Trio leads after 3 rounds
SAN DIEGO — There’s a three-way tie after three rounds of the U.S. Open. An already-wild ride looks to get even more interesting at Torrey Pines.
Luis Oosthuizen rolled in a 51-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole to punctuate an up-and-down round, moving him into a tie with Mackenzie Hughes and Russell Henley heading into Sunday’s final round.
Oosthuizen was one back at 4 under to start the third round, but dropped two shots. He jump-started his round with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th and brought the crowd to his feet with the eagle on 18 to shoot 1-under 70.
An eagle also highlighted Hughes’ round. He made a 63-footer on the par-5 13th from a spot close to where Tiger Woods made eagle in the third round at the 2008 U.S. Open. Hughes also got up and down on 18 for birdie to shoot 68.
Henley shared the overnight lead with Bland and reached 6 under before a bogey at No. 15 dropped him back. He shot 71.
Former U.S. Open champions Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are lurking, two shots back.
Mike Davis is retiring at the end of the month as CEO of the USGA, and his stress level is at a low point for the U.S. Open. For starters, he has been seen wearing tennis shoes his week. And on Saturday, he was wearing a caddie bib.
Davis went 18 holes at Torrey Pines with Jason Gore, who played as a non-competing marker with Akshay Bhatia in the first group.
Gore is best known for playing in the final group of the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and closing with an 84 to tie for 49th. He now works for the USGA as a director of player services, giving PGA Tour players one of their own in dealing with the USGA.
He was to play only if there was an odd-number of players to make the cut. Bhatia birdied the final hole Friday night to be the last of 71 players to make the cut.
Gore was in. He needed a caddie. He texted his boss.
“I asked him, ‘Hey, you want to go nine holes?’ I originally thought 18, and I’m like, I’m not going to push the envelope,” Gore said. “I thought it would be kind of fun. All of a sudden he texted me last night, “If it’s an odd number, I’ll go all 18 with you.’”
Davis said he told Gore that playing with only eight clubs — that would lighten the bag — was acceptable. Gore wasn’t buying. The last time Davis caddied?
“I think it was at Chambersburg Country Club when I was 12, 13, 14 years old,” Davis said. “This was a treat.”
Gore’s score didn’t matter, but he suspected it was about 77, and he was OK with that. He hasn’t played the U.S. Open since a tie for 47th at Pebble Beach in 2010.
“I might have embarrassed myself, but it wasn’t with my golf clubs,” Gore said. “The golf course is hard. It’s long for an old man. I haven’t touched a club in three weeks, and it was more about just going out and having a good time, stay out of Akshay’s way. I think we did a good job with that.”
Gore gets one more round Sunday, and it could really make him feel old. In 71st place was Wilco Nienaber, the longest hitter in golf.
And he’s getting a new caddie.
Lefty’s lament: Whatever thoughts Phil Mickelson had of finally winning a U.S. Open will have to wait until next year. The 51-year-old PGA champion had a rough time at Torrey Pines.
Mickelson was wild off the tee early and it cost him. And then he struggled on the greens, particularly a four-putt double bogey on the 17th hole. It added to a 40 on the back nine for a 76, and Mickelson was toward the bottom of the leaderboard.
Lefty’s assessment: “I just completely lost it out there. I know I’m playing a little bit better, but I just kind of lost it on Thursday (75) and today.”
Mickelson is playing the next two weeks in the Travelers Championship and the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He said he would try to find moment he created at Kiawah Island and see if he can resume some good golf.