Here was the top 10 after the first two days:
1. R. Fowler: -10 (62+68=130)
2. W. Clark: -9 (64+67=131)
T3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -8 (65+67=132)
T3. X. Schauffele: -8 (62+70=132)
5. H. English: -7 (67+66=133)
T6. D. Johnson: -6 (64+70=134)
T6. M.W. Lee (AUS): -6 (69+65=134)
T8. S. Bennett: -5 (67+68=135)
T8. S. Scheffler: -5 (67+68=135)
10. C. Smith (AUS): -4 (69+67=136)
Obviously, the big story is whether Rickie Fowler -- who has long been one of the most popular players on Tour -- can finally break through and win a major. Or whether Rory McIlroy can finally end his long drought and win his first major since 2014.
But we've got plenty of time. Fowler doesn't tee off until 5:40 PM Central, which will give us time to watch Game Three of the College World Series.
Patrick Cantlay plays the front nine in only 30 strokes -- 5 under par -- and is now 3 under par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteHere are the current odds of victory:
ReplyDeleteR. Fowler: +333 (10 to 3)
R. McIlroy: +333 (10 to 3)
X. Schauffele: +400 (4 to 1)
W. Clark: +650 (13 to 2)
S. Scheffler: +650 (13 to 2)
D. Johnson: +1200 (12 to 1)
Everyone else is at least +2200, which would be 22 to 1.
With Stanford leading Wake Forest 2-1 in the top of the 7th, we have entered a weather delay in Omaha.
ReplyDeleteCantlay has fallen back to even for the tournament through 52 holes. But now Tom Kim (KOR) has fired a TWENTY-NINE on the front nine, and he is 5 under for the tournament through 45 holes.
ReplyDeleteTom Kim birdies the 10th hole, and moves to 7 under for the day and 6 under for the tournament. It turns out that Tom Kim is only 20 years old. Last year he won the Wyndham Championship and the Shriner's Children's Open, making him the first player to win twice on tour before the age of 21 since Tiger Woods.
ReplyDeleteHis real name, with the family name first, is Kim Joo-hyung, according to Wikipedia. But he goes by Tom Kim. Wikipedia claims this is due to Thomas the Tank Engine, and I hope Wikipedia is correct.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's neat.
DeleteI swam yesterday with two giant Thomas the Tank Engine fans.
The CWS has started up again.
ReplyDeleteThrough 7 1/2 innings, Stanford had 9 hits but only 2 runs, and that sort of thing usually catches up with you. In the bottom of the 8th, Wake's 6th hit of the day brings home 2 runs, and the Deacons lead 3-2.
ReplyDeleteTom Kim has bogeyed 13 and 15. He's now back to 4 under par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteGoing into the 9th, Wake leads 3-2. After leading for almost the entire game, Stanford is now suddenly down to its last three outs.
ReplyDeleteWake closes out Stanford and wins 3-2. The night game in Omaha will be LSU v. Tennessee, and I'm sure both teams will show the sportsmanship for which they are known. But I'll miss it because I'll be watching the National Open.
ReplyDeleteThat's the third consecutive one-run game at the CWS. Yesterday, Oral Roberts beat Texas Christian 6-5, and Florida beat Virginia by the same score.
ReplyDeleteOK, back to golf:
ReplyDelete1. R. Fowler: -10 (36 holes)
2. W. Clark: -9 (36)
T3. H. English: -8 (37)
T3. R. McIlroy: -8 (36)
T3. X. Schauffele: -8 (36)
McIlroy whacks his opening drive 388 yards, and walks away with an easy birdie at the par-5 first. He moves to 9 under par. Meanwhile, Schauffele drove into a bunker, struggled to get out, and took a bogey 6. He falls back to 7 under.
ReplyDelete1. R. Fowler: -10 (36 holes)
ReplyDeleteT2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (37)
T2. W. Clark: -9 (36)
4. H. English: -8 (37)
T5. D. Johnson: -7 (37)
T5. X. Schauffele: -7 (37)
Clark birdies the first hole to move to 10 under.
ReplyDeleteFowler birdies the first hole and moves to 11 under.
ReplyDelete1. R. Fowler: -11 (37 holes)
ReplyDelete2. W. Clark: -10 (37)
3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (37)
T4. H. English: -7 (38)
T4. X. Schauffele: -7 (37)
Koepka takes a double bogey on 15 to fall back to 1 under par, and he will not win the U.S. Open this year.
ReplyDeleteTom Kim finishes with a 66. He is 3 under par for the tournament, and his future looks bright.
ReplyDeleteFowler bogeys the second hole and falls back to 10 under.
ReplyDeleteTennessee points out that this year, Tennessee: (1) won a major bowl game; (2) advanced to the Sweet 16 in both men's and women's basketball; and (3) advanced to the CWS in both baseball and softball. They claim to be the only team since 1998 to have done all those things in the same academic year, which is indeed very impressive.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy birdies the 3d hole and moves into a tie for the lead at 10 under.
ReplyDeleteSchauffele misses his third straight fairway in a row, and takes another bogey. He's back to 6 under.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy has been waiting nine years to win another major. He has to now feel like this one is his to lose.
ReplyDeleteT1. R. McIlroy (NIR): -10 (39 holes)
ReplyDeleteT1. W. Clark: -10 (38)
T1. R. Fowler: -10 (38)
4. H. English: -8 (42)
T5. M.W. Lee (AUS): -6 (40)
T5. D. Johnson: -6 (40)
T5. X. Schauffele: -6 (39)
But now Clark birdies the third hole, and he is now all alone in first place at 11 under.
ReplyDeleteAnd then McIlroy misses the green on the par-3 fourth and takes a bogey. He falls back to 9 under, two shots behind Clark.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I don't have a big problem with the L.A. Country Club, but from the perspective of a person who watches golf on TV I would rate it below Pebble Beach, Riviera, and Torrey Pines.
ReplyDeleteThe truly extraordinary thing about LACC is its location -- 320 acres in the heart of Beverly Hills. I can't remember another prominent course with such an urban setting.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that my two favorite golf courses in the world are the Madisonville and Henderson public courses, and I guess I hold the Henderson in particularly special regard. Both are right in the middle of their towns, but the Henderson was on my drive home back to downtown Henderson from working across the river at the Evansville Press. I kept my clubs in the trunk of my car, and there were several days that I got done early enough to stop on my way in and play nine holes after eating a cheeseburger while I drove across the bridge. That was really fun.
DeleteSince 1999, the USGA has tried a number of new courses for the U.S. Open. Here's how I would rank them:
ReplyDeleteTorrey Pines
Bethpage Black
Pinehurst Number 2
Chambers Bay
Los Angeles Country Club
Olympia Fields
Erin Hills
Schauffele bogeys 5 to fall back to 5 under. I don't think he's going to win this tournament.
ReplyDeleteHarris English birdies the 6th hole and is now 9 under, only two shots off the lead.
ReplyDeleteThe top four golfers -- Clark, Fowler, McIlroy, and English -- are now four shots clear of the rest of the field.
ReplyDeleteDustin Johnson falls back to 4 under through 42 holes, and he won't be winning this tournament.
ReplyDelete1. W. Clark: -11 (40 holes)
ReplyDelete2. R. Fowler: -10 (40)
T3. H. English: -9 (42)
T3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (41)
T5. R. Nagano (JPN): -5 (47)
T5. S. Scheffler: -5 (44)
T5. X. Schauffele: -5 (41)
Fowler bogeys the 5th hole and falls back to 9 under.
ReplyDeleteSchauffele birdies the 6th hole -- his first birdie of the day -- and he moves back to 6 under.
ReplyDelete1. W. Clark: -11 (41 holes)
ReplyDeleteT2. H. English: -9 (43)
T2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (42)
T2. R. Fowler: -9 (42)
5. X. Schauffele: -6 (42)
Now the leaders are coming to the last three holes on the Front Nine -- a 277-yd par 3, a 537-yd par 5, and a 171-yd par 3. We should see some swings here.
ReplyDeleteFowler holes a long putt for birdie on 7, and moves back to 10 under par.
ReplyDeleteOn the 8th hole, Schauffele misses a 6-foot eagle putt, but taps in for a birdie. He's back to 7 under.
ReplyDeleteLSU leads Tennessee 2-0 after 3 innings.
ReplyDeleteGo, LSU?
DeleteXander Schauffele rolls in a long birdie putt on 9 and he's right back in this thing. He has three birdies in the last four holes, and he's back to 8 under. He is out in 35, and is even par on the day.
ReplyDeleteHarris English birdies the 10th hole, and now he's 10 under par.
ReplyDeleteClark pars the 9th hole. He's gone out in 33, and he still has a one-shot lead over Fowler and English.
ReplyDelete1. W. Clark: -11 (45)
ReplyDeleteT2. H. English: -10 (46)
T2. R. Fowler: -10 (45)
4. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (46)
5. X. Schauffele: -8 (46)
English bogeys the 11th hole, and falls back to 9 under.
ReplyDeleteMatt Fitzpatrick is complaining about the LACC. He reports that "There's just too many holes for me where you've got blind tee shots and then you've got fairways that don't hold the ball. There's too much slope." Yesterday, Koepka was complaining about the blind shots at LACC. On the other hand, we have a close, competitive tournament through 2 1/2 rounds, which has to count for something.
ReplyDeleteIt is an odd course. It has five par 3's. One of those par 3's is less than 125 yards long, and two others are more than 280 yards long. It has a par 5 that's over 620 yards long, and a par 4 that's only 330 yards long. The back nine is over 300 yards longer than the front nine, even though both nines play to the same par. And it does have a lot of blind shots and slopes. But so far, it has given us an entertaining tournament.
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with spectators going crazy about golf courses because they're the ones looking at the scenery. But I have little patience when the players complain about a course--everybody's playing the same deal; just do your best and hush.
DeleteOn the 290-yd par 3 11th hole, Clark's tee shot lands in a bunker, and he may be looking at his first bogey of the day.
ReplyDeleteEnglish bogeys the 12th hole -- his second bogey in a row -- and he's now back to 8 under.
ReplyDeleteClark cannot save his par on 11, and he falls back to 10 under, tied with Rickie Fowler.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy had a 12-footer for birdie and a share of the lead on the 12th hole, but he misses by an inch. He remains one shot back of Fowler and Clark.
ReplyDeleteLSU leads Tennessee 4-0 in the 6th.
ReplyDeleteClark takes an aggressive line on the short par 4 12th, and it does not work out for him. He ends up in the trees, and then he botches a chip shot near the green, and he ends up with his second bogey in a row. Back to 9 under.
ReplyDelete1. R. Fowler: -10 (48 holes)
ReplyDeleteT2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (48)
T2. W. Clark: -9 (48)
T4. H. English: -8 (49)
T4. X. Schauffele: -8 (46)
Here's what's left: the 13th, 16th, 17th, and 18th holes are all long par 4s. The 14th hole is a 623-yard par 5. The 15th hole is a tiny par 3 that is playing at only 81 yards today. Given those long par 4's, it's not easy to charge down the stretch. The golfers will want to take advantage of 14 and 15.
ReplyDeleteSchauffele bogeys the 13th hole -- that's his fourth bogey of the day, to go with three birdies. He falls back to 7 under.
ReplyDeleteNow McIlroy has a ten-footer for par on the 13th. He really needs this one. But he doesn't get it, and he falls back to 8 under.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Fowler holes an enormous putt (69 feet!) on 13 to move to 11 under -- and then Clark matches with a 13-foot birdie putt of his own! Amazing stuff. Clark goes to 10 under. I didn't see those two birdies coming.
ReplyDeleteSo Schauffele and McIlroy both bogeyed 13, and then Fowler and Clark both birdied it. That's a big swing.
ReplyDeleteYou predicted the big swing--way to go!
DeleteAfter bogeying the 16th hole to fall back to 4 under par, Scottie Scheffler makes an EAGLE on the 515-yd par 4 17th. That's unbelievable. Scheffler is suddenly 6 under par for the tournament, and only five shots off the lead.
ReplyDeleteI was driving home from Ohio yesterday, and, given that all of sports-talk radio is now gambling radio, I heard someone recommend betting the odds of Scheffler to finish in the tournament's top five. They weren't especially long odds, but this guy felt it was relatively safe money because of Scheffler's historic consistency over the last 12 or 18 or 24 months or whatever.
DeleteThere had only been four birdies on the 17th hole today, and then Scheffler makes an eagle. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteSo in the last few minutes, we've had a 69-foot putt for a birdie, and an eagle on a par 4. Amazing stuff.
ReplyDeleteAnd then McIlroy birdies the par-5 14th hole to get back to 9 under.
ReplyDeleteBut Schauffele makes his second bogey in a row and he falls back to 6 under.
ReplyDeleteNow McIlroy and Schauffle have to play the 81-yard 15th hole. It has a thin, narrow green with a bulge in the middle. If you get on the right side of the bulge, you have a decent chance at birdie. If you get on the wrong side of the bulge, you can easily three-putt for bogey.
ReplyDeleteFowler's pitch shot to the par-5 14th rolls to within about 5 feet of the hole. So he could get to 12 under.
ReplyDeleteMany people on Twitter are reporting that Bob Huggins will resign as West Virginia's basketball coach after his arrest for DUI yesterday. To me, he is the Lefty Driesell of our time. I think his greatest victory was West Virginia's win over UK in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. But I've never forgotten in the Final Four, Duke beat WVU by 21 points, 78 to 57.
ReplyDeleteI should point out that in 2011, UK beat WVU 71-63 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2015, UK beat WVU 78-39 in the semifinals of the Midwest Region. And in 2018, UK beat WVU 83-76 in Morgantown as part of the SEC/Big XII challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of those games.
DeleteI figure he'll run for the House.
DeleteMcIlroy and Schauffele both par the tiny 15th hole. Now they have three long par fours left.
ReplyDeleteClark pars the 14th, and now Fowler has a chance at birdie. The announcers were afraid he wouldn't hit it hard enough -- but he hit it too hard. The ball rolls through the break, bounces off the edge of the hole, and rolls a few feet away.
ReplyDeleteFowler pars the 14th, and stays at 11 under.
ReplyDelete1. R. Fowler: -11 (50 holes)
ReplyDelete2. W. Clark: -10 (50)
3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (51)
4. H. English: -7 (51)
T5. S. Scheffler: -6 (53)
T5. X. Schauffele: -6 (51)
On the tiny 15th hole, Fowler ends up on the wrong side of the bulge.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Scheffler holes a long birdie putt on 18. He plays the last two holes -- two very long par fours -- in only five shots. He shoots a 68 and is 7 under par for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteOn 15, Clark has almost the same birdie putt that McIlroy had. McIlroy's putt went off to the right; Clark's goes off to the left.
ReplyDeleteFowler and Clark both par the 15th, and now they've got those three long par fours left.
ReplyDeleteThe 16th hole is a 558-yard par 4.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy pars the 16th. The 17th is a 515-yard par 4.
ReplyDelete1. R. Fowler: -11 (51 holes)
ReplyDelete2. W. Clark: -10 (51)
3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (52)
T4. S. Scheffler: -7 (54)
T4. H. English: -7 (52)
Fowler and Clark par the 16th. Now Rory has a 31-footer for birdie on 17. It was right online, but died about 10 inches short of the cup. He taps in for par.
ReplyDeleteLSU beats Tennessee 6-3.
ReplyDeleteFrom the rough on the 18th green, Harris English swings at a difficult chip shot -- and misses. His fourth shot rolls past the hole, and he'll have the putt coming back for bogey.
ReplyDeleteDustin Johnson is in at 5 under after three rounds. If he had made a par at the second hole on Friday, instead of a quadruple bogey, he'd be in the thick of it.
ReplyDeleteHarris English saves bogey, and he finishes at 6 under.
ReplyDeleteEnglish went out in 33, and came home in 38.
DeleteClark misses the green on 17, and he's in some very unpleasant looking rough.
ReplyDeleteIt turns out that Clark ended up in a penalty area, so he'll take a one stroke penalty.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy has a 29-footer for birdie, but leaves it just short. He finishes with a 69, and he is 9 under. Meanwhile, Clark bogeys 17 -- due to the penalty stroke -- and he falls back to 9 under.
ReplyDeleteSchauffele went out in 35, and came home in 38. He's back to 5 under par.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost 8 o'clock in L.A., and the NBC announcers tell us that it's hard to see the ball. The 18th is a 491-yard par 4, and Fowler hits a big drive down the middle. So does Clark.
ReplyDeleteThe last three holes are long, but they're also wide. So these guys are basically hitting driver every time.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy had a very solid round -- out in 34, home in 35. Three birdies and two bogeys.
ReplyDeleteClark attacks the pin with his second shot on 18, and he will have about five feet for birdie. Fowler was cautious, and shot toward the middle of the green.
ReplyDeleteIf Clark pars this hole, then McIlroy and Fowler would be the final pairing tomorrow. But if Clark birdies, then he and Fowler will be in the final group again.
ReplyDeleteThey are talking about Fowler's troubles, and consider this: he hasn't played in the Masters since 2020. This is his first appearance in the U.S. Open since 2020. And he hasn't played in the British Open since 2021. He hasn't been in the top 20 on the money list since 2019.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard someone talking about him on Thursday, I realized I had honestly forgotten about Rickie Fowler for a while.
DeleteClark makes his birdie and finishes with a 69. He went out in 33 and came home in 36. Four birdies and three bogeys. He's at 10 under.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Fowler misses a three-footer for par. He settles himself and makes bogey, but he won't like that. He went out in 35 and came home in 35 -- three birdies and three bogeys.
ReplyDeleteT1. W. Clark: -10 (54 holes)
ReplyDeleteT1. R. Fowler: -10 (54)
3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -9 (54)
4. S. Scheffler: -7 (54)
5. H. English: -6 (54)
Thanks for this report. It was fun to read.
ReplyDelete