eckroat

8:03 a.m. — Francesco Molinari, Ben Kohles

8:14 a.m. — Dean Burmester, Ryan Fox

8:25 a.m. — Sepp Straka, Martin Kaymer

8:36 a.m. — Greyson Sigg, Cameron Young

8:47 a.m. — Nico Echavarria, Brendon Todd

8:58 a.m. — Justin Lower, Sam Bennett

9:09 a.m. — Adam Scott, Brian Campbell

9:25 a.m. — Matt Kuchar, Frankie Capan III

9:36 a.m. — Adam Svensson, Harris English

9:47 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim

9:58 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Sahith Theegala

10:09 a.m. — Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley

10:20 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Tom McKibbin

10:31 a.m. — Brooks Koepka, Tim Widing

10:42 a.m. — Nicolai Højgaard, Emiliano Grillo

10:53 a.m. — Isaiah Salinda, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

11:04 a.m. — Cameron Smith, Wyndham Clark

11:15 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Tommy Fleetwood

11:31 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Zac Blair

11:42 a.m. — Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk

11:53 a.m. — Denny McCarthy, Min Woo Lee

12:04 p.m. — Neal Shipley (a), Luke Clanton (a)

12:15 p.m. — Sam Burns, Stephan Jaeger

12:26 p.m. — Brian Harman, Mark Hubbard

12:37 p.m. — David Puig, Thomas Detry

12:48 p.m. — Akshay Bhatial, Russell Henley

12:59 p.m. — Davis Thompson, Xander Schauffele

1:10 p.m. — Sergio Garcia, Taylor Pendrith

1:26 p.m. — Aaron Rai, Tom Kim

1:37 p.m. — Corey Conners, Collin Morikawa

1:48 p.m. — Tony Finau, Tyrrell Hatton

1:59 p.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama

2:10 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy

2:21 p.m. — Matthieu Pavon, Bryson DeChambeau

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

U.S. Open Day 3 Winners, Losers: Bryson DeChambeau dominates u,s,open,day,winners,losers,bryson,dechambeau,dominates,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions,liv-golf

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

Pinehurst No. 2 has once again proven itself worthy of a terrific U.S. Open venue. It has tested the best players in the world, punishing poor shots while rewarding good ones.

Hence, only eight players sit in red figures after 54 holes, with Bryson DeChambeau leading the pace at 7-under. He holds a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Matthieu Pavon, and Patrick Cantlay as he eyes his second major. DeChambeau won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September 2020 during the pandemic.

So after another fun day at Pinehurst, here are the winners and losers from North Carolina:

Winners:

Bryson DeChambeau’s Game

Bryson DeChambeau entertained the golf world all day on Saturday. His clutch putts, his 350-yard drives, his spectacular shot from the sand on the 13th hole, and his tremendous approach on the 14th hole all added up to a 3-under 67.

Diabolical approach.

Brandel made a great point about the angles here too. Bryson had nothing, and yet went right at it. A confident, aggressive mindset is a dangerous one and it’s paying off!

He went on to make that putt to get to -8, three shots clear.pic.twitter.com/0bAr5f2J5o

— Jack Milko (@jack_milko) June 15, 2024

He looks like one of the best golfers in the world, relying on his power and short-game finesse to take a commanding lead going into Sunday. He did stumble on the 16th hole, where he made a double bogey, but that did not phase DeChambeau at all. He bounced back with a birdie on the 17th hole, thanks to an ultra-aggressive line he took off the tee.

But every hole DeChambeau plays is must-watch television, whether he birdies or bogies. He is the most entertaining golfer on the planet, which explains why his popularity has skyrocketed.

Ultimately, if he shoots another round in the 60s on Sunday, the U.S. Open is his.

DeChambeau’s Balls

Bryson DeChambeau apparently puts his golf balls in Epsom salt before every round. A reporter asked him about it after his round, and DeChambeau’s response about his balls is priceless:

“Thanks for the salty balls question. I appreciate that. Yeah, I put my golf balls in Epsom salt. I’m lucky enough that Connor, my manager, does that now. I don’t have to do it. But essentially, we float golf balls in a solution to make sure that the golf ball is not out of balance,” DeChambeau explained.

“There was a big thing back in the day where golf balls are out of balance, and it’s just because of the manufacturing process. There’s always going to be an error, especially when it’s a sphere, and there are dimples on the edges. You can’t perfectly get it in the center. So what I’m doing is finding pretty much the out-of-balanceness of it, how much out of balance it is. Heavy slide floats to the bottom, and then we mark the top with a dot to make sure it’s always rolling over itself.”

To quote CBS Sports reporter Kyle Porter’s mantra, “Normal Sport.”

Can Rory McIlroy do it?

Rory McIlroy’s 10-year major drought has been well documented. But what amazes me about McIlroy, at least this time, is that he is back in the mix for a sixth straight U.S. Open. Despite the outside fray with LIV Golf, his dreams of a world tour, and most importantly, the uneasiness of his family life surrounding a potential divorce, McIlroy still has a chance to win a second U.S. Open title.

He shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday despite making two late bogies that stalled his momentum. And yet, anything can happen on this golf course, and McIlroy knows that. He also has plenty of confidence going into round four. Plus, he is hitting his driver better than anyone, so if he can clean up his irons a tad, he should have a shot at the end.

All of this gives McIlroy—and golf fans everywhere—hope, and hope is an amazing drug.

Losers:

Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg

The 13th hole all but ended their chances, as Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg made triple bogies on this short par-4.

Each golfer played a game of ‘ping-pong,’ chipping back and forth across the green, which took them out of contention. Even if each player walked away with a bogey, they would still have an outside shot at winning their first major title on Sunday. But a triple bogey is too damaging of a score to overcome. Finau now sits six shots back of Dechambeau while Åberg, the 36-hole leader, is now five.

Because of this, Johnson Wagner of the Golf Channel analyzed this hole on ‘Live From the U.S. Open’ after the round:

Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler played much better on Saturday.

But his third round was a day filled with ‘What-ifs?’ Those question marks mainly stemmed from his putter, as Scheffler could not get a putt to drop all day. He gave himself plenty of chances to climb the leaderboard, but his flat stick kept him at bay. As such, the World No. 1 settled for a 1-over 71, but he could have easily shot a score in the mid-60s.

Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open — Scottie Scheffler during the third round.

Pace of Play

My god. The final two groups played at a snail’s pace, with Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau as the main culprits. Cantlay is notoriously slow and has been for quite some time. Just ask Brooks Koepka.

Similarly, DeChambeau, who needed to get stretched out on the 11th hole, loves to take his time. Given his scientific and mathematical approach to the game, DeChambeau has to dissect every single shot he plays, even putts from inside of 18 inches.

As such, the United States Golf Association (USGA) should have levied a penalty. They supposedly provided a warning to DeChambeau and Åberg, who, for what it’s worth, flies around a golf course, but a steeper penalty should have been assessed. Pace of play is a problem, especially considering that DeChambeau’s group—the final pairing—finished nearly 45 minutes after McIlroy’s, who played in the third to last group.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Tony Finau, Ludvig Åberg kiss chances goodbye on 13 u,s,open,tony,finau,ludvig,berg,kiss,chances,goodbye,on,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

One hole took down two contenders on Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Open.

The short, dogleg right 13th hole, which only measures 368 yards, turned into a beast—at least for Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg.

When Finau stepped on the 13th tee, he had just dropped back down to 4-under for the championship, thanks to a bogey at the 12th. Bogies do not kill golfers in U.S. Opens, but anything worse does.

After finding the fairway off the tee, Finau had less than 100 yards into the pin, which sat on a little shelf on the front right corner of the green. A false front repels anything a tad short, while a slope beyond the pin knocks anything long into a sand trap that must be avoided.

Accuracy on this approach was paramount, and both Finau and Åberg wound up making a mess of things.

Finau’s second shot came up short, as his ball rolled all the way down the slope, settling 30 yards short of the green. He decided to bring the putter out, but that attempt failed miserably. Finau raced his putt well past the flag, and it ended up in the bunker.

The ping-ponging had begun.

“Didn’t have a very good lie. Didn’t really want to pitch it,” Finau said of his third shot.

“Ended up playing ping-pong there.”

His bunker shot then went too far, settling in an area not far from where his second shot had stopped. He wound up making a triple bogey seven, knocking him all the way down to 1-under.

“Thirteen is going to jump out at me as a hole that was the toughest pin on the whole championship, in my opinion,” Finau added.

“That green is pretty crazy right there where that pin is—just the wrong time to miss a shot. Anything can happen on this golf course. I’m just happy with the way I finished.”

Finau closed with five straight pars to card a 2-over 72.

Åberg, meanwhile, played two groups behind Finau and made a similar mistake.

“What happened to me on 13 is not ideal,” Åberg said.

Ludvig Åberg, U.S. Open — Ludvig Åberg hits out of the bunker on the 13th hole during the third round.

“It doesn’t necessarily change the way that you try to approach this golf course. I think there’s only a certain way you can play it. If you don’t play that way, you’re going to get punished. That’s what I did.”

Unlike Finau, the Swede tugged his drive on 13 into the native area left of the fairway. He then hit his second shot just short of the green, exacerbated by the severe slope in front. Then Åberg airmailed his chip into the back bunker, and he, too, began to play some ping pong.

When his game on 13 ended, Åberg penciled in a dreadful seven, sending him back to 2-under for the championship. Meanwhile, his playing partner, Bryson DeChambeau, had all the momentum in the world.

Now DeChambeau leads by three over Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, and Matthieu Pavon at 7-under. Åberg sits five back, while Finau is six. But if not for the unlucky 13th hole, they would still have a chance to win. And yet, their ping-pong games ended in disappointment, but they ended their shots at capturing that first major title, too.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau dominates, grabs commanding lead u,s,open,bryson,dechambeau,dominates,grabs,commanding,lead,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

Bryson DeChambeau stayed patient during the U.S. Open on Saturday, which eventually paid off for him down the stretch. He wound up firing his third straight round in the 60s, carding a third round 3-under 67. That score gives him a three-shot lead at 7-under for the championship.

He picked up an impressive 3.13 strokes with his putter, which ranks fourth during the third round. DeChambeau needed only 25 putts during round three, as he leads the field with 1.46 putts per green.

“Made a lot of great putts today. I’ll tell you that,” DeChambeau said.

“Pleased with how I struck it for the most part. Tomorrow it’s the same quote I’ve said all week—trying to have boring golf. Middle of the greens never moves, so I am going to try and hit a lot of the greens, give myself some good looks on some holes and two-putt a lot.”

He made three crucial par saves to open his round and keep pace with his fellow contenders. A bogey on the 4th dropped a shot, but it did not last, as he got it back on the par-5 5th. Another birdie followed at the 7th.

Then, during a stretch in which he made back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, DeChambeau began to battle hip tightness. That did not stop him. His lead extended to four at the par-4 14th when he sank his fifth birdie of the day.

However, a double bogey on the par-4 16th diminished the lead to two. That hiccup did not phase him as he made his sixth birdie on the day at the par-3 17 to head into Sunday with a three-shot advantage.

The crowds showed up all day for the Grapevine, Texas, resident. Like the PGA Championship, the fans could not get enough of him.

Fans chanted USA-USA-USA from DeChambeau’s opening tee shot until he walked off the course. Not to mention his hilarious “Don’t boo me, I’m sorry” comment to the crowd on 13 when he did not choose to hit driver.

Throughout the day, he spoke to fans, signed autographs and enjoyed the crowds.

“It gives me a spike in my adrenaline and allows me to focus more on delivering for the fans, myself and my family. It inspires me,” DeChambeau said.

It is massive for the fans to get behind him as a LIV Golf player. He was not a fan favorite when he played on the PGA Tour. Some liked him, and many did not.

However, things changed when he began showing off his personality through his social media and YouTube Channels. More people saw who he truly was, and for the past two major championships, the fans have gravitated toward him.

“It’s meant a lot to me. Just thinking back three years ago, the landscape was a lot different,” DeChambeau said. “I tried to show everybody who I was. I didn’t do it the right way and could have done a lot of things better.”

“I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me to help me move in the right direction with the content we’re producing, social media, and a great perspective on life. That combination of things has allowed me to not only have a new perspective but an opportunity to show myself in a different light and entertain the fans out there.”

DeChambeau has a new outlook on life, where he chooses to focus on the positive things. So far, this has grown his brand massively, especially in the majors.

He is 18 holes away from winning his second U.S. Open in four years.

DeChambeau will play alongside Frenchman Matthieu Pavon in the final group of the day. They tee off at 2:21 p.m. ET.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau hip injury shot goes viral u,s,open,bryson,dechambeau,hip,injury,shot,goes,viral,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

During the third round of the U.S. Open, on the 9th hole, Jim “Bones” Mackay, the on-course reporter for NBC Sports, noted that Bryson DeChambeau had requested the presence of his “physio.”

DeChambeau’s right hip was bothering him, yet he continued to pound drive after drive, many of which went beyond 350 yards.

Despite that, after making a birdie on the par-5 10th, DeChambeau marched over to the 11th tee and received treatment from a doctor. NBC Sports caught the moment from their drone up above as DeChambeau requested the network’s on-ground camera crew to stay away.

The footage immediately went viral online.

After getting his hip stretched out, DeChambeau pounded a 359-yard drive right down the middle of the fairway. He then stuck his approach to 13 feet and drained the putt for birdie to get to 7-under, the first player to do so this week.

Yet, he supposedly has a bad hip, which caused him some discomfort on Saturday morning, per Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel.

Lewis also reported that DeChambeau can have two five-minute treatment sessions within a round. The first, obviously, took place on the 11th, leaving him with one more opportunity to stretch out during the final six holes.

Just spoke with @b_dechambeau team that’s walking with him during the 3rd round of the @usopengolf. Was told he woke up with discomfort in his right hip this morning. Has been treated on the course. Was told by rules official Bryson is allowed two five minute treatment sessions.

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) June 15, 2024

But the 2020 U.S. Open champion looks dialed in midway through the third round. After bogeying the fourth hole to drop back to 3-under, DeChambeau made three birdies to soar into the lead by himself.

It remains to be seen what the issue is exactly, and nobody will know how he really feels until after his third round is completed.

Nevertheless, DeChambeau, who never fails to produce captivating content, produced another viral moment during Saturday’s third round at Pinehurst No. 2.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Ludvig Åberg’s daring shot breeds viral caddie moment u,s,open,ludvig,berg,s,daring,shot,breeds,viral,caddie,moment,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-fan-reactions

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Ludvig Åberg has been impressive since his PGA Tour debut last year. This week at the U.S. Open is no different, as he held the lead after 36 holes at Pinehurst No. 2.

Yet, he did not have his best stuff with him during the third round, until he arrived at the par-5 10th. After finding the fairway once again off the tee, Åberg had 289 yards left. He pulled out his 7-wood and hit it so well that it even impressed his caddie, Joe Skovron.

He hit that shot to 9 feet from the hole, but to do so, he needed to take an aggressive line over the trees. It was a risky shot regardless of the course, but at Pinehurst, it was nearly impossible.

Åberg does phenomenal things routinely on the golf course, but this was a whole new level—Skovron’s facial expression says it all. Even the young Swede gave Skovron his own goofy reaction as the ball went exactly where he wanted it to.

Fans went wild over the moment, too, but most of their reactions were about Skovron’s priceless reaction.

His reaction was you’re gong to make me rich!

— Andy froemel (@FroemelAndy) June 15, 2024

The 24-year-old narrowly missed the eagle putt and settled for birdie, but people will talk about this second shot for a long time. Most veteran players struggle to hit that shot, and Åberg made it look easy.

Very few players can hit that kind of shot, which was impressive to watch. Skovron, a veteran caddie in his own right, has seen a lot of golf; but for him to make that face proves how incredible the moment was.

Men’s College World Series: Mitchell Daly and Kentucky walk it off against NC State men,s,college,world,series,mitchell,daly,and,kentucky,walk,it,off,against,nc,state,sbnation,com,front-page,college-baseball,college-world-series,ncaa-baseball-tournament

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

For the first time in the history of the Men’s College World Series, the opening two games ended in walk-off fashion. Vance Honeycutt’s single in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday powered UNC to a 3-2 win over Virginia, and in the nightcap, Tennessee rallied in the bottom of the ninth to overcome a three-run deficit to defeat Florida State 12-11.

If you thought that meant that Saturday’s afternoon tilt between NC State and Kentucky would not end similarly, you thought wrong.

The Wildcats and the Wolfpack could not settle things in nine innings, and the game advanced to the tenth with the score knotted at 4-4. Kentucky set NC State out in order in the top of the tenth, thanks in large part to this stunning defensive play from center fielder Ty Crittenberger:

Kentucky catcher Devin Burkes led off the bottom of the tenth with a walk, putting the potential winning run on base to start the frame. After designated hitter Nick Lopez flew out to center, Burkes tried to get into scoring position via a stolen base. But Wolfpack catcher Jacob Cozart — a potential first-round selection next month — threw a strike down to second to cut down Burkes.

But Mitchell Daly was still at the plate, even if there were two outs.

He would not make a third:

Daly turned on a hanging breaking ball, drilling it deep to left field and over the wall for a walk-off home run, the third walk-off victory in three games in Omaha. Final score: Kentucky 5, NC State 4.

Given how these games have started in Omaha, you might want to tune in tonight when Florida takes on Texas A&M.

Because you might see something special.

College World Series: Kentucky’s Nolan McCarthy gets a special message from a MLB legend after heroic slide college,world,series,kentucky,s,nolan,mccarthy,gets,a,special,message,from,a,mlb,legend,after,heroic,slide,sbnation,com,front-page,college-baseball,college-world-series,ncaa-baseball-tournament

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Kentucky’s Nolan McCarthy scored a run that will live on in the legacy of the Wildcats’ baseball program, as the outfielder scored from second base on a passed ball late in the team’s Super Regionals game against Oregon State. The run gave Kentucky a 3-2 lead in the late innings, and would hold up as the winning run.

McCarthy’s heads-up play included a head-first slide that reminded many of something you would see from the legendary Pete Rose. Watch as the Kentucky outfielder notices that the pitcher is not covering home plate, and then lunges into Wildcats’ lore:

Among those who were reminded of Rose? Doug Flynn, a Kentucky alum and a former teammate of “Charlie Hustle” who won two World Series titles as a teammate of Rose’s on the Cincinnati Reds. Flynn reached out to Rose via text, including a picture of McCarthy’s slide, and Rose returned the message, with one of his own for McCarthy:

“Tell him to keep having fun. However, the only way to have fun is to win. Everybody’s in a better mood when you win. You can’t win every game but you should want to,” Rose texted.” Field, hit, be a good baserunner. Don’t care who you are. Three-for-10 and you’re having a good day. Play some good defense and have fun.

“I made 10,000 outs so don’t worry about it.”

McCarthy and the rest of the Wildcats are in the middle of their first game in Omaha against NC State, and perhaps Charlie Hustle is watching along with the rest of us.

U.S. Open: Collin Morikawa ‘made everything,’ now contending u,s,open,collin,morikawa,made,everything,now,contending,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Collin Morikawa could not miss on Saturday, which explains why he posted one of the best rounds of the championship.

He carded a bogey-free 4-under 66, a round in which “everything worked well” for the two-time major champion. But most importantly, Morikawa climbed from 4-over to even par, setting himself up for a possible come-from-behind triumph at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday.

“I was trying to get to even,” Morikawa said after his third round at the U.S. Open.

“You can’t be aggressive out here, but I’m very happy.”

Morikawa did not miss a putt inside of 10 feet on Saturday, a big reason why he did not drop a shot all day. Instead, he made four birdies, three of which came on the back nine. His first birdie of the day came right out of the gate on the opening hole.

“Made up and downs, putted a lot from off the fringe. Just made the putts that I needed to,” Morikawa explained.

“[On Friday], I think I missed everything that I could have made. The first day was kind of a little bit of both. So it was nice to see putts go in. Just kind of build that, hopefully, for [Sunday].”

The former California Golden Bear gained nearly five strokes with the putter on Saturday, which ranks first in the field by a wide margin.

“I was just making sure I stuck with everything that we’ve been working on,” Morikawa said of his putting.

“It was nice to see the first one go in and build off that.”

His opening birdie came from 10 feet out—a distance that always provides a spark in momentum early in a round. Another putt from 11 feet at the 2nd hole, this time for par, also dropped. He wound up making two more par saves at the 4th and 6th holes to keep his scorecard clean early.

“My 4-under could have easily been the other way,” Morikawa said.

“When you play really smart golf out here, I wouldn’t say it’s rewarding, but you have to be able to put it in the right spots and take advantage when you do. I made the putts that I needed to. Made up and downs. Made everything essentially. That’s the only way you’re going to score out here.”

Now Morikawa will rest up for Sunday’s final round, when he will go off much later in the day than 10:39 a.m. That, of course, is when he began his third round, nine shots off the pace. But after his remarkable 66, Morikawa walked off the golf course five shots back of 36-hole leader Ludvig Åberg, and given the difficulty of Pinehurst No. 2, he could be closer to the lead by day’s end.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Scottie Scheffler’s putter abandons him u,s,open,scottie,scheffler,s,putter,abandons,him,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Scottie Scheffler, who started the day at 5-over after barely making the cut, could have shot a 67 or even a 66 on Saturday at the U.S. Open.

He gave himself plenty of birdie opportunities, playing much better from tee to green than the first two days of the championship. But his putter let him down again.

Scheffler lost almost two strokes on the greens at Pinehurst No. 2 on Saturday, as he ranks dead last among those that made the cut in strokes gained putting. He ultimately shot a 1-over 71 for his third round, but if he had made a few more putts, he could have climbed the leaderboard into relevancy.

Instead, he missed good look after good look, leaving a frustrated Scheffler staring into the abyss more times than not. He looked lost on the greens, something we have not seen since earlier in the year—before he switched to a mallet putter ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His first solid chance came at the par-5 5th, where Scheffler almost got home in two. But he three-putted from off the front of the green, settling for par.

Three holes later, at the challenging par-4 8th, Scheffler finally made a birdie—his first in 26 holes, which marked the longest birdie-less streak of his career. But he gave it right back at the par-3 9th, missing a 3-footer for par.

Then, from 10 to 14, Scheffler put himself in a prime position on every hole. He had an 8-footer for birdie on the par-5 10th, and missed. On the next hole, a 9-footer for birdie finally dropped, but that would be his last birdie of the day.

At 12, Scheffler’s attempt from eight feet agonizingly slid past the hole. Had that dropped, he would have had all sorts of momentum. Then, on 13, after hitting his drive just short of the green, Scheffler could not get up-and-down for birdie, missing another putt from inside of 10 feet to settle for another par.

A bogey on 15 followed as Scheffler could not save par from short of the green. He missed another nine-footer in the process.

The World No. 1 finished with three straight pars to cap another frustrating day at Pinehurst No. 2. Perhaps he can convert some of these opportunities during Sunday’s final round, but at any rate, it will prove too little too late. He will not win his first U.S. Open this time around, despite entering the tournament with astonishingly low odds.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.