Saturday's Birdies and Bogeys

By golfdigest.com

June 13, 2014

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Photo By: Stephen Szurlej

Birdie: Martin KaymerThe 29-year-old Kaymer lacked the same command he displayed en route to his record-opening 36 holes, but that's what made his Saturday so impressive. It's one thing to play well when you've got it, quite another to hang tough when you don't. The most telling display of Kaymer's grit was on the par-4 fourth, when he took an unplayable lie with his second shot, wedged out with his third and somehow salvaged bogey. The next hole he made an improbable eagle, and by day's end he still had a five-shot lead after a third-round 72. Saturday showed a second major win won't necessarily come easy, but Kaymer at least proved he's up for the fight. -- Sam Weinman

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Bogey: Rory McIlroyOne under par and on the first page of the leader board to start Saturday, McIlroy harbored hopes of cutting into Kaymer's lead over the course of the afternoon. Instead, his third-round 74 reaffirmed the notion that fast, firm major layouts confound him. More to the point, it suggested he lacks an ability to grind when fighting his form. McIlroy's front-nine 40 was the sixth nine-hole score of 40 or higher in 2014. -- S.W.

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Birdie: Erik ComptonNot a whole lot of things faze a guy working on his third heart. That doesn't mean Compton won't be feeling his blood pumping Sunday when he tries to complete what would be one of the most unbelievable stories in major-championship history. It's the reward for a masterful three-under 67 in the third round, when Compton's miraculous tale as a two-time heart transplant recipient was retold while he made an eagle and five bogeys on a course that was hardly in a giving mood. Can he keep it going for one more day? Who knows, but nobody will be rooting against him. -- Ryan Herrington

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Bogey: Brendon ToddYou knew it wasn't going to be Todd's day when he hit the par-4 second hole -- one of just 11 players to do so Saturday -- then rolled his birdie try clear off the back of the green. The resulting bogey was the first of eight on the day, along with one double and one birdie, that contributed to a disappointing 79 . The NBC crew tried to provide Todd a parachute, noting that it was his first start in a major and that being in the final group in the third round is heady stuff even for a seasoned tour pro. Nice try, but there's really no way to make the round seem like anything but a nightmare. -- R.H.

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Birdie: Rickie FowlerFowler's much-talked-about work with Butch Harmon hasn't translated into consistent results yet, but we're seeing a positive trend developing in golf's biggest events. For a second straight major, Fowler finds himself in contention heading into the final round after shooting a Saturday 67. The really good news? Fowler's score matched the low round of the day and got him into the final group at a major for the first time in his career. The bad news? He'll likely need a similar effort Sunday if he's going to catch Martin Kaymer. -- Alex Myers

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Bogey: USGASo what if Kaymer had put up a pair of 65s the first two days? By most accounts that was a reflection of one player's remarkable groove, and not Pinehurst No. 2's vulnerability. But when players returned for Saturday's third round, it was apparent they were in for a long day. Pins tucked on edges, greens rolling at 12-plus on the Stimpmeter. "Probably the hardest setup I've ever experienced in a major championship," Kenny Perry said. The result was a third round when players couldn't afford to be aggressive in pursuit of Kaymer. If the USGA's hope was to inject energy into the championship, it went about it the wrong way. -- S.W.

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Birdie: Henrik Stenson's ball-strikingThrough three rounds, the Swede has hit 76 percent of fairways and leads the field with his 42 greens in regulation (78 percent). Hitting fairways and greens is a recipe for success at any U.S. Open, and Stenson finds himself in position for another high finish at a major. But oh, what could have been . . . -- A.M.

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Bogey: Henrik Stenson's puttingStenson hasn't been terrible on the greens this week (31 putts per day), but he also hasn't capitalized on a number of great birdie chances, converting only two Saturday. Not that we should be too surprised. For the season, Stenson ranks 156th on the PGA Tour in strokes/gained putting. If Stenson can summon one hot Sunday on the greens, he wouldn't be the worst putter to ever win a major, but he would take himself off the list of best players never to have won one. -- A.M.

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Bogey: Keegan BradleyBradley sat at two under after 36 holes and, like McIlroy, was in prime position to make a run at leader Martin Kaymer. But that charge never materialized; Bradley bogeyed three of his first four holes, then three more of his last four holes. His six-over 76 was the worst score of any player who finished the day inside the top 30, and leaves him all but an afterthought going into Sunday. -- Luke Kerr-Dineen

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Birdie: WeatherFor all the doom-and-gloom about the weather earlier in the week, things have actually turned out quite well. The sun was bright all day Saturday -- which helped the course get firm and fast, just like the USGA wanted -- and there were none of the feared weather delays that might have caused extra damage with the Women's Open being played here next week. Barring any disasters on Sunday, we're on-course for a textbook U.S. Open weather-wise. -- L.K.D.

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Bogey: Toru TaniguchiLook, Pinehurst No. 2 played difficult Saturday, but an 88? That's just brutal. The 46-year-old Japanese pro playing in his ninth U.S. Open played "bogey golf" and had the worst round of the dayby six shots. Taniguchi made four double bogeys, a triple bogey, and was really undone by hitting just four greens. OK, so we probably could have pointed out just about any of his stats as a reason for struggling on this day. -- A.M.

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Bogey: Kevin Na/Brendon de JongeHang on and give yourself a chance come Sunday. That had to going through the minds of these guys as they saw their names on the leader board in the third round, both within shouting distance of leader Martin Kaymer, while playing the back nine at Pinehurst. Turned out, it was only wishful thinking. Two under o the day through 10 holes, De Jonge made three bogeys and a double in a five-hole stretch to shoot a 73 and fall nine back. Na's crash was similarly bumpy: double bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes left him with a 73 and a eight-shot deficit . . . and not much chance come Sunday. -- R.H.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej

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