The U.S. Open Day 3 Another New Leader

Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, NY — September 20, 2020

Maybe the golf experts were right, the number of players under par at the 120th U.S. Open dwindled to 3. Second-round leader Patrick Reed started the day Saturday at -4. A third-round score of 77 dropped him to 3 over par and a tie for 11th place, 8 strokes off the pace set by new leader Matthew Wolff.

Given the way the course has played, anyone in the Top 20 could possibly pull off the win and add their name to the legacy of Open champions at Winged Foot Golf Club.

The Leaders

Wolff scored a first-round 66 to end Day 1 a stroke behind leader Justin Thomas. Then on Friday a 74 took him, seemingly, out of contention. Yesterday he matched Thomas’ low round of the tournament score of 65 and found himself in the lead at 3 under par. Five birdies on the front nine put him in position, he held on with 6 straight pars on the back nine until a bogey at 16 cost him a stroke. Finishing with a birdie on 18, Wolff sat atop the leaderboard heading into the final day of the tournament.

Bryson DeChambeau started the day with bogeys on the first two holes and it looked like he might be another of the players to succumb to the difficulty of the course and slip back to par or greater. A birdie on the 7th got him 1 stroke back and as his round came to an end he made a serious run at the top spot with birdies on 16 and 17. A bogey on the final hole left DeChambeau at 3 under par for the tournament, 2 strokes off Wolff’s lead.

Louis Oosthuizen recovered from an ugly 74 on Friday to shoot 68 Saturday. He is the only other player under par for the week, sitting at -1. Three players are tied for 4th at even par, Harris English, Xander Schauffele, and Hideki Matsuyama.

Notables

Rory McIlroy is in contention at 1 over par for the tournament. First-round leader Justin Thomas is at 4 over. Overwhelming pre-tournament favorite Dustin Johnson is +5 and tied for 21st in a group that includes Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood, Tony Finau, and Paul Casey.

Jon Rahm’s Saturday score of 76 took him out of contention, he is 7 over par and 12 strokes off the lead. Rickie Fowler(+8), Jason Day(+12), and Rory Sabbatini(+19) are a few of the notables at the back of the pack.

Who wins today? Most likely the course, any score under par may be good enough to capture the U.S. Open trophy and title in 2020.

Third Round Results of the 120th U.S. Open from Winged Foot Golf Club