LOS ANGELES — Rickie Fowler missed a short putt of 4 feet, 9 inches at 18 to drop back into a tie for the 54-hole lead with Wyndham Clark at the 123rd U.S. Open. NBC’s Paul Azinger wondered if it would be the type of putt that would haunt Fowler.
“That hurts because you have to sleep on that one all night,” Azinger said. “You hate to finish like that. When a golfer has nightmares, it’s usually about a putt of that length.”
But speaking after the round, Fowler took it all in stride.
“I hit a good putt,” he said. “Just a bummer. It would be nice for that one to go in. Really doesn’t matter, having the lead, being one back, two back. You’re going to have to play good golf tomorrow.”
Fowler has played well for three days as he tries to end a four-year winless drought on the PGA Tour and claim that elusive first major championship. Fowler, who opened with a U.S. Open record 62 and shot 68 on Friday, posted an even-par 70 in the third round and a 54-hole aggregate of 10-under 210.
His putter was solid for most of the day. He canned a 25-foot birdie at No. 7 and drained a 69-foot putt from just off the green at 13 to lead Clark by two strokes.
From 69 feet away❗❗@RickieFowler rolls in a lengthy birdie at No. 13. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/75FCIgUNjf
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023
Fowler earned a spot in the final pairing of a major for the third time in his career. He was paired with Martin Kaymer at the 2014 U.S. Open (finished T-2) and paired with Rory McIlroy at the 2014 British Open (finished T-2 too).
“This is the best I’ve felt, let alone in a normal tournament but especially a major, and I would say really ever in my career,” Fowler said.
This is the 10th time Fowler has held 54-hole lead or co-lead, but he’s converted just two of the previous nine into victory.
Fowler said he’s not scared to fail.
“I’ve dealt with that,” he said. “We’re just going to go have fun, continue to try to execute, leave it all out there, see where we stand on 18.”
And Fowler, who hasn’t won since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open, is embracing the opportunity to claim that first major that has long been expected of him but in the last few years seemed as if he might never achieve.
“Through three rounds we’re in the spot that we want to be in, and tomorrow is when the tournament starts,” Fowler said.
Clark's epic club twirl
Wyndham Clark capped off an up-and-down round with an epic club twirl to his approach to 18 at LACC.
“It was kind of in the moment,” he said. “Obviously the shot worked out. I’m not one that twirls that often, but when the shot calls for it, I do it.”
It set up a short birdie that added up to 1-under 69 and combined with Fowler’s three-putt bogey gave him a share of the 54-hole lead. It also bumped McIlroy from the final group, which was a coup for Clark.
“It’s a U.S. Open and I wanted to be in that final group,” he said.
A closing birdie to tie the #USOpen lead for @Wyndham_Clark. 💪 pic.twitter.com/kPgLzXzSUZ
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023
He led by as many as two strokes on the front nine but made back-to-back bogeys at the 11th and 12th, the first time he’s done that in the championship, but bounced back with a birdie at 13. He gave a stroke back when he hit into a penalty area at 17 but closed with the birdie at 18 to get to double-digits under par at 10 deep.
Clark, 30, won his first PGA Tour title last month at the Wells Fargo Championship and is enjoying his best success in a major. In six prior major championship starts, his best finish is a T-75 at the 2021 PGA Championship. This time, he holds a share of the 54-hole lead.
I'll have what he's having: Fowler and Clark find success with Jailbird putters
The Odyssey Jailbird putter got a ton of TV time on Saturday and expect the same on Sunday as both of the co-leaders use the same putter.
Rickie Fowler switched to the putter at the start of the year after picking up his caddie’s Jailbird putter and making everything in sight with it. He asked Odyssey’s Joe Toulon to have a similar one made for him and he’s re-found his touch on the green.
For Clark, it all started in March shortly before the Arnold Palmer Invitational when the two former Oklahoma State Cowboys (Clark later transferred to Oregon) were playing at Medalist Golf Club in Florida.
“I hadn’t been putting good,” Clark explained, “and I played with Rickie, and he just made every single putt. Afterwards we were practicing a little bit getting ready for (API) and I hit a couple and I was like, oh, gosh, this is really nice.
“So I texted the Odyssey guy, and I said, hey, can you make me Rickie’s putter? And he’s like, well what specs? I said, the exact same. So literally had the exact same putter.”
Earlier this week, Fowler cut an 1/8-inch off the shaft of his model and inserted a fresh grip to it.
“I joked with Rickie today, he changed the grip. He changed the grip and cut it an inch, so i was like, all right, I got to change the grip and cut it an inch,” Clark said.
He also noted that they had a running bet with Toulon over who would be the first one to win with the putter, which Clark achieved at the Wells Fargo Championship. The Jailbird could be in for an even bigger win on Sunday.
McIlroy’s ‘stress-free’ day and what's at stake Sunday
With a third-round 69 at LACC on Saturday, Rory McIlroy is well-positioned to end his nine-year winless drought in the majors Sunday. McIlroy is alone in third place, one stroke off the lead shared by Fowler and Clark.
McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open champion and four-time major champion, has posted three rounds in the 60s for the fifth time; he went on to win three of the previous four times.
“I’m going out there to try to execute a game plan, and I feel like over the last three days I’ve executed that game plan really, really well, and I just need to do that for one more day,” he said.
McIlroy continues to lead the field in greens in regulation and play solidly from tee to green.
“I felt somewhat stress free out there, if you can ever call golf at a U.S. Open stress free,” he said of the day that LACC showed its teeth.
Strong stuff from @McIlroyRory 👏
He moves within two of the lead after a birdie on No. 14. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/oDLKTV7cN4
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023
McIlroy is making his 33rd start in a major championship since the last of his four major wins at the 2014 PGA Championship. With a win, he would tie the likes of Seve Ballesteros and Brooks Koepka, who won his fifth in May, and be the 21st player to have won five or more majors.
“I’m excited. It’s another chance to try to do something very special in my career,” McIlroy said. “This is what we practice for, this is what we put the long hours in for, not necessarily to win these championships but to see what you’re made of and see if you can do it and see if you have whatever it is that you need inside yourself to get the job done. I hope I’ll have that opportunity tomorrow and I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Scottie Scheffler: 'Maybe I can steal one shot coming in'
🦅 SCOTTIE EAGLE 🦅
Scottie Scheffler holes out from the fairway on No. 17! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/MIgpxtWxMU
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023
Look out for the World No. 1, who fired 2-under 68 on Saturday and improved to 7-under 203 after 54 holes, three strokes back and alone in fourth place.
Scheffler made his fourth bogey of the day at 16 to go 1 over on the day. Standing on the 17th tee, he looked at a scoreboard and realized he was seven strokes back of the lead.
“I’m thinking maybe I can steal one shot coming in,” he recalled.
He did better than that. Scheffler finished with a flurry, holing out from 196 yards at 17 for eagle and sinking a 22-foot putt at 18 for birdie.
“All of a sudden instead of seven shots back I’m only four,” said Scheffler, who by end of day trailed by only three.
Scheffler swapped out his putter before the championship and Friday he went to the range after his round to try to straighten out his driver. He caved in the head and switched to his backup driver.
“I kept hitting it left, and I grabbed my backup and I just hitting it really straight.”
