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06:13 PM
The Champion Golfer of the Year…
…that’s Shane Lowry – is in the drink on 18. He went at the pin (short left) and spun back into the water. He then nearly holes his drop and walks off the green with, if you can call it that, a good six. That’s one-over for the day and five-over for the tournament. His attention will move now to the defence of his Open Championship title which, due to Covid, he’s held for two years now.
06:06 PM
Let’s have a quick word about Richard Bland
He’s over two hours away from getting his round under way, can he win this?
According to his coach, and Sky Golf’s Tim Barter, the answer is an undoubted ‘yes’.
06:01 PM
Mickelson has been been giving himself tough par putts
On the fourth he has a 25-foot putt to stay on two-over and this time he misses. He’s back to three-over.
05:57 PM
If you’re five shots or more off Bland and Henley you can forget it
Apparently…
05:51 PM
Phil sinks a par putt…
…of seven feet to make par at what is probably the signature hole at Torrey Pines (if it isn’t that one, which is it?). Mickelson stays at two-over.
05:42 PM
The par-three third …
…was 192 yards for the first round. Today they’re using a forward tee and it’s just 134 yards long. The pin is tucked at the front left (there’s a 24-foot drop from tee to green) of the dance floor. Phil Mickelson pulls his tee shot right – to the heart of the green and he’s not happy with himself at all.
05:34 PM
Tommy Fleetwood
Has had two top-five finishes at the US Open and was expected to do well here. BUT he’s at five-over after seven holes of his third round. He’s two-over for the day and it’s his driving that’s let him down. He’s tied for 59th which isn’t great but still seven spots higher than Matt Fitzpatrick. The Yorkshireman, like Fleetwood, was expected to do well (keeps the ball on the fairway and is one of the best putters out there) but is four-over for the day (through seven) and is now seven-over for the tournament.
05:26 PM
Here is that save…
…from ‘Phil’
05:24 PM
‘Phil’ (as you have to call him)
That’s Phil Mickelson to you and me, sinks a 24-foot putt for par on the first. He stays at two-under. He shot a two-under 69 yesterday and if he can go lower today then there’s a good chance he won’t be out of this going into the last round.
05:20 PM
Feeling hot, hot, hot
05:18 PM
On Sky Sports
They’re talking about what could be a winning score here…five-under is talked about so anyone who can get to two-under today will have a decent shout.
Casey is currently at level-par, his playing partner, Jordan Spieth is at one-over (through 10), Phil Mickelson, who has just teed off, is on two-over. Few out there are completely out of this.
05:11 PM
I forgot Rory McIlroy…
…how could I?!
Humblest apologies.
Rory gets his third round started at 7:34. He’s looked better over the past two days than his slump of earlier this year and isn’t as wild off the tee as he was. There have been hints of the Northern Irishman returning to his best – can he compile a round today to get him into one of the final groups tomorrow? Sticking my neck on the line, I’m going to say ‘yes!’
05:06 PM
Paul Casey…
…birdies the ninth and he’s at level-par! Four-under for his round and he is in a great position heading into the back nine.
05:02 PM
When does the top of the Leaderboard get under way?
7:45 Tom Hoge, Lee Westwood
7:56 Adam Hadwin, Brooks Koepka
8:07 Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas
8:18 Harris English, Branden Grace
8:29 Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Bryson DeChambeau
8:40 Guido Migliozzi, Patrick Rodgers
8:51 Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler
9:02 Mackenzie Hughes, Kevin Streelman
9:13 Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson
9:24 Louis Oosthuizen, Matthew Wolff
9:35 Richard Bland, Russell Henley
04:51 PM
Casey on the charge?
04:50 PM
Other early starters who can smile include
Paul Casey – the man who everyone thinks should have won a major, but is yet to and yet to be a regular challenger come Sunday – is three-under for his round through eight, to take him to one-over for the tournament. Impressive. Can he take that momentum into the back nine to set up a tilt at the title tomorrow?
Ian Poulter is two-under for his round, through five, and back to one-over. That’s the same for 2014 US Open champion Martin Kaymer, who is currently on the fifth tee.
04:43 PM
So of the early golfers out on the fairways
Shane Lowry is on three-over for his tournament through 11 – one-under for the day…He wasn’t too happy with the early tee time, but, as all good people try to do, he took the positive out of the negative…
04:36 PM
Don’t dismiss Bland
So who foresaw a final pairing of Richard Bland and Russell Henley for the third round? If you have your hands up you are either lying or someone I need to talk to about next week’s lottery numbers.
The unlikely pair share the halfway lead at Torrey Pines as a host of Big Names lurk not far back ahead of the penultimate 18 holes.
Before the first round, this was seen as a very open major and 48 hours on it’s much the same story. A good round today from anyone within eight shots would set them up for possible final round glory.
At 48 years old Bland is the oldest halfway leader of a US Open and while it’s safe to say many still think he won’t be lifting the trophy come Sunday night, yesterday’s round illustrated that he (i) has the game to do well round the Californian course, and, (ii) will not be fazed by being atop a very impressive leaderboard. Write him off at your peril – having finally tasted title success at his 478th chance last month, Bland is in the form of his life and doubtless is in the frame of mind that will make him dangerous this weekend.
04:02 PM
Good afternoon
The US Open might be shaping up as another major championship with an elder statesman making a mark.
Englishman Richard Bland made a four-under-par 67 in the second round of the U.S. Open on Friday at Torrey Pines in San Diego and began Saturday as co-leader, at the age of 48 the oldest 36-hole leader in tournament history.
“As any golf career, you’re going to have peaks and troughs,” Bland said. “Of course you are. But I just think every kind of sportsman, sportswoman, they have that never-die or that never-quit attitude, no matter whether it’s golf or it’s tennis or it’s boxing, whatever it is.”
Bland shares the lead Friday with Russell Henley, who made 70 on Friday. Bland was among those with early tee times for the second round, and he took advantage by posting seven birdies. He wanted to keep it simple, moving to five-under at the midway mark of the tournament.
“If you just keep putting the ball in play, then you’re going to give yourself a chance,” Bland said.
Henley moved to six-under before finishing with a bogey on the par-five ninth hole.
South African Louis Oosthuizen (71) and Matthew Wolff (68) are tied for third at four-under. Bubba Watson (67) and Jon Rahm (70), who returned this week after a Covid-19-related layoff, are next at three-under.
About three dozen golfers completed first rounds Friday after play was suspended Thursday because of darkness – a situation caused earlier when the first round was delayed for about 90 minutes because of fog.
Bland’s surge provided another example that older golfers in major championships can have success. Phil Mickelson, then 50, won last month’s PGA Championship. Mickelson made the cut this week after a second-round 69 put him at two-over for the tournament.
Henley said he doesn’t know much about Bland other than he was a recent winner on the European Tour.
“I’m sure he knows nothing about me, too,” Henley said.
They’ll know more after playing in Saturday’s final pairing.