Two putts for Bryson DeChambeau, two putts for Ludvig Åberg, and the pair walk off the 18th in vastly different moods. A 67 for the former, a 73 for the latter, and what the young Swede would give to replay the 13th hole today. Bryson by contrast dreaming of a second title. Only eight players are under par, and while DeChambeau will of course be strong favourite tomorrow, three shots can go in the blink of an eye at a US Open, and nobody will be giving up the chase quite yet. It promises to be another exciting day at Pinehurst; please join us! Thanks for reading this blog.
-7: DeChambeau
-4: Pavon, McIlroy, Cantlay
-2: Matsuyama, Åberg
-1: Hatton, Finau
E: Morikawa, Conners, T Kim
Another wild Bryson drive, this time down the left of 18. But he’s so long, he clears all of the filth and finds some more flat ground. Slightly fortunate again, but when it’s your day, it’s your day. A few pine needles around, so he doesn’t get too greedy, and simply looks for the centre of the green. He finds it, and as he walks up the hole as the sun goes down, thanks the gallery for the ovation he so richly deserves.
Bryson rolls the right-to-left birdie slider into the cup on 17. Just the third birdie on this hole today, and what a bounce back that is. Meanwhile one of the two other players to birdie that hole, Patrick Cantlay, sets himself up with another birdie chance, this time on 18, sending his approach over the flag to ten feet. But the putt coming back sails off to the right, and he signs for a 70. He’s +4, and will be going round with Rory McIlroy tomorrow.
-7: DeChambeau (17)
-4: Pavon (F), McIlroy (F), Cantlay (F)
Rory McIlroy speaks to Sky. “Difficult … the wind was up … I gave a really good account of myself … played really well … most things were firing … I’d have taken one-under par on the first tee … I’m going to go and hit some balls and try to fix those loose iron shots … fairways, greens, that’s the mindset … it’s a grind … the US Open feels like two golf tournaments in one week … I’ll get ready for one more day of grinding tomorrow.”
What a response by Bryson DeChambeau! The pin at 17 tucked front right behind bunkers. A high fade that bounces off the shoulder of the trap and dinks left, ending up pin high, 11 feet from the flag. If he knocks that in, it’ll harsh the buzz of the chasing pack, who would have been inwardly celebrating that double bogey.
Bryson shoves his bogey putt on 16 wide right, and out of nowhere – he’d smashed a monster drive down the track as well – that’s a double. And potentially a huge fillip to the chasing pack! Par for Ludvig Åberg. On Sky Sports, Nick Faldo points out that “two shots are nothing on this golf course.”
-6: DeChambeau (16)
-4: Pavon (F), McIlroy (F), Cantlay (17)
-2: Matsuyama (F), Åberg (16)
-1: Hatton (F), Finau (F)
E: Morikawa (F), Conners (F), Kim (F)
Birdie for Patrick Cantlay on 17. Just the second on this hole today. Reward for an iron creamed straight at the flag. He joins Matthieu Pavon and Rory McIlroy at -4. Meanwhile back on 16, a chink of light for the chasing pack? Bryson DeChambeau’s second into 16 topples back off the false front, and he requires two chips to get the ball up onto the green. He’s left with a six-footer for bogey.
A closing par for Rory McIlroy. Those clumsy bogeys at the final two par-threes have cost him a place in the final group tomorrow … and us the chance of watching a Bryson v Rory mano-a-mano duel. That would have been box office. A 69 at the US Open, and he doesn’t look particularly happy about it.
Ludvig Åberg can’t get up and down from the front of 15. Bogey, and a look of extreme disappointment on the brilliant young Swede’s face. He could do with getting back to the clubhouse and regrouping, because you never know what could happen tomorrow. For the first time this week, perhaps his inexperience is costing him. Bryson gets up and down from the back for the save. He’s in total control of his game right now, though doesn’t put half as much energy in his celebration of that scramble, the tank perhaps running low after all this effort. But what an effort! Look!
-8: DeChambeau (15)
-4: Pavon (F), McIlroy (17)
-3: Cantlay (16)
-2: Matsuyama (F), Åberg (15)
-1: Hatton (F), Finau (17)
Hideki Matsuyama finds himself up against the face of a greenside bunker at 18. It leads to a closing bogey and a round of 70. He’s -2. Meanwhile a 69 for his partner Matthieu Pavon, whose dream of becoming the first French man to win a major since Arnaud Massy at the 1907 Open is not yet over. He finishes the day at -4, and there’s a fair chance he’ll be in the final group with Bryson DeChambeau tomorrow.
Bryson and Åberg leave the 15th green untroubled. The former over the back, the latter failing to get over the false front. Meanwhile up on 17, the inevitable occurs, as McIlroy can’t get up and down from the sand, though he gives it a good go, splashing out sideways, away from the flag to 12 feet, and nearly making the putt. But it’s the tee shot that cost him. He slips to -4 and DeChambeau has a four-stroke lead.
Hats off to Ludvig Åberg, who makes bounce-back birdie on 14 after walking in a 15-foot putt. No smile. Still hurting after that triple. But that’s some response. He returns to -3, and you never know. But he’s still five behind his playing partner, who teases in a right-to-left birdie putt and fist-pumps in celebration with great vigour! He’s -8, and three clear of Rory … who has just short-sided himself at the par-three 17th by sending his 9-iron into the bunker on the right.
It’s a third round of 70 for Tyrrell Hatton. It could have been a little better – that short missed birdie putt on 15 was followed by bogey at 16 – but there are only eight rounds under par today, so he’ll be happy enough when it all comes down. And at -1 he’s right in the mix for Sunday.
Bryson DeChambeau flays his drive at 14 into the gallery down the right. He cops a flat lie on grass trodden down by the punters, and again takes advantage by knocking a stunning second from 131 yards to nine feet! That’s two awful tee shots in a row, two big breaks, two carpe-diem approaches. He looked the last gift horse in the mouth; can he convert this one? Meanwhile on 16, Rory McIlroy gets up and down from sand this time, and fist-pumps in celebration at the par save. He remains two off the lead … for now.
Akshay Bhatia’s promising round came apart on the back nine. Bogeys at 13, 15, 17 and 18 have sent him crashing down the leaderboard to +2. He signs for a 73. His playing partner Xander Schauffele however managed to slightly repair things coming home; birdies at 10, 13 and 17 and he cards 72. He’s +1. Both just a bit too far away, surely, unless Bryson and Rory do the chasing pack a big favour in the next hour or so.
Bryson DeChambeau has had to wait a long time to take his birdie putt. Perhaps he’s suffered a slight loss of concentration as Ludvig Åberg zig-zagged about, because he pushes the six-footer wide right. He admonishes himself after tidying up for par, but there’s really no need, he’s suddenly got a two-shot lead and the guy he’s playing with has just taken two putts for a triple-bogey seven. The 13th, having taken a chunk out of Tony Finau, now gorges on Åberg.
-7: DeChambeau (13)
-5: McIlroy (15)
-4: Pavon (16)
-3: Matsuyama (16), Cantlay (14)
-2: Åberg (13)
-1: Hatton (17), Finau (15)
Rory can’t get up and down from the sand at 15. He slips back to -5. Meanwhile back on 13, Åberg can’t reach the green from the gorse, and ends up in Finau Country. And, well, we’ve seen this film before today, starring, eh, Tony Finau. Åberg sends his third into the bunker at the back, then the splash out comes back to where he started. Number five is played safely into the heart of the green, but he’s left himself a 25-footer for a double-bogey six. Before he can deal with that, over at 16, it’s bogey for Pavon, and everyone’s going backwards but Bryson … and he’s waiting to putt for birdie from six feet!
Collin Morikawa has had the clubhouse lead for what seems like an age, after posting his 66. About four hours, in fact. But he’s now joined at level par by Corey Conners, who signs for a 71 that briefly promised more. A 71 too for Sergio Garcia, who ends the day at +1.
Bryson DeChambeau’s got himself a good break in the bunker. A flat, clean lie. He takes full advantage of it by clipping a wedge from 150 yards to six feet! From the ridiculous to the sublime! One of the worst shots of the week to one of the best. Bryson is nothing if not box-office. Meanwhile up on 15, Rory McIlroy dunks his tee shot into the bunker guarding the front right. Moving Day is moving all right: all over the place! Marvellous entertainment.
It’s been a good time for Rory to card two birdies in three holes. That’s because the chaps in the final match have just hit two of the worst tee shots of the week at 13. Bryson takes up half the tee box in sending his iron into the native area down the right. A bunker, maybe? Åberg meanwhile hoicks his into a similarly nasty place on the left. Some work to be done here.
-7: DeChambeau (12)
-6: McIlroy (14)
-5: Pavon (15), Åberg (12)
Rory McIlroy has been quietly efficient today. A 350-yard drive down the left-hand side of the 14th fairway. Then a wedge to kick-in distance. The crowd enjoyed watching that land softly and come to an elegant halt by the pin. He moves to -6. Meanwhile back on 12, it’s pars for Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Åberg. And in the match in between, Patrick Cantlay sends his drive at 13 into the scrub, where it’s teed up by a little tuft. His wedge in spins off the false front, and the third shot briefly thinks about toppling back as well. But that one sticks, and then he strokes in the par saver. He’s hanging on in there. Still. He’s -3.
A magnificent tee shot by Tyrrell Hatton at the par-three 15th. Five feet. The subsequent putt, not so much. Just a par. A huge chance for birdie spurned. He remains at -2. Meanwhile bogeys for Akshay Bhatia at 13 and 15, plus dropped shots at 12 and 15 for Tom Kim, and suddenly there are only eight players in the red this week at Pinehurst.
-7: DeChambeau (11)
-5: Pavon (14), McIlroy (13), Åberg (11)
-3: Matsuyama (14), Cantlay (12)
-2: Hatton (15)
-1: Finau (13)
The wind is most certainly not in Tony Finau’s sail. His second into 13 is only a few feet short of perfect, but the ball spins back off the false front. Then he skulls his third through the green and into a bunker at the back … before sending number four trundling hysterically past the flag and all the way back to the original chipping position! He wedges number five to six feet, but pushes a nervous putt wide right and that’s a hope-dashing triple-bogey seven. He’s -1. By contrast McIlroy, whose second shot suffered exactly the same fate, gets up and down to scramble his par, and punches the air modestly in relief. He’s -5, and it doesn’t take much for a US Open challenge to unravel.
Another birdie for Hideki Matsuyama! His approach into 14 only just gets over the bunkers at the front of the green … but that’s perfection, pretty much, and he’s left with a seven-foot birdie putt towards a flag hidden away in an extremely unwelcoming position. In goes the putt, and the 2021 Masters champion moves to -3. Meanwhile it’s another fairway split by Bryson, this time on 12 … and another missed by Åberg, whose driving is beginning to get a bit messy. DeChambeau skips down the fairway, he knows this is the time to keep on keepin’ on, with the wind currently in his sail.
Bryson, his hip moving freely now, and having blootered his drive at the 11th 359 yards, wedges his second to 13 feet. His physio should ask for a pay rise. Åberg meanwhile manages to muscle his second from the filth into the heart of the green. Two putts and that’s a par he’d have not necessarily have been expecting to make when he was watching his tee shot sail off towards the oomska. Bryson then absolutely rattles his par putt into the cup, fist-pumps a couple of times, then tips his cap for good measure. After a slow start, the 2020 champ is making a serious move on Moving Day!
-7: DeChambeau (11)
-5: Pavon (13), McIlroy (12), Åberg (11)
Rory’s birdie, plus a bogey for Tony Finau, who had driven into the gorse down the left of 12, has caused a little realignment at the top of the leaderboard. Throw in back-to-back birdies for Hideki Matsuyama at 11 and 12, and it all currently looks like this …
-6: DeChambeau (10)
-5: Pavon (13), McIlroy (12), Åberg (10)
-4: Finau (12)
-3: Cantlay (11)
-2: Hatton (13), Matsuyama (13)
-1: Bhatia (14), T Kim (13)
E: Morikawa (F), Detry (11)
Whatever the physio did, it worked. DeChambeau comes back and lashes another monster drive down 11. Åberg’s effort however sails off into the filth down the left. Trouble there. But it’s a birdie for Rory McIlroy at 12, reward for sending his second pin high from 185 yards. In goes the ten-footer that remains, and he’s just one off the lead at -5.
Updated
Ludvig Åberg misreads his ten-foot eagle chance on 10. Always breaking to the left. That’s a shame, the second shot deserved more. But it’s an easy tap-in for birdie. Meanwhile it’s yet another up-and-down from a bunker for Bryson, and his birdie gives him sole ownership of the lead! Then he trots off to get some treatment from the physio.
-6: DeChambeau (10)
-5: Pavon (12), Finau (11), Åberg (10)
-4: McIlroy (11)
Matthieu Pavon sends his drive at 13 into the scrub down the left … and his ball settles directly behind a huge tuft. His caddie has to issue a specific instruction for his player to keep a tight hold of the club, such is the resistance the player will get from mother nature. It’s all he can do to power back out onto the fairway, a shot he executes marvellously. Then he wedges from 113 yards to three feet, and will surely escape with the most unlikely of pars!
Ludvig Åberg hits one of the shots of the week, a fairway wood on 10 from 286 yards to ten feet! That landed on the shoulder of the bunker guarding the left of the green, stunning the ball and sending it softly into the heart of the putting surface. DeChambeau takes a similar line, but ends up in the trap. The thin lines. He still splashes out to six feet, and will have a great look at birdie. Åberg will be putting for eagle first.
Bryson has reportedly asked for a physio. Something up with his right hip, by all accounts. There are no signs of obvious discomfort, he’s walking with a jaunty strut, smiling and chatting to the gallery, and he’s just walloped his drive at 10 nearly 350 yards down the track. So hopefully there’s nothing serious to worry about there.
It’s all happening … but none of it positive. Matthieu Pavon can’t get up and down from the front of 11 and drops back into a share of the lead at -5. Meanwhile back on 9, Ludvig Åberg pulls his tee shot into a bunker on the left. He can’t get too aggressive with the splash out, with the green sloping away dramatically … but he still needed to give it more than he does. The ball kinks off to the right and off back in the direction of the tee. The young Swede limits the damage by chipping up from 60 feet to a couple, but the bogey takes him out of a share. Bryson DeChambeau, who had seen his tee shot bounce off the green to the right, gets up and down for yet another staunch par save. All change at the top!
-5: Pavon (11), Finau (10), DeChambeau (9)
-4: McIlroy (10), Åberg (9)
-3: Hatton (12), Cantlay (9)
A wild par for Tony Finau on 10. Having sent his second through the green and into the scrub back right, he opts to putt up the swale from the sandy muck. His first effort topples back down the hill. He goes again, and his second attempt is as sweet as a putt could be, a 50-footer up and over the bank, rolling out to a couple of inches. So close to the most preposterous of birdies! He’ll take his par after all that, though. He remains at -5.
Cantlay does well to limit the damage on 9 to bogey. That threatened to get ugly when his bunker shot was disappearing down the swale. He turns in 36 and is hanging on in there a bit, though he’s hardly the only one doing that. There were 15 players under par at the start of the day; there are just nine now.
-6: Pavon (10)
-5: Finau (9), DeChambeau (8), Åberg (8)
-4: McIlroy (9)
-3: Hatton (11), Cantlay (9)
-2: Bhatia (12), T Kim (11)
Bother for Patrick Cantlay on the par-three 9th. He sends his tee shot up against the face of the bunker on the left. He’s forced to splash out away from the pin, but gets too aggressive and sends his ball down the swale on the other side. He does extremely well to bundle a chip up the hill to six feet, but there’s meat left on the bone for bogey. Meanwhile here’s Joe Pearson: “Native area: best euphemism for ‘absolutely disgusting unplayable filth’ that I have ever seen.”
Taylor Pendrith goes within a couple of centimetres of acing 15. It would have been the third hole-in-one of the week, following those by Sepp Straka and Francesco Molinari at 9 yesterday. But it sadly shaves the left lip before stopping 16 inches past. In goes the putt for birdie, and the Canadian is back where he started the day at +1. So for those of you who weren’t watching late yesterday, and missed one of the most sensational shots in US Open history …
💥 ACE ON THE LAST TO GET INSIDE THE PROJECTED CUT! 💥@F_Molinari with the ultimate do or die moment! pic.twitter.com/XoqmvaDNpi
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 14, 2024
Bryson DeChambeau sends his approach at 7 from 150 yards to 12 feet. Then, having gotten a read from his partner Ludvig Åberg’s longer putt, he steers in a right-to-left curler for birdie. The crowd go wild; that’s what happens when you stop to sign autographs, you see. Then on 9, Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy take turns to hit exquisite tee shots into the green. They land and end up in almost identical spots, the balls dropping 30 feet to the left of the flag, then turning right and dribbling down the slope (aforementioned regarding Pavon’s putt) to six feet. The balls literally side by side. In go the straight birdie putts, and two world-class players have just made a terribly difficult hole look ludicrously easy. So much for the stars of Pinehurst playing defence, huh.
Updated
A hell of a two-putt par by Matthieu Pavon on 9. His tee shot into the tricky par-three is pulled way left, and though it stops on the green, he’s left with a treacherous 60-foot downhill putt. Easy to de-green this one, like Rory did on 17 earlier in the week. But he does extremely well to tickle it down and get it to stop just eight feet past. He makes a staunch par save, and remains in the lead. That’s a great US Open scramble. And there’s another good save on 8, by Tony Finau, who leaves a 30-foot birdie effort a good ten feet short, but gathers himself to maintain his -4 status. Players are beginning to scrap now, the relatively easier holes at Pinehurst now behind them.
-6: Pavon (9)
-5: Åberg (6)
-4: Finau (8), Cantlay (7), DeChambeau (6)
-3: Hatton (9), McIlroy (8)
-2: Bhatia (10), Kim (10)
-1: Conners (11), Detry (7)
E: Morikawa (F), Henley (13), Matsuyama (F)
+1: Rai (F), Garcia (13), Schauffele (10)
Corey Conners sends a wild drive into the native area down the right of 11. He’s forced to take his medicine with a sideways chip, and the affair leads to a double-bogey six. The birdies of 9 and 10 handed back in the shortest of orders. All that good work undone. He’s back to where he started the day at -1.
Bryson DeChambeau carves an awful tee shot at the long par-three 6th wide right. He’s lucky to catch the bunker as opposed to the native area. The stroke of good fortune is grabbed with both hands, as he splashes a long sand shot six feet past the hole, then absolutely rattles the par saver into the cup. He remains at -4. Two putts for Ludvig Åberg and he’s making his par too, albeit in far less stressful circumstances.
Updated
Tom Kim – nicknamed after the famous Tank Engine – is beginning to pick up steam. A third birdie in a row, the latest at 9, a 15-foot putt curling right to left and steered in perfectly. The ever-entertaining 21-year-old South Korean turns in 34. He’s -2 overall.
Ludvig Åberg has to settle for par on 5. An overly aggressive chip from the fringe cost him. He nearly salvages the situation but his putt dies to the right on its final turn, a dimple away from dropping. He’s still smiling, despite effectively handing half a stroke back to the field. But it’s a bounce-back birdie for Bryson DeChambeau, who whips out of the sand at the front of the green to pick-up distance. This final pair are -5 and -4 respectively.
While McIlroy was carelessly three-putting on 6, Tony Finau was failing to get up and down from a bunker. Then back on 5, Bryson DeChambeau finds himself knee-deep in gorse but powers out of it anyway, landing his ball on the front of the green. It topples back off into a bunker, but he’ll take that from where he was. Elsewhere, it’s back-to-back birdies for Corey Conners, the latest at the par-five 10th.
-6: Pavon (7)
-5: Åberg (4)
-4: Finau (6), Cantlay (5)
-3: Conners (10), Hatton (8), McIlroy (6), DeChambeau (4)
-2: Bhatia (9), Detry (5)
-1: T Kim (8)
A careless three-putt bogey for Rory McIlroy on 6. Having hit his tee shot at the 237-yard par-three to 30 feet, that’s really quite poor. He’s -3. On the opposite end of the scale, here’s Matthieu Pavon, raking in a 20-footer across 7 for his third birdie of the day. Pavon, who is enjoying his break-out season at the age of 31, holds a celebratory fist in the air, and well he might: he leads the US Open!
-6: Pavon (7)
-5: Åberg (4)
A fuss-free, kick-in birdie for Patrick Cantlay on the par-five 5th. Averaging 4.500 at the moment, it’s the easiest of the holes today, one of only two playing under par. (The 3rd is the other, for the record.) Back up the hole, Ludvig Åberg splits the fairway with his tee shot, but Bryson DeChambeau misses it again, his ball disappearing into the scrub on the left.
A step back for the leader Ludvig Åberg, who chunks his approach into 4. He can’t get up and down from distance, and that’s his first bogey of the day. Bogey too for Bryson DeChambeau, something that was always on the cards after his tee shot kicked right into a fairway bunker. Meanwhile up on 5, Tony Finau gets on the par-five in 2, and the birdie gets him into a three-way lead at the top. And a birdie for Corey Conners at 9 and the Canadian turns in 34. He’s -2.
-5: Pavon (6), Finau (5), Åberg (4)
-4: McIlroy (5)
Matthieu Pavon is inches away from holing out from a bunker at 6. The late-bloomer from Toulouse is evidently enjoying himself this week. But there’s a chip-in on 8! Akshay Bhatia, who had missed the green to the right by a mile, bundles his ball back up and sends it rolling serenely, right to left, on an inexorable journey into the cup. He plucks the ball out of the hole and wags his finger at the jubilant gallery in joyous celebration. The popular young Californian, based in nearby Raleigh, is -2.
Some footage of Bryson DeChambeau stopping to sign an autograph for a young lad as he made his way up the 3rd. You don’t see that sort of thing too often mid-round, when players are super-focused. Say what you like about Bryson – and plenty do – but the guy is absolutely dripping with charm and star quality. That kid will have a story to tell for the rest of his life. Gotta love Bryson!
… it’s a drama-free two-putt birdie for Matthieu Pavon on the par-five 5th. Meanwhile bogey for Tyrrell Hatton on the par-three 6th, punishment for sending a weak tee shot short-right of the green and into the first of two bunkers guarding that side. Big mistake after the eagle.
-6: Åberg (3)
-5: Pavon (5)
-4: Finau (4), McIlroy (4), DeChambeau (3)
-3: Hatton (6), Cantlay (4)
Ludvig Åberg makes his birdie! Having played it safe with his chip to the centre of the green, he gets his reward for playing the percentages. His uphill 30-footer initially seems to be missing on the left … and then doesn’t look like getting there … but his Titleist turns right along the last couple of inches, then topples gracefully into the cup. Well, that’s a bonus! And it’s a matchplay-style blow for Bryson DeChambeau, who yips his short birdie effort, the ball horseshoeing out to four feet. A shocker, and he does very well to gather himself and take his time to line up the more difficult par saver. In that goes, but he’s clearly irritated, and no wonder: you’d have put cash money on his joining Åberg at the top before those two putts were taken; now there’s a two-shot gap between the players. Leaderboard update in a minute, because …
Ludvig Åberg has hit 27 of 30 fairways so far this week. He’s number two for driving in the stats. So it’s a bit of a surprise when he tugs his tee shot at 3 towards the bleachers to the left of the hole. But it’s so far offline he gets a free drop, the stand getting in the way, and he’s able to chip into the heart of the green. No chances taken in pursuit of birdie, par will suffice for now. He’ll have a look from 30 feet, mind. But it’s almost certainly going to be birdie for Bryson DeChambeau, whose tee shot finds sand. He whips up to a couple of feet.
… and Cantlay is passed on the leaderboard by Tyrrell Hatton, who makes his eagle putt on 5! Only just, mind, the 13-foot left-to-right curler initially looking like it was going to stay on the high side, before turning at the very last. It needed every single drop of energy, too. But in it goes. Thoroughly deserved after that creamy fairway wood, too. He’s one off the lead at -4! Birdie for his partner Tom Kim, who moves back to level par after a birdie/double-bogey/bogey start.
Patrick Cantlay is so unfortunate at the drivable par-four 3rd. His tee shot sails straight towards the flag, and is surely going to land on the front of the green and roll very close. But the bunker guarding the front catches it. An inch higher, and we might even have been talking an albatross hole-in-one! Certainly a good eagle chance. Almost definitely two putts for birdie. But the margins between sensation and desolation are fine, and he can only splash out to ten feet. Of course he misses the birdie putt, because this is golf. He really did deserve more. He remains at -3.
Another up-and-down from the bottom of a bank by Bryson DeChambeau. He’s two for two with those. A garden-variety par for his partner Ludvig Åberg. Meanwhile some outrageous behaviour on the par-five 5th, as Tyrrell Hatton throws a dart at the flag from 240 yards. A 13-foot eagle chance coming up.
Rory McIlroy’s tee shot at the drivable par-four 3rd finds greenside sand. He splashes out to kick-in distance, then rolls in his birdie putt. The four-time major winner makes his first move.
-5: Åberg (1)
-4: Pavon (3), Finau (3), McIlroy (3), DeChambeau (1)
-3: Cantlay (2)
-2: Hatton (4), Matsuyama (3)
-1: Pendrith (9), Conners (6), Bhatia (5), Detry (2)
E: Morikawa (F), Bennett (10), Horschel (7)
Patrick Cantlay is one determined dude. In serious danger of dropping another stroke, he gives his 22-foot par putt on 2 the firmest of rolls. A huge save, and he remains at -3. But his partner Thomas Detry hits a weak bunker shot that doesn’t make it up onto the dancefloor, and he ends with a double-bogey six, three strokes gone in the first two holes. The worst possible start for the Belgian, who has clattered down the standings to -1 in short order.
More trouble for Patrick Cantlay, who flays his drive at 2 into thick nonsense down the right. He’s forced to take his medicine and chip back out onto the fairway, leaving himself 100 yards out. He wedges his third to 22 feet, needs to make that putt to avoid a bogey-bogey start. Meanwhile Hideki Matsuyama, who had dropped a stroke at 2 after his approach toppled back off the false front, reclaims the shot after his drive bounds through the 3rd green and into sand at the back, from where he gets up and down for a bounce-back birdie. The 2021 Masters champion is back where he started the day, at -2.
The final pairing takes to the course. Irons down the middle for Ludvig Åberg and Bryson DeChambeau; the former finds the middle of the green with a conservative second, but the latter flies it. A tricky up-and-down test immediately for Bryson. But he passes it with flying colours, punching a soft chip up the bank to a couple of feet. Before he can tidy up, Åberg races his 40-foot birdie effort five feet past. A quick player, he has a quick prowl, then rattles in the par putt confidently, allowing no time for nerves to build up. Bryson makes his par, and they move on.
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Opening bogey for Patrick Cantlay. He’d made the same mistake from the centre of the fairway as Rory McIlroy had before him, but wasn’t able to get up and down from the bottom of the bank to the right of the green. A three-putt bogey for his partner Thomas Detry, after an extremely average 8-iron in. Meanwhile over on 2, Tony Finau rakes in a 20-footer for his first birdie of the day. Ever-so slowly, Moving Day is beginning to move.
-5: Åberg
-4: Pavon (2), Finau (2), DeChambeau
-3: McIlroy (2), Cantlay (1), Detry (1)
-2: Hatton (3)
-1: Pendrith (8), Conners (4), Bhatia (3), Matsuyama (2)
It’s going to be one heck of a battle for low amateur tomorrow. Neal Shipley followed up that aforementioned double-bogey at 13 by dropping more shots at 15 and 16. He ends the day with a 71, and he’s alongside his fellow amateur Luke Clanton on the leaderboard at +4. They’re the first two players in the clubhouse at that mark, so if the total number of players finishing +3 or better tonight is even, they’ll both go round together tomorrow. Which on the one hand would be disappointing for them, as I’m sure they’d like to tee it up with a big name pro, but on the other would make for a highly entertaining mano-a-mano shoot-out. The third amateur to survive the weekend, Gunnar Broin, won’t be a factor because he’s currently ten over for his round through 16 today, and +13 overall.
Updated
Rory McIlroy pings his opening iron straight down the middle of 1 ... but then sends a weak second bouncing down the bank to the right of the green. An unforced error that puts the 2011 champion up against it from the get-go. His chip back up is half-decent, nothing more, and he’s left with a very missable ten-footer for par. But his playing partner Tony Finau gives him a read with a long birdie attempt along a similar route that only just misses the cup on the right, and McIlroy rolls it in for a nerve-settling, and momentum-maintaining, par. McIlroy and Finau remain at -3.
Aaron Rai is this close to draining a monster across 18 for birdie. Never mind; the 29-year-old from Wolverhampton is still back in 33 and signs for a 68. He’s +1 and currently on course for his best finish at a major, which is currently a tie for 19th at the 2021 Open. Meanwhile Tyrrell Hatton catches a good lie in a native area on 2 and takes full advantage, whipping his second to six feet and tidying up for birdie. He’s -2, but moving the other way is his playing partner Tom Kim, who runs up a double after watching a chip from the bottom of a swale come back to his feet. Kim’s back to even again.
Corey Conners makes his eagle on 3! A right-to-left slider, dropped in dead-weight. Most deserved after that cracking tee shot, which used the shoulders of the bunkers on the right to gather his ball towards the hole. Also starting fast: Tom Kim, who eases his approach at 1 from 140 yards to four feet, and tidies up for birdie, and Matthieu Pavon, who does likewise in the following match. About time for the first leaderboard update of the day, then …
-5: Åberg
-4: Pavon (1), DeChambeau, Detry, Cantlay
-3: McIlroy, Finau
-2: Conners (3), Kim (1), Matsuyama (1)
-1: Bennett (7), Pendrith (6), Bhatia (2), Hatton (1)
E: Morikawa (F), Henley (5)
Taylor Pendrith is looking to become the first Canadian to win the Open south of the border. Birdies at 3 and 5 have the 33-year-old from Ontario heading in the right direction. He’s -1 overall. Meanwhile his compatriot Corey Conners, currently level par, takes on the par-four 3rd – they’ve moved the tee box up 70 yards or so, and the green’s reachable – and creams his drive to ten feet. Huge chance for eagle coming up.
66 for Collin Morikawa
The former PGA and Open champion Collin Morikawa has made a significant move on a day when low scores are at a premium. The Californian steers in a right-to-left 20-footer on the last for birdie, and fist-pumps the air before signing for a 66 that’s surely unlikely to be bettered today. Good luck to anyone who manages it. A bogey-free round; in fact he’s not dropped a shot now for 21 holes. He’s level par, and should none of the leading bunch pull away – and the course isn’t going to get any easier as the sun continues its baking processes – he’ll have an outside chance at the very least tomorrow.
Updated
Sam Bennett only qualified for this US Open last week at nearby Duke University. The 24-year-old Texan is certainly making the most of the opportunity: an opening round of 69, yesterday’s 72, and early birdies today at 2 and 5. It’s no great surprise that he’s going for it: there’s a tattoo on his arm that reads “Don’t wait to do something”, a facsimile from a note his father wrote to him before he died. Bennett’s already proven his chops in a major, too: he won the Silver Cup at Augusta in 2022 after opening the week with a pair of 68s. He turned pro not long after. He’s -1 overall.
Brooks Koepka looked a genuine contender midway through his opening round. Three under through 10, he was sauntering around Pinehurst in complete control. A third US Open, to go alongside his 2017 and 2018 successes, was on! Until it wasn’t. Three bogeys in four holes came out of nowhere, and he never regained his momentum. He only just survived the cut after yesterday’s 75, and his round today is all of this in microcosm: birdies at 5 and 7, the second the result of this glorious Texas wedge …
Bonus birdie for Brooks! 🐥@BKoepka making an early charge on moving day. pic.twitter.com/rgqymEKQcq
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 15, 2024
… and a re-ignition of his challenge on Moving Day looked on! But some bunker-to-swale trouble at the par-three 9th led to a double, and he ended up with his second 71 of the week. He’s +6.
It’s been a disastrous day for the 2022 champion Matt Fitzpatrick. Out in 42, after three bogeys and two doubles, he ended the day with a 79. He props up the entire field at +14, and will almost certainly be going out in the first group early tomorrow morning. He’ll always have Brookline.
Speaking of Scottie Scheffler, the world number one is back in the hutch with his second 71 of the week. He’s +6 overall, and it’s just not happened here for the short-priced pre-tournament favourite. His 74 yesterday was only his third birdie-free round on the PGA Tour, the others coming in the final round of the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge and the second round of the 2016 US Open, the latter when he was an amateur. Scheffler missed the cut at that US Open, but went on to win the low-amateur prize the following year. A good omen for Scottie for Oakmont next year? You read it here first if things pan out that way.
Commentator’s Curse dept. Having given Neal Shipley the big one in the first two live entries of today’s blog, his ball shifts slightly after he addresses it on 13, and the resulting one-shot penalty leads to a two-shot loss. The double-bogey six drops him back to +2 for the week. Sorry, Neal. They don’t call it Moving Day for nothing, I guess. That race for low amateur is really on now. Who’ll add their name to a list that features stellar names such as Freddie Couples, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler? We’ll find out over the course of the next 30 hours or so, a race within a race.
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Of those three, Neal Shipley is the big story. Having already this year outshot Tiger at Augusta en route to winning the Silver Cup, then breaking the internet with his side-eye skills, he’s now going along great guns at Pinehurst. Birdies at 8, 9 and 10 take him to three under for his round, currently through 12, level par overall … and yet he’s by no means a shoo-in to end the week as low amateur. Luke Clanton has just carded his second 69 in succession to finish Moving Day at +4. However, the third amateur to make the weekend, Gunnar Broin, is currently suffering: bogey at 8, double at 9, and triple-bogey at 10. He’s +11 and hey, it’s all good experience for the 22-year-old from Ohio State.
… so of all the 56 players who have either completed their third round or are currently out on the course, only nine are under par for the day. Of those nine, only three are more than one shot to the good: Spain’s latest rising star David Puig, the two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, and this year’s Silver Cup winner at Augusta, the amateur Neal Shipley. They’re respectively +2, +1 and level par overall. It’s been tough.
Let’s just start by taking a look at today’s pin positions. Pin positions on turtle-back greens with small landing areas and run-offs a-plenty. As if Pinehurst No2 hasn’t been difficult enough already.
Hole locations for Round 3 at @PinehurstResort ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/PsCpwfhfRX
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 15, 2024
Preamble
It’s Moving Day! Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked after 36 holes ...
-5: Åberg
-4: DeChambeau, Detry, Cantlay
-3: McIlroy, Finau, Pavon
-2: Matsuyama
-1: T Kim, Hatton, Schauffele, Bhatia, Widing, Conners, Blair
... here’s a selected list of players who missed the cut …
Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Im Sung-jae, Justin Thomas, An Byeong-hun, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods
... and here are today’s tee times (BST). It’s on!
1344 Ryan Fox (NZ), Sahith Theegala
1355 Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari (Ita)
1406 Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Max Greyserman
1417 Justin Lower, Dean Burmester (SA)
1428 Tom McKibbin (NI), Brandon Wu
1439 (a) Luke Clanton, Brendon Todd
1450 Ben Kohles, Shane Lowry (Ire)
1501 Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler
1512 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Greyson Sigg
1523 Austin Eckroat, David Puig (Spa)
1539 Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley
1550 JT Poston, Wyndham Clark
1601 Aaron Rai (Eng), (a) Neal Shipley
1612 Kim Si-woo (Kor), Daniel Berger
1623 Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith (Aus)
1634 (a) Gunnar Broin, Brian Campbell
1645 Martin Kaymer (Ger), Jordan Spieth
1656 Harris English, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (SA)
1707 Adam Svensson (Can), Mark Hubbard
1718 Isaiah Salinda, Davis Thompson
1729 Min Woo Lee (Aus), Emiliano Grillo (Arg)
1745 Denny McCarthy, Adam Scott (Aus)
1756 Chris Kirk, Jackson Suber
1807 Sepp Straka (Aut), Brian Harman
1818 Nico Echavarria (Col), Sam Bennett
1829 Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), SH Kim (Kor)
1840 Frankie Capan III, Taylor Pendrith (Can)
1851 Russell Henley, Sergio Garcia (Spa)
1902 Stephan Jaeger (Ger), Sam Burns
1913 Billy Horschel, Zac Blair
1924 Corey Conners (Can), Tim Widing (Swe)
1940 Akshay Bhatia, Xander Schauffele
1951 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Tom Kim (Kor)
2002 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Matthieu Pavon (Fra)
2013 Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy (NI)
2024 Patrick Cantlay, Thomas Detry (Bel)
2035 Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg (Swe)
