With big names out, new faces take charge
Oakmont giving fans the Open they’re craving
At the end of a day that resembled a game of musical chairs, Shane Lowry occupied the catbird seat at Oakmont. Four players held the lead, or a share, at some point Saturday afternoon, but Lowry finished two shots clear of the pack, thanks to a front-nine 33.
Lowry, looking to give Irish golf a 10th major in the past 10 years, was at 5-under par with four holes to play in the third round when it grew too dark to continue.
Andrew Landry, a 28-year-old qualifier in his first U.S. Open, was two shots behind.
Dustin Johnson had the 36-hole lead but finished the day three back, along with Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia.
And still very much in the mix was Jason Day, who shot 69-66 on Saturday and was at 1-over 211.
OAKMONT, Pa. — Martin Kaymer turned the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst into a snoozefest, romping to an eight-shot victory. Players ridiculed Chambers Bay’s cratered, yellow greens, turning last year’s Open into a moanfest.
Now we’re finally getting the U.S. Open we crave.
Oakmont is brutally tough but perfectly fair. Nearly every swing of the club, every stroke with the putter, can wreck a round.
We’re not far from Heinz Field, and fortunes can change in the time it takes a dollop of ketchup to escape the bottle.
Ask Rory McIlroy, whose 4-under second round got stained by a four-putt — the final three coming from three feet.
Ask Bubba Watson, who reached the back of a 619-yard hole in two … and then needed five more strokes to end the saga.
Or on the flip side, ask Jordan Spieth, who made back-to-backto-back birdies Saturday, the second of which nearly landed in the cup on No. 13.
Or ask Lee Westwood, who surged to 5-under, then coughed up the lead, then climbed back to the top by spinning back a 130yard approach for eagle on No. 5.
We’ll be treated to bonus golf early Sunday, tempting dads to pass up a sleep-in on Father’s Day.
Oakmont has been host to nine of these Opens — the 10th will come in 2025, the USGA announced Saturday — and it never disappoints. This is golf ’s ultimate test, a course so sprawling that it crisscrosses the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
This U.S. Open is about sinister hook lies off church pews, pitches that get swatted by the sloped third green and a drive that ended up under a concession stand.
For all of Dustin Johnson’s brilliance, a power-touch combo reminiscent of Tiger Woods in his prime, he remains best known for final-round meltdowns at Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits and Chambers Bay.
For the first two rounds at Oakmont, Johnson transformed himself into a Steady Eddie, a ball-striking robot who hit a field-best 31 of 36 greens in regulation.
Then he went back to being Dustin Johnson in the third round with a game more like a box of chocolates.
He used an iron off the second tee, but the ball soared left and ricocheted off a fan, settling under a spot serving refreshments. He saved par with a freaky good chip but then chipped short of the third green, the ball pausing before rolling back for a RETURN TO SENDER.
In pursuit of the leaders is world No. 1 Jason Day plus some dude named Andrew Landry, who missed five straight cuts to start the PGA Tour season.
An opening-round 76 left Day tied for 100th among the 156 players. It also left him hoping Mother Nature would fry the course with high-80s heat, “baking everything out and then hopefully playing hard for everyone.”
Before the heavy rains hit Thursday and overnight into Friday, Spieth predicted a winning score above par. “I still like even-par,” said Spieth, who borrowed just enough sunlight to complete his third round, ending the day at 4-over. “Right now it’s not firm or wet. It’s going to play like a normal golf course.”
Normal sounds dull, but the 116th U.S. Open is shaping up to be anything but.