Oh, Kentucky! They're still finishing up the second round at Merion, but, for the moment, it appears that 34-year-old Josh Teater, a Danville native who went to Morehead State and now lives in Lexington, has made the U.S. Open cut and will continue playing the remainder of this weekend. Our man Josh is 8-over for the tournament and nines strokes behind co-leaders Phil Mickelson, a five-time runnerup in the national championship, and 2013 U.S. Open-champion Billy Horschel.
Previous reports:
-- Tournament preview
-- Day One commentary and wrap
-- Day Two commentary and wrap
Josh Teater @jteater12
ReplyDeleteThankful for 2 more opportunities at #Merion and glad I didn't give up on that last 8 footer for par. #WeekendAtMerion
9:27 AM - 15 Jun 13
T1. Luke Donald of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1-under thorugh 40
ReplyDeleteT1. John Senden (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), -1 through 41
T3. 2013 U.S. Open-champion Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.), even through 40
T3. Phil Mickelson (San Diego, Calif.), even through 40
T3. Justin Rose (Johannesburg, South Africa), even through 41
T3. Charl Schwartzel (JOhannesburg, South Africa), -1 through 41
T3. Steve Stricker (Edgerton, Wisc.), even through 41
Josh Teater is 10-over and tied for 50th through 44.
Tiger Woods is 5-over and tied for 18th through 43.
Horschel's awfully smiley for a fellow who just bogeyed himself back to 1-over and T7. Philly Mick, not as jovially, joins him.
ReplyDeleteLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE! slamdunks a 6-or-so-foot par putt at No. 5. Loooooooooooooks pretty solid. No bogies.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Miller has been talking at least the last couple of days about how Tiger doesn't seem to be putting very well in the majors for the last few years. I'm sure there are some statistics that either do or do not bear out what Miller is say, but I will say that I can totally imagine that nerves would bother 37-year-old Tiger than did 27-year-old Tiger.
ReplyDeleteSenden (now even, T3) and Schwartzel (now 1-under, T1) trade places on the leaderboard within about 10 seconds of one another, and Rose slips out of the T3 to 1-over.
ReplyDeletePartly because of Horschel's dangerously white pants, I'm starting to think Steve Stricker is going to end up being our Powerball winner this weekend.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm still rolling with Billy.
I knew Horschel was done as soon as I saw that shirt he was wearing today.
DeleteMickelson impressively holes a long, downhill par-saver on No. 6; Horschel got his, too. LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE'S luuuuuuuuuuuuck runs out; bogey at 6 bumps him back to even for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteCharl Schwartzel leads alone ...
SmartMom and NumberOne son are poking around Merion this afternoon (assuming that they figured out SEPTA enough to get there), so I settled in to watch on TV -- and promptly fell asleep. After an excellent nap -- is there ANYTHING better than a good nap on Saturday afternoon -- I woke up to find that the American challenge at this year's U.S. Open has ended. Oh, well. I'm sure we'll find another good golfer someday -- maybe about the same time we find a good male tennis player. If only we had a whole class of extremely wealthy people with plenty of time for games.
ReplyDeleteYou have planned your weekend well, Go Heath. I, however, idiotically planned with a group from the church to go to a music festival this afternoon. In about 30 minutes, we will be waking an angelically sleeping 4-year-old to go pay $20 to eat outside, not be able to hear and hope none of us have to use the public toilets. It's about 119 degrees outside.
DeleteI'm thinking about hitting myself in the head with a 2-by-4.
That is a shame.
DeleteI have no one to blame but myself.
DeleteTiger misses a lengthy birdie try on No. 10. It's "never on line," says one NBC guy (with Johnny Miller, presumably, begging in his earpiece to get on the air and talk about Tiger's yips in the majors).
ReplyDeleteOh, boy ... with Schwartzel laying up for pars all over the course, now we're setting up for several more hours of chat about all of the young South African jedis, Obiwan Player and Ernie Skywalker. This story never gets old.
ReplyDelete"Eight straight pars for Stricker ... this is a U.S. Open line if there ever was one," says an NBC dude.
ReplyDeleteRiveting!
Leaderboard at 5 P.M.
ReplyDeleteT1. C. Schwartzel (RSA): -1 (44 holes)
T1. J. Senden (AUS): -1 (43)
T3. S. Stricker: Even (43)
T3. L. Donald (ENG): Even (42)
T5. I. Poulter (ENG): +1 (45)
T5. J. Rose (ENG): +1 (43)
T5. P. Mickelson: +1 (42)
T5. B. Horschel: +1 (42)
Tiger and Rory are each 6 over for the tournament through 46 holes, and their challenge is over.
Els is four over, and still has an outside chance.
In the battle for low Amateur, Michael Kim just birdied 12 to move to two over par, five shots ahead of Cheng-Tsung Pan.
Tiger, 6-over, lands a wedge pretty close to the hole ... looks like he'll have another birdie try ... he seems to sigh as he accepts the putter from his caddy ... OH, AND NOW HERE'S LINDSEY VONN! ... less than eight months until Sochi 2014!
ReplyDeleteJohnny Miller and his NBC studio bud are now wearing white gloves while handling a Bobby Jones putter.
ReplyDeleteI have a secret to reveal ...
About 15 years ago, I went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, with a buddy, and Larry Csonka's 39 jersey (from the 1973 Super Bowl, I think) was part of a Dolphins display. I reached over and touched it--rubbed the sleeve between my right thumb and index finger. I was scared to death they were going to throw me out, but they either didn't see me or let it slide.
ReplyDeleteNBC shows some great footage of Bobby Jones winning the Grand Slam at Merion in 1930. It looks like the course was a complete madhouse, with folks running all over the place to get a good view, and Jones being carried off the course.
ReplyDeleteTo get a sense of what a big deal all of that was, consider this -- Jones got a ticker-tape parade in New York for winning the Grand Slam. What's even more amazing is that it was his second ticker-tape parade -- he had gotten another in 1926. No other athlete has ever gotten two ticker-tape parades.
It's good that Bobby Jones is still very famous -- he deserves his fame.
Michael Kim birdies the 13th hole to move to one over par -- only two shots off the lead.
ReplyDeleteTiger really isn't getting very close with these putts.
ReplyDeleteBobby Jones retired when he was 28. Imagine what Tiger's reputation would be if he had retired at 28.
DeleteTiger is 37 years old. I personally found my late 30's to be very stressful -- I spend a lot of time bemoaning my lost youth. Once I turned 40, I was just happy to still be alive, and I quit complaining so much.
DeleteHear, hear.
DeleteStricker drove into the water on the par-3 ninth, so he is in big trouble.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it would be huge for Charles Schwartzel to win this thing. He's only 28 himself -- and to have won a Masters and a U.S. Open at that age would be very impressive.
ReplyDeleteOh, boy, here we go.
ReplyDeleteStricker double-bogeys the ninth, so he falls back to two over for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteMichael Kim, Billy Horschel, and Phil Mickelson are now in a three-way tie for Low American.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Miller says that it's a precision course and that today's golfers are "great" (he doesn't actually believe this) but conditioned to blasting away on par-5s than patiently taking advantage of the rare birdie opportunities on a course like Merion.
ReplyDeleteOne problem with Miller's analysis is that, for the most part, the golfers who are doing well this week at Merion are guys who do well generally -- everyone has noted that the big names have been strongly represented on the leaderboard. So there's no reason to believe that Merion is measuring something significantly different from modern golf courses.
DeleteIf Schwartzel (now 2-under after a birdie at No. 10) spends the rest of this weekend slogging his way to a 3- or 4-under U.S. Open championship, Johnny Miller by late tomorrow afternoon is going to be cracking on every male younger than himself for not knowing how to treat a lady.
DeleteHold the phone -- Hunter Mahan birdies the short par-4 10th to move into a tie for Low American at 1 over.
ReplyDeleteIn the actual tournament, Schwartzel also birdies 10 to grab the outright lead at 2 under par.
ReplyDeleteCostas comes on to give us some Cubs/Mets highlights. He starts by pointing out that the Cubs haven't won the World Series in 105 years. I'm sure Cubs fans are glad for that information.
ReplyDeleteEvery time Bob Costas comes on the screen, I feel a little more confident that everything is going to be OK. Everything.
DeleteThis is probably the answer to my question about why they had him do that package.
DeleteCostas also gave us a bunch of hockey news. I have no idea why they wanted to interrupt the golf coverage to tell us about sports information we could have easily found on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteNot so long after this broadcast, it was announced that the USGA was ending it's association with NBC after 2014, and that future U.S. Opens will be televised on Fox.
DeleteThe 10th hole is playing only 280 yards long today. Stricker, stinging from the double-bogey on nine, whacks his drive all the way to the front of the green. He will be putting for eagle.
ReplyDeleteHorschel's "a fireball when things aren't going well," Miller says. My champ is fading: 2-over with 27 to play.
ReplyDeleteThat's not the shirt of a major winner.
DeleteOr the pants.
DeleteMichael Kim makes a good run at a birdie on 14, but comes up just short. He taps in to remain at one over par.
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm off to the mosh pit.
ReplyDeleteI like keeping track of the TV stations in cities I visit. Here are the big stations in Philadelphia:
ReplyDelete3 -- KYW (CBS)
6 -- WPVI (ABC)
10 -- WCAU (NBC)
12 -- WHYY (PBS)
29 -- WTXF (FOX)
This is the only place I've seen (outside of the four-state region, of course), that has a 3, a 6, and a 12.
Rose birdies the short 10th hole to move to even par for the tournament. He now has third place to himself.
ReplyDeleteStricker birdies 10 to move into a four-way tie for Low American at one over par with Hunter Mahan, Michael Kim, and Phil Mickelson.
ReplyDeleteSchwartzel has what appears to be a terrible chip shot on 11. Notah Begay, the on-course commentator, says that sometimes, when you don't have a good choice, you make your best bet. This strikes me as a very lame comment, but then Schwartzel makes an amazing shot to within about two feet of the whole. He saves his par to remain at two under par, and I have learned not to question Notah Begay.
ReplyDeleteDonald laid up on the short 10th, and he knew what he was doing, because he lofts a wedge to within about 3 feet of the hole. If makes that putt, he will tie Schwartzel for the lead.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure at this point that the winner will be Donald, Schwartzel, or Rose.
Horschel whacked his drive to the front of the 10th green and had a putt for eagle. But he takes three putts for par.
ReplyDeleteMickelson and Donald both laid up, but they made two good wedges and they each pick up birdies. Mickelson is now Low American at even par, and Donald moves into a tie for the lead at 2 under.
But wait! Michael Kim has just birdied the 15th hole to move to even par himself. He is tied with Mickelson for Low American. Kim is now three under for the day. What a round.
ReplyDeleteJason Day is also on the charge. He birdies the almost-impossible 17th hole to move to three under for the day and one over for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteHunter Mahan is in the rough on 12, but Notah Begay tells us his shot isn't all that hard. Sure enough, Mahan whacks the ball onto the green.
ReplyDeleteMiller tells us that 10, 11, 12, and 13 are set up as birdie holes. And then we watch Sticker and Rose miss birdie putts on 11.
ReplyDeleteHunter Mahan rolls in a long birdie putt on 12 to move to even par, in a tie for Low American with Kim and Mickelson.
ReplyDeleteA mistake for Donald -- he had a wedge to the 11th green, but leaves the ball in a bunker near the hole.
ReplyDeleteOn the same hole, Mickelson hits a wedge to within 10 feet of the hole.
Schwartzel pars the 12th to stay at 2 under.
I saw Donald hole out a chip shot yesterday, but his bunker shot on 11 rolls about 8 feet past.
ReplyDeleteMickelson lines up a huge birdie putt on 11. This would put him within a shot of the lead. He strokes it -- and it rolls straight into the cup! He's now even par for the day, one under for the tournament -- only one shot behind the lead.
ReplyDeleteGO, PHILLY MICK!
DeleteThe 13th hole is playing only 98 yards today, and Hunter Mahan almost aces it, with his sand wedge shot rolling about six inches past the hole. He'll have a two-footer for birdie.
ReplyDeleteOn 11, Donald saves his par to stay in the lead at 2 under.
On 16, Michael Kim finally makes a bogey and falls back to 1 over.
Jason Day bogeys the last hole. He takes a 68 and finishes at 2 over par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteSchwartzel needs to birdie the 13th hole, but he misses the green and will have to get up and down to save par.
ReplyDeleteHorschel birdies the 11th to move back to 1 over for the tournament.
GO, DARLING BILLY!
DeleteMahan taps in his birdie on 13 to move to 1 under par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteStricker birdies the 12th to move to even.
Rose just missed a birdie on 12, so he remains at even par.
GO, WISCONSIN STEVE!
DeleteMickelson was in the 12th fairway, with a good position to go for the wicker basket, but his shot goes all the way to the back of the green.
ReplyDeleteHorschel approach to 12 lands in the middle of the green, pretty far from the hole.
But Donald hits his shot to about 8 feet. He will have a great chance to take the outright lead.
Leaderboard:
ReplyDeleteT1. C. Schartzel (RSA): -2 (49)
T1. L. Donald (ENG): -2 (47)
T3. H. Mahan: -1 (49)
T3. P. Mickelson: -1 (47)
T5. J. Rose (ENG): Even (48)
T5. S. Stricker: Even (48)
The leaders are now starting to face the very difficult last five holes. Schwartzel gets off to a good start, whacking his drive down the middle of the 14th fairway.
ReplyDeleteOK, here's Donald with his short birdie putt on 12. The folks on NBC are certain he'll make it -- but it skitters just past the cup. He remains tied for the lead at 2 under.
ReplyDeleteMickelson and Horschel also par the 12th.
Michael Kim double bogeys the almost impossible 17th hole to fall to three over par for the tournament.
NBC tells us that the last five holes at Merion are playing at an average of 2.27 shots over par during this tournament.
ReplyDeletePart of the issue is that 11, 12, and 13 are in the lowest part of the course, and then you have to work uphill on 14 and 15.
Stricker pars the 13th, but Rose makes a birdie to move to 1 under par. Now they head into the home stretch.
So the last group comes to the little 13th hole. Only 98 yards long, and with the hole in an inviting position, this hole has given up a bunch of birdies so far.
ReplyDeleteMickelson hits a gap wedge to the back of the green. It rolls back somewhat, but he is far away from the hole. The folks on NBC think he used too much club.
Horschel also hits a gap wedge, and he ends up close to Mickelson.
I don't know what Donald hit, but his shot rolls to within 12 feet or so. He will really want that birdie.
Ian Poulter has had a very good tournament, and he was only one over par as he stood on the 15th tee. But he has knocked his drive out of bounds, so he's in some trouble now.
ReplyDeleteNow that all the leaders are teeing off on the first hole, we can really see the genius in the layout of Merion. The course starts off with a pretty easy first hole, then you have to hit some good long shots at 2 (a par 5), 3 (a long par 3), and 4 (the last par 5 of the day). Next you have a stretch of moderate holes that ends with 9, an extremely difficult par-3. Then you get four relatively easy holes (10-13), followed by five extremely difficult holes (14-18). Together, these patterns generate some dramatic rhythm, with guys moving up and down the leaderboard.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great, great course.
Horschel rolls in his long birdie putt on 13, so he's now at even par.
ReplyDeleteMickelson and Donald settle for pars, so they remain at 1 under and 2 under, respectively.
Meanwhile, Schwartzel pars the 14th to remain at 2 under.
Going up the hill on the long par-4 15th, Schwartzel lands in a bunker next to the green. That will be trouble.
ReplyDeleteBut no! Schwartzel makes a tremendous bunker shot. He should save par after all.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, this has to be one of the all-time great days in terms of weather at the U.S. Open. Temperatures in the low 80's, not too much humidity, and a bright, beautiful sky. We get a lot of bad weather at the National Open, so it's nice to get a great day.
ReplyDeleteFrom the fairway, Mickelson misses the 14th green, but he is in a decent chipping position.
ReplyDeleteFrom near the rough, Donald's shot appears to be headed for a bad place, but the ball bounds out of the greenside rough and rolls onto the green about 20 feet from the hole.
And, yes, Schwartzel did save his par on 15.
Ian Poulter took a double bogey on 15, and is now back to 3 over par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteMichael Kim bogeys the last hole. He finishes bogey, double-bogey, bogey, and is four over par for the tournament. But he still shot a very fine 71, and he has a five-shot lead over Cheng-Tsung Pan in the battle for Low Amateur. Pan shot a 75 today.
ReplyDeleteOn 14, Mickelson hits an amazing chip shot. It looked like it was going in, but it bangs into the pin and rolls away.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I was wrong about Donald's putt, which is 36 feet, not 20 feet. Anyway, he leaves it about a foot short.
Michael Kim's round was good enough to earn him a face-to-face interview with Bob Costas. Kim says he kept looking at the leaderboard because it was so cool to see his name up there.
ReplyDeleteKim is 19 years old, and he just won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation's top college golfer.
I'll bet this Costas interview was a delight.
DeleteHorschel drove into a bunker on 14, and he takes a bogey that pushes him back to one over par.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Schwartzel is cruising along. He reaches 16 in regulation, although his birdie putt will probably be about 50 feet long.
Mickelson and Donald make par on 14, to remain at 1 under and 2 under respectively.
ReplyDeleteMickelson, Donald, and Horschel come to 15, a very difficult hole with out of bounds running down the left side. Mickelson pulls out a three-wood, which makes NBC nervous, but he puts it right into the middle of the fairway.
ReplyDeleteEarlier today, Sergio hit three balls out of bounds on this hole. He made a 10.
Donald hits an iron down the middle of the fairway.
Tiger bogeys 17 and 18 to finish at 9 over par for the tournament. He had one birdie and seven bogeys to shoot himself completely out of contention.
ReplyDeleteI imagine we will be hearing more about his bad elbow.
Wow. That's rough.
DeleteMcIlroy pars 18 to finish with a 75. He is 8 over par, and has finally pulled ahead of Tiger.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Hunter Mahan hit an incredible shot to within about 2 feet of the hole on the very difficult par-4 16th. He taps in that putt and moves into a tie for the lead at 2 under par.
ReplyDeleteHunter Mahan is from Orange, Calif., one of the prettiest towns in a nation of pretty towns.
DeleteBut then Mahan immediately hits a bad drive on 17. He misses the green on the par-3, and he will find it extremely difficult to save par.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, from the 15th fairway, Donald hits a wonderful shot to within about 7 feet of the hole. That would be a huge birdie.
Now here's Mickelson from 157 yards. He hits it safely onto the green, but will have a very long birdie putt.
The 17th hole may be the most difficult par 3 I've ever seen. Schwartzel also misses the green, and he is also in trouble.
ReplyDeleteLuke Donald could soon have the lead all to himself.
Horschel is having all kinds of trouble on 15. He drove into a bunker, then hit out into the rough.
Leaderboard at 7 P.M.:
ReplyDeleteT1. H. Mahan: -2 (52 holes)
T1. C. Schwartzel (RSA): -2 (52)
T1. L. Donald (ENG): -2 (50)
T4. J. Rose (ENG): -1 (51)
T4. P. Mickelson: -1 (50)
On 15, Horschel hits an amazing third shot to within a few feet of the flag. He may save par after all!
ReplyDeleteOn 15, Mickelson's birdie putt looked good all the way, but it JUST BARELY MISSES. Phil settles for par.
ReplyDeleteOn 17, Schwartzel's bunker shot ends up about 10 feet from the hole.
On 15, Donald misses his short birdie putt. He also settles for par.
And on 17, Mahan's shot from the rough skitters well past the hole.
On 16, Rose and Stricker reach the green in regulation.
ReplyDeleteOn 15, Horschel does save par to remain at 1 over.
Mahan cannot save par on 17, and he falls back to 1 under par, one shot off the lead.
ReplyDeleteNow here's Schwartzel, trying to save par and stay in the lead. He lines it up, but it just misses on the high side. He also falls back to 1 under.
Donald has the lead to himself at 2 under par.
On 18, a 530-yard par 4 that is even harder than 17, Mahan's drive skitters off into the rough. Schwartzel's drive also sails into the rough. They probably can't make the green from where they are.
ReplyDeleteOn 16, Mickelson hits a perfect drive, and then whacks a nine-iron to within about 15 feet of the hole. Donald and Horschel are also on the green, but much further away.
ReplyDeleteGO, PHILLY MICK!
DeleteLeaderboard:
ReplyDelete1. L. Donald (ENG): -2 (51)
T2. H. Mahan: -1 (53)
T2. C. Schwartzel (RSA): -1 (53)
T2. J. Rose (ENG): -1 (52)
T2. P. Mickelson: -1 (51)
Mickelson cannot make his birdie putt on 16, and he remains one shot behind Donald (who also makes par).
ReplyDeleteOuch. I thought that was going to be the tie-it-upper for Phil.
DeleteNicholas Colsaerts was two over par for the tournament heading to the 18th tee, but he hit a terrible drive that landed under some trees. Two shots later, he is still a long way from the green.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Rose fluffed a chip from the rough on 17, and his ball only rolled about 3 feet. That left him with a long par putt, which he almost made, but he takes a bogey to fall back to even par for the tournament.
Stricker actually reached the 17th green with this tee shot, but left his birdie putt well short. But he gets a precious par to remain at even par for the tournament.
On 17, the 254-yard par 3 that has been causing nightmares for everyone, Mickelson pulls out a 4-iron. Johnny Miller thinks that's a mistake, and the ball will come up short. But Mickelson hammers a perfect shot, which rolls to within 10 feet of the hole. So I guess that was the right club.
ReplyDeleteDonald then hits his drive on 17 into a greenside bunker.
Meanwhile, Mahan has finally reached the 18th green with his third shot.
We are not big believers in Rickie Fowler here at the HP. So it's only fair to note that Fowler had the round of the day, a 67 that moved him to 3 over for the tournament. He is currently in 10th place.
ReplyDeleteRickie Fowler's given first name is "Rick."
DeleteMahan cannot save par on 18 . He takes a bogey, shoots his second straight 69, and is at even par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteMickelson walks up to the 17th green to a tremendous ovation. If the fans could pick a winner, he'd get it going away.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Schwartzel also fails to save par. Like Mahan, he finishes bogey-bogey. Like Mahan, he shoots a 69. Like Mahan he is at even par for the tournament.
Stricker's drive on 18 drifts into the fairway rough.
ReplyDeleteNow here's Donald with a 15-footer to save par on 17. He misses, and falls back to one under.
Now Mickelson can take the lead with a birdie. He takes his time over his 8-foot putt, and finally strokes it INTO THE HOLE. He gives off a very casual fist pump as the crowd goes nuts. Mickelson moves to 2 under par after birdieing an extremely difficult hole.
HURRAH, PHILLY MICK! HURRAH!!!
DeleteLeaderboard:
ReplyDelete1. P. Mickelson: -2 (53 holes)
2. L. Donald (ENG): -1 (53)
T3. H. Mahan: Even (54)
T3. C. Schwartzel (RSA): Even (54)
T3. J. Rose (ENG): Even (53)
T3. S. Stricker: Even (53)
So now Mickelson and Donald face the 530-yard par 4 18th hole.
ReplyDeleteMickelson goes first, and whacks his drive into the fairway -- quite an accomplishment on this narrow hole.
Donald hits an even better drive, which splits the fairway some ways ahead of Phil's ball.
Colsaerts ended up with triple bogey 7 on 18. He's five over par, and his challenge is probably over.
ReplyDeleteEric keeps worrying that someone will grind their way to victory at Merion. But today's play shows why that is so difficult. You have to make birdies on the easy holes, and you have to make great shots to survive the difficult holes. So you can't just play conservatively and hope for the best. You have to take advantage of the opportunities the course gives you. That explains, I think, why this leader board is more star-studded than the usual U.S. Open leader board.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this tournament is great. Being a Tiger fanboy, I always struggle with a tournament in which Woods is not in contention. But this is pretty great. I'm rooting for Mickelson. And Horschel. And Josh Teater. And Woods.
DeleteMeanwhile, Rose is in trouble on 18. His third shot ran through the green, and his chip shot to save par skittered away from the hole. He makes a bogey and finishes with a 71 that leaves him one over par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteNow here's Stricker, who has a 10-footer to save par on 18. NBC tells us that he would be the oldest U.S. Open winner ever. He spends a long time on a very important putt, and drains it! He shoots 70 for the day, and is even par for the tournament.
And Wisconsin Steve.
DeleteMickelson is in the 18th fairway, but he is 274 yards from the hole. He crushes a fairway wood that runs all the way through the green and settles in the rough at the back fringe.
ReplyDeleteFrom 248 yards, Donald has an easier shot. But he hits a bad one, and it drifts into the rough.
Here's Horschel, who's still one over for the tournament. His second shot rolls to the back of the green, and he should be able to make par.
Donald blasts out of the rough, and his third shot runs all the way through the green. I think he's still away.
ReplyDeleteDonald's fourth shot rolls onto the green, but well short of the hole.
ReplyDeleteThen Mickelson botches his chip shot, leaving himself a very difficult putt for par.
Donald's bogey putt runs about three feet past the hole.
Now here's Mickelson, trying to save par. He's about 15 feet away. He lines it up perfectly, but it stops one inch short. He taps in for a bogey, a 70, and the lead at 1 under par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteDonald taps in for a double bogey. He takes a 71, and falls back to one over par. He ends up in a tie with Horschel, who gets a par and a 72.
"Fireball" Billy held it together pretty well today.
DeleteSo Mickelson leads at 1 under, with Mahan, Schwartzel, and Stricker at even.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day of golf.
Great stuff, Go Heath.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in fact, our music festival was pretty great. There were some pretty interesting acts.
Josh Teater shot his third consecutive 74. He's 12-over for the tournament.
ReplyDelete