Updates will be posted throughout Sunday’s final round at The Olympic Club.
5:30 p.m.: Well, this is still as unpredictable as it was when this tournament started Thursday. Hard to believe the course is playing tougher. That’s difficult to fathom considering all the high scores posted throughout the week.
• In the clubhouse, Michael Thompson (66, 75, 74, 67) carded a 3-under 67 to position himself at 2-over for the tournament. Thompson led the field after the first round.
• As he makes the turn for the back nine, Jim Furyk is plugging along, still rather consistent. He is 1-over today but remains at even par and one stroke ahead of a charging Webb Simpson (plus-1).
• Simpson made a similar run Saturday, posting a 68 then. He is 2-under through 12 on Sunday.
• Playing in his first major, John Peterson is putting together a pleasant round. He is 1-under through 15 and 2-over for the week.
• 54-hole co-leader Graeme McDowell is falling fast. He is 4-over for his round.
• Follow me on Twitter @theWeaveGilroy for quicker updates.
A full recap will be posted later tonight.
4:30 p.m.: Among the heartache out on the course today – Lee Westwood losing his tee shot in a tree on No. 5, for example – there has been a few bight spots have sprouted as these players will themselves home.
• On the 200-yard par-3 eighth, Matt Kucher did everything he could to coax ball into the cup as it dangled left edge. With a surrendered smile, he dropped his club and signaled to the crowd to make some noise. But, the decibels didn’t work and he tapped in for bogey.
• Amateur Beau Hossler is struggling today – 3-over for is round through eight. That isn’t keeping his supporters quiet, though. A rousing chant of “Let’s go Hossler” greeted the 17-year-old at the eighth green. He dutifully tipped his cap.
A glance at the board as of 4:30 p.m. shows some movement. While Jim Furyk is still at 1-under, Graeme McDowell, is 2-over so far and 1-over for the championship. Ernie Els has crept into a tie for second at 1-over, and John Peterson, who aced No. 13 on Saturday, is 1-under for his round through 10 played. He is fourth at 2-over.
3:30 p.m.: Now we’re talking. The 54-hole leaders are on the course. Jim Furyk found the left rough off the tee on No. 1 but rallied for par. Graeme McDowell dead center in fairway off the tee but made par as well.
• First-round leader Michael Thompson, who leads the field this week in birdies, is 2-under through eight holes and 3-over for the championship, tied for fifth. Tiger Woods is nowhere to be seen. He is 6-over through 6 and plus-10 overall. The buzz around him is hardly a murmur now.
• Heading into the round Furyk has the fewest bogeys, 6, in the tournament.
• Twenty-two golfers have finished their rounds. Only one, Davis Love III (69), posted below par.
• Follow the leaderboard here. I’m headed out to the course for a live look in at Holes 6-9.
2:15 p.m.: Tiger Woods bogeyed No. 1 and No. 2 and is slowly floating away with the fog that is sweeping across The Olympic Club this afternoon. Woods is 6-over for the championship now and well off the pace.
I think by 5 p.m., which should put everyone in the leading groups on the back nine, we still won’t have a clear picture of how this tournament will finish.
The players in the hunt, stalking Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk, are not to be discounted. Ernie Els was tied for 74th after the first round. He is tied for fourth prior to his tee time. Els won the Open in 1994 and 1997.
Lee Westwood, often favored at Majors, is lurking and in search of his first Major victory. Jason Dufner can’t be over looked. Neither can Webb Simpson or Kevin Chappell, or, teen sensation Beau Hossler. So, really, it’s like what I’ve said all along, this is up for grabs.
I’m still leaning toward Jim Furyk to hang on for a one-stroke win. He has the golf game to at least go toe to toe with the Lake Course.
1:15 p.m.: The first three rounds of the 112th U.S. Open at The Olympic Club were grueling, but Sunday’s final round will be down-right exhausting. Expect the unexpected is really the only way to approach viewing this as it unfolds. This course plays no favorites. Shots are good, bad, ugly and worse.
The final pairing pits two former Open champions, Graeme McDowell (2010) and Jim Furyk (2003). Their patience Saturday is why they are co-leaders after 54 holes. Both dealt with disappointment during their rounds and stood firm. At 1-under entering the final round this Father’s Day afternoon.
They hold a two-shot lead on Fredrik Jacobson and three-shots on four players, including Lee Westwood and Ernie Els. And then there is Tiger Woods. His 5-over 75 on Saturday left him 4-over and five strokes back. Thursday and Friday he couldn’t be stopped – this was for sure his tournament. Now on Sunday, people are wondering if he will crack the top-10.
• Will an even-par round be enough to win? Can anyone make up any ground on the leaders? We will find out as the sun sets.
• The weather has taken a 180 here. Sunny and warm has turned to foggy and windy. A marine layer has blanked the Lake Course.
• Furyk and McDowell tee off at 3:10 p.m.; Jacobson and Westwood are before that at 3 p.m.; Blake Adams and Els before that at 2:50 p.m.; Woods will hit the links at 1:50 p.m.
