by They order a Labatt Blue, moonshine, and an extra-large bowl of kibble.
Saturday notes
Leader(s) – They took different routes to get there, but three players—Louis Oosthuizen, Russell Henley, and Mackenzie Hughes—are tied atop the U.S. Open leaderboard. Henley’s third round was up and down, with four birdies and four bogeys; Hughes shot one of the best rounds of the day and closed with a 32 on the back nine; and Louis struggled for most of Saturday before birdieing the 16th and rolling in a bomb on the 18th for eagle. Sunday is hard to predict for this trio. Louis has a lot of experience in major championship contention but hasn’t closed the deal in any of his recent attempts. On the other hand, Hughes and Henley have a combined zero top-10 finishes in majors. It will very likely be a free-for-all and we’re excited to watch!
Well, well, well – After trying to shoot himself out of the tournament in both of his first two rounds, Rory McIlroy put together a third-round 67 and is now T-4. He was -4 through 14 holes on Saturday before barely avoiding disaster on the par-4 15th, saving bogey from the canyon. A birdie on the 18th leaves him two shots back, the closest he’s been to the lead through 54 holes of a major since the 2018 Masters. All that’s left to do is have the same dinner for the sixth night in a row and get his fifth major tomorrow.
Fore? – Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau also made a big move on Saturday, shooting 68 to jump to T-4. As he is prone to do, DeChambeau unleashed driver after driver on Saturday, in some cases intentionally aiming at fans without yelling fore. Aside from this recklessness, his round was pretty flawless. He made clutch par saves coming home and has a real chance at capturing his second straight U.S. Open title.
Not out of it – Since no one was able to lift and separate on Saturday, there are still a ton of players who could conceivably make a Sunday charge. In the top 10 but a few shots back are Matthew Wolff (-2), Jon Rahm (-2), Scottie Scheffler (-2), Collin Morikawa (-1), Dustin Johnson (-1), Xander Schauffele (-1), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (1), and Kevin Streelman (-1). An intimidating crew!
Feeling Bland – We all wanted to believe 48-year-old Richard Bland could hold on through the weekend, but the English journeyman stubbled to a 77 on Saturday. He’s now T-14 and probably out of it.
Quick Hooks
Nelly Korda shot a blistering 62 on Saturday to leapfrog a bunch of players and grab a three-shot lead at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Leaderboard
Recent Arizona State graduate Kevin Yu tied the course record and jumped to the top of the Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour. This is his first start as a professional! He’ll have a two-shot lead heading into Sunday. Leaderboard
Laird Shepherd came back from eight down (!!!) to win the Amateur Championship on Saturday. Shepherd got to four down with four to play before taking the 38th hole of the 36-hole final. The win earns him exemptions into the 2021 Open Championship, 2022 Masters, and 2022 U.S. Open. Results
The R&A announced that 32,000 fans will be allowed at Royal St. George’s on each day of this coming July’s Open Championship. Press Release
Akshay Bhatia, who made the cut in dramatic fashion late yesterday, was paired up with designated marker Jason Gore. And who caddied for the USGA’s player relations director? CEO Mike Davis, of course. Full Story from Adam Schupak
Is Viktor Hovland the best writer in golf?
Oof, Brian. Sorry ’bout that.
Oof, Sergio. Sorry ’bout that.
The Latest from The Fried Egg
Registrations for two of our events open next week! The Regatta at White Bear Yacht Club will be held on 9/13 while The Aftermath at Pine Hills CC will take place on 9/27, the day after the Ryder Cup and right up the road from Whistling Straits. Mark your calendars: registrations open on Tuesday, June 22 at 12 p.m. ET.
Shotgun Start will be in your podcast as soon as Andy’s internet allows! Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Pro Shop
The golf course may not be our favorite, but Torrey Pines certainly is a beautiful place. All of our prints of the South Course are 20% off this weekend! Shop and save today!
