The Latest on the U. S. Open (all times local) :
ERIN, Wis. (AP) – The Latest on the U. S. Open (all times local) : 6 p.m. Brooks Koepka is in position to win his first major title. Brian Harman’s bogey on the par-4 12th gave Koepka a one-stroke lead in the final round of the U. S. Open. Koepka, playing one group ahead of Harman, is at 13 under. Hideki Matsuyama is second at 12 under. He birdied the par-5 18th to close out a 6-under 66. Harman also bogeyed No. 13 to drop back to 11 under. ___ 5: 39 p.m. Hideki Matsuyama is making one last push at the U. S. Open. The 25-year-old Matsuyama had four birdies in a six-hole stretch to get to 11 under, just two shots back of co-leaders Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman. Matsuyama has two holes left, compared to six for Koepka and seven for Harman. ___ 5: 19 p.m. Scottie Scheffler is the low amateur for this year’s U. S. Open. The 20-year-old Scheffler, who plays for the University of Texas, finished at 1-under 287. He also played in the U. S. Open last year at Oakmont and missed the cut. Cameron Champ was the lowest amateur heading into the final round, but he finished with a 4-over 76 to drop back to even par for the tournament. Scheffler birdied No. 18 for a 1-over 73 in the final round. ___ 5: 04 p.m. Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman are tied for the U. S. Open lead heading to the last part of the final round. Koepka had a one-stroke lead before he bogeyed No. 10 to drop back to 13 under. Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama are tied for third at 11 under. Koepka is playing with Tommy Fleetwood, one group ahead of Harman and Justin Thomas. Fleetwood is 10 under. ___ 4: 41 p.m. The race for low amateur at the U. S. Open is down to Cameron Champ’s last two holes. Champ and Scottie Scheffler are tied at 1 under. Champ is 3 over in the final round with two holes to play. The 20-year-old Scheffler birdied No. 18 to finish off a 1-over 73. Scheffler plays for the University of Texas, and Champ plays for Texas A&M. ___ 4: 06 p.m. Fresh off his record-breaking third round, Justin Thomas is tumbling down the leaderboard at the U. S. Open. Thomas bogeyed three of his first five holes to drop back to 8 under. He went from a tie for second at the beginning of the day to a tie for sixth. It was a much different scene than Saturday, when Thomas matched a major record with a 63. Thomas’ 9-under 63 also broke Johnny Miller’s U. S. Open record for low round in relation to par. ___ 3: 38 p.m. Brooks Koepka is trying for his first major title, and he is off to a solid start in the final round of the U. S. Open. Koepka birdied his first two holes to get to 13 under. Brian Harman, who had the lead coming into the day, made a long birdie putt on No. 3 to join Koepka on top. Rickie Fowler is 1 under through four holes and tied for third with Tommy Fleetwood at 11 under. Koepka tied for 13th in last year’s Open at Oakmont. Harman missed the cut in his previous two U. S. Opens. ___ 2: 59 p.m. The leaders are on the course at the U. S. Open. Brian Harman and Justin Thomas were the last players to tee off at Erin Hills. They each hit their first shot into the rough. Harman was on top at 12 under coming into the day. Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood were one shot back. Koepka birdied No. 1 to move into a tie with Harman for the top spot. ___ 2: 20 p.m. Jordan Spieth’s little sister was asking more than he could deliver at Erin Hills. Spieth says he asked Ellie on Saturday night what she wanted him to do in the final round of the U. S. Open. She thought for a second and replied, “16 birdies.” Spieth opened with a birdie on No. 1 and said to his caddie, “Fifteen more.” And then he made birdie on the next hole. Two down, 14 to go. Three pars later, it was all over. Spieth had a big grin on his face recounting the story. Smiles are rare at a U. S. Open when a player finishes before the leaders tee off. Then again, Spieth has always said Ellie is the funniest member of the family. ___ 1: 50 p.m. Jordan Spieth has finished his U. S. Open on a high note. The fifth-ranked player in the world hit a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th for a 69 on Sunday. He ends his weekend at Erin Hills at 1 over. Spieth is well off the lead of 12 under held by Brian Harman. But Spieth might take some positives moving forward from his final round after having an up-and-down weekend. Spieth had a nice day considering how the winds have picked up at Erin Hills. He was one of only nine golfers under par, with the leaders set to tee of later Sunday. ___ 1: 10 p.m. The 18th hole at Erin Hills has a special flag for the final round of the U. S. Open. The flag commemorates the late Arnold Palmer’s win at the 1960 U. S. Open at Cherry Hills. It features a silhouette of Palmer in mid-stride, tossing his visor in the air. Palmer shot a 65 after going into the final round trailing by seven shots. Brian Harman is the leader at Erin Hills. He tees off later on Sunday. Harman has a one-shot lead over Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood. ___ 12: 35 p.m. Jordan Spieth hit probably one of the best tee shots he has made all weekend at the U. S. Open. With a gusty wind blowing across Erin Hills, Spieth’s first shot at the par-3 13th hole landed about 5 feet from the flag. He putted for birdie to move to 2 under for the day and 2 over for the tournament. The world’s fifth-ranked player is well off the lead. Spieth has said that he feels that he is striking the ball well, but that he is trying to get more consistent on and around the greens. Brian Harman has a one-shot advantage at 12 under atop a crowded leaderboard. He tees off later Sunday. ____ 12: 12 p.m. Tom Kite knows a little something about difficult conditions for the final round of the U. S. Open. Kite shot even-par 72 in gusty winds in 1992 at Pebble Beach, winning by two strokes over Jeff Sluman. The final-round average was 77.2, and 20 players shot in the 80s. Kite says it looks as if the conditions at Erin Hills “are going to be a lot more challenging, ” but he doesn’t think it will look like what happened 25 years ago. Kite says “I don’t anticipate this being a bloodletting.” Brian Harman had the lead at 12 under coming into the day. Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood are tied for second, one shot back. ___ 11: 58 a.m. Players are on the course for the final round of the U.
