It’s moving day at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
9:43 – We will see Rose and Woodland with Koepka and Reavie right in front of them. I am certain most of the golfing world would love to see Brooks make it closer. Gary Woodland will face a lot of pressure tomorrow and will likely drop shots here and there. If Brooks is right on his heels, it will make Woodland think a lot more.
9:23 – It will be Reavie and Koepka in the penultimate group unless Oosthuizen birdies 18.
9:15 – You’ll never guess. Another missed green for Justin Rose. So, Brooks wants to be within three on the back 9. What is just as important is the number of golfers between him and the leader. Looks like it will be Rose and Woodland as the only golfers ahead of him.
9:11 – Butch Harmon is Gary Woodland’s instructor. You can definitely tell as he uses he rear right obliques to generate all the power in his swing. Amateurs will never understand what this means as they swing with their arms and shoulders. In fact, amateurs have never felt the lower rear left obliques starting the swing and the lower rear right obliques getting the downswing started.
9:10 – We go to one of the final commercial breaks. This allows me to mention Lexington, KY personal injury lawyer Glenn Hammond.
9:01 – Shocking, another missed green for Justin Rose. If Woodland can put his foot down in the last three holes, he could have a huge lead going into Sunday. Sometimes, it is better to not have such a big lead because large leads always create conservative play. Brooks will be the first one in at -7 which means he will likely be in the penultimate group.
8:52 – Woodland drains a 30 footer for par that should have been a bogey from the tee box. Ok, this is getting ridiculous. I guess he is going to win this tournament. He leaves his chip short and it should have rolled back down. Somehow it stays up and he knocks in his long putt. Then, Rose putts in for birdie. Rose is now at -9 and Woodland is at -11.
8:46 – A true burnt edge for Koepka on #17. It touches the edge and doesn’t drop. My Lord, if he just got a few to drop it would be a different story.
8:40 – I have to say Fox is par for the course with its hyperbole. It fits right in with Fox News and other Fox outlets. Faxon just said Rory hit the best wedge he ever hit into #15 yesterday. Ummm, does he realize Rory has won four majors? How about the hole out wedge to basically win the FedEx Cup two years ago? That one doesn’t rank up there? The “best wedge of his life” did not happen during the second round of a U.S. Open he is unlikely to win. Azinger also made the comment, “Woodland hasn’t bogeyed in ages.” Yeah, how about four holes ago?
8:38 – Two terrible tee shots off 14 for the final groups. In normal U.S. Open conditions this would be a guaranteed birdie. At Pebble Beach this week, it will likely be a par or even a birdie. Rory finally gets a birdie and goes to -6. He is lurking but needs to get at least one birdie coming in.
8:34 – Rose misses a 4 four putt for par. His first missed putt of significance all week. I still think he is going to fade a bit by not hitting fairways and greens. Rose is at -8 and Woodland is at -11.
8:24 – Rory’s par 5 play has been nothing but horrendous. He is going to be well over par and he is the best driver of the ball in golf. Brooks hits another fairway. If we see normal U.S. Open conditions in the future he is going to run away with it. Justin Rose misses every fairway and every green and gets away with it. Brooks hits every fairway and every green and two putts.
8:19 – A very important moment in the tournament here. Woodland shanks a chip and then chips in for par. It could have easily been a two or three shot swing. Rose has another one putt, that makes 31, and he goes to -9. It is looking as if the final pairing will be the same on both days of the weekend. No freaking way. Brooks drops a 30 foot putt for par after blading a wedge out of the rough.
8:15 – Brooks leaves his second shot in a terrible place on 15. All these pars must be getting to him. He has burned about a dozen edges today. When they are not dropping, it can work its way into your iron game and driver.
8:08 – Brooks misses a birdie putt on 14 as Gary Woodland has a very short birdie putt to go to -11. What is insurmountable in the U.S. Open? A six shot lead?
8:01 – When Brooks was on his back 9 yesterday I said he didn’t have a chance. I am still pulling for him but he is going to have to get some birdies to win this thing. Also, how bad is his “floral” Nike hat? These Nike golf hats are getting very, very bad. It’s time to mentioned Morehead City realtor Basnight Garner.
8:00 – After some great edamame it’s time to get back to golf. Rose is an up and down machine this week. Eventually that will come to an end. In years past, missing greens at a U.S. Open would mean you were well over par. Now, Rosey is -8. Let’s see if Gary Woodland comes back to Brooks and Rosey in the last eight holes.
7:14 – Brooks finally gets one to drop on #10. That gets him to -7 and he is tied for second. If he can get a little bit closer to Woodland that will put tons of pressure on Gary. It should be a very fun back 9 to watch this evening. Glad you are with us!
6:58 – Brooks burns the edge for birdie at #9. He is all around the cup in this U.S. Open. One would think some of these are going to drop but they haven’t yet. At this point, he has to be playing to get in the final group on Sunday.
6:48 – Remember when I said survive the holes after 7? Well, Kuch could likely take a double on #8. He will take a bogey at best. “We love you Gare Bear.” That’s a new one. Kuch does good to take a bogey but he goes back to -7.
6:44 – Rose just hit a shank bunker shot. After that, Woodland almost jars his but it rolls out 10 feet past. These two are going to struggle for par here on #5. Gary gets his par and Justin takes a bogey.
6:36 – It looks like it is going to be how will survive the difficult holes after the first seven. The golfers that can minimize their bogeys on the back 9 will be at the top of the leaderboard. Someone will fall apart on the back 9.
6:28 – Koepka rolls one in for birdie at 7 to go -6. He now goes into the hardest part of the course. Kuch drops the eagle putt and goes to -7. The pairing of Louis and Wise are moving the wrong way. Dear Lord, Gary hits a great shot out of a divot to tap in range. That will put him at -10.
6:22 – Brooks burns the edge on his eagle putt. He will go to -5 and is lurking. Rahm is also at -5 after chipping in on #8. This is getting interesting very fast. Does Kuch have a chance at this thing? He will have a short eagle putt on #6 to go -7.
6:13 – Rory hits a 184 yard 9 iron. Yeah, there’s that. Brooks has 240 in on the 6th and drills a 3 iron onto the green. We can all do that, right? He has a putt for eagle. Remember that 184 yard 9 iron, he has to hit an 8 footer for par and does it. DJ remains at -3 for the time being. Gary Woodland hits a wedge close on #3. He could go to -10 if he hits this birdie putt.
6:08 – Ok, no more work on a Saturday. Time to focus on the U.S. Open. Rory has backed up to -4. Rose looks to be all over the place which means this low scoring will eventually come to an end. Who knows who is going to win this thing.
5:33 – Koepka is hitting the ball very well to start his day. He has another 12-15 foot birdie putt. If one of these falls, look out. Rory starts out with a bogey but that might be just what he needs to get the engine roaring. Screw those irons off the tee. There we go, he just ripped driver about 350 yards. Do that all day Rory. Lots of TV commercials which offers me a chance to mention Raleigh expert orthodontist Dr. Jason Gladwell.
5:24 – Brooks saves his par with a great putt. That will go a long way. Let’s see if he can get a birdie in the next few holes. They are definitely giving Tiger and Phil a lot of TV time even though they aren’t in contention.
5:20 – Brooks hitting his third shot into #2 as he had to lay up after a bad drive. He needs to make a long putt to stay at -4. Rahm goes to -3 on the 3rd hole. I don’t think he has the demeanor to win a U.S. Open but I could be wrong. Rory is about to tee off with Chez Reavie. Chez is going to be 50 yards behind Rory all day. Rory starts in the right rough on #1. Not the best first swing.
5:11 – So, you may be wondering who Joel Klatt is. Well, let me tell you. Joel was the quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes from 2002-2005. He was at Colorado when they had a very good team. If you haven’t been to Boulder, go yesterday. He was also drafted into the MLB in 2000, prior to his college football career. You may recognize his voice as the announcer that works with Gus Johnson on Fox.
5:00 – We start the live blogging with Brooks Koepka on the first tee box. This Matt Wallace character has no chance in this setting. Brooks starts five back and rips one down the middle to start his third round. It is crazy how many more commercials we see on Fox compared to FS1. Brooks hits his second shot to within 12 feet, below the hole, on the first hole. Great start for the back to back champion. Brooks leaves it two revolutions short but taps in for par on #1.
