A more engaging and relaxed DeChambeau appears to be having its impact – image USGA
Bryson DeChambeau has taken the US Open by the scruff of the neck with a best-of-the-day third round of 67 and leads by three heading into tomorrow’s final round at Pinehurst No 2.
A double bogey at his 16th hole when leading by four gave those chasing a glimpse of hope, but he did immediately birdie the 17th after another outstanding iron (a wedge from 180 yards) to move three ahead. When when he parred the last he was ahead by three over Rory McIlroy, Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay.
Not that it is all over by any stretch of the imagination despite the near-flawless display by DeChambeau. Pinehurst has shown her capacity to give with one hand and take as much or more with the other and tomorrow’s final round promises plenty of twists and turns before the winner is decided.
DeChambeau again showed he is a different individual to that who won the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot. He appears more engaging with the crowd and even more unflappable than ever before; the results indicate such a change.
Gone is the overdone hulky physique although the power he displayed with such has not deserted him, only Rory McIlroy ahead of him in overall distance this week and although he hit only 8 of 14 fairways today his power to escape some difficult lies saved him on many occasions.
DeChambeau’s putting has also been outstanding this week, sitting in second position in putting, his outstanding touch, especially, on display in today’s third round.
Each of the eight players remaining under par will feel they still have a chance tomorrow but much will depend on just how DeChambeau handles the significant lead he has built.
“Made a lot of great putts today,” said DeChambeau. “I’ll tell you that. Pleased with how I struck it for the most part. Got to work on that just a little bit, but I feel pretty confident over the tee shots.
“Just going to say it, tomorrow it’s the same quote I’ve said all week: Trying to have boring golf. Middle of the greens never moves, so I am going to try and hit a lot of the greens, give myself some good looks on some holes and two-putt a lot.
DeChambeau took time during the middle of the round for a session with a physiotherapist to work on what is a hip issue and it could be seen late in his round that he was limping slightly but the leader was quick to downplay the problem.
“It was tougher to get through on a couple shots. It’s okay. I’ve had it for a long time now. It’s just something that popped up.
“I’ve been playing a lot of good golf lately, and working on my house, trying to get my house finished, so I haven’t really had time to rest like I want to. The two weeks I had off after PGA, I was really grinding and focusing on some stuff there. I wasn’t really able to rest.
“I’ve just been pushing myself a little bit, pushing the horse a bit. Consequently that’s going to happen. But I’ve got a great team around me to help fix some stuff up. Ryan Overturf is here. Does a bunch of MAT on me, and he’s going to fix me right up.”
Clearly DeChambeau is presenting a new personality on the golf course and mentioned what it now means to him
“I mean, it’s meant a lot to me. Just thinking back three years ago, the landscape was a lot different. I tried to show everybody who I was. I didn’t do it the right way and could have done a lot of things better.
“I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me to help me move in the right direction with the content that we’re producing, social media, and then also just a great perspective on life.
“That combination of things has allowed me to not only have a new perspective but an opportunity to show myself in a different light and to entertain the fans out there on the golf course.”
36 hole leader Ludvig Aberg struggled to match his playing partner DeChambeau in round three and is now five behind, a triple bogey at the short but dangerous 13th proving very costly.
“Yeah, I mean, he was playing well all day. He was getting the ball up and down from the bunkers, hitting the shots very well. That’s nothing I can do anything about.
“Obviously what happened to me on 13 is not ideal. It doesn’t necessarily change the way that you try to approach this golf course. I think there’s only a certain way you can play it. If you don’t play that way, you’re going to get punished. That’s what I did.
“Basically the whole day wasn’t as sharp as it was yesterday. I didn’t feel like I executed the shots the way I wanted to. It’s just one of them days that the environment, the situation, I guess the golf course kind of bites back. It is what it is.”
Rory McIlroy might yet prove to be DeChambeau’s greatest threat tomorrow. McIlroy got within one of the lead through 14 holes but two late bogeys have him three back but very much a danger to the leader.
“Yeah, just a really difficult U.S. Open Saturday,” said the 2011 champion. “I think everything we expected it to be.
“The course is getting crispy. Some of the pin positions are pretty tricky. Felt like a lot of them were cut on little crowns. There was a lot of uphill putts but then after the hole it went downhill, so pretty tricky to get the pace right. It caught me out a couple times.
“I love the test that Pinehurst is presenting, and you’ve got to focus and concentrate on every single shot out there. It’s what a U.S. Open should be like. It’s obviously great to be in the mix.”
Min Woo Lee is the leading Australia at 4 over par following his third round of 2 over 72, Cameron Smith at 5 over, Adam Scott at 8 over and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox at 11 over.
Leaderboard
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship begins Thursday in Washington State
Hannah Green – in fine form in 2024 and chasing a 2nd KPMG PGA title – image PGA of America
The world of women’s professional golf tackles its third major of the year this week when the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is played at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish in Washington State.
The US$10.4 million event will be played at Sahalee for the second occasion, the first being in 2016 when Brooke Henderson defeated Lydia Ko in a playoff.
Prizemoney in 2024 will be the highest on offer for the event, the winner this week securing US1.56 million of the US$10.4 million.
Three Australians have won this championship, Jan Stephenson (1982), Karrie Webb (2001) and Hannah Green (2019). In 2024 nine Australians and one New Zealander have earned their right to tee it up.
Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Grace Kim, Gabi Ruffels, Stephanie Kyriacou, Sarah Kemp, Robyn Choi, Hira Naveed and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko will fly the flags for our part of the world.
Lee and Ko have struggled for much of this season and it has been Hannah Green who has stepped up to the plate with two wins and a runner-up finish which have elevated her to her highest standing in the game (5th) and she will start as one of the favourites to challenge Nelly Korda.
Korda has missed the cut in her last two starts on the LPGA Tour this season so she appears a little more vulnerable than was the case a month or so ago when she was in the process of winning six events in seven starts and surging well clear in the Rolex World Rankings.
Lee missed the cut by a large margin last week in Michigan and with three missed cuts in her last six starts there is concern about her game at present. She finished inside the top ten at the Women’s US Open however so when good she is very good.
Ko played well early in the season but has lost her way in recent starts, missing her last two cuts. She is capable of much better than that but like Lee appears to be well below her best at present.
Gabi Ruffels just keeps getting better and with three third-placed finishes this season in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour she has jumped 110 places in the world ranking to 41st and might well threaten the leaders this week.
In just her second LPGA Tour season, Grace Kim has already won on the LPGA Tour and lost a playoff last week for another title and expressed great satisfaction with her game.
Kyriacou, Kemp and Naveed have done well to make the field, perhaps surprising with a runner-up finish in her rookie LPGA Tour season earlier this year.
TEE TIMES
Grace Kim runner-up in LPGA Tour’s Meijer Classic
Grace Kim – image PGA of America
Sydney’s Grace Kim has narrowly missed out on a second LPGA Tour title after losing a two-hole playoff to American Lilia Vu at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.
Grace was tied with Vu and soon-to-be-retired American Lexi Thompson through 72 holes after taking a five shot lead into the final day.
Kim started shakily with bogeys at her opening two holes but she was able to recover to join the playoff in which all three birdied the first extra hole before again sharing honours at the second.
Vu, a two-time major champion, would however birdie the third extra hole to record a victory in her first start since March during which she was recovering from a back injury.
Kim earns a cheque for US$234,000, bettering her previous best cheque this season of US$31,000 after what had been a very slow start to the year.
“I mean, I think going the three playoff holes with the Player of the Year last year, two major champions and obviously Lexi just being an icon for women’s golf says a lot about my game I guess,” said Kim acknowledging what had been an outstanding week.
“Obviously, didn’t get it done. Yeah, it sucks, but I think I can see myself I guess in the future as well. Just how much I’ve grown as well. It’s only my second year out, and to be in this position it’s as you can tell overwhelming.
“I think again, just seeing how much improvements I’ve gone through, obviously it’s credit — all the credits go to my team to push me this far, and to get to these opportunities is, you know, unbelievable.
“To be able to play against these players in certain conditions and playoff for three holes, I think we all know we played some good damn golf. It’s just making sure you have a good circle around you and I think I have that.
“I know I’m hitting it good. Doing all the right things. Just things have to kind of go my way as well. It’s not just about hitting good shots. It’s about better luck as well.
“Excited for Sahalee next week. Haven’t been there before and I know it’s going to be a course that I’m going to like. Yeah, really looking forward to it and hopefully try and do it again.”
Kim’s fellow Australians Hira Naveed and Gabi Ruffels tied for 17th
RESULTS
Bryson DeChambeau wins 2nd US Open in cliffhanger
DeChambeau poses in the bunker from which he produced a miraculous par save – image USGA
In one of the more gripping final round US Open battles, Bryson DeChambeau has won his second US Open title with a one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No 2.
Beginning the day three ahead of McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon, DeChambeau recorded an early bogey but so too did McIlroy and through 8 holes DeChambeau still led by three, that was however until a withering burst by McIlroy of four birdies in the next five holes put him two ahead through 13 holes.
DeChambeau was playing in the group behind McIlroy and he matched McIlroy’s birdie at the 13th and the difference was just one but then came a wrong club for McIlroy at the 15th and, unable to save par from behind the green, his lead had been cut to one.
McIlroy found the green at the long par 4 16th but almost inexcusably three-putted, the second putt from less than 3 feet, and the pair were tied at 6 under.
DeChambeau narrowly missed a 20-footer at the 16th and again from 15 feet at the 17th and so he headed to the 18th tee tied with McIlroy who was facing an up and down to save par at the last.
McIlroy’s pitch from just short of the green finished 3 feet behind the hole but once again, he would miss from an almost unmissable range, which created the opportunity for DeChambeau to make par and win by a shot.
His drive was well left but it came up against a tree root in the sandy waste area and all he could do was to pitch out and hope for a bit of luck. The shot went sideways into the front bunker some 45 yards from the hole but in one of the most brilliant up and downs ever in such a situation, he hit his bunker shot to 4 feet and made the putt to win by a shot.
“Well, first off, I want to say happy Father’s Day to every father out there,” said the champion. “Unfortunately, my dad passed a couple years ago, and this one is for him.”
“Also, to Payne Stewart, he was the reason why I went to SMU. He’s the reason why I wore the cap. Pony up, that’s right. Go SMU. Wow. I just can’t thank you guys enough for all the support this week. You guys have meant the world to me. You are the best fans in the world, and I can’t thank you enough. What a group of people.
“To my team that’s growing quite a bit and to my best friends and the people that I love the most, I’m surprised you’re here — not really surprised, but I can’t thank you enough for being here. You guys mean the world to me, and I would not be here without you guys. I really appreciate it, team. Thank you, all.
“I felt like I was hitting the driver pretty well today. It just wasn’t starting exactly where I wanted it to. Ultimately on 13, I knew I had to make birdie there to give myself a chance because Rory was going on a heater, and he slipped up a couple on the way coming in, and I just kept staying the course, focused on trying to hit as many fairways as I could, even though I didn’t. I was not great today with that.
“But I got out of trouble really well, and then, man, I can’t believe that up-and-down on the last. That was overall probably the best shot of my life.
“I was just trying to land it pretty much where I landed it and run it out to the right. I remember Payne’s putt and how it broke up there, and I knew that was obviously huge to get up-and-down to win this prestigious championship that will be the highlight of my life. I still can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable.
“What it means? I haven’t really let it sink in yet. Tonight I want all of you guys somehow, I want you guys to touch this trophy because I want you to experience what this feels like for me. You were a part of this journey this week, and I want you to be a part of it for the after-party.”
McIlroy’s putter, who had been such a servant for nearly all of the final day, let him down when he most needed it, and so the drought of major titles over the last ten years continues.
So gutted by his struggling finish in which he bogeyed three of his last four holes, McIlroy did not front the media after his round, perhaps understandably as this was one he should have won.
Tony Finau and Cantlay tied for third, two behind the winner.
The best of the Australasians was Min Woo Lee who finished tied for 21st. Adam Scott’s final round of 69 saw him finish 35th and Ryan Fox was 56th.
SCORES
Bryson DeChambeau takes three shot lead at Pinehurst
A more engaging and relaxed DeChambeau appears to be having its impact – image USGA
Bryson DeChambeau has taken the US Open by the scruff of the neck with a best-of-the-day third round of 67 and leads by three heading into tomorrow’s final round at Pinehurst No 2.
A double bogey at his 16th hole when leading by four gave those chasing a glimpse of hope, but he did immediately birdie the 17th after another outstanding iron (a wedge from 180 yards) to move three ahead. When when he parred the last he was ahead by three over Rory McIlroy, Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay.
Not that it is all over by any stretch of the imagination despite the near-flawless display by DeChambeau. Pinehurst has shown her capacity to give with one hand and take as much or more with the other and tomorrow’s final round promises plenty of twists and turns before the winner is decided.
DeChambeau again showed he is a different individual to that who won the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot. He appears more engaging with the crowd and even more unflappable than ever before; the results indicate such a change.
Gone is the overdone hulky physique although the power he displayed with such has not deserted him, only Rory McIlroy ahead of him in overall distance this week and although he hit only 8 of 14 fairways today his power to escape some difficult lies saved him on many occasions.
DeChambeau’s putting has also been outstanding this week, sitting in second position in putting, his outstanding touch, especially, on display in today’s third round.
Each of the eight players remaining under par will feel they still have a chance tomorrow but much will depend on just how DeChambeau handles the significant lead he has built.
“Made a lot of great putts today,” said DeChambeau. “I’ll tell you that. Pleased with how I struck it for the most part. Got to work on that just a little bit, but I feel pretty confident over the tee shots.
“Just going to say it, tomorrow it’s the same quote I’ve said all week: Trying to have boring golf. Middle of the greens never moves, so I am going to try and hit a lot of the greens, give myself some good looks on some holes and two-putt a lot.
DeChambeau took time during the middle of the round for a session with a physiotherapist to work on what is a hip issue and it could be seen late in his round that he was limping slightly but the leader was quick to downplay the problem.
“It was tougher to get through on a couple shots. It’s okay. I’ve had it for a long time now. It’s just something that popped up.
“I’ve been playing a lot of good golf lately, and working on my house, trying to get my house finished, so I haven’t really had time to rest like I want to. The two weeks I had off after PGA, I was really grinding and focusing on some stuff there. I wasn’t really able to rest.
“I’ve just been pushing myself a little bit, pushing the horse a bit. Consequently that’s going to happen. But I’ve got a great team around me to help fix some stuff up. Ryan Overturf is here. Does a bunch of MAT on me, and he’s going to fix me right up.”
Clearly DeChambeau is presenting a new personality on the golf course and mentioned what it now means to him
“I mean, it’s meant a lot to me. Just thinking back three years ago, the landscape was a lot different. I tried to show everybody who I was. I didn’t do it the right way and could have done a lot of things better.
“I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me to help me move in the right direction with the content that we’re producing, social media, and then also just a great perspective on life.
“That combination of things has allowed me to not only have a new perspective but an opportunity to show myself in a different light and to entertain the fans out there on the golf course.”
36 hole leader Ludvig Aberg struggled to match his playing partner DeChambeau in round three and is now five behind, a triple bogey at the short but dangerous 13th proving very costly.
“Yeah, I mean, he was playing well all day. He was getting the ball up and down from the bunkers, hitting the shots very well. That’s nothing I can do anything about.
“Obviously what happened to me on 13 is not ideal. It doesn’t necessarily change the way that you try to approach this golf course. I think there’s only a certain way you can play it. If you don’t play that way, you’re going to get punished. That’s what I did.
“Basically the whole day wasn’t as sharp as it was yesterday. I didn’t feel like I executed the shots the way I wanted to. It’s just one of them days that the environment, the situation, I guess the golf course kind of bites back. It is what it is.”
Rory McIlroy might yet prove to be DeChambeau’s greatest threat tomorrow. McIlroy got within one of the lead through 14 holes but two late bogeys have him three back but very much a danger to the leader.
“Yeah, just a really difficult U.S. Open Saturday,” said the 2011 champion. “I think everything we expected it to be.
“The course is getting crispy. Some of the pin positions are pretty tricky. Felt like a lot of them were cut on little crowns. There was a lot of uphill putts but then after the hole it went downhill, so pretty tricky to get the pace right. It caught me out a couple times.
“I love the test that Pinehurst is presenting, and you’ve got to focus and concentrate on every single shot out there. It’s what a U.S. Open should be like. It’s obviously great to be in the mix.”
Min Woo Lee is the leading Australia at 4 over par following his third round of 2 over 72, Cameron Smith at 5 over, Adam Scott at 8 over and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox at 11 over.
Leaderboard
Aberg providing further proof of rising star status
Ludvig Aberg and caddie Joe Skovon study a putt at the 3rd today – image USGA
Rising superstar, Ludvig Aberg, is playing in just his third major championship but having finished runner-up on debut at the Masters he has already displayed a capacity to handle the biggest of stages and this weekend he might get to prove that not only can he handle them, he can conquer them.
The Swedish golfer added a second-round 69 to his opening 66 and leads by one over his joint first-round leader, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau and Belgium golfer, Thomas Detry, with one of the pre-tournament favourites Rory McIlroy amongst a group of three players just one shot further back and just two from the lead.
Aberg played late on day two and led both fairways and greens hit categories, a key ingredient in an event such as this and on a golf course such as Pinehurst # 2.
“Absolutely, felt like I hit it very nicely today,” said Aberg. “It was obviously very challenging, and it’s not an easy golf course to play. But I felt like we stayed very disciplined, stayed very patient, and tried to hit it to our targets all the time and see how many golf — we said beforehand see how many good shots we can hit today and see where that ends up at the end.
“I think a U.S. Open is supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to be tricky, and it’s supposed to challenge any aspect of your game. And I feel like it’s really doing that. But super fortunate with the way that things have turned out over the last couple days, and hopefully we’ll be able to keep it up.”
Several players made good moves today but perhaps none more so than Hideki Matsuyama whose best of the day round of 66 saw him jump to within three shots of the leader and very much in contention heading into the weekend.
As was the case at the completion of yesterday’s opening round, 15 players are under par and all are four shots or less from the lead but even the 36 players at 2 over or better are just seven from the lead and very much a consideration over what promises to be a demanding final 36 holes.
Min Woo Lee along with Adam Scott leads the Australians – image USGA
Two of those at 2 over are Australians Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, Lee improving sharply with his round of 69 while Scott added a round of 72.
Scott appeared to be heading for the weekend off with an outward nine of 39 but a last-nine rally has him well enough placed heading into the weekend.
Cam Smith is another shot back at 3 over while New Zealand’s Ryan Fox was the only other Australasian to make the cut on the number at 5 over.
Jason Scrivener missed the cut by one, Jason Day by three and Cam Davis by three.
LEADERBOARD
McIlroy and Cantlay lead US Open Scott leads Australasians
Rory McIlroy acknowledges the crowd after his birdie at the 18th – image USGA
Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy, after their opening rounds of 5 under 65, lead the US Open at Pinehurst # 2 on a day in which scoring proved a lot better than most were predicting ahead of the event.
33 players are at even par or better under and close to 50 are within six of the leaders as the championship enters day two.
Cantlay is playing his 9th US Open and although without a top ten in those eight previous starts, he has yet to miss a cut and has finished inside the top 15 at each of his last three appearances.
“I made a bunch of putts inside, eight feet,” said Cantlay. “I think around this golf course, you’re going to leave yourself putts inside eight feet. That four- to eight-foot range. It important that you hole out. I did that well today.
“I thought the golf course played pretty difficult. But drove it well. A lot of balls on the fairway. Left the ball in the right spots, for the most part.”
McIlroy, perhaps playing with the freedom of a more settled personal life now that his divorce has been called off, was bogey-free in his round.
McIlroy referred to the fact that in more recent years he has embraced the concept of the US Open and the typical USGA setups for the event. He did win by eight shots at Congressional very early in his career but that was on a golf course that was set up more like a PGA Championship test and on a golf course softened by rain.
“I really don’t think I embraced U.S. Open setups probably 10 years into my U.S. Open career. Played my first one in ’09, and I think I really changed my mindset around them in 2019, that one in Pebble, and since then I’ve also started to enjoy this style of golf a lot more.
“It’s a lot different than the golf that we play week in, week out. I really appreciate that, and I’ve started to appreciate golf course architecture more and more as the years have went on, and I’ve started to read more about it and understand why golf course architects do certain things and design courses the way that they do.
“Just becoming more of a student of the game again, and I think because of that I’ve started to embrace golf courses like this and setups like this.”
McIlroy also talked about the approach he is taking into US Opens in more recent times.
“I think just super conservative with my strategy and my game. I think with my demeanor, just trying to be super stoic. Just trying to be as even-keeled as I possibly can be. I really feel like that’s the thing that has served me well in these U.S. Opens over the past few years.
“Just trying to be 100 percent committed to the shots and 100 percent committed to having a good attitude.”
McIlroy and Cantlay lead by one over arguably the game’s next superstar Ludvig Aberg who after finishing runner-up on debut at the Masters now finds himself very much into contention on debut at the US Open.
Aberg talked about the need for discipline in US Open style set-ups.
“I think staying very disciplined is important. There’s a lot of pins where you don’t really think about going for. So me and Joe, my caddie, we have a lot of good conversations about certain areas that you try to hit it on.
“It’s difficult to be very, very precise with the numbers and those things. But try to get a gauge on where to hit it, where to miss it, make sure that we stay disciplined towards things.”
Adam Scott tees off at the 4th today – image USGA
Adam Scott, playing in his 23rd consecutive US Open after getting a late start in the event, ground his way to 1 under with two to play but got caught up to the left of the par 4 8th hole (his 17th), took two more to reach the green, and then two-putted for a double bogey to slip to 1 over.
He would however birdie the par 3 9th from 20 feet, his last hole of the day, to finish at even par and just five from the lead. Scott will have an early tee time tomorrow to advance his cause.
Jason Day and Cam Smith are at 1 over, Day recovering from a horror start when 3 over through six to be well enough placed and like Scott will have an early tee time tomorrow.
Min Woo Lee and New Zealander Ryan Fox are at 3 over, Jason Scrivener at 4 over and Cam Davis at 7 over.
LEADERBOARD
Cam Smith talks Pinehurst’s nuances ahead of US Open
Cam Smith signing autographs this week – image USGA
Cam Smith was today in the final stages of preparation for this week’s US Open when he talked to Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner and described his thoughts on Pinehurst # 2 and some of the challenges he and the rest of the field will face.
It is an interesting take on the nuances of the great layout, especially by a golfer considered to have one of the greatest short games in professional golf.
Pinehurst # 2 both good and bad memories
The 18th green at Pinehurst # image USGA
Pinehurst # 2, the host of this week’s US Open, rekindles many memories for me, some good some not so.
In 1994 I had been working in a marketing role for Graham Marsh’s golf course design company in Robina since arriving on the Gold Coast in 1991 but, with a history of having caddied for Graham on a more regular basis in Europe, Japan and Australasia earlier, I was keen on maybe just trying my hand in a couple of Senior Tour events in the US.
Graham had joined the Senior Tour (as it was then known) earlier that year and I asked if there might be an opportunity to caddy in two or three events as part of a holiday break for me.
Graham suggested we focus on two or three events around the time of the US Senior Open at Pinehurst in July and so we decided on a regular senior tour event in Nashville followed by the Ford Seniors Players event in Dearborn near Detroit and then on to Pinehurst for the Senior Open.
Graham played well in both the lead-in events and on the Monday after Dearborn we flew south to Pinehurst via Raleigh and then a drive to Pinehurst.
On arrival at the stunning Carolina Hotel near Pinehurst # 2 at around 2.00pm, Graham decided he had enough for the day so I said I would head out and maybe walk nine holes collecting yardages and information on the golf course and do the second nine the following day.
I had caddied at Pinehurst in 1979 in what was then known as the Colgate World Golf Hall of Fame Championship but my knowledge of golf course design had developed significantly since then and as soon as I set foot on the golf course I fell in love with what I was seeing.
The World Golf Hall of Fame had been based at Pinehurst before moving to Ponte Vedra Beach then returning recently to Pinehurst to a venue more in keeping with what it represents.
The feel of the golf course and its typically stunning US Golf Association set up in an environment that just smelt of golf, had me thinking that it was a venue that might just suit Graham’s game and how right that prediction would become.
So carried away with what I was experiencing, I rang Graham from a public phone on the golf course to tell him how much I loved it and that I might be late back for dinner and for him to go ahead without me.
I left the golf course around 6.30 feeling great about what lay ahead.
The field that week included many of the game’s greats including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Dave Stockton and others but as the week transpired Graham worked his way into contention each day.
It was a week interrupted by the summer storms so prevalent in that region of the US at that time of the year. Each day play from the previous day had to be completed the following morning and even heading into the last round, round three needed to be completed on the Sunday morning before the final round could commence.
Zimbabwe’s Simon Hobday was brilliant over the first three rounds and took a two-shot lead into the final round with Marsh six shots off the lead. There were signs late in his third round, however, that Hobday was feeling the pressure of leading for as long as he had, especially when he shanked his tee shot at the par 5 17th and mumbled to himself all the way to the green and took double bogey.
Graham Marsh and yours truly ponder over the shot to the last which would essentially cost him the tournament.
With Hobday continuing to struggle into the final round later that afternoon, by the time we got to the 72nd, Graham had drawn level and stood in the middle of the fairway with 158 to the front and 169 to the hole uphill and into a light breeze. It was between a 5 or 6 iron. Thirty years on it might have been between a 7 and 8 such is the increased distance the ball now travels.
Graham chose the 5 iron and, perhaps still a little in doubt as to whether the 6 might have been a better option, eased out of the 5 and missed the green right. He failed to get up and down and in the meantime Hobday who was falling apart at the seams somehow managed to make par and won by a shot.
There was discussion for some time whether the club choice at the last was the right one and it was a stark reminder of how to respond in the heat of the battle. If you are in a pressure situation on the golf course and deciding between clubs then choose the shorter club and hit it firmly instead of trying to guide in the longer club.
So it was a week of highlights and lowlights and one I will never forget. Undoubtedly however was the brilliance of Pinehurst which, even with a significant restoration in 2011, will again be on display this week.
Adam Scott earns late reprieve into US Open field
The rugged but stunning look of Pinehurst # 2 – image USGA
This week’s US Open Championship at the famed Pinehurst # 2 in North Carolina will see six Australians and one New Zealander tee it up in what is the flagship of American golf.
Adam Scott joined the field today as one of the last inclusions. Scott’s good fortune came as a result of the tragic passing of Grayson Murray who was inside the top 60 as of today’s deadline and guaranteed a place in the field, his spot becoming available for the Australian who had slipped to 61st.
Scott will join Jason Day, Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Jason Scrivener and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox in the field for Thursday’s opening round.
Pinehurst #2 is one of numerous high-quality layouts in the Pinehurst region forming part of an outstanding destination for golfing enthusiasts. I liken Pinehurst to St Andrews of Scotland a little because of its history and because the township just breaths golf. It is a great place to play a variety of golf courses created by many of the game’s leading designers.
Pinehurst # 2 was designed by the marvelous Donald Ross in 1907 but in 2011 underwent major surgery by the design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, giving it a more rustic feel, adding increased area of sandy wastelands, and softening down some of the dramatic upside-down saucer nature of the greens although retaining that distinctive feature.
Payne Stewart won the first US Open held there in 1999 just two months before his death in a plane disaster, followed by Michael Campbell’s win in 2005 and Martin Kaymer’s win in 2014.
There have been numerous other USGA events held there including one I caddied in in 1994 in which my boss Graham Marsh bogeyed the final hole to lose the US Senior Open by one shot. It was gut-wrenching and still is but I remain a great fan of the golf course and the region.
Jason Day is Australia’s leading world-ranked golfer for whatever that means these days and while not at the peak he was earlier in his career he has been playing well enough of late.
Day’s record in the US Open especially early in his career was phenomenal from his runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy on debut in 2011, followed by four top tens in his next five starts in the event.
It should also be noted that he finished a very impressive 4th place in 2014 when the championship was last held at Pinehurst but has missed three of his last five cuts in the event.
Cam Smith comes off the back of a very ordinary weekend at the LIV Golf event in Houston where he produced a final round of 80 to finish well back in the field.
Smith does, however, boast a good record in majors and at the US Open having finished 4th on debut 2015 and 4th last year in Los Angeles but his most recent form is a concern.
Min Woo Lee is showing himself at this relatively early stage of his career to be able to play major championships well and his 5th place at the Los Angeles Country Club last year is further proof of that.
Lee has made a lot of cuts this year including when runner-up in an event early in the season and might well show up again at this level.
Scott will play his 23rd consecutive US Open but with just three top tens in those 22 previous starts, his record is hardly flattering. Like Lee, he has made a lot of cuts this season although seldom contending.
That Scott is playing his 23rd US Open speaks volumes for his career.
Ryan Fox gets a start courtesy of his win in the BMW PGA Championship in London last year and is slowly but surely finding his feet on the USPGA Tour. He would also have been in as a result of his current world ranking (60th).
Fox has missed three of five cuts at the US Open for a best finish of 41st but there is little doubt he is handling the big stage better and better each time he plays a major. He played well in patches at the Masters and his 7th place in Canada a week ago was very encouraging.
Cam Davis continues to build platforms at this level and, although he missed the cut in his only appearance at a US Open in Los Angeles last year, he indicated his capabilities in major championships when 4th at last year’s PGA Championship.
Davis has missed only three cuts in 14 starts this season and has recorded three top tens.
Perth’s Jason Scrivener gained his start via Final Qualifying near London and will play his second major championship, six years after his first when he missed the cut at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.
Scrivener has struggled somewhat in Europe this season but just to get a start here is an achievement on its own.
Cassie Porter wins on US Epson Tour
Cassie Porter – file photo – image Australian Golf Media
Australian Cassie Porter has won her first Epson Tour event in her second season on what is essentially the feeder tour for the 2025 LPGA Tour and has moved into second place behind New Zealand’s Fiona Xu in the 2024 money rankings and 5th in the all important points table.
The leading ten players at season’s end will graduate to the LPGA Tour next season, so Xu and Porter have positioned themselves well, although there still remain 12 of a total of twenty season-long events.
21 year old Porter from Peregian Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has shown a lot of promise early in her professional career and this win will go a long way, although not yet guaranteed, to advancing her to the LPGA Tour in 2025.
At this event last year, Porter recorded one of two top tens for the season when finishing 8th so the layout is clearly one she enjoys.
19 year old Xu leads the standings after a win and runner-up in her season to date.
RESULTS