Sunday tee times click here http://www.majorschampionships.com/usopen/2012/scoring/tee_times.cfm
It was as foolish yesterday (foolhardy was the word I used in the previous missive) for the over anxious Tiger cheerleaders that populate the media these days, to suggest Tiger's win at the Olympic Club was inevitable, as it is to suggest he is out of it today..
By now you know he and many others struggled on this tough tough test of golf at the Olympic Club with a +75 which puts him in a group at 214 +4, just 5 shots behind the leaders Graeme McDowell 68 -1 209 and Jim Furyk 70 -1 209, the only 2 left under par.
So now we have ourselves a horse race folks, with as many as 20 odd players with a realistic chance of winning, so it could well be a photo-finish.
click here for live scoring http://www.majorschampionships.com/usopen/2012/scoring/index.cfm
Freddie Jacobsen 68, the Swedish Seve is just 2 shots back at 211 +1 and don't count him out, nobody in this field has more imagination around the greens.
Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open winner, is three shots back. He's tied for the fewest putts of any player in the field this week and feels like he's back in major championship form, 15 years after his last U.S. Open win.
"For some reason, I'm patient again this week and that's been kind of my virtue in major championship golf," Els said.
Lee Westwood is also three shots back. Arguably the best and perhaps less arguably, the most established player without a major title, Westwood continues to put himself in breakthrough position. He hasn't delivered yet, but why not on Sunday?
"The main thing is just to go out there and believe that I'm good enough," Westwood said. "I must be. I keep getting myself in contention often enough."
There's Jason Dufner, the hottest player in golf in recent weeks with two wins in his last three starts. Dufner is four shots off the lead, in a six-man pack that also includes, gulp, 17-year-old Beau Hossler. The precocious youngster has gone from wanting to be low amateur to wanting to make history as the youngest player to win the U.S. Open.
There's Retief Goosen, another two-time U.S. Open winner, just five shots back. "You never know," Goosen said about his chances.
Goosen is in a pack at 4 over that also includes Martin Kaymer, Matt Kuchar and Woods. Despite a round that started badly (four bogeys in his first eight holes) and finished nearly as worse (two more in last three), Woods isn't about to give up the fight. With seven twosomes between him and the lead group, Woods hopes to make some early noise and post a number.
"I'm definitely still in the ballgame," he said. "I'm only five back and that's certainly doable on this golf course."
McDowell agreed. He considers anybody at 4 over or better as a threat. Although there are not super-low scores out there, anybody in red numbers can make a big move. Thirteen players shot sub-par rounds on Saturday; 10 of those players are in the final eight groups going into Sunday.
"There's a fine line in this golf course between 67, 68 and 75, 76," McDowell said. "Myself and Jimmy are tied up, but there's a lot of guys who can still win this tournament."
But at the end, it will be the golf course itself, the weather conditions and the USGA's set-up that may very well dictate who will contend and who will fall back. The course was a tad easier yesterday playing to a stroke average of 74.09.
The weather forecast is for partly sunny skies, cool 22*c (71*f) with the wind from the SW at 20mph by this afternoon when the leaders go out.
I won't be surprised if two or more of these guys are back to settle this US Open on Monday..
Listen for my report on the International Sports Report on TSN1050 at 9.45am and all week between 7-9am on www.NextSportsStar.com
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles and at www.isr1050.com
(notes from pgatour.com were used in this blog)
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