By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark were locked in a fight atop the leaderboard as they made the turn at the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday, with Harris English and Rory McIlroy threatening as well.
Overnight leader Fowler is on track for another rollercoaster round at the Los Angeles Country Club after mixing two birdies with two bogeys through his first nine holes.
The resurgent Southern Californian is looking to win a breakthrough first major title in LA this weekend.
The confident Clark went bogey free with two birdies through his first nine to leapfrog overnight leader Fowler for the outright lead at 11-under par.
English was three-under through his first 10 holes to pull into a tie for second with Fowler, while McIlroy was one shot further adrift.
FOWLER MAKING HISTORY
Despite setting U.S. Open records in his two rounds, Fowler entered the day with just a one-shot lead over playing partner Clark with McIlroy and Xander Schauffele a further stroke back at the Los Angeles Country Club.
Fowler, playing in his first U.S. Open since 2020, has been stuck on five PGA Tour victories since 2019 and despite his on-course struggles over the years, the 34-year-old has remained one of the most popular players on the U.S.-based circuit.
Fowler has already made a mark this week as his two-day 130 total tied the lowest 36-hole U.S. Open scoring record set by Martin Kaymer in 2014. He also set a tournament record with 18 birdies through 36 holes.
Fowler, who also held a share of the first-round lead with Schauffele, will have his work cut out this weekend with a leaderboard that features plenty of top-tier talent.
Clark, who beat a stacked field at Quail Hollow for his first PGA Tour victory last month, made the cut for the first time in three U.S. Open starts.
The day started with Fowler and Clark drilling birdies on the par-five first hole under sunny skies and a light breeze in Southern California.
World number three McIlroy, who has gone nearly nine years since winning his fourth major title, crushed a 388-yard drive that led to a birdie of his own on the first.
Schauffele meanwhile ran into immediate trouble on one, needing three shots to get out of a fairway bunker and having to settle for a bogey.
He followed that up with bogeys on three and five but erased those missteps with three birdies to make the turn at even par.
Schauffele, who is ranked sixth in the world, is seeking his first major triumph and boasts top-15 finishes in all six U.S. Open starts, the longest streak at the event since Lanny Wadkins had six straight from 1981-86.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, trailing Fowler by five at the start of the day, was one-over through his first 13 holes.
Masters champion Jon Rahm, who extended the longest active streak of made cuts in majors to 16, shot an even par 70 in his third round.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond, Franklin Paul and Lincoln Feast.)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.
Source: The Print
