BAD LIES & GOOD SHOTS
It looks like a two-horse race between Woodland and Rose heading into the final round, but let’s not forget about Koepka ... Oosthuizen hits every fairway in the third round
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The U.S. Open turned into a heavyweight title fight at the top of the leaderboard in the third round.
Gary Woodland will enter the final round at 11-under par, with the first 54-hole major championship lead of his career. Justin Rose will begin today just a single shot back after birdieing the 18th on Saturday to finish at 10 under.
It was punch-counterpunch from Woodland and Rose as they separated themselves from the competition on a cold, overcast day at Pebble Beach.
With Woodland ahead by three shots at the par-3 12th hole, it looked certain that a two-shot swing was coming with Woodland off the green after two shots. Instead, the leader chipped in from the first cut of rough to save par. Rose, seemingly never fazed, rolled in his birdie putt.
Two holes later it happened again. Rose was staring at a great look for birdie with Woodland facing a 42-foot par putt. You can guess what happened next. Woodland makes the miracle par and Rose — who has been the only thing colder than the seaside weather on Saturday — smoothly made his birdie.
So it was on Saturday at Pebble Beach, on a course that is playing hard, but not as hard as some might like, that two men head to Sunday double-digits under par at the U.S. Open. The wind is yet to be a real factor this week, and the forecasted sun that would dial up the difficulty on the greens, has been unable to break through the cloud cover. But tiny greens, thick rough and a major championship on the line should be enough to identify the best player by Sunday evening.
And if the sun finally shows up today to cause a few late afternoon headaches, nobody would complain.
BROOKS LIGHTYEAR
When Brooks Koepka rolled in a 30-foot par putt from the first cut of rough on the 15th hole Saturday, there was no fist-pump, no roar. All we got from the back-to-back U.S. Open champ was a casually raised hand and a flash of the pearly whites inside that clenched, perfectly crooked grin.
Brooks Koepka isn’t a golfer, he’s Buzz Lightyear before Woody tells him he’s not a superhero. Despite the players in front of him, he’s the one to beat today at the U.S. Open.
Koepka shot a bogey-free, three-under 68 on Saturday and will start the final round in third for third place at seven-under par with Louis Oosthuizen and former RBC Canadian Open champ Chez Reavie.
“Just keep doing what I’m doing. Obviously whatever I’m doing is working,” Koepka said. “I don’t need to go out and chase, I don’t need to do much. Just kind of let it come to you. And from there, if I win, great, if not, I felt I’ve given it all I had this week.”
It’s not just because Koepka collects majors for a living that we like his chances today, it’s the form he’s rounded into throughout the week at Pebble Beach. Koepka left Hamilton with not much going right except his driver.
He arrived at the U.S. Open and found the driving range not to his liking. He didn’t like the wind there, which was into him and off the left. He also found the turf on the range to be much firmer than on the golf course.
So Koepka put his work in on the golf course instead, and over the past two days his game has rounded into its major championship form. Woodland and Rose are ahead on the leaderboard but both players have done it with highlight reel chip-ins and unlikely putts. Yes, it’s possible to win a U.S. Open that way, but more often than not, you run out of good bounces.
Over the past two rounds, Koepka has hit 86 per cent of fairways (24/28) and 81 per cent of greens (29/36). Pair those very tangible stats with his intangibles and you have you have a good bet today.
KING LOUIS
The other player making it look easy at Pebble Beach is Oosthuizen. The streaky South African with a swing from the golf gods is in the groove. When he won the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews, he put on a driving performance for the ages. All he did Saturday at Pebble Beach is hit every single fairway and birdie three of his four final holes.
Oosthuizen should be fun to watch today, because despite being at the U.S. Open, he’s planning to hold nothing back.
“Just go with everything tomorrow,” he said. “If you think you can take something on, take it on. If you want to win the championship, you need to do that tomorrow.”
Rory McIlroy is one shot behind Oosthuizen and Koepka at six under.