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Third Round of the U.S. Open Becomes Battle for Par Third Round of the U.S. Open Becomes Battle for Par
(35 minutes later)
After a week of weather woes and doubts about the course’s worthiness, the United States Open at Merion Golf Club on Saturday looked a lot like any other Open: a bunched-up leader board full of players struggling to keep par in their sights. For much of the third round of the United States Open, it looked like poor, disparaged Merion Golf Club would come out the biggest winner, with a crop of contenders looking like a pack of tortoises vying to inch ahead of each other to reach the seemingly unreachable territory under par.
The third-round contenders quickly began contesting what looked like a pack race of tortoises. The moves were small and slow — largely because the pace of play, already slow, became glacial — and reaching under par felt like nirvana. For a bit late in the round, three players had reached as low as two under, but as the final players hit the last three holes, only Luke Donald remained there. He held onto a tenuous lead, having made his last birdie at No. 10 and saving all pars from there. But then, Phil Mickelson came grinning up the final fairways, playing an uncharacteristically conservative game and sliding in birdie putts at the perfect time. He hit great approach shots on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 and when his birdie putt on the 17th stayed true and dropped, the crowd erupted as if awakened from a slumber.
He had been sharing that lead with Charl Schwartzel and Hunter Mahan, but they both dug themselves trouble on No. 17 and fell back to one under with bogeys. Mahan had just jumped to two under a hole earlier with a magnificent approach shot that he all but tapped in for birdie on No. 16, but he sailed his next drive into the rough and could not save par. Schwartzel plunked his approach into a bunker. That birdie, in conjunction with a bogey by Luke Donald, gave Mickelson the outright lead at two-under par heading into the final hole. Donald had held that lead for a stretch until plunking his tee shot on the par-3 17th into the greenside bunker and failing to sink the par putt.
Phil Mickelson was finally riling up the crowd with two straight birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to pull himself back to one under. He had started the day as one of only two players under par after two rounds but two early bogeys had dropped him back. He was playing against type and going the conservative route to most holes, but could not get any putts to drop until after he made the turn. He had another great chance at birdie on No. 15 but his putt trickled just left of the hole to his disbelief. A few minutes earlier, Hunter Mahan and Charl Schwartzel had shared a slice of the lead with Donald, but both ran into all kinds of trouble on Nos. 17 and 18.
The back nine was starting to yield some birdies. Justin Rose, who nearly snagged an eagle on the par-4 No. 10, used a birdie on that hole and another on No. 13 to pull to one under. Mahan had just jumped to two under a hole earlier with a magnificent approach shot that he all but tapped in for birdie on No. 16, but he sailed his next drive into the rough and could not save par on the 17th. Schwartzel plunked his approach into a bunker and suffered the same fate. They matched those woes on No. 18 as well.
But the crowd was more than mollified by Mickelson, who had first riled up the crowd with two straight birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to pull himself back to one under. He had started the day as one of only two players under par after two rounds but two early bogeys had dropped him back. He was playing against type and going the conservative route to most holes, but could not get any putts to drop until after he made the turn. He had great chances at birdie on Nos. 15 and 16 but his putts trickled just left of the hole to his disbelief. He finally got one to fall on No. 17.
Mahan and Hunter had settled back at even par with matching scores of 69. Joining them at even par was Steve Stricker, who shot a 70.
A pack at even par had, at one point, included Michael Kim, the 19-year-old amateur who plays for the University of California. He was surging with four birdies on the back nine, but a bogey on No. 16 turned him the other way. A double bogey on No. 17 and a bogey on the final hole pushed him back to four over.A pack at even par had, at one point, included Michael Kim, the 19-year-old amateur who plays for the University of California. He was surging with four birdies on the back nine, but a bogey on No. 16 turned him the other way. A double bogey on No. 17 and a bogey on the final hole pushed him back to four over.
Despite doubts that Merion was no longer long enough or tough enough to provide the prototypical (read: punishing) Open test, the going has been anything but easy. The waves of rain that inundated the course all week did not succeed in turning the greens into spongy welcome mats, as some feared, but they did add a layer of squishiness to the rough, only deepening its ball-swallowing potential.Despite doubts that Merion was no longer long enough or tough enough to provide the prototypical (read: punishing) Open test, the going has been anything but easy. The waves of rain that inundated the course all week did not succeed in turning the greens into spongy welcome mats, as some feared, but they did add a layer of squishiness to the rough, only deepening its ball-swallowing potential.
The early holes did yield a few birdies. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, playing together for a third straight day after they each finished the second round at three over par, both walked off No. 1 with birdies. Both quickly found trouble on subsequent holes. McIlroy drove into trouble and took bogeys on both Nos. 2 and 3, and Woods joined him with a bogey on No. 3 and his backward spiral had begun. Woods carded seven bogeys — including a short par putt that rimmed out on No. 16 — and sat at nine over with a frustrating round of 76. McIlroy was only one stroke better at eight over.The early holes did yield a few birdies. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, playing together for a third straight day after they each finished the second round at three over par, both walked off No. 1 with birdies. Both quickly found trouble on subsequent holes. McIlroy drove into trouble and took bogeys on both Nos. 2 and 3, and Woods joined him with a bogey on No. 3 and his backward spiral had begun. Woods carded seven bogeys — including a short par putt that rimmed out on No. 16 — and sat at nine over with a frustrating round of 76. McIlroy was only one stroke better at eight over.
“I didn’t make anything today,” Woods said. “I just couldn’t get a feel for them, some putts were slow, some were fast and I had a tough time getting my speed right.”
Charley Hoffman, who finished his second round in disastrous fashion with a triple bogey on the par-4 No. 10, managed two birdies in his first four holes to push himself to two over. The second one came on the par-5 No. 4, when he played his third shot out of a water hazard by taking off his shoes, rolling up his pants and chipping in his fourth shot from off the green for the birdie.He finished up at six over.Charley Hoffman, who finished his second round in disastrous fashion with a triple bogey on the par-4 No. 10, managed two birdies in his first four holes to push himself to two over. The second one came on the par-5 No. 4, when he played his third shot out of a water hazard by taking off his shoes, rolling up his pants and chipping in his fourth shot from off the green for the birdie.He finished up at six over.
Nicolas Colsaerts had an adventurous start to his round, going from a double bogey on No. 1 to an eagle on No. 2 to a bogey on No. 3. He settled in at two over. Nicolas Colsaerts had an adventurous start to his round, going from a double bogey on No. 1 to an eagle on No. 2 to a bogey on No. 3. He settled in at two over until running into huge trouble, driving under a tree on No. 18. A triple bogey dropped him to five over.
Saturday’s king of calamity was Sergio Garcia, who barely made the cut and played several holes worth of golf on No. 15. He hit three balls out of bounds and walked off with a 10. That sent him skyrocketing to 14 over par. Saturday’s king of calamity was Sergio Garcia, who barely made the cut and played several holes worth of golf on No. 15. He hit three balls out of bounds and walked off with a 10. That sent him skyrocketing to 14 over par. He rebounded a bit to finish his round at 11 over.
While Woods grabs his share of attention in his effort to break his major tournament drought, Mickelson is also trying to break a drought. He has never won the United States Open despite five second-place finishes, most recently in 2009. The tournament does not naturally suit his high-risk, high-reward game because Open courses rarely reward risk.While Woods grabs his share of attention in his effort to break his major tournament drought, Mickelson is also trying to break a drought. He has never won the United States Open despite five second-place finishes, most recently in 2009. The tournament does not naturally suit his high-risk, high-reward game because Open courses rarely reward risk.
And Merion has followed that trend nicely despite all the hand-wringing.And Merion has followed that trend nicely despite all the hand-wringing.