Rory McIlroy was paired with Tony Finau for this penultimate trip around Pinehurst. He marked the latest chapter in a long friendship that has lasted the grueling journey from junior golf to the final stages of a major championship.
There’s an image of them together that always resurfaces on days like this. It was taken many years ago and shows Finau dwarfing the small, skinny McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman has filled out since then and for most of this third round he stood tall and stared down both expectations and a field that punished far more players on Saturday.
McIlroy’s hopes of ending his decade-long wait for another major remain alive after he shot a one-under 69 on a chaotic, hectic day that veered back and forth. Especially in the last hour, when darkness fell over North Carolina.
At the end of it all, McIlroy is tied for second place at four under par. He sits next to Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay. He is three shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau. He’s right on the hunt. It’s a pretty simple formula, but we only get there after a dizzying climax.
Rory McIlroy is tied for second at four under par after a dramatic third round at the US Open.
McIlroy is three shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau after his 67 in the third round on Saturday.
Brief synopsis: Around 7:00 p.m. local time, with four holes remaining in his round, McIlroy was two shots behind DeChambeau, who had caught fire and wrested control of this US Open. But then McIlroy found trouble at 15 and 17 and suddenly the gap was four. Suddenly, a grain of sand had become a small mountain.
Moments later, however, DeChambeau, who had been nearly flawless from holes seven to 15, decided to give new hope to the chasing group. Out of nowhere, Pinehurst responded and the leader made double bogey. We were two again. Only briefly, though, because DeChambeau then atoned for his mistake with a birdie at the 17th.
It was the sixth of this third round. He one more at 18 and would have set a record at the US Open. But the ball passed, he closed for 67 and the fans could breathe again before a tantalizing final day that promises fireworks and pits McIlroy against Cantlay. They have an, err, complicated relationship and tensions between McIlroy and Cantlay’s caddy boiled over at last year’s Ryder Cup. Later, the Northern Irishman called his rival ‘damned’.
The odds are against both of them on Sunday. But not the story. No one has ever made a double bogey on the way to winning the US Open at Pinehurst.
McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champion, is looking to end his 10-year wait for another big victory.
The Northern Irishman played alongside his good friend Tony Finau during Saturday’s round
McIlroy, the 2011 champion, has inched closer to another victory over the past half-decade. He lost by a single shot last year and risks another near miss here.
‘It was just a really difficult US Open Saturday. Everything we hoped it would be,” McIlroy said.
“This is what a US Open should be like. “It’s obviously great to be in the mix…no matter what happens, I feel like two shots, three shots, four shots, I have a great opportunity.”
The 35-year-old deserves credit for not succumbing to Pinehurst in the sweltering heat on Saturday. He broke many others. Including his old friend Finau, who was briefly tied for the lead before losing four shots in the space of two holes. And the overnight leader, Ludvig Aberg.
Both suffered the same fate on the par-four 13th, making return trips from the front of the green and a nearby bunker. They both made triple bogey. Suddenly, they were both adrift.
McIlroy is closer, but standing in his way is a mad scientist turned pantomime villain turned rebel LIV who is now the new darling of American golf. DeChambeau’s next stop on that crazy journey could very well be the winner’s compound here.
‘Three years ago, the panorama was very different. I tried to show everyone who I was. “I didn’t do it the right way and I could have done a lot of things better,” she stated.
Big hitter DeChambeau made six birdies in a brilliant third round at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
“(I now have) not only a new perspective, but also the opportunity to show myself in a different light and entertain the fans on the golf course.”
However, there was a moment Saturday afternoon when it looked like medical science might derail golf’s mad scientist.
After taking over the lead with a birdie on the 10th hole, DeChambeau called a physical therapist to examine his hip. Drone footage showed the 2020 champion on the court stretched from side to side.
Moments later, however, DeChambeau emerged to make the longest run of the third day. That set him up for a second straight birdie and a big punch. No wonder galleries have learned to love it.
Aberg was the poor kid tasked with keeping up with DeChambeau as the American shifted gears. The 24-year-old was leading at the halfway point and is aiming to become the first rookie to win this tournament in more than a century.
Frenchman Matthieu Pavon joins McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay at four under at Pinehurst.
But he was already behind – and already hanging on – when he and DeChambeau reached the 13th hole. Then came Aberg’s collapse.
Like Finau, his approach backed off from the leading edge. Like Finau, the rookie then ducked into a greenside bunker. Like Finau, Aberg returned from the arena to the same hole. Three more shots later, the bleeding finally stopped.
The youngster showed tremendous mettle on the next hole, sinking a birdie putt from almost 15 feet. But then Aberg gave up that shot right away. He is alongside Hideki Matsuyama on two under par, with Finau and Tyrrell Hatton on one under par.
As for McIlroy, his success this week has been underpinned by his ability to avert catastrophe. The Northern Irishman has only made one bogey in three rounds. He also made some more crucial stops on Saturday. But he might come to regret that pair of mistakes as the sun sets on another dramatic day at Pinehurst.