DeChambeau impressed by followers, up 3 at U.S. Open

PINEHURST, N.C. — Standing on the thirteenth tee field within the third spherical of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 on Saturday, Bryson DeChambeau advised his caddie, Gregory Bodine, “I’d like to go for this inexperienced.”

Somebody within the gallery shouted, “Yeah, you must!”

DeChambeau thought higher of it and advised the followers earlier than hitting an extended iron, “Do not boo me, I am sorry.”

They had been solely cheering for DeChambeau, the LIV Golf League captain who has gained the hearts of golf followers along with his on-course high-fives and YouTube movies. With a potent mixture of size off the tee and deft placing on the greens, DeChambeau opened a 4-stroke lead on the again 9 earlier than carding a 3-under 67 for a 3-shot benefit heading into Sunday’s last spherical.

As a lot a showman as a golfer, DeChambeau loved each minute of it.

“It was superb,” he mentioned. “I can not thank them sufficient. It was a blessing. Man, they riled me up. It simply provides me a spike in my adrenaline and permits me to focus extra on delivering for the followers and for myself and for my household. It simply conjures up me.”

Matthieu Pavon, who’s making an attempt to develop into the primary golfer from France to win the U.S. Open, is 3 strokes again after posting a 1-under 69. So are Rory McIlroy, who’s making an attempt to finish an almost 10-year drought and not using a main championship victory, and Patrick Cantlay, who’s making an attempt to win his first. They shot 69 and 70 within the third spherical, respectively, to stay within the hunt.

It’s DeChambeau’s first 54-hole lead in a serious championship. It is just the second time he’ll play within the last pairing within the last spherical of a serious. Within the 2020 U.S. Open, he trailed Matthew Wolff by 2 and carded a 3-under 67 to win his first main championship.

With two holes to play Saturday, it appeared the opposite contenders would possibly get nearer. After DeChambeau sunk a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 14, he made a large number of the sixteenth and posted his first double bogey of the match to drop to six beneath, 2 forward of Pavon, McIlroy and Cantlay.

Undeterred, DeChambeau hit his tee shot on the par-3 seventeenth to 11½ ft and made one other birdie to maneuver again to three in entrance. It was his twenty third one-putt of the match. He made a straightforward par on the 18th.

That wasn’t the one drama. On the ninth gap, DeChambeau requested a USGA official to ship for his bodily therapist. He was coping with tightness in his proper hip; he lay on the bottom within the woods and was stretched earlier than hitting his tee shot on No. 11.

“It was more durable to get by way of on a pair pictures,” DeChambeau mentioned. “It is OK. I’ve had it for a very long time now. It is simply one thing that popped up. I’ve simply been pushing myself somewhat bit, pushing the horse a bit. Consequently, that is going to occur. However I’ve obtained an important staff round me to assist repair some stuff up.”

When DeChambeau captured his first main championship victory within the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Membership in New York, he swung his driver as onerous and quick as he might — tight fairways be damned. DeChambeau’s technique appeared foolhardy to others, however after 72 holes, he was the one golfer in purple numbers and ran away with a 6-shot victory over Wolff.

A lot has modified for DeChambeau within the almost 4 years since. He’s now a extremely paid captain within the LIV Golf League and has tinkered along with his physique as a lot as his golf equipment, going from larger and stronger to leaner.

DeChambeau’s largest transformation may need come between his ears. When he arrived at Pinehurst No. 2 this week, he vowed to play “boring golf” in his quest for a second main championship, figuring out the huge native areas and diabolical inexperienced complexes on architect Donald Ross’ masterpiece within the North Carolina sandhills would not afford him the prospect to grip it and rip it.

That is what DeChambeau did over the primary 54 holes. He hit 12 of 14 fairways en path to a 3-under 67 within the first spherical. He was extra erratic off the tee within the second spherical however wanted solely 27 putts for a 1-under 69. On Saturday, he gained greater than 3 strokes on the sector in placing.

DeChambeau will carry that very same sport plan into the ultimate spherical.

“Simply going to say it, tomorrow it is the identical quote I’ve mentioned all week: making an attempt to have boring golf,” DeChambeau mentioned. “Center of the greens by no means strikes, so I’m going to attempt to hit quite a lot of the greens, give myself some beauty on some holes and two-putt loads.”

McIlroy will enter the ultimate spherical of the U.S. Open inside the highest 10 for the sixth 12 months in a row, which is the longest streak since Ben Hogan did it 12 straight occasions, from 1940 to 1956, based on the Elias Sports activities Bureau.

McIlroy was only one stroke behind DeChambeau after making a 9½-foot birdie putt on No. 12. However after making one other birdie on the 14th, he carded bogeys on the 2 par-3s, Nos. 15 and 17, after hitting his tee pictures into greenside bunkers.

“The previous few holes are enjoying very, very tough,” McIlroy mentioned. “Even 17, it is downwind, however with that pin reduce on the entrance, it is onerous to get that ball shut, and even on 18 the place that gap location is. It doesn’t matter what occurs, I really feel like 2 pictures, 3 pictures, 4 pictures, I’ve obtained an important probability going into tomorrow.”

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who began the third spherical with a 1-shot lead, posted a 3-over 73 and is tied for fifth with Hideki Matsuyama at 2 beneath. Aberg, who had been methodical in hitting fairways and greens within the first two rounds, was undone by a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 thirteenth.

Aberg, a former Texas Tech star, is searching for to be the primary participant to win the U.S. Open in his debut since Francis Ouimet in 1913.

Tony Finau additionally carded a triple-bogey 7 on No. 13. He completed 2-over 72 and is tied with England’s Tyrrell Hatton for seventh at 1 beneath.

Solely eight gamers had been beneath par after 54 holes, as Pinehurst No. 2 continued to brown and agency up in scorching warmth.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was 5 over after 36 holes and made the reduce on the quantity, struggled for the third straight spherical and posted a 1-over 71. He’s tied for forty second at 6 over.

Scheffler, who had gained in 5 of his previous eight begins, has by no means had 4 straight rounds over par in a match as a professional.

“The sport of golf is a psychological torture chamber at occasions, particularly the U.S. Open,” Scheffler mentioned.