Furyk Takes US Open Lead
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2010 FedExCup champion Jim Furyk is making his 67th Major Championship start, with his best finish a win at the 2003 U.S. Open. He’ll enter the final round tied with Graeme McDowell after a third-round even-par 70. Furyk’s even-par 70 on Saturday is his 26th round at par-or-better in 67 overall rounds at the U.S. Open. Furyk is hoping to become the 22nd player to win multiple U.S. Opens.
Graeme McDowell recorded a third-round 2-under 68 – including a birdie on the closing hole on Saturday – to share the third-round lead with Jim Furyk at the 112th U.S. Open. McDowell’s has had one previous lead heading into the final round on the PGA TOUR, leading the 2011 PLAYERS Championship before a final-round 7-over 79 led to a T33 finish.
36-hole co-leader Tiger Woods posted a 5-over 75 to fall to T14, five strokes behind the leaders. In the 43 events he has held/shared the 36-hole lead, Woods has posted an above-par score in the next round just six times.
Twenty-one of Woods’ 69 stroke-play wins have been in come-from-behind fashion, but he has never come from behind to win a Major Championship.
On the PGA TOUR in 2012, the third-round leader/co-leader has won nine times in 24 stroke-play events, most recently Jason Dufner at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Phil Mickelson celebrated his 42nd birthday on Saturday with a second-consecutive 1-over 71. At 8-over 218, he’ll enter
the final round nine strokes behind the leaders. Mickelson has missed the cut just twice in 22 U.S. Open starts (1992, 2007). Mickelson has five runner-up finishes (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009) at the U.S. Open, the most by any player.
Ernie Els stood at 7-over as he teed off on the par-4 seventh hole, but made up five shots coming in for a 2-under 68, sitting T4 at 2-over 212. Highlighting his round was an eagle on the par-5 17th hole en route.
Els is making his 20th start at the U.S. Open, with wins in 1994 and 1997 among his eight top-10 finishes. Els will enter the final round trailing McDowell and Furyk by three strokes. He led by two over Frank Nobilo entering the final round of the 1994 U.S. Open before a final-round 74 led to a playoff he would eventually win over Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts. In 1997, he trailed Tom Lehman by two strokes before a final-round 69 led to a one-stroke victory over Montgomerie. A victory for Els would move him into a tie for fifth all-time with three U.S. Open Championship victories.
Lee Westwood, making his 13th U.S. Open start, carded a 3-under 67 on Saturday to jump to T4 and just three strokes behind the leaders. Of his five sub-70 scores at the U.S. Open (47 career rounds), three have come in his last six rounds.
Matt Kuchar (70-73-71) is bidding to become the first player to win THE PLAYERS Championship and the U.S. Open in the same season. Seven players have won THE PLAYERS and the U.S. Open during their careers: Lee Trevino, Jerry Pate, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite, Lee Janzen and Tiger Woods.
Third-Round Leaderboard
Jim Furyk 70-69-70—209 (-1)
Graeme McDowell 69-72-68—209 (-1)
Fredrik Jacobson 72-71-68—211 (+1)
Lee Westwood 73-72-67—212 (+2)
Ernie Els 75-69-68—212 (+2)
Blake Adams 72-70-70—212 (+2)
Nicolas Colsaerts 72-69-71—212 (+2)
