So in the end, Gary Woodland won his first major by three shots from the two-time defending champ Brooks Koepka. Congratulations to Gary; commiserations to Brooks, Justin, Xander, Justin et al. Next year the US Open pitches up at Winged Foot; next month our attention switches to the Open at Portrush. Hope to see you here for those. Thanks for reading. Nighty night!
-13: Woodland
-10: Koepka
-7: Schauffele, Rahm, Reavie, Rose
-6: Scott, Oosthuizen
-5: Stenson, Hadley, McIlroy
-4: Hovland (a), Fitzpatrick, Wallace, Willett
-3: Simpson, Molinari, An, McDowell, Kuchar
-2: Casey, Prugh, Woods, Day, Hatton, Matsuyama, Cantlay
-1: Straka, Lowry, Furyk, Lashley
E: Kinhult, Reed, Horschel
And now a word with the vanquished champion, the two-time winner Brooks Koepka. “I’m very proud of my defence, I played good the whole week. It was some of the best ball-striking I’ve had in a tournament. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the putts, but Gary did, and hats off to him! That was a cool way to see him finish it off, and go out in style like that. I thought we had a ball game early on! We closed the gap, got it to within three going into the last nine, but I made bogey and missed a few putts. But I’m pleased with the way I played, and I don’t regret anything. I gave my heart out, and it just wasn’t good enough this week. The Open will be awesome, and special for Rick [his caddie] to play in his home town. It’ll be a fun week and I’m really looking forward to it.”
More from Woodland. “I don’t even know what to say! I probably feel more nervous now than I was all day today. I really felt good all week. We’ve been preparing for this, we’ve worked hard. I’ve hit the golf ball pretty good for a long time, but the short game’s just taken pressure off the ball striking, and the putting is taking pressure off everything. When I can do that, it adds up to a pretty good week. I was trying to enjoy the moment. It’s obviously uncomfortable to be in the lead at a major, but I am trying to enjoy being uncomfortable! I tried to enjoy the pressure, and really thrived on it. Rosey’s a good buddy, so playing with him helped me. And Koepka, what he’s done lately is unbelievable. He got off to a hot start, and I was just trying to keep that cushion.”
The new champion on those three signature shots. “The drive on 14 was huge. I slipped a little bit, realised my footwork was off, so I refocused. I hit a great second shot there. We played to win, I could have laid up. But we decided to hit 3-wood, and my caddie gave me a lot of confidence there. That birdie kind of separated me a bit. I had the chip on 17 earlier this week, it’s the second time I’ve got it up and down. But I was just trying to get it over the hump, and take four if I had to. I was just trying to eliminate the big number. It came off perfectly. I didn’t allow myself to dream, I never got ahead. Once the putt on 18 went in, I let it come out of me, it’s special to win here at Pebble Beach.”
Then the Jack Nicklaus Gold Medal and the US Open Trophy goes to Gary Woodland! The medal round his neck, he raises the famous old cup aloft; the gallery does its thing. Time for an interview, and how does Gary Woodland, 2019 US Open champion sound? “It sounds really really good, I like that!” A huge smile of childlike joy plays across his face. It’s a lovely moment.
First up, the silver medal for low amateur is awarded to Viktor Hovland of Norway. He’s going to turn professional tomorrow. Not a bad way to bow out from the amateur scene. And having broken the low-scoring record for an amateur at a US Open to boot: 280. He finished the week at -4. We’ll be hearing from him again soon, I’ll be bound.
Before today, Woodland had previously held the 54-hole lead at seven tournaments ... and not won a single one of them. Not a bad time to break your duck. It makes his steely demeanour this afternoon, and steadfast refusal to buckle at any point, even more impressive than it already is. What a performance! And he’s about to pick up the trophy he so richly deserves.
That was a wonderful round of golf by Gary Woodland. He attacked when he could, played it safe when he needed to, and always selected - then executed - the smart play. It’s difficult to decide what the signature shot of the round of Woodland’s life was. The 3-wood at 15 to set up birdie that put two-time defending champion behind the eight-ball? The chip on the 17th green, so delicately played when nerves must have been jangling, to set up a kick-in par when bogey was a distinct possibility? Or that putt across 18, allowing him to finally celebrate a deserved victory? How about all three? He’s a very worthy winner of the 119th United States Open Championship!
Woodland raises both arms in triumph after his successful putt and allows himself a punch of the air. But he quietens his celebrations down quickly enough, because his partner Justin Rose has to finish up. Two putts, and the 2013 winner ends the day at -7 after a very disappointing final round of 74. But despite his own personal misery, Rose smiles broadly, genuinely, to congratulate the new champion! He hugs Woodland, who finally allows himself to celebrate. Like Graeme McDowell on this green nine years ago, he looks in something of a daze ... but he’s soon smiling broadly as he hugs his mom, then his dad ... the perfect gift on Fathers’ Day!
Updated
Gary Woodland wins the 2019 US Open!
As Woodland makes his way to the green, the gallery at 18 rises as one to acclaim America’s new champion-elect. The job isn’t quite complete yet, of course, so while Woodland politely acknowledges them with a wave of his cap, he doesn’t crack a smile yet. This is the steely attitude that got him into this position in the first place. He’s been immense today. Woodland three putts to win. But he only needs one! He trundles it in for birdie, and Gary Woodland is the 2019 US Open champion!
-13: Woodland
-10: Koepka
Updated
Woodland sends his third into the middle of the green from 146 yards. He’s got three putts from 30 feet for the US Open!
Woodland sends a crisp iron down the right of the fairway. He’s taking no chances with the Pacific Ocean out on the left. He carefully draws his second around the big tree and into the centre of the fairway. No point at trying to swashbuckle your way down the last with a two-shot lead; look at what happened to poor old Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie all those years ago when he tried to win the 1999 Open “like d’Artagnan”.
Back on 18, Koepka’s putt dies to the right. Also expiring, surely, his dreams of becoming only the second player to win three consecutive US Opens, since Willie Anderson completed in 1905 what was almost certainly not contemporaneously referred to as a three-peat. He signs for a 68, and will most likely become the first player in US Open history to post four rounds in the sixties - 69, 69, 68, 68 - yet not win the title. Woodland tidies up at 17 for his amazing par, and he’s just got to take things easy up the last. The US Open Trophy is within touching distance for the 35-year-old from Kansas!
-12: Woodland (17)
-10: Koepka (F)
Koepka’s chip from the second cut at 18 comes out soft. For a second it looks like it’s going to stop well short of the flag, but there’s just enough energy in the ball for it to trickle to ten feet. But he really needs to make that. Although it might not make much difference, because Woodland chips crisply off the green, over the mound in his way, and lands the ball on the downslope. A little check, and it rolls out to three feet. That is quite delicious, and it’s surely going to be the shot that won this US Open!
Koepka whips a long iron into the 18th from 230 yards. It lands on the portion of the green near the flag, back left, but takes a hot bounce and goes through the back. He’s just in the second cut. He’ll have a chip for eagle, but birdie is the realistic best outcome. Back on 17, Woodland draws his 5-iron ... and hits a very nervy one into the green, short and right. “Into the green” sounds OK, but the green is hourglass-shaped, and there’s no direct route from where his ball has ended up to the pin. A chance he’ll have to chip it from there. This isn’t over quite yet.
Woodland paces around his 30-foot birdie putt. There’s a gentle right-to-left break on it. And he reads the line perfectly. If only he’d given it one extra joule of energy, it’d have been in. But par will more than suffice in these circumstances. Up on 18, par for Oosthuizen, who like Rose let his challenge slip after the turn. He’s -6. Then McIlroy, who never got going at all, makes birdie for a 72. He ends the week at -5 ... and it’s yet another top-ten finish in a major. But the five-year wait for number five goes on.
Woodland simply refuses to put a foot wrong. His tee shot at 16 has found a divot, but that’s happened twice already this week, and on both occasions he’s made birdie. This time he’s not seeking out the flag, merely the middle of the green, the safe play. And the middle of the green’s what he finds. It’s probably down to Koepka to force a mistake by making at least a birdie down 18, an eagle if at all possible. He starts this quest by lashing a 3-wood down the track.
Koepka likes to play fast, but he takes his time over this 25-footer on 17. He really needs it. But he doesn’t hit it, an uncharacteristically weak putt from the two-time champion. He’ll stay two behind Woodland, who sends another stinger down the centre of the fairway, at 16. Meanwhile a birdie at the last for the 2010 champion here at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell. He signs for a 72, a slightly disappointing final round. But it’s been a good week, and he ends it -3 overall.
Only Koepka has a chance to deny Woodland now. He launches a 4-iron into the middle of 17, and will have a 25-foot look at birdie. Back on 15, Woodland’s birdie putt from 20 feet turns to the right at the last. Just a par. Just! It’s all he needs right now. Bogey for Rose, his fourth since the 8th hole. He’s dropping right back into the pack.
-12: Woodland (15)
-10: Koepka (16)
-7: Schauffele (F), Rahm (F), Reavie (16), Rose (15)
Woodland finds the heart of the 15th green. He’s hit 12 out of 15 greens in regulation. This is how you win US Opens. Rose finds more sand with his second, and can’t splash out close. His game has collapsed since the turn. A 68 meanwhile for Jon Rahm, and he ends his week at -7, in a tie for fourth.
Woodland continues to saunter around Pebble Beach like he’s out for his Sunday constitutional. He’s a study in nonchalance. Under the circumstances - he’s chasing his first major, for goodness sake - this is quite incredible to watch. He made birdies when the chances were there, early in the round; since hitting the tougher stretch, he’s scrambled with cool determination. Unless the jitters start to hit him, or if he starts dreaming about wrapping his arms around the US Open Trophy too early, all signs today suggest he’ll close this out. He sends a stinger down the centre of 16, while Rose pulls his drive into sand on the left. Koepka meanwhile reaches 16 in two, but faced with a big right-to-left curler, can’t convert for birdie from 30 feet.
Woodland doesn’t really commit to his chip. He nervously flops his ball out to six feet, but that’s not a gimme. He marks. Rose paces around his 18-footer. He really needs this one. But his putter’s been so cold. There’s a big left-to-right swing on it. And he misses it on the low side. No birdie for Rose, whose dreams are slipping away. Especially as Woodland knocks in his birdie effort! Ice-cool.
-12: Woodland (14)
-10: Koepka (15)
-8: Rose (14)
Woodland draws his 3-wood back ... and fizzes an arrow straight at the flag! It makes it over the bunker guarding the front of the green - just - and settles in the long grass to the left. He’s 15 feet from the flag! A chance to bump in for eagle, but a really fine opportunity for birdie. Could that be the decisive blow in this year’s US Open? Rose is on the green in three, with a 20-footer left for his birdie. Up on 15, Koepka does what he has to do and secures his par.
-11: Woodland (13)
-10: Koepka (15)
-8: Rose (13)
-7: Schauffele (F), Reavie (15)
Trouble for Koepka down 15, as he sails an iron from the tee into deep filth along the right. He might have no route in, with a tree in the road. Ah but! He does have a path to the green. From 150 yards, he lashes into the heart of the green and just about holds the putting surface, though he’s a way from the flag. A left-to-right 40-footer is what’s left. The best he could do. But he races the putt eight feet past. This is a huge putt coming up, because Woodland is in prime position in the centre of the par-five 14th fairway.
Par for Xander Schauffele at the last, and he’s signing for a fine round of 67. It could have been so much better as well. But that’s yet another high finish in a major for the 25-year-old from San Diego. He’s got the game to reel in a big one soon enough. He’s the current clubhouse leader at -7. His partner Adam Scott ends with a 68; now that one really could have been a whole lot better. Flaying that one out of bounds on 13 scuppered his hopes. He finishes at -6, having given up four shots in the last six holes.
Koepka gets up and down from the curly kale to the left of 14. Only a par, but that didn’t look on the cards when his approach was sailing off towards danger. Back on 13, Woodland is so close to draining his 30-footer from the fringe, a lovely touch that guarantees his par. But Rose can’t get up and down from the sand, and it’s beginning to look like this won’t be his year. His putter’s cold today. That’s three shots gone in the last six holes. All the one-putts of the first three days are very much a thing of the past.
-11: Woodland (13)
-10: Koepka (14)
-8: Rose (13)
Koepka takes his medicine and chips back out onto the fairway at 14. Another reason to love Brooks: he plays quickly, flatly refusing to make a drama out of every decision. But then from the centre of the fairway, he tugs his wedge left, onto the bank to the left of the green. His ball disappears in a world of rough. Back on 13, Rose slam-dunks his second from the fairway into greenside sand, while Woodland lashes from the rough and onto the green. His ball squeaks through and onto the fringe at the back, but from where he was, that was delightful. A bit of luck with his lie after the wild drive, but he’s grabbed it with both hands and is now in prime position to salvage this. He’s been absolutely sensational today, a scrapping masterclass since Pebble Beach has started to bear its teeth.
This is a proper US Open now. Pars at a premium. Woodland flays a dreadful drive at 13 towards Scott Land. Gary’s ball doesn’t fly out of bounds like Adam’s did earlier, but that’s a wild one, miles wide of the fairway. He might have got lucky with the lie, because he’s so far wide the ground has been trodden down. Still. Rose finds the fairway. But up on 14, Koepka’s drive finds thick grass down the right. A whole lot of struggling going on at the minute.
Woodland can’t escape this time. His par putt is always staying on the high side, and he makes bogey for only the fourth time this week. Rose can’t get up and down from sand, clipping out to four feet but letting his dribbly downhill putt slip away to the right. He doesn’t look on his game today. Those were the par savers he was making every other hole yesterday. Meanwhile Schauffele can’t make his par at 17; his chip was gorgeous, but his putter let him down from four feet. And then there were three.
-11: Woodland (12)
-10: Koepka (13)
-9: Rose (12)
-7: Schauffele (17), Reavie (13)
-6: Scott (17), Rahm (15), McIlroy (14)
How quickly the mood music can change. Koepka is able to go for the green from the sand at 13, and takes his opportunity with both hands, whipping an iron from 160 yards to 15 feet. He can’t guide the big left-to-right breaker into the cup for birdie, but par will do. Woodland meanwhile sends an awful tee shot into the par-three 12th, in tousled hell to the right and behind a bunker. He does extremely well to whip out onto the green, but he’s left with a 20-footer to save his par.
Viktor Hovland wins the low amateur medal! His record-breaking total of 280 does the job, as his nearest challenger Brandon Wu shoots 74 today, ending five shots back at +1. What a way for Hovland to end his amateur career; he’ll be turning professional tomorrow. Hovland joins a select group with his victory today: past US Open low amateurs in recent years include Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm.
Rose’s chip is no good. Ten feet short. Woodland’s birdie effort is always dying off to the right, but it’s a kick-in par. Rose then shows his grit once more by making the par saver. Another modest air punch; he’s hanging on in there. But this is still looking good for Woodland, who is simply refusing to buckle, despite having had several opportunities today to do so. Koepka can’t make his par putt on 12, then finds sand with his drive down 13, while Schauffele finds the thick rough to the side of 17, and the leader board looks like this:
-12: Woodland (11)
-10: Koepka (12), Rose (11)
-8: Schauffele (16)
A three-foot par putt for Adam Scott on 16. He yips it to the left and sends it ten feet past! That is astonishing. He does extremely well to gather himself and make the bogey putt coming back. But he’s -7 now, and with holes running out, that might be his faint chances gone. Back on 11, Rose bashes towards the front of the green. His ball squeaks into the thick stuff, but from where he was, that’s not too bad. However he’ll still have work getting up and down for par. Then Woodland finds the heart of the green with a stunning power lob from the rough. He’ll have a look at birdie from 25 feet!
“No chance.” That’s Justin Rose’s capsule review of his 3-wood from the 11th tee. It’s in the middle of acres of filth down the right. Gary Woodland, having witnessed that, inexplicably unsheathes the driver and follows him in. Both will have their work cut out finding the green, unless they’re very fortunate with their lies. Meanwhile up on 12, Brooks Koepka finds the big bunker at the front. He nearly hits the flagstick with his splash out, but the ball doesn’t connect and flies 20 feet past. Bogey ahoy, unless he can do something special with the flat stick.
A Mickelsonesque rush of blood on the 12th from Louis Oosthuizen. He slices wildly towards a camera tower on the right. His ball lands on the roof, and nearly careers out of bounds. He ends up behind the tower, so receives a free drop, but it’s still a part of the course he really shouldn’t be visiting, and he can’t get up and down. Bogey, and at -6 the 2010 Open champion’s race is run.
Rose is OK, in so much as his ball hasn’t toppled over the edge. But he is in a lot of tangled nonsense. He can only punch it up onto the green to ten feet. But he nails the par saver, and allows himself a little determined air punch by way of celebration. Woodland meanwhile has a downhill 45-footer for birdie. A nice lag so he can make his par is more realistic, and that’s exactly what he does. He’s playing some very careful, considered stuff out there. For a man who’s never won a major, he’s holding his nerve exceptionally well. So far.
Uh-oh. Trouble for Rose, who sends his second at 10 towards the ocean on the right. Perhaps spooked, Woodland plays his second into the left-hand portion of the green, well away from the flag, but also well away from danger. Rose will be hoping his ball has snagged on the rough just before the cliff edge. All the while, up on 11, Koepka curls in his left-to-right birdie putt, and closes to within one!
-12: Woodland (9)
-11: Koepka (11)
-10: Rose (9)
The leaders reach the turn ... so please may we welcome you to the Business End of the 2019 US Open!
Rose and Woodland bash their drives down the middle of 10, while Koepka sends a wedge over the flag at 11 and spins it back to ten feet. The fight is on!
Koepka is one turn away from rolling in his 25-foot birdie putt on 10. He waves his putter around in great frustration. But a chink of light appears from the direction of the 9th green, where Woodland fails to hit his par putt, prodding nervously at the ball, and that’s his first bogey of the day, and only his third of the entire week. His sensational third shot didn’t deserve that; his first, second and fourth however did. Par for Rose.
-12: Woodland (9)
-10: Koepka (10), Rose (9)
-8: Scott (14), Schauffele (14)
Woodland is hitting three into the green from 168 yards. He’s in trouble. But he arrows a quite outstanding iron into the heart of the green, and he’ll have a ten-foot uphill putt to save his par. Holding the green at all wasn’t certain from there, so what control! Meanwhile birdies for Schauffele and Scott (both -8) at 14.
Woodland’s chasing his maiden major, though, and the nerves are bound to jangle at some point. He’s been cool as a stick of cucumber in a delicious tumbler of gin, but now he’s given himself quite a poser on 9, sending his tee shot into the gallery down the left. Instead of nestling on trodden-down grass, the ball takes a break back inside off someone’s bag/head and into the thick stuff. And he can only hack back out on the fairway. He’s not the only one in bother, though, as Oosthuizen’s travails down 10 lead to double bogey. He drops to -7. After the birdie-blitz antics of the first seven holes, this is turning into a classic US Open grind now. Which is probably why Koepka - on the 10th in regulation, after two determined shots - fancies his chances.
Majors don’t begin until the back nine on Sunday. So they say. Well, here we are, pretty much. It’s beginning to look like Gary Woodland’s US Open to lose, though Brooks Koepka is on record saying he’d have been quite happy to be within three of the lead when teeing it up on 10. So have a little look-see at this!
-13: Woodland (8)
-10: Koepka (9), Rose (8)
-9: Oosthuizen (9)
-7: Scott (13), Schauffele (13), Stenson (12), Rahm (12), Reavie (9)
-5: Wallace (13), Willett (11), Hadley (10), McIlroy (9)
Koepka does exceptionally well to get up and down from the fringe at 9 to salvage his par. He turns in 32. Woodland takes two careful putts for par at 8. Rose can’t get up and down from the rough; bogey. And on 10, Oosthuizen finds sand from the tee, then sends his second into awful rubbish down the left. Par is beginning to look like a pipe dream. Speaking of which, Scott had to reload on the 13th tee, and ended up with a double-bogey six. He crashes back to -7, so much of his good work undone in one foul swish of the big stick. This is beginning to look very promising for Gary Woodland as he chases his first major title. He’s not made a misstep yet.
Tiger may not have repeated his Pebble Beach cakewalk of 2000, but he’s in a pretty good mood after coming home in 32. Happy enough to join Phil Mickelson in giving the USGA some credit for the way the links has been playing. “The week’s been fantastic. It’s nice to have the golf course set up fair again. It could be had, or you could get hammered. So well done!”
Oosthuizen reaches the turn in 33. He’s been quiet since those birdies at 1 and 4, but pars are valuable currency at a US Open. He remains at -9. Woodland finds the tricky 8th in regulation, but it’s a poor second by Rose, who sends his 7-iron into thick stuff front right. And back up on 9, Koepka shoves another approach to the right, toying dangerously with the rocks cascading down to the Pacific Ocean. But his ball holds the fringe on the right. He’s become a little loose since missing that short birdie putt on 7. Woodland by comparison is the calmest man in California right now.
There’s nobody quite like Tiger Woods. He was a shell of himself through the first six holes, four over for his round. Since then, he’s birdied 7, 8, 13, 14, 16 and now 18, and that’s a 69, his best of the week! It’s also his lowest final round at a US Open for ten years. He finishes his week at -2, the love pouring down from the stands. Even when he’s nowhere near winning, the great man can still find ways to electrify the galleries. Can’t wait to see him tackle Portrush!
Adam Scott - six under for his round and with the wind in his sail - has just sent a huge slice out of bounds down the right of 13. Oh Adam. Back on 7, Woodland makes his par save, and that’s some escape after a very nervy tee shot. Par for Rose too, albeit a much less dramatic one.
-13: Woodland (7)
-11: Rose (7)
-10: Koepka (8)
-9: Scott (12), Oosthuizen (8)
Woodland sends a hot one through the short par-three 7th and into a pot bunker at the back. He splashes out well, given he’s right up against the face, but doesn’t want to leave himself a downhill putt so he gives it plenty of welly. Over the flag it goes, and he’s left with a ten-footer coming back for his par. Koepka meanwhile cleans up at 8 and that’s his first bogey in his last 36 holes. Given the nonsense he made of that hole, that’s a pretty good result for the champion.
Woodland’s lob wedge up to the 6th green is no good. Way too strong. He can’t make the birdie putt coming back. Just the par. Rose’s eagle putt shaves the hole; birdie. He closes the gap between the pair to two, joining Koepka at -11. Though the champ won’t be staying there long, because his second into 8 found the hazard on the right. He was able to chop out, but only into a bunker. However, he splashes out to four feet, and should limit the damage.
The 21-year-old amateur Viktor Hovland birdies the last, and that’s a 67. He’s just posted the lowest 72-hole score by an amateur in US Open history - 280 - yet at -4 still isn’t sure of the low-amateur medal. That’s because Brandon Wu is currently -2 through 13. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for that. Meanwhile birdie for Scott at 12, the result of a tee shot bundled into the front of the green and up to four feet. He’s -9.
Koepka passes up a huge opportunity to halve Woodland’s lead. He screws his wedge at the short, iconic par-three 7th to six feet ... but pushes his birdie putt wide right. He gets the one coming back, but that’s a rare mistake with the flat stick from the reigning champ. Meanwhile back on 6, Rose finds the green in two big booms, and will take a look at eagle from 25 feet. But Woodland looks in total control of his game and his emotions right now. Two easy strokes up the hole, and while he’s not reached the green yet, he’s not far away and an up-and-down for birdie looks very much on the cards the way he’s been playing today. The way he’s been playing all week.
Bogey for Stenson at 9. He’s still out in 33, but the 2016 Open champion can’t afford that. He slips to -6, now seven off Woodland’s lead.
-13: Woodland (5)
-11: Koepka (6)
-10: Rose (5)
-9: Oosthuizen (7)
-8: Scott (11), Schauffele (10)
-7: Rahm (9)
-6: Stenson (9), McIlroy (7), Reavie (6)
Koepka takes a little too much sand and is fortunate that his ball makes it over the face of the bunker and the tufts of rough, and onto the green. But it’s there, and he’ll have a putt from 20 feet for birdie. But he doesn’t give it enough. Par, and a good birdie chance goes by. Par for Oosthuizen at 7, though his 30-foot birdie effort is a cigarette paper away from dropping. And pars for Rose and Woodland at 5, neither man’s mid-range birdie putts ever looking like dropping.
Woodland sends his tee shot into the middle of the par-three 5th. He’s where Koepka was for his birdie. Rose follows him, a couple of feet outside. So he’ll be giving Woodland a teach. Up on 6, Koepka’s second slam-dunks into the sand to the right of the green, but refuses to plug, a good break for the champ. And on the tiny 7th, McIlroy nearly spins his wedge back into the cup for a hole-in-one, but he’ll have to settle for birdie. He’s back where he started, at -6, and will be cursing the 2nd hole right now.
No ... though he’s so unfortunate. It’s a gentle right-to-left slider, and Rose looks to have got the pace and line exactly right. But it drifts a couple of millimetres left on the last turn, and horseshoes out at slow speed. Par. And it’s par for Oosthuizen at the par-five 6th, the opportunity lost when his approach disappeared into greenside rough. Unable to control the chip out, he couldn’t get close. Meanwhile birdies at 10 for Scott and Schauffele, and this really is a quite sensational leader board!
-13: Woodland (4)
-11: Koepka (5)
-10: Rose (4)
-9: Oosthuizen (6)
-8: Scott (10), Schauffele (10)
-7: Stenson (8), Rahm (8)
Woodland takes iron off the tee at the short par-four 4th, then sends his second to the back of the green. Nowhere near the pin, but there’s no need to force it right now. Especially as Rose, in going for the green with driver, finds tangled rough to the left, a bunker in between his ball and the flag. Rose is forced to lash through the grass and lob high ... and he does so very neatly. His ball drops softly below the hole, and he’ll have a straight uphill 20-footer for birdie. Woodland has a 35-foot downhill dribbler to deal with. And he judges it almost perfectly, the ball stopping just to the right of the hole. A no-bother par. Can Rose make his birdie and close the gap?
Rose is left with a downhill 20-footer. It stops one dimple short of the hole. So frustrating for the 2013 champion, especially as Woodland converts his birdie chance from five feet. Birdie for Matt Wallace at 8, the reward for a fine 30-foot right-to-left curler. That’s his third birdie in six holes, and he’s -6. Up on 9, Scott and Schauffele pepper the flag with outrageous second shots, and the simple birdie putts take them both to -7. And Koepka races in his birdie putt on 5! This might not be typical US Open scoring ... but it is a whole lot of fun.
-13: Woodland (3)
-11: Koepka (5)
-10: Rose (3)
-9: Oosthuizen (5)
-7: Scott (9), Schauffele (9), Stenson (7), Rahm (7)
A good up and down from a tight spot to the side of 5 by Oosthuizen. He stays at -9. Coming behind is Koepka, who whips a 7-iron into the centre of the green. He’ll have an uphill birdie putt from 20 feet. Meanwhile on 3, the leader Woodland sticks another approach close. He’ll have a look at another birdie that’d give him a three-shot advantage. Rose is on in two, but a good distance outside his rival.
Koepka’s ball control is something to behold. Another short wedge, this time at 4, lands 20 feet past the flag and spins back to five feet. He’s got the thing on a length of string. In goes the putt, and the two-time champ means business here. This is golf right out of the top drawer. Meanwhile Henrik Stenson clips his tee shot at 7 to ten feet and rolls in the putt. That’s three birdies in four holes, and he’s -7, not out of this yet. Ditto Jon Rahm, who was half the distance inside his playing partner.
-12: Woodland (2)
-10: Koepka (4), Rose (2)
-9: Oosthuizen (4)
-7: Stenson (7), Rahm (7)
The 2nd hole is one of the hardest on the course. Gary Woodland birdies it barely breaking sweat: driver, 7-iron at flag, putt. Meanwhile his partner Justin Rose, having just drawn level, sends his approach into greenside sand and he can’t get up and down. Suddenly there’s a two-shot lead at the top ... though the pack are closing in, with Louis Oosthuizen making birdie at 4. Right now, Xander Schauffele dropping a shot at 8, it looks like a four-horse race. Many furlongs to travel, mind you.
-12: Woodland (2)
-10: Rose (2)
-9: Oosthuizen (4), Koepka (3)
-6: Scott (8), Schauffele (8), Stenson (6), Rahm (6)
-5: Wallace (7), McIlroy (4)
Brooks Koepka is a sensation. Having wriggled his way out of bother on 2, he immediately gets back down to business at 3, wedging to kick-in distance from 80 yards. He’ll move to -9, just a couple off the lead. Meanwhile on 4, McIlroy nearly chips in from the edge of the green for eagle. His ball hits the flagstick and somehow stays out. That could have perhaps reignited his bid. Birdie, but he’s still just -5 and needs everything he can get.
While Koepka was making his daft par - and that little girl’s day - his playing partner Chez Reavie was making bogey. He slips to -6. Chesson Hadley and Matt Kuchar are also going the wrong way, having both earlier bogeyed that same hole. They’re -4. Matt Wallace has responded to bogey at 2 with birdies at 3 and 6; he’s -5. And the 2012 champion Webb Simpson is in with a 66, equalling Marcus Kinhult’s best-of-day. He ends the week at -3.
One of the moments of the week at 2. Koepka sends a massive slice towards loads of bother down the right. He hits a cart path, and his ball nearly bounces out of bounds. It stays in, but snags in thick rubbish. Even with his power, he can only gouge out to the other side of the hole, where there’s more cabbage. He’s in a lot of trouble. But then he plays one of the shots of the week, stabbing his ball from the lush rough into the green, and rolling up to three feet. He tidies up for one of the most adventurous pars you’ll ever see. There’s a reason he keeps winning these things. And as he wanders off, he picks out a little girl in the gallery and gives her the ball he’s just crafted that escape with. Koepka gets a lot of stick for his supposed indifference to the punters, but that was a sweet and spontaneous moment of warmth, and the little girl wears a face of shocked wonder and awe. As far as she’s concerned, Brooks Koepka has just hung the moon. Good old Brooks. Oh, he stays at -8, by the way.
A solid start for the leader Gary Woodland, who reaches the 1st green in regulation and takes two careful putts for par. But he’s got to share that lead now, because Justin Rose arrows his second to six feet, and strokes in the birdie putt. What a start for the 2013 champ! Meanwhile birdie for Rahm at 5. He’s -6. There’s going to be a lot of movement on the leader board in the next hour or so.
-11: Rose (1), Woodland (1)
-8: Oosthuizen (2), Koepka (1)
-7: Schauffele (7), Reavie (1)
-6: Scott (6), Rahm (5)
Thanks Will. So I’m back just in time to see McIlroy’s race run. A miserable double on 2 and he drops to -4. Too much left to do. He’ll always have Congressional, and Portrush is up next. His partner Oosthuizen is well in it, though, after tickling in a beautiful snaky putt from the back of 1. Adam Scott has eagled 6. Brooks Koepka opens up with as fuss-free a birdie as you’ll ever witness. And Xander Schauffele has carded three birdies in a row, at 4, 5 and 6, to whizz up the standings. Let’s take stock.
-11: Woodland
-10: Rose
-8: Oosthuizen (2), Koepka (1)
-7: Schauffele (6), Reavie (1)
-6: Scott (6), Rahm (5)
-5: Stenson (5), Willett (4)
There’s a brief “Wooooo!” form someone in the crowd after McIlroy tees off. He just about misses the bunker but it’s in some long grass just above the sand. He tries to get it out but sends the ball roughly a yard straight into the bunker. This is less than ideal. His third shot is lifted from one bunker to another when he sends it right of the green. Oosthuizen avoids all the issues and is on the green in two but gets the job done in four. McIlroy on the other hands is in a bit of a pickle and putts for a Bogey which has too much on it.
Great news for absolutely everyone as Scott back mercifully.
McIlroy is up for his first shot of the day, whacking one off the tee and straight down the fair to cheers of ‘The King of the North’. Louis Oosthuizen follows suit as both men start well. McIlroy holds his nerve with a par putt from 7ft.
Casey polishes off 16 in his cap which looks like he has spent the morning painting someone’s living room.
The US military are using their money wisely by flying a helicopter around the course with a flag hanging out the back. Not a clue why.
Updated
Speaking of Woods, he’s missed a Birdie putt at 10. Hovland at 11 relies on gravity to take his ball into the hole but it just doesn’t have enough gas. Reed is not snapping clubs today, instead he chips a lovely shot but it just does not have the accuracy.
I have to say, this is a lovely photo.
Good evening! I am here to tell you about the people who almost certainly will not win this, so many to choose from.
You don’t get runs like Hideki Matsuyama’s sequence of 2-8-2 very often. It doesn’t sound like he’s dropped just the one shot over those three holes, but that’s what he’s done. Birdies at the par-three 5th and 7th, sandwiching a triple-bogey eight at the par-five 6th. He’s level par for the tournament now. Better news for Patrick Cantlay, though. Many people’s dark horse for this tournament was always behind the eight-ball after his opening day 73, but he slowly worked his way back up the ladder and has started well today. Birdies at 3, 4 and now 7, and he’s -4.
And with that, I’m off for a quick break before things start getting truly hectic. Will Unwin will take you in his loving arms and see you right. See you again soon!
Jon Rahm starts with a birdie after tickling in a downhill 25-footer. He joins the group at -5, one that also now includes his partner today Henrik Stenson, who also birdies 1 after sticking his second to eight feet. A lot of players making hay over the opening seven holes. One exception: Dustin Johnson, who is busy staging an ersatz recreation of his total collapse here on Sunday in 2010. Bogey at 2, then double at 4, a short bogey putt yipped at the latter. No 2010-style triple yet, but there’s time. He’s crashed down to +1 already, one of the pre-tournament favourites totally kaput.
-11: Woodland
-10: Rose
-7: Koepka, Reavie, Oosthuizen
-6: McIlroy
-5: Molinari (5), Stenson (1), Rahm (1), Kuchar, Hadley
-4: Hovland -a- (9), Fitzpatrick (7), Scott (3), Schauffele (3), Wallace (1), Willett, McDowell
Matt Fitzpatrick is making a move up the leader board with quiet stealth. Birdies at 4, 6 and 7 have elevated him to -4. The 24-year-old from Sheffield finished in a tie for 12th last year at Shinnecock Hills, and he’s currently on his way to another high finish. “It is soon midnight here in Finland and the sun is shining bright,” reports Raili Itavuori. “Please keep up your reporting and I will try to stay awake for as long as possible.” People, let the teachings of Raili be a lesson to you all. We’ve a long way to go.
Aaron Wise finally made it home in 69 strokes. Yesterday’s miserable 79 ruins an otherwise fantastic week, because he was right in the mix having shot 66-71 on the opening two rounds. A 69 for Andrew Putnam too. He finishes at +2 alongside Rory Sabbatini, who shot 70 today. A memorable week for the South Africa-born Slovakian, who aced 12 on Thursday and nearly did the same today. There have been 69s too for Kevin Kisner and Justin Walters.
Sepp Straka finishes the week with a 67, having started it with a 68. He ends up at -1, a US Open debut to remember. Meanwhile birthday boy
Jurgen Klopp
Phil Mickelson finishes with a birdie, and that’s a 72. He leaves the stage at +4. No career slam for Lefty, but one of the loudest ovations of the day nonetheless. And on 8, Tiger begins to piece together a preposterous round: having bogeyed four of the first six holes, it’s now two birdies on the bounce after lashing his second at the extremely difficult 8th to four feet. He’s +2, and there’s nobody quite like him.
The gallery around 7 explodes with joy, as Tiger drains a 15-foot putt for a much-needed birdie. He’s +3. And the folk gathered up ahead at 8 nearly combust as Viktor Hovland very nearly holes his second from the fairway. What a class act this young man is! He’s -4. An opening birdie for Xander Schauffele. And a third birdie in the first four holes for Molinari! Time for our first updated leader board, then.
-11: Woodland
-10: Rose
-7: Koepka, Reavie, Oosthuizen
-6: McIlroy
-5: Molinari (4), Kuchar, Hadley
-4: Hovland -a- (8), Schauffele (1), Willett, McDowell, Rahm, Stenson, Wallace
Last year’s runner-up Tommy Fleetwood has been a bit of a non-event this year, sad to say. This time 12 months ago he was going round in 63; today he’s taken ten strokes more. He ends the week at +6, well down the field. Ah well, he’ll always have Sunday at Shinnecock Hills.
Tiger Woods is having a complete shocker today. His drive at the par-five 6th flies into the thick rough down the left. He whips out ... then leaves his wedge coming in short of the green. Another weak chip, followed by a pushed putt from eight feet, and that’s a bogey on the easiest hole on the course this week. He’s +4. But there’s a fast start by Francesco Molinari, who adds to that birdie at 1 with another at 3. He rises to -4 and must be seriously ruing that double bogey, bogey finish on Friday.
Viktor Hovland keeps on truckin’. He screws his wedge at the 102-yard par-three 7th to 20 feet. Two putts and he remains at -3. On the one hand, this is an astonishing performance, however it ends. Then again, he won the 2018 US Amateur here, beating Devon Bling 6&5, so you could say he’s something of a Pebble Beach specialist. His opening-day 69 was testament to that.
As Wu slips back, Hovland steps on the pedal! Birdie at 6, his third in four holes, and the Norwegian has taken early control of the battle for low amateur. It’s not going to be as exhilarating as the tussle for the title, of course ... but it’s not going to be far off! Hovland got as high as -4 on Thursday; he’s just one stroke off reaching that mark again now. What quality in the amateur ranks this year.
A shaky start for poor Wu. Having sent his second at 1 to 15 feet, it looks as though he’s tickled in the putt for birdie. But the ball breaks off to the left, and he’s got a testing four-footer coming back. He lets that one horseshoe out, and suddenly what looked for a millisecond like -3 is -1. Golf, dear friends, right there. A different sort of example is set out by the Scientist: Bryson DeChambeau, four under after 8, has since bogeyed 9, 10, 12 and 13, a birdie at 11 failing to lift the mood. He tumbles all the way back down the table to +2.
It’s three bogeys in the first five holes for Tiger. His tee shot bounces into the long stuff to the left of the green, and there’s no safe route straight to the flag. He chips down, through the green and off the other side, from where he fails to get up and down. He’s +3, and it really hasn’t been a week to remember for one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Scott Piercy and Francesco Molinari come down the 1st. Both make birdie in very different manners. Molinari splits the fairway and whips an iron to four feet; Piercy struggles his way up the hole and trundles in a chip from the rough. They both count the same. They’re -3. A brisk start for the amateur Viktor Hovland as well: the 21-year-old Norwegian birdies 3 and 5, and he’s -2. It looks like the battle for the low-amateur medal will be between Hovland and the 22-year-old Californian Brandon Wu, who starts out at -2 and has just creamed an iron down the centre of 1. Chandler Eaton, of the famous Duke University in North Carolina, is currently level par for his round through 10, but at +2 currently is very much the outside bet for the medal.
Alex Prugh, a 34-year-old journeyman from Washington state, is playing in only his second US Open. His first, way back in 2007 at Oakmont, saw him miss the cut. His best round that week was 81. This time round, his efforts are altogether more rewarding: rounds of 75, 69 and 70, and now he’s birdied 1, 3, 4 and 6 to rise to -2. With only one win to his name on the Nationwide Tour - the 2009 New Zealand Open - this is shaping up to be his most memorable performance as a pro. Here’s to a strong finish.
Sepp Straka shot a 68 on Thursday, and he’s currently threatening to bookend his US Open with wonderful rounds. Having started out today with back-to-back bogeys, he’s since birdied 3, 6, 7 and 12, and now eagled 14 after smashing a fairway wood from 264 yards to 30 feet, then draining the putt. The 26-year-old, who moved from his native Austria to the States when he was 14 and now represents the US, is the first Austrian-born player to earn a PGA Tour card, and only the second to tee it up at the US Open after Bernd Wiesberger - who, for the record, followed up yesterday’s 78 with a 72, and ends the week +10, in 76th place out of 79. Straka, at -1, is set to do a whole lot better.
Billy Horschel played his first major as a professional at Merion in the 2013 US Open, and held the 36-hole lead along with Phil Mickelson. He finished in a tie for fourth, and must have thought this lark was easy. To be fair, he did win the FedEx Cup the following year, but that romp around Merion remains his only top-ten finish at a major. The 32-year-old Floridian has a chance of righting that wrong today, if he posts something low, and he’s going about things the right way, with birdies at 2, 5, 6 and 7 launching him up the standings to -3. He’s currently tied for 14th, where one more birdie will catapult him into the top ten.
Marcus Kinhult pars the last, and he’s signing for a stunning 66. He finishes the week at level par, a mark that’s an achievement at any US Open, and on debut too. What the leading pack would give for that later on. Meanwhile on 14, Aaron Wise is struggling his way up the track, wedging in his fourth from distance. He lands his ball 30 feet past the hole, and screws it back with pace. Into the hole it drops! What a thoroughly surreal birdie. He’s +1.
Tiger’s struggles continue. A perfectly placed tee shot at 2. A short approach finds the green, but he’s snookered himself behind the knuckle of a bunker, and so out comes the wedge. He chips gently to six feet, but then pulls the par putt, and that’s two shots gone in the first two holes. He’s +2, and 2000 seems ... well, is ... a long, long time ago.
Rory Sabbatini made a hole-in-one on Thursday at 12. A two-bounce lash with a five-iron. Today he very nearly does it again, sending a gentle draw into the front of the green, chasing his ball up to a couple of feet. When a hole suits your eye, it suits your eye.
Just like me and the 12th at Bramley.
Another stuttering start by Tiger Woods. His iron at 1 finds the first cut down the right, then his approach snags some thicker stuff. A weak chip in, and that’s an opening bogey that drops him back to +1. Meanwhile on 13, his old sparring partner Phil Mickelson looks like dropping a shot, only just on the green in three. Never mind, the gallery try to cheer him up with a lovely rendition of Happy Birthday to Yoooo-oooou. Perhaps mulling over the fact that he’s passed up perhaps his last chance to win a US Open this week, at 49 on a course he loves so much, there’s no trace of a smile, though you can tell he’s trying to politely crack one. Oh Phil. It could break your heart.
The 2012 champion Webb Simpson - whose fine win down the road at Olympic Club in San Francisco denied G-Mac a second title in three years - is busy turning an average week into a good one. An eagle at 6 followed by birdie at 7, and he whistles up the standings to level par. Two birdies in a row from the 2013 PGA champ Jason Dufner, at 3 and 4, and everyone’s favourite Somnambulist is quietly mooching his way up the leader board to -1. And news of Rickie Fowler, who ground out a par on 1 after that wayward tee shot, and has just birdied 4 by raking one in from off the green. He’s level par overall.
Updated
Marcus Kinhult bounces straight back! Birdie on the second-hardest hole on the course, the long, hourglass-shaped and iconic par-three 17th. He cracks his tee shot to the back of the green, allowing the camber to gather his ball back towards the hole. He’s got a ten-footer left, and in it goes. He’s five-under for his round, and he could sell all this for ready money to one of the later starters, were that not strictly against the laws of both the USGA and the space-time continuum. He’s level par.
It couldn’t continue: Marcus Kinhult makes his first bogey of the day at 16. He slips back to +1, but he’s already done more than enough to show the way ahead for the chasing pack. Andrew Putnam returns to three under for his round after birdie at 11. Sepp Straka, the Austria-born American, is two under through 12, a return to the form that gave him an opening-day 68. And the ever-entertaining Patrick Reed won’t be snapping any clubs over his knee like they were made out of wet balsa wood at the moment: he’s followed up an opening bogey with birdies at 2, 3 and 6, and last year’s Masters champ is two under for his round and +1 overall. Plenty of evidence that there are birdies out there, over the opening stretch especially.
Here comes PR’s Matt Kuchar, arriving on the premises carrying his own clubs. Probably a cost-cutting measure, hourly rates and all that, I’m sure he’s got a chap lined up for his round on an economically viable stipend. Currently at -5, Kuchar’s one of the players who will be looking at the low scoring of Kinhult and licking his lips: if he can get off to a fast start, he might be able to put a bit of scoreboard pressure on the leaders. He’ll also be looking to DeChambeau, who follows up his eagle at 6 with birdie at 8. He’s four under today already, and -1 for the tournament.
Another birdie for young Marcus Kinhult! The British Masters champion eases a wedge from 130 yards at 15 to three feet, and he’s five under for his round today. That’s whisked him all the way up the standings to level par, and his positive carry-on will give plenty of hope to plenty of folk further up the leader board, as they prepare to go out to face their destiny in the next couple of hours.
Bryson DeChambeau could sell this later on for a few pretty pennies: a 25-foot rake across the par-five 6th green for eagle! That follows a birdie at 5, and the Scientist springs up the leader board to level par. Sergio’s out, by the way, having ruined his slim chances of glory yesterday with a dismal 75. Birdie at 2, and he’s moving in the right direction early on, level for the week as well.
Rickie Fowler, a three-time runner-up in the majors, takes to the 1st tee in his trademark Sunday orange. Having shot that opening round of 66, he’ll have harboured hopes of breaking that major duck, and shaking off the tag of Best Active Player Yet To Win A Major. But an awful second-day 77 put paid to that notion. As a result, he doesn’t look particularly happy as he prepares to tee off, perhaps because he knows everyone’s looking on feeling so desperately sorry for him. It’s no surprise, then, when he sends his iron way right and into the deep stuff down the side of 1. Ah well, there’s always Portrush. The romantic pound will be on Rory or G-Mac, of course, but few would begrudge the extremely likeable Fowler the Claret Jug. How about it, golfing gods?
The first man out today makes it back to the clubhouse. It’s the 17-year-old US amateur Michael Thorbjornsen, who has recovered from yesterday’s experience-banking 84 by posting a most acceptable valedictory round of 76. His best work was done in the week, with rounds of 71 and 73, and the young man receives a very warm and supportive ovation indeed from the gallery at 18. Finishing the week at +20, he won’t be winning the low-amateur medal, unless Chandler Eaton (+2), Viktor Hovland (E) and Brandon Wu (-2) have all decided to bunk off for the day. More on that scrap anon. But congratulations to Thorbjornsen, whose week at Pebble Beach will prove invaluable in the years to come.
The weather today: much the same as yesterday. Overcast and gloomy, a little bit of wind, but nothing more dramatic than a gentle sea breeze. Some light rain in the morning has made the course receptive for the early starters. Just like yesterday, the greens will most likely firm up a tad as the day goes on, though that didn’t stop the leading lights posting some red numbers in round three. The best hope for those in the chasing pack is psychological rather than meteorological: perhaps Gary Woodland and Justin Rose will drag each other down as the pressure tells. It’s happened to the final group in a major often enough before. Then again, Sky analyst Paul McGinley reckons a third 65 of the week is out there for someone in the pack, and if they post a score, anything could happen.
There’ll be no career slam this week (or most likely ever) for Phil Mickelson. But the USGA’s newest biggest fan looks in the mood to go out with a bang. Yesterday’s 75 scuppered his faint hopes of getting his hands on that elusive US Open Trophy, but he’s still putting on a show for his faithful fans. The birthday boy - 49 today - makes back-to-back birdies at 6 and 7, and he’s +1 overall. Happy birthday, Lefty!
Kinhult isn’t the only one to have started fast this morning. Andrew Putnam, the 30-year-old from Washington state playing in his first US Open since missing the cut here at Pebble Beach in 2010, birdied 4, 6 and 7, though a dropped shot at 8 has taken a little shine off his efforts; he’s +2. Meanwhile Aaron Wise - who was right in the mix after his weekday work of 66 and 71, only to fall away spectacularly yesterday, shooting 79 in the penultimate group - has come out with a devil-may-care attitude now his US Open dream is over. Birdies at 1, 2, 4 and 6, slightly offset by a bogey at 5, and he’s three under for his round and back to level par for the championship.
There’s always one player who flies out of the blocks early doors on Sunday. The 22-year-old Swede Marcus Kinhult, recent winner of the British Masters, is playing in his first US Open. Rounds of 74, 70 and 74 ensured he was rising with the lark today, but he’s taking advantage of the (comparatively) receptive early conditions, a little dew still slowing down the greens. Birdies at 1. 3. 6 and now 10, and he’s four under for his round, whistling up the standings to +1 overall.
Preamble
It took a while for Gary Woodland to locate his major mojo. He’s 35 years old now, and for a while back there it was looking like the big hitter from Kansas would never fulfil his potential in one of golf’s biggest championships. But recently something’s clicked. A tie for sixth at last year’s PGA - in which he held the 36-hole lead - was followed by a good showing at Augusta this April and a tie for eighth at the PGA last month. Throw in victory at last year’s Phoenix Open, as intense an event as you’ll get on the regular Tour, and it’s clear he’s been in top form for some time.
He’s been magnificent so far this week. That record-equalling 65 on Friday, of course. But what about his chip-in at 12 and monster putt on 14 yesterday, saving precious pars when all looked lost? Or the way he’s plotted his way around Pebble Beach, a track where booming drives are not the be-all and end-all? His calm demeanour? His resilience? His clutch putting? His heat-seeking approach play? He’d be a worthy winner of the 119th United States Open Championship.
Only problem is, this is the first time he’s led a major after 54 holes. Pressure ahoy! And he’s got some big names on his tail. Justin Rose, the 2013 champion, has been making an absurd amount of one-putts, the sort of behaviour that wins US Opens. And he looks happy and relaxed. Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open winner, is refusing to give up the chase, and is known for his final-day birdie blitzes in the majors. Rory McIlroy, the 2011 winner, isn’t out of the hunt and is due a special round this week.
And then there’s Brooks Koepka, bidding to become the first person to three-peat in the US Open since Willie Anderson in 1905. “I enjoy the pressure,” he shrugs. “It’s fun for me.” Clearly. Who’d bet against him?! Factor in the uber-determined Chez Reavie and Matt Kuchar, plus a fair few other big names who’ll consider themselves within striking distance should Woodland and Rose have a bad day and come back towards the pack, and we’ve got quite the experience ahead of us. It’s the US Open! It’s the final round! It could go to a two-hole play-off! It’s on!
Here’s where the leaders stand after 54 holes ...
-11: Woodland
-10: Rose
-7: Koepka, Reavie, Oosthuizen
-6: McIlroy
-5: Kuchar, Hadley
-4: Willett, McDowell, Rahm, Stenson, Wallace
-3: An, Schauffele, Scott
-2: Ancer, Lashley, Wu (a), D Johnson, Molinari, Piercy
-1: Cantlay, Matsuyama, Fitzpatrick, Furyk
E: Hatton, Day, Leishman, Woods, Hovland (a), Li
... and here are the final-round tee times (all BST, US unless stated):
3.21pm: Michael Thorbjornsen -a-
3.32pm: Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Justin Walters (SA)
3.43pm: Cameron Smith (Aus), Chip McDaniel
3.54pm: Charlie Danielson, Luke Donald (Eng)
4.05pm: Kyle Stanley, Zach Johnson
4.16pm: Kevin Kisner, Andy Pope
4.27pm: Marcus Kinhult (Swe), Brian Stuard
4.38pm: Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spa), Brandt Snedeker
4.49pm: Clement Sordet (Fra), Daniel Berger
5.00pm: Andrew Putnam, Adri Arnaus (Spa)
5.11pm: Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Aaron Wise
5.22pm: Sepp Straka (Aut), Harris English
5.33pm: Phil Mickelson, Charles Howell III
5.44pm: Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Rory Sabbatini (Svk)
5.55pm: Billy Hurley III, Bryson DeChambeau
6.06pm: Collin Morikawa, Erik van Rooyen (SA)
6.17pm: Patrick Reed, Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
6.28pm: Paul Casey (Eng), Webb SImpson
6.39pm: Chandler Eaton -a-, Tom Hoge
6.50pm: Martin Kaymer (Ger), Rhys Enoch (Wal)
7.01pm: Sergio Garcia (Spa), Jordan Spieth
7.12pm: Jason Dufner, Billy Horschel
7.23pm: Rickie Fowler, Alex Prugh
7.34pm: Nick Taylor (Can), Shane Lowry (Ire)
7.45pm: Haotong Li (Chn), Viktor Hovland (Nor) -a-
7.56pm: Tiger Woods, Marc Leishman (Aus)
8.07pm: Jason Day (Aus), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)
8.18pm: Jim Furyk, Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)
8.29pm: HIdeki Matsuyama (Jpn), Patrick Cantlay
8.40pm: Scott Piercy, Francesco Molinari (Ita)
8.51pm: Dustin Johnson, Brandon Wu -a-
9.02pm: Nate Lashley, Abraham Ancer (Mex)
9.13pm: Adam Scott (Aus), Xander Schauffele
9.24pm: An Byeong-hun (Kor), Matt Wallace (Eng)
9.35pm: Henrik Stenson (Swe), Jon Rahm
9.46pm: Graeme McDowell (NI), Danny Willett (Eng)
9.57pm: Chesson Hadley, Matt Kuchar
10.08pm: Rory McIlroy (NI), Louis Oosthuizen (SA)
10.19pm: Chez Reavie, Brooks Koepka
10.30pm: Justin Rose (Eng), Gary Woodland
