If volatility is what the lords of the U. S. Open wanted, volatility is exactly what they have gotten this week at Shinnecock Hills. On…
If volatility is what the lords of the U. S. Open wanted, volatility is exactly what they have gotten this week at Shinnecock Hills.
On a third-round Saturday when it looked as if Dustin Johnson, who slept on a four-shot lead and was looking unflappable for the first 36 holes, might waltz one round closer to his second U. S. Open win in the past three years, calamity ensued.
It was, indeed, a bizarre day at Shinnecock, as Johnson’s lead bled away like the nearby Atlantic Ocean tide going out to sea.
Tony Finau and Daniel Berger, who began the day 11 shots out of the lead and tied for 45th, each shot 4-under 66 with early tee times and watched all afternoon as their names shot up the leaderboard.
How far up the leaderboard?
They’re tied for the lead at 3-over and will be paired in the final group for Sunday’s final round.
Johnson, who shot 77 Saturday, and defending champion Brooks Koepka, who shot 72, are also tied for the lead at 3-over and will be paired together. Justin Rose, the 2013 U. S. Open winner, is one shot back at 4-over, Henrik Stenson is 5-over. Reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed and Jim Furyk, the current Ryder Cup captain who received a special exemption into the field, are among those at 6-over and still very much in the tournament.
“I’m in a good position, in the lead [Sunday],’’ Johnson said. “I didn’t feel like I played badly at all. Seven over, you know, usually is a terrible score, but, I mean, with the greens the way they got this afternoon, I mean, they were very, very difficult.’’
Johnson, the 2016 U. S. Open winner, called it the best 77 he ever has shot.
“I had six or seven putts that I could have easily putted right off the green,’’ he said, referring to the outlandish pin positions on some greens. “But it’s the U. S. Open. It’s supposed to be tough.’’
No one had a tougher day than Phil Mickelson, who turned 48 Saturday and was in pursuit of a U. S. Open win that would complete the rare career Grand Slam. He shot 81 thanks to a 10 he took on the 13th hole with a two-shot penalty for hitting a putt he had struck that was still moving.
Andrew “Beef’’ Johnston, who was paired with Mickelson and had a front-row seat for the carnival show on 13, unwittingly captured the entire day best when he described Mickelson’s snafu.
“Just one of them mad moments,’’ Johnston said.
As they walked off the green toward the 14th tee together, Johnston said to Mickelson, “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to laugh at this.’’
“That’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen,’’ Johnston said. “It wasn’t a thing of saying, ‘I’ve had enough’ or this and that. It just happened. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s something you might see at your home course with your mates or something. I think it’s just a moment of madness.’’
“Madness’’ was a good description of the day.
Johnston, who shot 82, one shot worse than Mickelson, said: “I think we were both happy to get off the golf course. It was more relief we got off the golf course, and now we can enjoy the afternoon.’’
Asked if laughing about their tough day “eased the pain,’’ Johnston said: “You have to. Otherwise, I’ll be crying. If you don’t laugh here, you’ll end up going insane.’’
Rickie Fowler, who entered the day in contention for the lead and shot 84, said, “You start to kind of laugh at’’ the carnage.
“Some guys played well,’’ he said. “Berger and Finau shot 4-under. Obviously that’s great golf. But that round was not out there this afternoon. And I’m not taking anything away from their rounds. The course changed and played a lot differently this afternoon.’’
