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US Open: Bryson DeChambeau proves that bomb-and-gouge works coast to coast

US Open: Bryson DeChambeau proves that bomb-and-gouge works coast to coast

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
US Open: Bryson DeChambeau proves that bomb-and-gouge works coast to coast https://ift.tt/3gJU2Cd

SAN DIEGO – Bryson DeChambeau isn’t giving up possession of his title as reigning U.S. Open champion without a fight.

The winner of the national championship at New York’s Winged Foot Golf Club in September is proving that his bomb-and-gouge brand of golf works from coast to coast. In his 67th major-championship round, DeChambeau posted his first bogey-free round in a major on Saturday at Torrey Pines’ South Course.

DeChambeau carded a 3-under 68 to climb within two strokes of the lead at the 121st U.S. Open, and vault into a tie for fourth place with Rory McIlroy (67). Only Louis Oosthuizen (70), Russell Henley (71) and Mackenzie Hughes (67), who share the lead at 5-under 208, are ahead of him.

DeChambeau continued to bash driver on nearly every hole – leading the field in driving distance – and it didn’t seem to matter that he hit only five of 14 fairways in the third round as he led the field in greens in regulation.

“Normally, you would say that he has to do better than that tomorrow,” said NBC’s Paul Azinger. “But I’m not sure he does. He’s had a zillion chances for birdie today.”

Fellow NBC commentator John Wood agreed: “I think half of the ones that he missed were tactical. I don’t think he was trying to hit the fairway on those.”

DeChambeau got away with missing the first fairway, hoisting an iron from the right fairway bunker that peppered the flag and he opened with birdie. He got his next birdie after crushing a drive at the 534-yard sixth hole and wedging to 6 feet. One hole later, his erratic driver cost him a stroke as he drove right into a penalty area, but he dropped on a hardpan lie and managed to save par with a brilliant recovery to 6 feet. He had to scramble for par at Nos. 14 and 18, too, and used his length to his advantage in making his last birdie of the day at the par-5 13th.

“That’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to be really patient out here at these majors. It’s something that is not easy to do,” he said. “My first few goes at majors, I was not successful or anywhere near successful, and I feel like I’m starting to understand major championship golf and how to play it and how to go about managing my game, my attitude and just my patience level. If I can continue to do that tomorrow, I think I’ll have a good chance.”

That’s what DeChambeau was hoping for after struggling to 73 on Thursday, but he claimed he found something in his swing while he was sleeping and has improved his score each day – shooting 69 and 68, just the third bogey-free round of the championship, since his swing tweak. DeChambeau rallied from two shots back in September to win by six strokes and he said he’ll be ready for whatever challenge the course presents as he seeks to become the eighth player to successfully defend his U.S. Open title and first since Brooks Koepka in 2018.

“If they make it hard and tuck pins, it’s going to be a very difficult championship. It’s going to be hold on to your horses. If they make some of the pins accessible and move the tees up like they did (today), you’re going to have to go at it,” he explained. “You just have to recognize the golf course in the moment, in the conditions at hand because if there’s no wind tomorrow or if there’s a lot of wind, that’s going to change a lot of factors, too. It’s about adapting on the spot.”

On Moving Day at the 121st U.S. Open, DeChambeau was on the mark.

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Three tied for U.S. Open lead, with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau lurking two shots back

Three tied for U.S. Open lead, with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau lurking two shots back

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
Three tied for U.S. Open lead, with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau lurking two shots back https://ift.tt/3gJU2Cd

SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Open bills itself as the toughest tournament in golf, a pressure-filled cauldron designed to push players to the limit and identify the strongest one. As the new marketing campaign goes, “From many, one.”

But there seemed to be a lid on that cauldron for most of Saturday afternoon at Torrey Pines Golf Course for one of the overnight co-leaders, Russell Henley. While England’s Richard Bland slowly slid down the leaderboard while shooting 77, Henley never reached higher than 6 under or lower than 5 under where he started.

The even-par 71 was a classic, grind-it-out U.S. Open round for the 32-year-old former All-American at the University of Georgia. With 18 holes to go, he is now tied for the lead with Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen at 5 under.

“I think I learned I can do it,” Henley said after signing his card. “(It) definitely wasn’t a perfect back nine, but (I) hit a lot of good shots, a lot of good recovery shots. Felt like I was thinking well. Just a little better execution. (I’m) definitely capable of playing better, and I think I can do it, and we’ll see.”

Hughes, whose lone victory on the PGA Tour came at the 2017 RSM Classic, was plodding along through much of the day like Henley, waffling between 1- and 2-under par. Then, from the back of the 13th green, the Canadian did a Tiger Woods impression and holed a 63-foot eagle putt. It vaulted him to 4 under, a shot behind Henley. But a birdie on the par-5 18th pushed Hughes into a tie atop the leaderboard at 5 under.

“I don’t think I’m ever surprised when I play well,” Hughes said. “I wouldn’t say I necessarily expected to be in the last group this week, but I know that my game is good enough to win on the PGA Tour. I’ve done it before. This is a bigger stage, but again, it’s the same. You do the same things.”

Oosthuizen, who finished second to Phil Mickelson at last month’s PGA Championship, was 2 over on the day before he birdied 16 and then drained a 51-foot eagle putt on the 18th to join Hughes and Henley at 5 under.

“I think a year ago that would have been a very boring eagle with a few people going nuts,” Oosthuizen said. “But that was nice to see everyone back, having fans back, and those reactions don’t happen all the time, and it’s great to hear the crowds.”

Meanwhile, a pair of former U.S. Open champions who play the modern power game made their move Saturday.

Rory McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open winner at Congressional Country Club, shot 67 to reach 3 under par, two shots behind the leaders.

“It’s definitely the best that I’ve played this week,” Rory said. “I felt like I played well on Thursday, and 70 felt like the worst I could have shot. A little scrappy yesterday, but then today, I hit a lot of fairways starting out, hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of birdie chances. (I) didn’t actually make that many, but I just stayed really patient knowing that, if you’re not making bogeys out there, you’re not losing ground.”

Rory McIlroy reacts with caddie Harry Diamond after putting out on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

McIlroy, in fact, made up quite a bit of round on Henley Saturday, going from six shots behind the overnight co-leader to just two shots behind with 18 more holes to play.

The 2020 U.S. Open winner, Bryson DeChambeau, shot 68 to join McIlroy at 3 under.

“I’ve always thought that in order to win big, big tournaments you’ve got to be able to hit it dead down the middle of the fairway, make a lot of great swings into the middle of greens and make putts,” DeChambeau said Saturday. “You can definitely do it that way, but for the way the courses that have been set up recently, there is a way to win others. Hitting it as far as you can, sometimes hitting in the fairway, sometimes not, and hopefully get lucky lies out of it and you can get clear shots to the green. If you can miss it in the right spots, you can contend in major championships doing that. Depending on the course.”

Three more power players will start Sunday’s round at 2 under. Scottie Scheffler (70), Jon Rahm (72) and Mathew Wolff (73) all still have a realistic chance to win their first major championship.

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Phil Mickelson doesn’t need a trophy to be the (second) best U.S. Open player of his generation

Phil Mickelson doesn’t need a trophy to be the (second) best U.S. Open player of his generation

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
Phil Mickelson doesn’t need a trophy to be the (second) best U.S. Open player of his generation https://ift.tt/3gKhmOH

SAN DIEGO – There have been a handful of accomplished U.S. Open performers over the last three decades, none more than Tiger Woods with his three wins and two seconds. In the mortals flight, there’s a pair of South Africans each with a pair of Opens: Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Payne Stewart won two and should have won four, but the two he didn’t win went to Lee Janzen. Brooks Koepka is on that list too.

But the second greatest U.S. Open player of this generation isn’t among the aforementioned. It’s Philip Alfred Mickelson.

Before y’all run for your pitchforks, even drive-by golf fans know that Phil Mickelson has won as many U.S. Open titles as Amy Mickelson. It’s simply that his lack of a trophy is incidental to the fact that he’s been the ultimate survivor in golf’s most cutthroat test of, well, survival.

Vitas Gerulaitis delivered one of the great quips in sport more than 40 years ago when he said, “Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.” That was after he ended a streak of losses to Jimmy Connors. It wasn’t actually true—at the time, he had lost even more consecutive matches to Bjorn Borg—but his comment illustrated themes familiar to elite athletes: determination, hope, self-belief, frustration and futility.

Mickelson can surely relate since he first pegged it as an amateur at Medinah on June 14, 1990.  He’s logged 8,032 strokes since then, 76 of which came Saturday in the third round at Torrey Pines. Short of him producing a score usually only seen in Golden Tee games, Mickelson will be 0-for-30 in this championship when he drives home tomorrow.

PGA: U.S. Open - Third Round

Phil Mickelson looks over the 5th green during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

In the tradition of U.S. Opens, this has been a week that exposes the Achilles of any 51-year-old golfer, even one who claimed a sixth major victory a month ago: inconsistency. On days when the longest club in his arsenal co-operated, the shortest one didn’t. If Mickelson’s first-round 75 gave him much to do, his second-round 69 gave him hope, and it’s always the hope that kills you.

“I played really well yesterday and thought I had it,” Mickelson said. “I was going to make a run, and I just completely lost it today. But I was sure appreciative of the chance to play here in a U.S. Open on a place that is special to me and I grew up playing.”

Phil has learned to search for polite positives in this event, but the flashes of brilliance that were once so frequent are now fewer and farther between.

With respect to his six majors, the U.S. Open has been the Sisyphean tale that has defined Mickelson’s career. In theory, it should have been the event least suited to his gambling, go-for-broke style. Granted, it was in that he hasn’t won it, but no one in the 121 years of this event put himself in the mix on the closing holes more often—a record six runner-up finishes and two fourths among his ten top 10s.

Above all else, the U.S. Open is designed to test resilience, the ability to take the gut punches and the crushing disappointments and the borderline malice of the setups and the near-misses and yet keep coming back for more. No one keeps coming back for more quite like Mickelson.

For 30 years he has waged a silent psychological war with the USGA. It spilled over only once, when he petulantly hit a moving ball at Shinnecock Hills in ’18, a moment that seemed to signal a realization that the only missing major would always elude him. That’s partly because the burden of expectation he bears at the U.S. Open is intensified at venues like Shinnecock Hills. He has played so well for so long at so many courses that there will always be some straws for his true believers to cling to.

The fact that he has played well at Torrey Pines gave voice to his choir this week, no matter that his last win was 20 years ago. Same story last year at Winged Foot, where his final-hole theatrics cost him in ’06. And two years back at Pebble Beach, where he won the regular PGA Tour stop five times, including just four months before that Open. So too in that Shinnecock Hills edition, where fans eagerly noted that he’d finished top 4 in the two previous Opens there. Well so had Jeff Maggert, and he wasn’t winning in ’18 either.

Through it all, Mickelson soldiered on. His PGA Championship win exempts him into the next five U.S. Opens, but upcoming venues like The Country Club and Los Angeles CC aren’t imbued with much history for him. The next Pinehurst staging will conclude on his 54th birthday, a coincidence sure to have sentimentalists drooling and dreaming. His exemption likely expires at Oakmont, where Arnold Palmer bade farewell in 1994. If you’re a swashbuckling superstar who has had his heart regularly broken in the Open, there’s no more apropos exit ramp.

The odds of Mickelson winning one of these now seems so slender as to be preposterous. U.S. Open golf typically prizes execution, not the imagination that carried him at Kiawah Island last month. He hasn’t given up though, even 30 years on. After that 76 Saturday, he went right to the range.

“I’ll come out tomorrow and do the best I can,” he said.

The 121st U.S. Open did to Mickelson exactly what it has done 29 times before: probe his nerve, frustrate his mind, expose his swing, break his heart. And yet he’ll be back tomorrow. And next year. Woods is the greatest U.S. Open player of our era, but when it comes to the resilience that is the defining characteristic of this championship, there has been no finer exemplar than Mickelson. Even if they never did give him a trophy for it.

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Rory McIlroy is feasting on chicken sandwiches at the U.S. Open and hungry for another major

Rory McIlroy is feasting on chicken sandwiches at the U.S. Open and hungry for another major

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
Rory McIlroy is feasting on chicken sandwiches at the U.S. Open and hungry for another major https://ift.tt/3gJU2Cd

SAN DIEGO – Rory McIlroy racked his brain. He was trying to recall the last time he went to sleep in the thick of contention to win one of golf’s four majors.

“It feels like a while since I’ve had a chance,” he said.

Well, it’s been 2,505 days since McIlroy hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy as the winner of the 2014 PGA Championship, not that anyone was counting. That was 24 majors ago.

“I’m trying to think of the last time where I really felt like I had a chance. Carnoustie in ’18 felt like I maybe had half a chance, going into the final day at Pebble in 2019. But apart from that, there’s been some good finishes but never felt like I was in the thick of things,” he said. “I’m just excited for the opportunity to have a chance and be in one of the final groups.”

On the 10th anniversary of his U.S. Open victory at Congressional, his first of four major titles, McIlroy signed for a 4-under 67 at Torrey Pines’ South Course and a 54-hole aggregate of 3-under 210, tied for fourth and just two strokes off the pace.

McIlroy was pleased with his tee-to-green game and called his performance in the third round “the best he played all week.” After making a total of 10 bogeys during the first two rounds, McIlroy only made one on Saturday. The difference?

“You have to accept that middle of greens and pars are good, and I got into that mindset today,” he said. “Nothing flashy.”

That’s a formula that never goes out of style at the U.S. Open. McIlroy made a birdie at the second hole and reeled off seven straight pars to close the front nine. He made a short birdie at No. 10 and then holed a flop shot for birdie at No. 12, lifting his 60-degree wedge to the sky in celebration. One hole later, he smoked a fairway wood from 270 yards that caromed off the flagstick at the par 5 and made a two-putt birdie.

“It took a nick out of the flag,” McIlroy said. “(Caddie) Harry (Diamond) called it the best shot I hit all year.”

His lone hiccup happened at 15 when he pulled his tee dead left into the barranca, near a rattlesnake, and took a penalty stroke for an unplayable. He did yeoman’s work to salvage a bogey.

“This is the only tournament in the world where you fist pump a bogey. Only losing one there was a big deal, and getting it up-and-down out of the bunker on 16 and making that birdie on 18 just to get that shot back that I lost, really big.”

McIlroy twirled his club as his second shot to the par-5 18th settled on the dance floor, and a two-putt birdie closed out a sterling 67. McIlroy said he felt a pair of 68s on the weekend would serve him well.

U.S. Open - Round Three

Rory McIlroy reacts with caddie Harry Diamond after putting out on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

“I’ve done the first part of that job. Now it’s up to me tomorrow to go out and try to play a similar round of golf,” he said.

To do so, McIlroy will have to go toe-to-toe with defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and chase down 54-hole co-leaders Russell Henley, another upstart Mackenzie Hughes of Canada, and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

It’s been 24 majors since McIlroy’s come out on top at a major, but he’s the most experienced of the contenders in these situations. He’s proven before that he has the mental fortitude required to be a U.S. Open champion.

“It’s the most demanding golf tournament in the world, mentally, and you have to keep your wits about yourself and really stay present and stay in the moment,” McIlroy said. “Even when I was going well today I had to remind myself of that. Twenty-eleven felt like a walk in the park compared to this. You know, if I want to get another U.S. Open trophy, I’m going to have to fight for it a little more than I did 10 years ago.”

First, he was going to enjoy some family time on the eve of his first Father’s Day as a father. McIlroy and wife Erica and daughter Poppy are staying at the Torrey Pines Lodge overlooking the 18th green, where he has feasted on the same chicken sandwich five nights in a row from room service.

“So, I’ll probably make it six nights in a row,” he said. “It’s rotisserie chicken, avocado, sun dried tomatoes, some garlic aioli and some ‘holey’ bread. It’s really good.”

That’s not all that McIlroy is hungry for; he’s hungry for another major too, and he just might get the best Father’s Day present of all, major championship No. 5, on Sunday.

“Mother’s Day was pretty good to us a few weeks ago,” said McIlroy, referencing his victory last month at the Wells Fargo Championship. “So, hopefully we can have the same result on Father’s Day.”

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Laird Shepherd charts monster comeback at Nairn to win R&A's Amateur Championship

Laird Shepherd charts monster comeback at Nairn to win R&A's Amateur Championship

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
Laird Shepherd charts monster comeback at Nairn to win R&A's Amateur Championship https://ift.tt/34AgNlv

As the U.S. Open plays out at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Laird Shepherd has earned one of the first spots in the next iteration of this championship.

Thousands of miles away from the California coast, Shepherd put together an epic comeback in Nairn Scotland to win the R&A’s Amateur Championship. His spoils include a likely invitation a start in this summer’s Open Championship in addition to a likely invitation to next year’s Masters and a spot in the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The Englishman battled compatriot Monty Scowsill in the 36-hole final on Saturday at Nairn Golf Club. Remarkably, he was 8 down after 17 holes but won the 18th then chipped away at the remaining deficit all afternoon. He clawed his way back to win in 38 holes.

This is Shepherd’s fourth start in the Amateur Championship. The 23-year-old has passed part of the past year working in a call center amid COVID lockdowns. How his fortunes changed over the course of a single afternoon.

“It’s an amazing, amazing feeling,” Shepherd told the R&A. “To come back from eight down through 17 holes, I mean I was honestly more concerned about not making an embarrassing record-breaking defeat. Monty played so good in the morning, so composed, and I didn’t really have my game. To turn it around was unbelievable.

“The tears are probably for the tough times I’ve had over the last few years. It’s never nice as an athlete when you feel like you are going backwards, like I was.”

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Mallory Fobes, Charlie Hanson take home titles at Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur

Mallory Fobes, Charlie Hanson take home titles at Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
Mallory Fobes, Charlie Hanson take home titles at Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur https://ift.tt/2TL1HqE

Mallory Fobes got a bit of a pep talk from her North Carolina-Wilmington teammate Phu Khine before winning the Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur on Friday.

“She said this morning before we teed off, ‘I’ve won a Golfweek now I want you to,’ ” Fobes said.

So the sophomore from East Bend, North Carolina, delivered. Khine was there on the 18th green to douse her in water in celebration of the accomplishment.

Khine has been a motivator and a good friend for Fobes, one year her junior on the UNCW women’s golf team. Khine, from Myanmar, has been a stalwart for the Seahawks and was ranked as high as No. 158 in the world. She finished 12th in Myrtle Beach, 12 shots behind Fobes.

Scores: Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur

Fobes ended up at UNCW mostly because of head coach Cindy Ho. Living at the beach has been a big perk and so have the friendships with her teammates. Like many programs, UNCW could not compete in the fall season because of COVID-19.

In the absence of team tournaments, Fobes teed it up in the Golfweek Caledonia Amateur (31st), a GCAA Ameteur Series Event (eighth) and the Griffin Amateur (eighth).

In Myrtle Beach, Fobes went 4 under at the Dye Club at Barefoot Resort for three rounds, sealing the victory with a 3-under 69 in the final round.

“Game was definitely in better shape because I had more college tournaments under my belt,” she said.

In fact, in her sophomore season, Fobes logged one top-10 in her four starts and played to the lowest scoring average on the team. This was her second tournament back after an injury to her right hand.

Over the winter, Fobes drilled down on her wedges and also worked more on the putting green. She credits work with instructor Brad Luebchow at Maple Chase Golf and Country Club in Winston Salem, North Carolina, where she calls home, as helping get her to the next level.

“We just got an indoor simulator thing and so it has a fun wedge game where I just try and get over 58% hitting the hardest green level,” she said. “So it just really dialed in my carry numbers on my wedges.”

In the men’s division, Charlie Hanson claimed his first individual title since winning the club championship at Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Virginia, a little over a year ago.

Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur

Charlie Hanson won the Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur.

Hanson was one of four Virginia Tech players who made the trip to Myrtle Beach. Every one finished inside the top 10, led by Hanson with his 1-under total and his one-shot victory over Noah Kumar.

The company made it a relaxed week.

“We were able to hang out, chill, stay relaxed back at our condo every day,” Hansen said. “That was a lot of fun.”

The biggest takeaway, however, may be confidence. Hanson hasn’t felt like he had his best stuff lately. But going forward into a summer that will include the Virginia Amateur, the Virginia Open, U.S. Amateur qualifying and the Eastern Amateur, that may not matter anymore.

“It definitely gives me some confidence going into this summer,” Hanson said. “I’ve kind of been struggling with my game the past month or so. To come here, I wasn’t feeling incredibly confident and definitely didn’t have my best game but was able to fight enough to get the win. It just kind of shows me I am capable of winning without my best stuff, which is a huge confidence boost going into the summer.”

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Nelly Korda is all smiles after scintillating career-best round at Meijer LPGA Classic

Nelly Korda is all smiles after scintillating career-best round at Meijer LPGA Classic

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
Nelly Korda is all smiles after scintillating career-best round at Meijer LPGA Classic https://ift.tt/3cU0l3C

BELMONT, Michigan — When Nelly Korda was making the turn at Blythfield Country Club on Saturday, a loud horn sounded.

It was a weather delay. Something Korda dreaded, as she shot 5 under on the front. But the 45-minute break didn’t slow her down a bit. She shaved five more shots off her score in the back half and finished the day with a 10-under 62, a career-best. She’s currently sitting with a three-shot lead at 20 under heading into the fourth round of the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Korda made 11 birdies on the day, tied for the second-most in LPGA history. Just two less than Annika Sörenstam’s 13-birdie performance 20 years ago en route to a 59.

“I was sticking it close. Just I guess was feeling it out there today,” Korda said. “I had a lot of close putts, I was really dialed in with my irons and wedges. That helps when you have shorter putts.”

She started the day five shots off Leona Maguire’s lead, but wasted no time clawing her way back up the leaderboard. She started her round with three straight birdies. She shot her lone bogey of the day on the 11th hole, just one hole after restarting from the weather delay.

Though her only slip-up on the course came shortly after the delay, she said it didn’t affect her play much. She felt confident over her ball and the damp greens let her aim straight for the pin, knowing the ball wouldn’t roll far after it hit.

Nelly Korda hits a tee shot during the third round of the Meijer LPGA Classic. (Photo by Will Kennedy/Holland Sentinel)

“Definitely got a lot softer, you can be a lot more aggressive on the greens,” Korda said. “The greens get bouncy, they’re a little slower but bouncy. For them to be soft I can just aim at the hole and shoot at it.”

While Korda came back on the course like nothing even happened, the same could not be said for Madelene Sagstrom. She was rolling through her first nine holes, matching the leader’s 5 under. But after the delay, it was a bit slow for her.

Though she played a bogey-free round, she didn’t birdie again until the 16th. She followed it up with another birdie on 18 to shoot a 7-under 65. That’s good enough for third place heading into the final round, but if it weren’t for the bad weather she felt she could’ve scored lower.

“I wish I could have kept going because I was playing so well,” Sagstrom said. “After you stop and then we didn’t get to warm up, I was just trying to find my momentum again and I’m happy I got those 2 under after the delay.”

Maguire, who had a comfortable three-shot cushion heading into the day, wasn’t able to protect her lead. She finished her round 2 under and sits in second place overall at 17 under for the tournament.

Her holes from tee box to the dance floor was solid all afternoon. But earlier in the week when she was able to drain putts, on Saturday she wasn’t able to. As soon as she signed her scorecard she hit the practice green trying to lock in for the final round tomorrow.

“I played pretty well from tee to green felt like. Gave myself a lot of chances. Just didn’t hole any putts today at all, couldn’t really get it going,” Maguire said. “You have to hole putts around here to make some birdies. I didn’t really do that.”

Though she said she’d have like to stay in the lead heading into Sunday, it might not all be a bad thing. With Korda taking over atop the leaderboard, the Ireland native said she’ll be able to play free in the final round.

She’s still in search of her first LPGA victory, but she knows all eyes won’t be on her when they tee off tomorrow. They’ll be on her playing partner.

“All the pressure is on Nelly. Everybody expects Nelly to win tomorrow. She’s ranked [top 5] in the world, nobody expects me to do anything,” Maguire said. “I’ve really got nothing to lose. I can just go out and play golf and see what happens.”

Korda’s sister, Jessica, had a solid day herself. She shot 5 under Saturday and is tied for 12th, eight shots back of the lead. She knows that most of the field has a long way to go to catch Nelly.

But at Blythfield, where players are consistently shooting well under par, anybody can get hot at the right time. This week, it’s all come down to how the greens have rolled.

“Out here the greens are slow so it’s just trying to get the putts to the hole. That’s kind of it,” Jessica said. “I think a lot of us out on the golf course are leaving a lot of putts center and a little short so gets a little frustrating.”

For Nelly, she hopes to keep to momentum rolling into Sunday. After missing the cut in the US Open, her only missed cut of the year, Saturday’s round helped boost her confidence sky-high.

Now the trick is trying to keep it there tomorrow.

“Every day a new day, there is still 18 more holes,” Korda said. “There is a lot of girls bunched up, a lot of birdie opportunities, so take it shot by shot and see how it goes.”

Contact Assistant Sports Editor Will Kennedy at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.

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U.S. Open: What early finishers are saying about Torrey Pines and the test on 'Moving Day'

U.S. Open: What early finishers are saying about Torrey Pines and the test on 'Moving Day'

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
U.S. Open: What early finishers are saying about Torrey Pines and the test on 'Moving Day' https://ift.tt/3gJU2Cd

SAN DIEGO – What will the South Course at Torrey Pines serve up for co-leaders Richard Bland and Russell Henley and their pursuers on Saturday? The Par-71 course is measuring at 7,616 yards for the third round.

The average speed of the greens this morning was in the mid 13s and are expected to settle to the low 13s and upper 12s as the day goes along. The greens were double cut and rolled this morning to achieve these speeds.

Here are a few notes on the teeing grounds:

• Hole 3 – left tee (142 tee; playing yardage is 119)

• Hole 9 – (595 tee)

• Hole 13 – (605 tee)

• Hole 15 – primary tee (513 scorecard yardage)

• Hole 16 – left tee (194 scorecard yardage)

• Hole 17 – right tee (440 scorecard yardage)

• Hole 18 – (555 tee)

Akshay Bhatia (+2, 73): “It’s gettable. It really depends on how the weather turns out. Some greens are really firm, and some weren’t, but there’s definitely some gettable pins. I think, in my opinion, I don’t think the course is playing as hard as everyone thought. 5-under is leading, and in 2008, 1-over was top three. So it’s definitely very scorable, and I think 4-under will be a good, solid score today.”

Ian Poulter:(-3, 68): “We got mild wind, so because of that and a little bit of overcast today, the greens are drying out, but there’s still opportunities on this golf course. If you put it in play, you’re going to have a few looks to make birdie. The par-5s, obviously, can be gettable, and you just need to play smart golf. There’s a number of very tricky holes, a couple of very tight pin locations you need to be sensible on.”

Jason Gore, USGA player director, involved in course setup and third-round marker:

“It all depends on how they want to play. I mean, there’s a lot of hole locations that look really gettable, and they’re not. Like No. 1, you can see the whole thing, and you’re like, oh, my gosh, I’m going to shoot right at this, and it just kind of boing. It’s just going to take off.

“You have to play aggressive to conservative targets, that’s what they’re going to do. The greens are so good, they’re going to make putts, and they’re at the perfect – like they’re fast enough to be at the good speed where you just – you can make putts on these. They’re scary, but they’re not frightening if that makes sense.

“We were really smart about putting the holes in places that – you know what, you’re going to have a frightening putt, but it’s not going to kill you. So, you have to think hard, play a little bit more break and let it die, but I think the golf course is set up fantastic. They’re going to make some birdies. They’re going to make some bogeys. You’ve seen the scorecards where they show them on TV. It’s a ton of squares, a ton of circles. Somebody is going to come out of it well.

“You can see Jordan (Spieth) and Paul Casey are playing well today. If you’ve got good ball control, you’re going to be able to score. If you don’t, you’re going to be working.”

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/35CgaYD
How Aaron Rodgers' golf game has fans in Green Bay clinging to hope

How Aaron Rodgers' golf game has fans in Green Bay clinging to hope

Golfsolutions June 19, 2021
How Aaron Rodgers' golf game has fans in Green Bay clinging to hope https://ift.tt/3cJD2to

The word on Aaron Rodgers has been that he’s looking to get out of Green Bay. The tension between Rodgers and the Packers hit a new level last spring and Rodgers told multiple members of the organization that he does not want to return to the team, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the USA TODAY Network. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

But now, thanks to his golf game, fans in Wisconsin are clinging to hope that he’ll back for another season in green and gold.

Rodgers is preparing for the next installment of “The Match,” the fourth edition of the made-for-TV event — this one coming at the spectacular Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, which sits at an elevation of roughly 7,500 feet.

Reigning U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau will play with Rodgers. Phil Mickelson will again play with Tom Brady, with whom he partnered in The Match II against Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning last May.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 6, at 5 p.m. ET, just after the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, where DeChambeau will return as defending champion, and two days before the John Deere Classic.

So, Rodgers is likely playing plenty of golf these days as he prepares for a national audience.

Then, this was leaked today, perhaps symbolizing a thawing in Rodgers’ deep freeze with the team’s management.

If Rodgers was planning to head elsewhere, would he re-up at his local club, especially since he’ll be looking to get extra work in before the Montana event? There are plenty of other options in Wisconsin if he’s only sticking around for a few weeks. Here’s our list of best courses you can play in the Badger State.

Green Bay Country Club, a Dick Nugent design, sits just 15 minutes from the Packers’ storied stadium, Lambeau Field.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3gGinZv