LOS ANGELES (AP) — Follow along for live updates in the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
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FOWLER
Rickie Fowler has three-putted No. 18 for a bogey to fall into a tie with Wyndham Clark for the lead at 10 under after three rounds of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy is just one shot back.
Fowler, a Southern Californian seeking his first major championship, looked stunned when his par putt of 3 1/2 feet lipped out. Moments earlier, his 42-foot putt for birdie brushed the right side of the cup and curved around, and Fowler looked away in disappointment.
As fog rolled in off the Pacific Ocean at dusk, drama heightened as Clark birdied No. 18 to keep himself in position for his first major victory. Clark and McIlroy each shot a 1-under 69, while Fowler shot 70.
Fowler didn’t qualify for the last two U.S. Opens but has been atop the leaderboard since shooting a U.S. Open-record 62 in the opening round. Xander Schauffele also shot an opening-round 62 but fell off the pace as Fowler went on to tie the 36-hole record at 130.
Fowler, from Murrieta about 100 miles south of Los Angeles, had a 69-foot birdie putt from just off the green on the par-4 No. 13 to go 11 under. Fowler lifted his left arm up halfway to acknowledge the gallery. Fowler could have moved to 12 under on No. 14 but rimmed out an 8-foot birdie putt. He put his right hand on his hip, looked away and said something in frustration.
Fowler opened with a birdie but then bogeyed two of the next four holes and fell behind playing partner Clark by as many as two strokes. But Clark bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12, allowing Fowler to regain the lead. Clark bogeyed the par-4 No. 17 after hitting his approach shot into the native area near the green.
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WHAT TO KNOW:
—Wild ride puts Fowler in the lead at U.S. Open
—Fan favorite Fowler heads into weekend seeking first major title
—Clark gets a little help from a good friend for U.S. Open at LACC
—Homa, Mickelson, Spieth miss cut at U.S. Open
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SCHAUFFELE’S BUNKER NIGHTMARE
Xander Schauffele is off to a nightmarish start to the third round at the U.S. Open after needing three shots to get out of a fairway bunker en route to a bogey on the par-5 opening hole at Los Angeles Country Club.
Schauffele’s tee shot went 318 yards into a bunker on the left side of the fairway. His next shot hit the lip of the bunker, flew up in the air and landed several feet to his left. His third shot also hit the lip, flew up and landed near his feet. According to ShotCast, that shot went just 18 inches. He finally got out of the sand and made a 6-foot bogey putt.
No. 1 was the second-easiest hole on the course on a hot, sunny day.
Schauffele and Rickie Fowler each shot a U.S. Open-record 62 in the opening round. While Fowler went on to tie the 36-hole record with a 68 in the second round to take sole possession of the lead, Schauffele cooled off with a second-round 70.
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KIM TIES LOWEST 9-HOLE SCORE
Tom Kim tied the U.S. Open record for the lowest score over nine holes with a 6-under 29 on the front nine in the third round at Los Angeles Country Club.
The 20-year-old Kim, who was born in South Korea, made six birdies and no bogeys and got to 5 under for the tournament.
It was the third straight day with a scoring record. Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele each shot a U.S. Open-record 62 in the first round, which tied for the lowest round in a major, and Fowler tied the 36-hole record at 130.
Others to shoot 29 over nine holes were Neal Lancaster, final round, second nine, Shinnecock Hills, 1995; Neal Lancaster, second round, second nine, Oakland Hills, 1996; Vijay Singh, second round, second nine, Olympia Fields, 2003; and Louis Oosthuizen, final round, second nine, Chambers Bay, 2015.
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SHORTEST PAR 3
The 15th hole at Los Angeles Country Club is playing only 81 yards for the third round, making it the shortest par 3 in U.S. Open history.
The previous shortest par 3 was No. 7 at Pebble Beach Golf Links, which played 92 yards for the final round in 2010. That hole played at 99 yards for the third round that year, making it the fourth-shortest par 3. The third-shortest was No. 13 at Merion (98 yards) in the third round in 2013.
The 15th hole at LACC surrendered three holes-in-one in the first two rounds. Sam Burns and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon aced it in the first round when it played at 124 yards. Defending U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick aced it in the second round when it was shortened to 115 yards.
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THIRD ROUND KICKS OFF UNDER SUNNY SKY
The sun and a slight breeze greeted players in the early going of the third round at the U.S. Open, where halfway leader Rickie Fowler was gearing up for a late-afternoon tee time.
There were birdies available at Los Angeles Country Club. Shane Lowry made four and played the front nine at 4-under 31. Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley were each 3 under about halfway through their rounds. Cantlay’s surge placed him on the leaderboard, tied for 12th at 2 under for the tournament.
Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Dustin Johnson were among those within four shots of the lead, with tee times set for late afternoon.
Fowler and Schauffele each shot 62 on opening day — a U.S. Open record that made LACC seem defenseless. In Round 2, scores rose slightly and the sun appeared in the afternoon for the first time this week.
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