Sunday, June 21, 2015

U.S. Open: Third Day Wrap Up

I'm pretty much done with this tournament, although I still hope that Jordan Spieth or J.B. Holmes can pull out the victory.  My views on Chambers Bay and the USGA were accurately captured by Gary Player, who knows a lot more about golf than I do -- or than the USGA does, for that matter.

Leaderboard:

T1.  J. Day (AUS):  -4 (68+70+68=206)
T1.  B. Grace (RSA):  -4 (69+67+70=206)
T1.  D. Johnson:  -4 (65+71+70=206)
T1.  J. Spieth:  -4 (68+67+71=206)

T5.  J.B. Holmes:  -1 (72+66+71=209)
T5.  S. Lowry (IRL):  -1 (69+70+70=209)
T5.  L. Oosthuizen (RSA):  -1 (77+66+66=209)
T5.  C. Smith (AUS):  -1 (70+70+69=209)

T9.  T. Finau:  +1 (69+68+74=211)
T9.  J. Luiten (NED):  +1 (68+69+74=211)
T9.  P. Reed:  +1 (66+69+76=211)
T9.  A. Romero (ARG):  +1 (71+69+71=211)
T9.  B. Snedeker:  +1 (69+72+70=211)
T9.  H. Stenson (SWE):  +1 (65+74+72=211)

118 comments:

  1. T1. J. Day (AUS): -4 (54 holes)
    T1. D. Johnson: -4 (54)
    T1. B. Grace (RSA): -4 (54)
    T1. J. Spieth: -4 (54)
    T5. S. Lowry (IRL): -1 (55)
    T5. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -1 (54)
    T5. C. Smith (AUS): -1 (54)

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  2. Through 10 holes, Rory McIlroy is 4 under for the day. He is at even par for the tournament, four shots off the lead.

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  3. J. B. Holmes took a double bogey on the first hole after his pitch to the green landed in the wrong part of the green, and rolled about 50 yards away from the hole. Because Chambers Bay.

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  4. I'm watching the awful online coverage but at least we have Rory.

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  5. For the record, I eat Kentucky Fried Chicken about once every six weeks or so. It is, indeed, finger-lickin' good.

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  6. Spieth three-putts the first hole, and falls out of the lead:

    Leaderboard:

    T1. B. Grace (RSA): -4 (55 holes)
    T1. J. Day (AUS): -4 (55)
    T1. D. Johnson: -4 (55)
    T4. J. Spieth: -3 (55)

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  7. McIlroy birdies the 12th hole! He is now five under for the day and one under for the tournament.

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  8. RORY MCILROY JUST HOLED A 72-FOOT PUTT ON THE THIRTEENTH HOLE! THAT'S FIVE BIRDIES IN HIS LAST SEVEN HOLES! He is SIX UNDER for the day and TWO UNDER FOR THE TOURNAMENT!

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  9. McIlroy, with a chance to really put a dagger in his competitors, misses a six-footer for birdie on 14. So he stays at 2 under par.

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  10. McIlroy bogeys the 15th hole -- just missing a four-footer for par -- and falls back to 1 under for the tournament.

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  11. Dustin Johnson birdies the fourth hole -- the second-hardest hole on the course -- and he moves to 5 under par.

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  12. Day bogeys the fourth, and falls back to 3 under. Johnson is now two shots clear of the field.

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  13. Leaderboard:

    1. D. Johnson: -5 (58 holes)
    T2. J. Day (AUS): -3 (58)
    T2. J. Spieth: -3 (58)
    T2. B. Grace (RSA); -3 (58)
    T5. R. McIlroy (NIR): -1 (69)
    T5. A. Scott (AUS): -1 (67)

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  14. It should be noted that Adam Scott has now moved within four shots of the lead.

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  15. Brandt Snedeker birdies the 8th hole to move to one under par for the tournament. McIlroy pars the 16th.

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  16. Day birdies the 5th, and moves back to 4 under.

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  17. Snedeker makes his FOURTH birdie in a row at the 9th. He's now 2 under par, three shots off the lead.

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  18. McIlroy three-putts from about 25 feet on the 17th green. He has now bogeyed 15 and 17, and he's back to even par for the tournament.

    On 10, Snedeker drives into a fairway bunker.

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  19. Matt Kuchar eagles the 12th hole, and he's now 1 under par for the tournament.

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  20. On 6, Dustin Johnson holes a 20-footer to save par, and he remains at 5 under par.

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  21. Day bogeys the 6th hole, and he falls back to 3 under. Once again, Johnson has two shots on the field.

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  22. With this leader board wouldn't you say this is a good open. The new clean and sober Johnson winning would be a great story.

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  23. Holmes was going to be in the featured group but they bailed on his group and stuck with McIlroy and then went to Snedicker

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  24. OK, so I was offline for awhile.

    Leaderboard:

    1. D. Johnson: -6 (62 holes)
    T2. J. Spieth: -4 (63)
    T2. B. Grace (RSA): -4 (63)
    3. J. Day (AUS): -3 (62)

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  25. ADAM SCOTT HAS FINISHED WITH A BIRDIE AT THE LAST FOR A 64! The silly long putter was on fire today. Scott is in the clubhouse at 3 under par.

    Scott's score eliminated Rory McIlroy, who finished with a 66 that left him at even par for the tournament.

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  26. Johnson bogeys the 10th hole, and falls back to 5 under.

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  27. Grace and Spieth just barely miss birdies on 11.

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  28. Snedeker is 1 under for the tournament through 13 holes.

    J.B. Holmes is four over for the day, and 3 over for the tournament, through 12.

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  29. For the record, we haven't had a playoff at the U.S. Open since Tiger won in 2008.

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  30. A bogey on 10 dropped Day to 2 under.

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  31. On 11, Johnson has about 5 feet left for par.

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  32. On 12, a drivable par 4, Spieth has about 91 feet for eagle. He rolls the ball off a bank on the right side, and it rolls to within about a foot of the hole.

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  33. Johnson misses his par putt on 11. That's his second bogey in a row, and he's now 4 under par.

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  34. Grace was 77 feet away from an eagle on 12, and he two putted for a birdie. He's 5 under. Spieth tapped in to reach 5 under. Grace and Spieth are now tied for the lead, with Johnson one shot back. But now Johnson gets to play the 12th hole.

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  35. On 14, Snedeker has a long putt for par -- but the ball hits some sort of divot, and bounces away from the hole. He ends up with a double bogey to fall back to 1 over, and his chances of winning the U.S. Open are gone.

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  36. Leaderboard:

    T1. J. Spieth: -5 (66 holes)
    T1. B. Grace (RSA): -5 (66)
    3. D. Johnson: -4 (65)
    4. A. Scott (AUS): -3 (72)
    5. J. Day (AUS): -2 (65)

    One of these men will win the National Open.

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  37. On the 13th hole, a 534-yard par 4, Spieth crushes his drive right down the middle.

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  38. Spieth's second shot on 13 stops on the green about 30 feet from the hole. Grace also drove into the fairway, but his approach misses the green.

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  39. Charl Schwartzel finishes with a 66, which leaves him a 2 under par, one behind Adam Scott.

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  40. Grace putts onto the 13th green. He'll have about 10 feet left for par.

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  41. Dustin Johnson has 7 feet left for birdie on 12. It's an uphill putt, but it drifts to the left and misses. He stays at 4 under. That really hurts.

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  42. Now Spieth has 28 feet for birdie on 13. It touches the edge but does not drop. He'll stay at 5 under.

    Day had a 4 footer for birdie on 12, and he misses. He stays at 2 under, and he is running out of holes.

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  43. Branden Grace surprises exactly no one by holing his 10 footer to save par on 13. He and Spieth remained tied at 5 under.

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  44. Leaderboard:

    T1. J. Spieth: -5 (67 holes)
    T1. B. Grace (RSA): -5 (67)
    3. D. Johnson: -4 (66)
    4. A. Scott: -3 (72)

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  45. Spieth and Grace both pound drives far down the fairway on the par 4 14th.

    Up ahead of them, Oosthuizen holes out from the fairway! That's his third birdie in a row, and he's now 1 under for the tournament.

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  46. Day misses the 13th green with his second shot, and then his third shot rolls back down off the green, and then his fourth shot stops about 15 feet from the hole. His chances of winning the Open are fading fast.

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  47. Spieth's drive on 14 went 357 yards. His wedge shot stops about 18 feet from the hole.

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  48. Spieth has left about three strokes on the course over the last six or seven holes with just-missed birdie putts.

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  49. Grace's drive on 14 went 378 yards. His wedge shot looks as though it would stop very close to Spieth's ball, but then it rolls another 8-10 feet. He'll be 25 feet away for birdie.

    Jason Day takes a double bogey on 13, and he falls back to even par for the tournament.

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  50. Adam Scott is now tied for third.

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  51. Dustin Johnson three putts the 13th hole, and he has taken another bogey. He's gone bogey-bogey-par-bogey to start the back nine. Johnson is 3 under par, two shots behind the leaders.

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  52. Spieth spends a long time over his two footer for par on 14, but eventually knocks it in. He stays at 5 under. Grace makes his par with less drama, and is also 5 under.

    Meanwhile, Oostheizen birdies 15, and he is now 2 under for the tournament.

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  53. OK, four holes to go, and Spieth is tied for the lead. I don't like this course, and Fox's coverage is weird. But this is turning out to be an interesting major.

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  54. Leaderboard:

    T1. J. Spieth: -5 (68 holes)
    T1. B. Grace (RSA): -5 (68)
    T3. A. Scott (AUS): -3 (72)
    T3. D. Johnson: -3 (67)

    The Guardian just posted that it's "DUSTIN JOHNSON MELTDOWN TIME." That's cruel, but it's hard to disagree after watching Johnson miss so many short putts.

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  55. The 15th hole is one of the many holes at Chambers Bay that looks like a real-life version of Mario Golf. It's a par-3 with a tee way up on a hill, and then you have to have to land the ball on a green that is down next to Puget Sound.

    Grace's shot lands about 20 feet from the hole. Spieth shot landed within 5 feet of the hole, but hit one of the many mysterious chutes that are all over Chambers Bay, and ended up rolling completely off the green. He will have a difficult up-and-down to save par.

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    Replies
    1. The Guardian's reaction to Spieth's shot was "Oh, this is ludicrous." I agree.

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  56. I've never heard of Branden Grace before this weekend, but he does seem to be the only person who really understands this course.

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  57. From off the green, Spieth putts to within about 4 feet of the hole. He'll need that to save par.

    Johnson finally stops the bleeding with a par at 14.

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  58. Spieth holes his four-footer for par, and he stays at 5 under. Grace matches him, and they remain tied.

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  59. Probably the biggest problem I have with Fox's coverage is that they cut away from the leaders too quickly after they hit a shot; then I feel disoriented when they the cut back from showing someone else, just in time for one of the leaders to hit his next shot.

    Also, when the tournament lead changes from one group to another, the directors seem to get the memo a good bit later than do the rest of us.

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  60. Meanwhile, Oosthuizen makes his FIFTH BIRDIE IN A ROW. He's now 3 under par for the tournament, tied with Johnson and Scott for third.

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  61. Johnson's drive on 15 goes into the bunker, and that could be it for him.

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  62. They had said early in the day that Johnson was putting poorly this entire tournament. He had just been hitting the ball so well he was covering it.

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  63. Grace and Spieth come to the 16th hole, also known as the hole that runs next to the railroad track. Today it is set up as a drivable par 4 -- 337 yards.

    Grace goes first. His ball goes soaring off to the right, and he may actually be out of bounds. His ball is very close to the fence that separates the course from the railroad tracks.

    Spieth is up now. He does not change clubs after seeing Grace's shot. Instead, he whacks a three-wood that ends up rolling into a little tuft of grass near a sprinkler-head, thus avoiding a green.

    The big question, fo course, is whether Grace is out of bounds.

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  64. On second thought, the biggest problem I have with Fox's coverage is when the feed totally freezes and there's no audio when a 21-year-old who is trying to win a second consecutive major is tied for the lead with three holes to play in the U.S. Open.

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  65. Leaderboard:

    T1. J. Spieth: -5 (69 holes)
    T1. B. Grace (RSA): -5 (69)
    T3. A. Scott (AUS): -3 (72)
    T3. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -3 (70)
    T3. D. Johnson: -3 (68)

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  66. Grace's drive on 16 did go out of bounds. He drives again -- his third shot -- and he will have a very long putt for par.

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  67. Johnson finally makes a putt -- an 8 footer to save part on 15. He's still 3 under, and he's not done yet.

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  68. Oosthuizen's run of birdies ends at 17, and he is 3 under with one hole left.

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  69. On my Fox TV feed, Grace still hasn't located his ball.

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  70. All online coverage has ended so now I'll never know who wins. Thanks USGA and Fox

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  71. From 125 feet, Spieth hits a bump and run that stops about 20 feet short. He is not happy, as he actually had a nice lie.

    Now here's Grace, with a 50 footer for par. His putt dies about 15 feet from the hole. That will not be an easy bogey putt.

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  72. OK, they've accelerated back up to truly live TV, I think. Grace just missed his par try on No. 16.

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  73. For reasons that I don't understand, the 18th hole at Chambers Bay has a big bunker in the middle of the fairway. Oosthuizen's drive finds that bunker.

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  74. BOOM! BOOM! booOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

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  75. FROM 26 FEET, JORDAN SPIETH CURLS IN A BIRDIE PUTT! HE MOVES TO SIX UNDER PAR, AND HE LEADS THE U.S. OPEN WITH TWO HOLES TO PLAY!

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  76. Grace cannot make his bogey putt. He takes a double bogey, and suddenly Jordan Spieth leads the U.S. Open BY THREE SHOTS.

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  77. Spieth comes to the 17th hole, a 219-yard par 3. He hits a terrible shot that lands in the fescue well off to the right of the green.

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  78. Greg Norman: "You think there's a little nerves out there?"

    Um? Greg, ...

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  79. Grace will have a 27-foot putt for birdie on 17.

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  80. Leaderboard:

    1. J. Spieth: -6 (70 holes)
    T2. A. Scott (AUS): -3 (72)
    T2. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -3 (71)
    T2. B. Grace (RSA): -3 (70)
    T2. D. Johnson: -3 (69)

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  81. Spieth hacks out from the fescue at 17, and he will have about 25 feet to save par.

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  82. Spieth rolls his putt to within four feet. He'll have that for bogey.

    But OOSTHUIZEN BIRDIES THE 18TH HOLE! He shoots a TWENTY-NINE on the back nine, and he finishes at 4 under par. (77+66+66+67=276).

    That eliminates Adam Scott.

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  83. Spieth MISSES THE BOGEY PUTT. He takes a DOUBLE BOGEY, and his LEAD IS GONE. Speith and Oosthuizen are tied at 4 under par.

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  84. Now Johnson has a 10-footer for birdie on 16. He misses, and he stays at 3 under par.

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  85. Cameron Scott eagled the 18th hole -- he almost made a double eagle -- and he finishes at 3 under.

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  86. Grace, who is still alive at 3 under par, whacks his drive on 18 into a fairway bunker. Oosthuizen did that, and he still made birdie.

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  87. Leaderboard:

    T1. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -4 (72 holes)
    T1. J. Spieth: -4 (71)
    T3. A. Scott (AUS): -3 (72)
    T3. C. Smith (AUS): -3 (72)
    T3. B. Grace (RSA): -3 (72)
    T3. D. Johnson: -3 (70)

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  88. Spieth manages to hit a drive on 18 that stays in the fairway, so he will be going for the green in two on this par 5.

    Meanwhile, Johnson hit a great drive on 17, and he will have a good chance for a birdie to move into a tie for the lead.

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  89. Spieth's shot stopped short of the bunkers in the 18th fairway. He is 284 yards from the hole, going with a 3 wood.

    Here we go. He hits a glorious shot -- it rolls to the back of the goofy green, and then goes down the chute, stopping about 15 feet from the hole. He will have that for eagle.

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  90. Now here's Johnson's six-footer for birdie on 17. He knocks it in! He's tied for the lead at 4 under par.

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  91. Leaderboard:

    T1. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -4 (72 holes)
    T1. J. Spieth: -4 (71)
    T1. D. Johnson: -4 (71)
    T3. B. Grace (RSA): -3 (71)

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  92. For the first time I've seen all week, the bleachers around the 18th green are full.

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  93. Now it's Johnson's turn to drive on the 601-yard par 5 18th. He crushes the ball, and misses the bunkers.

    Grace has a long putt for eagle on 18. It goes right past the hole, goes to the back of the green, comes rolling back the other way, goes past the hole again, and ends up about 25 feet away..

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  94. And now, finally, Grace is down to his last shot. He gives it a good run, but it misses. The best he can do now is par, so his best score is 3 under par -- one shot behind Oosthuizen.

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  95. A friend of mine who went on Wednesday talked like it was pretty complicated to get around the course as a spectator.

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  96. Now here's Spieth for eagle. Given that Johnson will be aiming an iron at the flag, and will have a good shot at eagle himself, this is a very important putt.

    Spieth just misses on the left. He taps in for a birdie, and a 69, and he finishes at 5 under par.

    That eliminates Oosthuizen. For the first time since 2012, an American is going to win the National Open.

    Grace pars out and finishes at 3 under.

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  97. all american finish!!

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  98. Leaderboard:

    1. J. Spieth: -5 (72 holes)
    T2. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -4 (72)
    T2. D. Johnson: -4 (71)

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  99. Johnson hits a wonderful shot from the fairway, and it stops about 10 feet from the hole!

    Johnson has struggled with his putter today, but if he can make this putt, he will win the U.S. Open.

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  100. OK, so here's where we are.

    Jordan Spieth took 275 shots to play four rounds at the U.S. Open.

    Dustin Johnson has taken 273 shots, and he is 10 feet away on the last hole. If he makes this putt, he is the champion. If he gets down in two putts, he will be in a playoff with Spieth tomorrow.

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  101. Day finishes with a 74 that leaves him at even par for the Tournament.

    So now, it's all up to Dustin Johnson. Fox tells us that this putt is 12 feet, 4 inches long.

    He putts the ball, and it was never on the right line. In fact, it goes four feet past the hole, and he will have that for the playoff.

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  102. Oh, man. Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.

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  103. But JOHNSON MISSES THE FOUR-FOOTER COMING BACK, AND JORDAN SPIETH HAS WON THE UNITED STATES OPEN!

    Unbelieveable!

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  104. Here is the list of people since 1952 who have won the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year:

    1953: Ben Hogan
    1960: Arnold Palmer
    1972: Jack Nicklaus
    2002: Tiger Woods
    2015: Jordan Spieth

    That pretty much says it all.

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  105. Oh, there's also this; Jordan Spieth is the youngest man to win the National Open since Bobby Jones in 1923.

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  106. Wow. Jordan Spieth.

    British Open is July 16-19.

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  107. Has Jack Nicklaus started working over Jordan Spieth yet?

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