After a day of movement at the US Open, Saturday sunny and almost no breeze, day in which Rory McIlory (67 hits), set the tone, Jon Rahm went to bed thinking that Sunday could be a great day as the artist sang.
Barrika’s golfer played on a sunny Saturday and with almost no breeze at Torrey Pines in 72 strokes, one over par, with two birdies, a bogey and a double bogey, for a trip on the 14th hole, to be distanced by three strokes from the three ‘H2O’ (Hughes, Henley and Oosthuizen). To one is Rory and the formidable Bryson DeChambeau (68), who played without bogeys. Among the 13 players who, for now, are under par in the great torment, are, among others, Dustin Johnson (68) and Collin Morikawa (70), both one behind the Spaniard.
Rahm lost on the greens a day that was up to par one of the best in the rest of the game. Without huge birdie opportunities, he could have saved a couple of putts, some more success, which would have multiplied his actions for Sunday. However, and in a blissful setting for him as Torrey Pines, the occasion is truly serious for the first time since the 2018 PGA in the big boys.
Brilliant final de Oosthuizen
The Basque is surrounded by purple. Starting with Oosthuizen, the symposium swing golfer. A putt from 10 meters, downhill, for eagle in 18 embraced him to the lead with 70 shots signed based on successes and errors. The South African, winner of the 2010 British Open and with a complete Grand Slam in runners-up, had three birdies and four bogeys so far.
For the balance of hits, five birdies, inspiration is embodied by McIlroy, without victories in the majors for 7 years. The Norrlands dispatched the last nine holes magnificently aided by the two par 5s and the shot of the day at 12, a chip from the rough overhead, from 20 meters, which caught the good nerve of the green.
But it’s the balance of mistakes, none on Saturday, that propels DeChambeau, the defending champion who wants to emulate the two-win sequence he achieved in 2017-18 … Brooks Koepka, the current arch-enemy. Despite the fact that in Torrey Pines he continues to hear the ‘Brooksy, Brooksy’ taunt when he goes to hit, the golfer who has revolutionized the last stage of golf is going his own way. “It makes me laugh to hear that, really,” he said after having distributed good uncontrolled shots across the field, above 300 meters, which facilitate the second blows.
The other two Spaniards in the tournament, Sergio Garca and Rafa Cabrera, will play on Sunday together after having signed 73 and 74 strokes, respectively. Borriol’s player fixed a card marked by the double bogey on hole 13 (par 5) in the last two holes with birdies, after having touched the flagpole with the third shot, while Rafa did not sign a single birdie. on the 18 holes.
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