– Sam Burns (-4) is the sole leader of the US Open with 18 holes to go. He has a one-shot lead over Adam Scott (-3) and J.J. Spaun (-3) and three over Viktor Hovland (-1). They are the four who remain under par after 54 holes. Carlos Ortiz (PAR) holds the fifth position alone after delivering, alongside Scott, the best scorecard of the day (67 strokes). Everything suggests that the winner of the US Open this Sunday should come from these five players.
– The rain finally disrupted the US Open. However, interestingly, it wasn’t as much the spectacular downpour on Friday night as the one that lasted barely 15 minutes this Saturday. The impressive work done by all the USGA maintenance staff, blowers and rakes in hand, managed to dry Oakmont quite a bit before the start of the third round. This situation, combined with the wind that blew in the early hours, meant that the results were not as good (or not as bad) as expected.
However, that express storm that hit just as Rahm was on the 11th, and with the last matches starting, did make an impact. It softened Oakmont, made it more receptive, and chased away the wind. The last matches of the day benefited. The great comebacks were almost unfeasible. It is not usual for the four players in the last two matches of the third round of a Major to play at par or below. And those same four remain at the top of the leaderboard. This is not to detract from Burns, Scott, Spaun, or Hovland, it simply states a reality. Of course, they also did their part and played great golf.
– The rain has caused a total of twelve players to deliver under-par scorecards this Saturday. It is the highest number of the week, above the ten on Thursday, with the added fact that today there were far fewer players on the course, specifically less than half. That’s why today has been the easiest day at Oakmont.
– The third round has left us with four very different stories, each with its own background, but with a lot of substance. Sam Burns is playing his 21st Major and to date only has one top 10, interestingly at last year’s US Open. His story, without a doubt, is his friendship with Scottie Scheffler. They are close friends. If he wins tomorrow, he will earn the right to speak at barbecues when talking about majors. Burns has played well and, above all, has had great timing. His main mistakes from the tee have come on holes 2, 7, and 14. On all three occasions, he had to play back to the fairway without being able to advance much. All three times he hit a great shot and made par. Maybe tomorrow he won’t have the same luck…
– Adam Scott is the story of stories. He is playing his 96th consecutive Major. His victory would set an absolute record in golf history. No one has taken longer between their first and second Major win. More than twelve years have passed since his coronation at Augusta. He is the only player who has not played over par this week. That fact is never known if it plays in his favour or against him. Statistically, one might say it’s his turn tomorrow. It seems a fantasy to play four consecutive days at Oakmont and not go over par.
– What to say about J.J. Spaun. The Cinderella story. The culmination of a tough journey to reach the elite. A magnificent story of overcoming. Today he was like a cyclist hanging on in a mountain stage. He came and went. He made three birdies and two bogeys. His big problem, like Burns, is that he has never been in such a situation. We’ll see how they handle the pressure.
– Viktor Hovland is the big favourite if we consider name, numbers, and performance in recent years. He is ready to win a Major for some time now and just needs to close it out. He has been in this position before. His story is that he started the year lost with his swing, caught in a technical snowball that kept getting bigger and bigger. It would be almost ironic if after all that he managed to win on the toughest course in the United States.
– The quirky story involves Carlos Ortiz. Not a silly story because his candidacy is not serious, which it is, and very much so, but because the last two Oakmont champions (Ángel Cabrera in 2007 and Dustin Johnson in 2016) came out on Sunday four shots behind the leader. The only one in this US Open who is four shots behind the leader is the Mexican. You see, it’s a quirky story, it doesn’t take a single shot away from Ortiz, but if it repeats…
– It would be too bold to completely rule out Tyrrell Hatton, but five shots with the lead and four with two second places seems too much. The rest are already too far away, including Scottie Scheffler (+4), who wasn’t far off from getting closer to the lead. A very short missed par putt on the 8th left him halfway in the comeback.
– We’ll see what role the weather plays this Sunday. Initially, the forecast indicates it might rain, although less intensely than this Saturday. The more difficult the course, the more complicated it will be for those at the top, especially for those with less experience in these matters. A very tough course, in principle, would benefit Hovland and Scott. The solution, this Sunday.
