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Matthew wolff, a 21-year-old American just making his second major outing, shot a five-under-par 65 to take a two-shot lead after the third round of Saturday’s US Open.
The 2019 U.S. college champion for Oklahoma State, which shared fourth place in last month’s PGA Championship, solved the wicked Winged Foot to stand at 205 with five under par after 54 holes.
Wolff found only two of 14 fairways, but he jumped from deep grass onto 12 greens on regulation and made six birdies against a lone bogey.
“Every time I was in the rough and I had a good lie, I took advantage of it,” Wolff said. “I minimized mistakes. It was a good day for everyone.
“I was very lucky with the raw lies. I just kept up my game. It was a routine.”
American Bryson DeChambeau he was second at 207 after shooting 70. He started with consecutive bogeys and closed with a bogey after birdies at 16-17.
“I felt like I was trying to hope to hit the streets all day. That’s not what you want at a US Open,” DeChambeau said. “I was able to show resistance, re-firing torque after two bogeys.”
South Africa Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, shot 68 to finish third with 209.
“Any round below par in a US Open you will win,” Oosthuizen said. “(The wind) definitely died down for us. Definitely lucky in today’s draw.”
World No. 36 Wolff, who won his first PGA Tour title in Minneapolis in just his third start to the tour, needed just 10 putts on his first nine holes, throwing a staggering 30 in the first nine at the famous Mamaroneck track. , New York.
Over three rounds, he has hit just 12 fairways, the fewest of any US Open leader since 1983.
“I tried to shoot as low as possible with as few fairways as possible,” Wolff joked. “That will prepare me for tomorrow.
“I’m just going to go out, do the same and whatever happens.”
Wolff equaled Winged Foot’s lowest round of the US Open, Justin Thomas’ 65th start, after starting day four adrift from leader Patrick Reed, who stumbled on a 77 with eight bogeys and a double bogey to get into place. at 213 after leading Wolff by three early.
Wolff made a 14-foot birdie putt at the opening hole, a 15-foot birdie putt at the fourth par 4, a five-foot birdie putt at six, and a 13-foot birdie putt at the seventh par 3.
He closed the first nine with a three-foot birdie putt at the ninth par-5 and then hit six pairs in a row before his first bogey at the 16, missing a eight-foot pair.
At 18, Wolff bounced off the top of a rough deep in a shorter cut, dived 10 feet from the cup, and sank his birdie putt.
“I feel really good with my putting,” Wolff said. “I told myself it was just another putt.”
Oosthuizen had four birdies and two bogeys, each answered with a birdie on the next hole. The South African said he needs a repeat performance to capture his first major in a decade.
“I need to play quite similar to what I did today,” he said. “A lot can happen even in the last two, three holes, so try to get into a position with three, four, five holes to finish and see what you can do.
“I just need to go out and play some good golf tomorrow.”
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who made four birdies and three bogeys in his first seven holes, climbed to a 70 to share fourth alongside Americans Xander Schauffele and Harris English at par 210.
Matsuyama, in search of his first major crown, opened with a birdie, followed up with consecutive bogeys, then threw three birdies in a row before a three-putt bogey on par 3 of the seventh. A double bogey at 17 after encountering deep rough and a bunker knocked him out of the group below par.
“Hopefully tomorrow I can make the same number of birdies without the bogeys,” Matsuyama said. “Today I hit good putts, but at the same time I hit a few bad ones. Tomorrow I just pray I have more marks.”
Four-time Major League winner Rory McIlroy was seventh with 211 after 68, six behind, but he was pleased with his chances of scoring a first major win since the 2014 PGA.
“I have a good chance,” McIlroy said. “(Six) is not much on this golf course. I feel like I’m correct.”
Results of the third round on Saturday of the 120th US Open Golf Championship at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York (USA unless otherwise noted):
205 – Matthew Wolff 66-74-65
207 – Bryson DeChambeau 69-68-70
209 – Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 67-74-68
210 – Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 71-69-70, Xander Schauffele 68-72-70, Harris English 68-70-72
211 – Rory McIlroy (NIR) 67-76-68
212 – Zach Johnson 70-74-68, Viktor Hovland (NOR) 71-71-70, Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP) 68-70-74
213 – Alex Noren (SWE) 72-74-67, Lucas Glover 71-71-71, Webb Simpson 71-71-71, Joaquin Niemann (CHI) 68-73-72, Thomas Pieters (BEL) 66-74-73 , Patrick Reed 66-70-77
214 – Adam Long 71-74-69, Will Zalatoris 70-74-70, Billy Horschel 72-70-72, Justin Thomas 65-73-76
215 – Paul Casey (ENG) 76-70-69, Dustin Johnson 73-70-72, Lee Westwood (ENG) 67-76-72, Tony Finau 69-73-73, Bubba Watson 72-69-74, Brendon Todd 68-72-75
216 – Lanto Griffin 71-74-71, Thomas Detry (GER) 71-72-73, Renato Paratore (ITA) 71-72-73, Jason Kokrak 68-71-77
217 – Charles Howell 73-72-72, Daniel Berger 73-70-74, Jon Rahm (ESP) 69-72-76
218 – Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA) 70-76-72, Rickie Fowler 69-77-72, Matt Wallace (ENG) 70-75-73, Im Sung-jae (KOR) 70-75-73
219 – Adam Scott 71-74-74, Adam Hadwin (CAN) 72-73-74
220 – Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 72-74-74, Lucas Herbert (AUS) 72-74-74, Romain Langasque (FRA) 71-74-75, Michael Thompson 70-75-75, Taylor Pendrith (CAN) 71- 74-75, Erik van Rooyen (RSA) 70-74-76, Stephan Jaeger (GER) 71-70-79
221 – Brian Harman 74-72-75, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 73-72-76, Tyler Duncan 73-71-77
222 – Robert MacIntyre (SCO) 74-72-76, Patrick Cantlay 70-76-76, Jason Day (AUS) 72-74-76, Sebastian Munoz (COL) 71-74-77, Cameron Smith (AUS) 71- 73-78
223 – Shane Lowry (IRL) 76-70-77, Chesson Hadley 73-73-77, Danny Lee (NZL) 70-75-78, Shugo Imahira (JPN) 71-74-78, Rory Sabbatini (SVK) 69- 76-78
224 – Troy Merritt 72-74-78, John Pak 69-76-79
225 – Abraham Ancer (MEX) 71-75-79
