The Country Club woke up cold and angry on Saturday and stayed that way until sundown to make moving day at the 122nd U.S. Open a stressful affair for the world’s best players.
Get caught up on all the major moments from Brookline and strap yourself in for what shapes as a brutal Sunday slog, as much a mental test as physical, to decide who wins America’s national championship.
Fitzy v Zalatoris
Just seven players returned under par scores during an emotionally taxing third round in Massachusetts and it’s no surprise that the two players who returned Saturday’s lowest numbers, Will Zalatoris with a three-under 67 and Matt Fitzpatrick with a 68, ended up at the summit of the leaderboard.
They will start Sunday at -4, one clear of defending champion Jon Rahm, in what will be a fascinating final-round pairing.
Is Sunday the day for @WillZalatoris? pic.twitter.com/ArBpiTRrEW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 19, 2022
Zalatoris is still searching for his PGA Tour breakthrough but has become something of a major championship specialist, having racked up five top-10s in his previous eight starts in the bigs. The 25-year-old American will be doubly determined after finishing runner-up to Hideki Matsuyama and then Justin Thomas in the 2012 Masters and last month’s PGA Championship respectively, the latter after a playoff at Southern Hills.
Fitzpatrick has happy history at The Country Club to call on having won the U.S. Amateur at the fabled course in 2013. But the world No.18, twice a winner of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai (2016 and 2020) has had trouble closing out events stateside, most recently slipping three places with a closing 73 at Southern Hills to finish the PGA Championship a deflating T5.
Zalatoris had just one bogey on Saturday while Fitzpatrick mixed three with five birdies, including a dropped shot on The Country Club’s testy 18th which promises to be a thoroughly stressful final stage on Sunday. Chances are the huge bunker guarding the front of the par-4 will play a role in the outcome as it did repeatedly on Sunday. This segues us nicely to…
Rahmbo’s topsy-turvy (and potentially costly) Saturday
Jon Rahm will partner 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley (69 on Saturday) in the penultimate final round group and could easily go on successfully defend the U.S. Open. If he doesn’t, and especially if it’s close, oh how the Spaniard will rue his final hole on Saturday.
The 27-year-old spent much of the third round fighting his oft fiery emotions as The Country Club took away as quickly as it gave up shots. Rahm looked set to lead into Sunday when he rattled off three birdies in four holes from the 14th to get it to -5. But then he drove it into a fairway bunker on 18, thinned his first escape into face, pushed his neck into the front bunker and needed two putts after that sandy escape from a fried egg lie. It all added up to a six, Rahm’s first double of the week, as he signed for a 71 to be -3 for the championship.
“I have 18 holes, and I’m only one shot back,” Rahm said. “That’s the important thing.”
But how costly will that double be? Sunday will reveal all, including if Rahm can keep his temper in check. Which sequel us nicely to…
Scottie gets a little frosty
Scottie Scheffler has flatlined his way, in a hurry, from relative unknown to reigning Masters champion and world No.1, barely showing any on-course emotion during his warp-speed rise to superstardom.
But even the 25-year-old couldn’t hide his frustration after a testing third-round examination, angrily banging his wedge into the ground after escaping the aforementioned front bunker on 18.
The moment, which had a sweet ending (more on that soon), deserves a little context, You see, Scheffler walked off the 8th green after an eagle as the leader at -6. But the grumpy Country Club was having none of that and by the 15th, after a double on 11 and three successive bogeys to follow, the American found himself trailing by three.
A huge par save on 18.
Both Scottie Scheffler and the fans knew just how important this might prove on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/QcI6DuGROv
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 19, 2022
Scheffler did retort with a birdie on 17 and followed his angry wedge work with a clutch par save on the 18th, the latter eliciting a first pump that oozed relief as much as exhilaration. At the end of it all, the world No.1 signed for a 71 and will start the final round in the third to last group alongside first-round leader Adam Hadwin (70) with every chance of adding the U.S. Open to his green jacket.
Rory’s exhausted Saturday story
Rory McIlroy started the third round a shot off co-leaders Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen and with the weight of expectation on his shoulders given his well-documented eight-year drought in the majors. It showed. By the end of Saturday, the 33-year-old Northern Irishman was three strokes adrift of co-leaders Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick and looked emotionally spent.
Of all the major championships, the U.S. Open is meant to test the world’s best and Brookline’s wind-swept Country Club certainly did exactly that to McIlroy who signed for a 73 that was as draining to watch as it was to play.
Nobody makes golf look harder and easier than Rory McIlroy
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) June 18, 2022
Critically, he played the final six holes in even par to keep himself in the mix, including holing a clutch putt on the 17th following an overcooked pitch and an undercooked chip back and forth the green of the short par-4.
McIlroy did play a peach of an approach to 18, drawing a shot around a tree/grandstand to set up a two-putt par. The approach to the heart of the final green was just McIlroy’s seventh green in regulation and drew a visible exhale, a tired smile and hollers of approval.
Rory McIlroy just made history as the first golfer to ever hit the same merch tent from two different holes in the same round pic.twitter.com/qlYjNOK3xN
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) June 18, 2022
McIlroy has had the galleries rooting for him all week and will need all the encouragement he can muster on Sunday which promises to be even more stressful than a very long, and tough, Saturday.
Moving (backwards) Day
Just how tough did The Country Club play on Saturday? As if the seven sub-par rounds weren’t evidence enough, how about a stroke average of 73.531 for the 64 players who made the cut?
There were no scores in the 80s (there were a pair of 79s) but plenty of major toughened players slammed it into reverse on moving day, notably Collin Morikawa who started as the 36-hole co-leader and finished Saturday T17 on +2 after a 77. Seventy Seven. Ouch!
Joel Dahmen, who was last out with Morikawa, fared a little better, a 74 seeing the American slip to -1 and a share of seventh place entering the final round. At least Dahmen, just three back, is still in it.
Phew, what a day.
18 holes for our national championship. This is going to be fun 😎
Full Scores: https://t.co/DAdF57sFZv pic.twitter.com/nqjOZNmb1s
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 19, 2022
