Key events<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler hasn\u2019t enjoyed himself on the front nine this week. He\u2019s currently cumulatively five over going out, and sending his tee shot into the deep fescue down the left of 3 won\u2019t help that stat. He whistles his second into greenside sand, and doesn\u2019t get particularly close with his splash out. But he rolls in the putt, and pumps the air with his fist. He\u2019s clinging on at the moment, but with Wyndham Clark missing a 15-foot birdie putt, he\u2019s lost no ground despite that scrappy hole. He remains level par, six behind the leader.<\/p>\n
-6: Clark (3)
-3: Burns (5)
-1: Fleetwood (6), Mitchell (5), Kim (3), Theegala (3)
E: Morikawa (7), Schauffele (6), Stevens (4), Scheffler (3)<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n JT Poston has inserted himself into the equation. The 33-year-old from North Carolina is in good form, having won the Memorial Tournament a couple of weeks ago, and he\u2019s just carded four birdies in five holes to hit the turn in 32 strokes. He\u2019s level par, as eagle-eyed readers will have already noticed. Meanwhile Sam Burns and Keith Mitchell take turns to roll in mid-distance putts on 5 for birdie; they\u2019re -3 and -1 respectively.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Joaquin Niemann pars his way home and signs for a 66. What a performance from the brilliant Chilean. What that septuple-bogey 11 (!) on Thursday might have cost him. He\u2019s the new clubhouse leader at +1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Wyndham Clark putts up from the fringe at the back of 2 to four feet. That\u2019s a fine effort, but it still leaves a tricky short bogey putt with right-to-left break. He makes the putt, but only just; a more tentative prod would have sent that wide left. Scottie Scheffler\u2019s birdie putt nearly drops, but par will have to do. Meanwhile on 3, Sahith Theegala rolls in a 20-foot right-to-left slider to get into the red at -1 \u2026 and Tom Kim follows him in for a birdie of his own to join him at -1.<\/p>\n -6: Clark (2) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Clark whips up and over a bunker, onto the green. But the slope takes his ball off the back. Only just, but two putts from there will be a result. As the ball left the putting surface, a sizeable section of the gallery cheered loudly: they\u2019re obviously behind Scheffler. This sort of thing can either get in a player\u2019s head \u2013 see Colin Montgomerie passim \u2013 or fuel them to greater things. Let\u2019s see which way this goes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Clark goes for a gentle fade into the par-three 2nd. But he sends it straight left, so much so that it clears the tallest fescue to the side of the green. It\u2019s still in thick rough, though. The same mistake he made on 17 last night, but this time there\u2019s no camera podium from which to get relief. On Sky, Paul McGinley calls a double-cross, suggesting that could be something that will get into his head, given what happened yesterday on 17. Clark looks a little concerned, especially as Scheffler then does exactly what he was trying to do, a fade that lands on the front-left portion of the green, the camber of the putting surface bringing his ball round to 17 feet. Big chip from the rough for Clark coming up; he\u2019s been up to the task more often than not this week.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Clark can\u2019t make his birdie putt, which shaves the left lip. But that\u2019s a nerve-settling opening par, the hole played without fuss or drama. Then Scheffler, to almost funereal silence, shoves his par putt wide right. He stands there scratching his head in confusion as Clark bounds off to the next tee with an extra spring in his step. That couldn\u2019t have gone much better for the leader, missed birdie putt notwithstanding.<\/p>\n -7: Clark (1) Share<\/a><\/p>\n Scheffler needs a fast start to eat into Clark\u2019s lead and apply some matchplay-style pressure. But his second into 1 takes a hot bounce off a downslope and disappears over the back, into a thick fringe. He\u2019s got to whip out high, and does very well, getting to within six feet. But that\u2019ll be a tester to save par \u2026 and Clark has stuck his approach pin high to 15 feet. A birdie attempt coming up, and a possible two-shot swing. This could nix any hope of Scheffler gaining momentum from the get-go!<\/p>\n Wyndham Clark hits from the fairway on the first hole. Photograph: Gerald Herbert\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.46 EDT<\/p>\n Up on the green, Tom Kim and Sahith Theegala both make disappointing \u2013 and frankly careless \u2013 three-putt bogeys. They slip back to level par. Heading the other way: Sam Burns, who follows up birdie at 1 with another at 3. Burns came so close last year, leading after 54 holes at Oakmont, but his final round was an almost literal wash-out of 78. Burns is on course to best last year\u2019s tie for seventh.<\/p>\n -7: Clark Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u266a \u266b \u266c \u201cHappy birthday to you \/ Happy birthday to you \/ Happy birthday dear Scottie (30), Happy birthday to you! \u201d \u266a \u266b \u266c It\u2019s the final match of the 126th US Open<\/a>. Scheffler belts his tee shot down the middle. Wyndham Clark, who was a bit wayward off the tee yesterday, takes iron for safety and finds the fairway as well. Everyone\u2019s out! It\u2019s on! More cheers for Scottie than Clark, by the way, which will partly be a popularity thing \u2013 America loves a winner, and Scheffler\u2019s on the brink of a career slam \u2013 but also from a desire to witness a sporting contest. Nothing personal, Wyndham. That\u2019s showbiz!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u266a \u266b \u266c \u201cHappy birthday to you \/ Happy birthday to you \/ Happy birthday dear Tom Kim (23), Happy birthday to you! \u201d \u266a \u266b \u266c The penultimate pairing take to the tee, and it features the birthday boy Tom Kim. There\u2019d be few more popular winners if the young Korean made it today, and he\u2019s on the 1st in regulation, as is his playing partner Sahith Theegala, whose victory would go down very well with the gallery too. See also: Tommy Fleetwood, who knocks his wedge at 3 from 144 yards to four feet and tidies up for his second birdie in a row. Just the five more for another final-day 63 at Shinnecock, then! He\u2019s -1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The defending champion JJ Spaun didn\u2019t make the weekend. Last year\u2019s runner-up did, though, and Robert MacIntyre has finished his week with a level-par 70. He\u2019s +7, and wouldn\u2019t be human if he\u2019s still not cursing Viktor Hovland for giving Spaun a read ahead of that tournament-winning putt. Meanwhile in other European news, Justin Rose has just made three birdies in a row, on 11, 12 and 13, to rise up the standings to +1. A top-ten finish within reach for the 2013 champ.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There have been quite a few shots of both Wyndham Clark and Scottie Scheffler going through their practice routines. Clark wedging an alignment stick through the loops of his trousers for real-time hip analysis; Scheffler missing a few short putts, which doesn\u2019t augur well. Meanwhile here\u2019s more good news for Clark courtesy of David \u2018Not That One\u2019 Howell: \u201cThe scoring variance has continued to be lower than in prior US Opens here, and low variance is obviously what a six-shot leader wants. Secondly, finding fairways doesn\u2019t seem to be as important today. Lots of players have been scoring over par while hitting most fairways, and several of today\u2019s best rounds have come in spite of missing a few. Considering that Clark has historically not been the straightest off the tee, it\u2019s reasonable to assume he might find the fescue a bit under pressure, but that might not be a death sentence today.\u201d Speaking of belt loops, any old excuse to enjoy the greatest zinger ever told \u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Another final round of 63 in a US Open<\/a> at Shinnecock is statistically, realistically too much to ask of Tommy Fleetwood. Surely. But he\u2019s just raked in a long birdie putt across the par-three 2nd to join the group at level par in short order. Just the six more birdies needed. What better excuse to refresh the leaderboard for the first time in this report?<\/p>\n -7: Clark Share<\/a><\/p>\n A lovely moment on 18 as the 17-year-old amateur Miles Russell walks up 18. The youngest player in the field is on in regulation, and having hit his approach, wears a smile as wide as Long Island itself as his caddie hands his official vest and bag of clubs over to his dad. Father and son make the last walk up the fairway together, and that is such a sweet moment. Russell Sr. (not that one, Pulp fans) helps Miles line up his final putt, a long right-to-left swinger that nearly drops. A tap-in for par and a final round of 70. He finishes the week at +7. His playing partner today, fellow amateur Jackson Koivun of North Carolina, birdies for a 68 and finishes at +5. He\u2019ll be keeping an eye on what Ryder Cowan gets up to: the only player left who can beat Koivun to Low Amateur status and the Jack Nicklaus Medal has bogeyed 2 and is currently +3 overall through 4.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Joaquin Niemann might be the one to take advantage of the relatively benign conditions. Out in 33, the Chilean, much touted as a major champion in waiting, has subsequently birdied 10 and now 13 to move to four under for his round, and +1 overall. He\u2019ll be cursing his opening round of 78, and that toddler\u2019s tanty on the par-four 6th, at which he took 11 strokes. A septuple bogey! Two tee shots out of bounds, a back-and-forth with the referee in a doomed attempt to get relief from fire ants in the fescue, and a two-shot penalty for a coptered club. Oh Joaquin! He\u2019s currently +1 for the tournament, and in theory, if we factor out the butterfly effect and linear nature of history, would now be just one off the pace sans meltdown. A lesson for all you kids out there: keep your cool, it pays in the long run. (Though it is fun to launch a club in a fit of pique. Well, it is. It might not be right but it is. I don\u2019t write the rules.)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ludvig \u00c5berg birdies the last for a final round of 66. Another major championship of what-ifs for the young Swede, who it\u2019s easy to forget is still only making his 11th major-championship appearance this week. He ends the week at +3 and is the new clubhouse leader. Some more proof that there\u2019s a score out there for the chasing pack. Only problem being, it\u2019s also out there for Wyndham Clark, and look at the 64 he shot on Thursday when the wind was down.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile here\u2019s a reminder of how easily a six-shot advantage can be whittled away on a major-championship Sunday \u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 plus memories of Brooks Koepka nearly letting a seven-shot lead slip. Suffice to say, Wyndham Clark, as dominant as he\u2019s been so far, won\u2019t be taking anything for granted just yet.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A six-shot lead, though. Courtesy of an old Joy of Six, here\u2019s the story of how Arnold Palmer came from seven back in 1960 (though to be clear, 54-hole leader Mike Souchak was only two ahead of the field going into the final round).<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cYou\u2019re dead,\u201d scoffed golf writer Bob Drum. He\u2019d just been asked by Arnold Palmer, two times a Master but yet to land his national title, if a final-round 65 could win the US Open. \u201cNah, you\u2019re too far back, Arnie. That would do nothing.\u201d Palmer threw his half-eaten cheeseburger down \u2013 it was lunch between the third and fourth rounds of the 1960 tournament at Cherry Hills near Denver, the final 36 holes in those days all played on the Saturday \u2013 and left the locker room in the lofty state of high dudgeon.<\/p>\n In fairness to Drum, his was a reasonable, if slightly tactless, response. Palmer came into the Open as the favourite, fresh from winning at Augusta, but he pushed his opening tee shot into a ditch, double bogeyed the first hole, and never quite got going. He\u2019d putted poorly, and after three rounds was seven shots behind the leader Mike Souchak. There were 13 other players in between the two, including four-time winner Ben Hogan, Gary Player, former champ Julius Boros, the pop singer Don Cherry (!) and a promising young amateur called Jack Nicklaus. Yep, Arnie was dead.<\/p>\n Except, of course, Arnie wasn\u2019t dead. Steam trailing from his lugs \u2013 \u201cI was a little angry at Drum and his attitude,\u201d recalled Palmer \u2013 he took to the first tee and attempted to drive the green at the short par four. His ball rolled to 20 feet. He didn\u2019t make the eagle putt, but birdie was a good enough start. Come the 4th, he\u2019d made four of them in a row. By the 7th, he\u2019d made another two, by which point he was jigging across the turf in a syncopated manner, repeatedly tossing his visor into the air in celebration. A shot was dropped at 8, but he still reached the turn in 30 strokes, a new tournament record.<\/p>\n That pique-fuelled charge \u2013 followed by one last birdie at 11 \u2013 was enough to land Palmer the title. Souchak, unnerved by the ear-splitting noise generated by Palmer\u2019s gallery \u2013 which now included Drum, the player greeting the hapless scribe on his arrival with a raised eyebrow and a wry \u201cfancy seeing you here!\u201d \u2013 fell apart. Young Nicklaus briefly held the lead but, callow and nervous, naively elected to putt over a ball mark and three putted, all momentum lost. Finally Hogan, who had hit 34 out of 34 greens in regulation on the final day going up 17, dumped his approach in water while striving too hard to nudge ahead of Palmer, then got wet again from the tee at the last. Palmer\u2019s seven-shot comeback was the greatest in US Open history, the visor he launched on the final green still, it\u2019s said, in orbit<\/a>. Nice that Arnie celebrated so well while the going was good, because a mere six years later, he would, unlike his cap, come crashing back down to earth.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There were only two rounds under par yesterday. Emiliano Grillo shot 67 in the windiest of the conditions; Scottie Scheffler carded 69 after coming home in 32 strokes. It was tough. And it\u2019s tough again today, of course \u2026 just not so tough. There isn\u2019t as much wind, and though the greens are still hard and fast, there\u2019s already been evidence that something is out there for someone. Maybe it\u2019s already been done, because already there have been three sub-70 rounds this morning\/afternoon, one more than the whole of Moving Day. Peter Uihlein, who shot 80 yesterday, has finished his week with a 66, a score that\u2019s only been bettered in this tournament so far by Wyndham Clark (64), Collin Morikawa (65) and Joaquin Niemann (65), and matched by Xander Schauffele (66) and Dustin Johnson (66). James Nicholas has followed up yesterday\u2019s 82 with 69. And Ben James has shot 67. So it\u2019s on. Possibly. Another final round of 63 for Tommy Fleetwood? Let\u2019s rule nothing out. An 83 is realistic too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n
-2: Burns (4)
-1: Fleetwood (5), Kim (3), Theegala (3)
E: Poston (9), Schauffele (5), Mitchell (4), Stevens (3), Scheffler (2)<\/p>\n
-2: Burns (3)
-1: Fleetwood (1)
E: Morikawa (4), Mitchell (3), Stevens (2), Kim (2), Theegala (2), Scheffler (1)<\/p>\n
-2: Burns (3)
-1: Fleetwood (4), Scheffler
E: Morikawa (4), Mitchell (3), Stevens (2), Kim (1), Theegala (1)<\/p>\n
-1: Scheffler, Theegala, Kim, Stevens
E: Fleetwood (2), Schauffele (2), Mitchell (1), Grillo
+1: Niemann (14), Woodland (9), Morikawa (2)
+2: Rose (12), Griffin (11), Hatton (11), Bhatia (8), Rai (6), M Fitzpatrick (2)<\/p>\n