Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
There are new leaders at the U.S. Open for the third consecutive day.
Will Zalatoris and Matthew Fitzpatrick have matching scores of four under par. Zalatoris had an efficient round with four birdies and just one bogey to put himself in prime position to win his first major tournament.
Fitzpatrick posted his second 68 in the past three days. He had a chance to take sole possession of the lead into the final round, but a bogey on No. 18 dropped him into a tie with Zalatoris.
Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen, who shared the lead after the second round, had their first real struggles of the tournament Saturday. Morikawa is no longer under par (+2) after posting a 77, tied for the eighth-worst score of the day.
Dahmen was much better by comparison with a 74 that moved him to one under.
Rory McIlroy is among a trio tied for seventh place at one under with 18 holes to play.
If history is any indication, things will continue to change on the leaderboard Sunday. There hasn’t been a third-round leader or co-leader that went on to win the U.S. Open since Gary Woodland in 2019.
2022 U.S. Open Leaderboard—3rd Round
T1. Matthew Fitzpatrick (-4)
T1. Will Zalatoris (-4)
3. Jon Rahm (-3)
T3. Keegan Bradley (-2)
T3. Adam Hadwin (-2)
T3. Scottie Scheffler (-2)
T7. Sam Burns (-1)
T7. Rory McIlroy (-1)
T7. Joel Dahmen (-1)
Full leaderboard via PGATour.com
Zalatoris did the bulk of his damage in the third round on the front nine. He had three birdies and one bogey during that span.
The key to Zalatoris’ success all weekend has been putting. It’s a stark contrast from how he has fared in non-majors this season.
Zalatoris has seemingly been building to a huge breakout moment all season. He tied for sixth at the Masters and lost a playoff to Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship.
One more round like he had Saturday could be enough for Zalatoris to capture his first major title.
Fitzpatrick made a run on the back nine that briefly moved him atop the leaderboard at five under. The England native made three birdies in a stretch of four holes from No. 14 to No. 17.
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
Another birdie for <a href=”https://twitter.com/MattFitz94?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@MattFitz94</a>.<br><br>Three in his last four holes and a 1-shot lead <a href=”https://twitter.com/usopengolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@USOpenGolf</a>. <a href=”https://t.co/P2r15WFA1i”>pic.twitter.com/P2r15WFA1i</a>
Even though a bogey on No. 18 was a bad note to end the day on, Fitzpatrick has given himself an opportunity to win with a strong showing otherwise.
Jon Rahm looked like he was going to be the leader heading into Sunday. He went on the same run as Fitzpatrick with three birdies in four holes from No. 14 to No. 17, dropping his overall score to five under.
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
Business as usual for the defending champ. <a href=”https://twitter.com/JonRahmpga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@JonRahmPGA</a> heads to the 18th hole with a 1-shot lead on Moving Day <a href=”https://twitter.com/usopengolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@USOpenGolf</a>. <a href=”https://t.co/XOpTq1l8UD”>pic.twitter.com/XOpTq1l8UD</a>
Things went south for Rahm on No. 18. The defending U.S. Open champion found the bunker on the dogleg, and his first shot to get out of the sand didn’t clear the lip. He posted a double-bogey six on the hole to fall into third place at three under.
Last year saw Rahm shoot one over in the third round and go into the final round three shots behind the leaders. He went four under the last day to win the tournament by one stroke.
The 27-year-old doesn’t have as much ground to make up this time around. He’s still in a great position to become the first player with back-to-back U.S. Open titles since Brooks Koepka (2017-2018).
Morikawa had a day to forget with four bogeys and two double bogeys. This was his worst single-round score in a major tournament in his tour career.
McIlroy didn’t fare much better than Morikawa. The 33-year-old finished with a three-over 73 to fall three shots off the pace. He still has an opportunity to win or at least finish in the top 10 at this event for the fourth consecutive year.
The U.S. Open has historically been one of the most difficult events on the calendar every single year. There are only nine players under par heading into the final round.
Given how The Country Club course has played over the past three days, there should be a lot of drama at the top of the leaderboard Sunday.
The final round will begin at 8:49 a.m. ET. The final pairing of Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick will tee off at 2:45 p.m. ET.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
