Robert TheodorsonA trio of LIV golfers, led by Torque’s Carlos Ortiz, will go into Sunday fully in contention to win the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont after each fought their way back against the course that took out several big-name stars.
Carlos Ortiz (Torque), Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII), and Marc Leishman (Ripper) go into Championship Sunday at Oakmont as the frontrunners from the LIV field to win The U.S. Open. For each, it would be the first major championship of their careers.
Leading the way and finishing his round with an astonishing 67, Carlos Ortiz’s near mistake-free day included four birdies before bogeying the final hole to settle at even par for the tournament. Ortiz’s approach shots were accurate and his putts on point.
The former LIV Houston winner single-handedly put himself in the best position to win amongst his LIV colleagues. At Oakmont, anyone relatively close to the leader is in contention, and Ortiz has just a good a shot to win as anybody out there!
Following Ortiz into Sunday will be Tyrrell Hatton, the presumptive European Ryder Cup representative for LIV who has recorded several Top 10 finishes at major championships, but has yet to come home with a trophy to call his own.
Ripper’s Marc Leishman put himself into a great position with a 2-under par 68 to finish Saturday at T11. Leishman, who recently won LIV Miami, was one of the last additions to the U.S. Open field and has made the most of his opportunity.
LIV Leaderboard
| Carlos Ortiz | E | 5 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +1 | T6 |
| Marc Leishman | +2 | T11 |
| Brooks Koepka | +5 | T21 |
| Jon Rahm | +7 | T35 |
| Patrick Reed | +8 | T39 |
Koepka, Rahm, and Reed Look for Strong Finish
Despite going into Saturday as the presumptive favourites from LIV, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm floundered throughout the day, a common theme for many superstars at Oakmont this weekend.
Unable to get consistent scoring throughout the front nine, Rahm stood pat for most of the day before a costly double-bogey on the Par 4 15th sunk his day, and likely his hopes for capturing his second U.S. Open.
Despite putting himself out of contention, Rahm will look to finish Sunday with his best performance of the tournament as his consistency in finishing major championships on a strong note (minus the collapse at Quail Hollow) goes back to last year’s Open at Royal Troon.
With pride on the line and another chance to prove he is still one of the world’s best, look for a strong Sunday push for Rahm to challenge for the Top 10.
Koepka, who recorded a 68 on Thursday, the best among the LIV field after the opening round, continued to falter after a rough Friday.
Unlike Rahm, Koepka’s fall was much more rapid and more pronounced with three early bogeys on the front nine quickly dropping off the leaderboard.
It looked like Koepka had a chance to save his day after birdieing the 17th, but a three-putt put the former two-time U.S. Open winner back at 5-over par.
Only one stroke behind Leishman, Koepka still has a chance, but would need a total collapse from the leaders plus a miracle round of his own making.
Patrick Reed’s respectable 71 was the result of a rollercoaster day. The former Masters winner finished Saturday at 8-over par, but has a very good chance of finishing in the Top 25 should he manage an under-par Sunday.
For Reed, who is currently ranked 59 in the OWGR, capturing top finishes is a must when considering his pathway back to the major championships (other than Augusta) and rekindling his chances of being included on the Ryder Cup, a tournament he has traditionally dominated.
The U.S. Open will be Decided on the Very Last Hole
Anyone with a seven-point differential or less off the leader should still be considered alive at this point.
There has been only one golfer who has what could be considered a ‘perfect’ tournament thus far, and that is Adam Scott with Thursday and Friday pars before his masterclass Saturday performance 67 which pushed the 2013 Masters champion into what many will consider to be the favourite going into Sunday.
Alongside Marc Leishman at 4-over par is world number one Scottie Scheffler, the man who basically everyone thought would walk away with the trophy.
At T11, it would surprise absolutely no one if Scheffler pulls off a Sunday surprise with the best round score of the tournament which currently belongs to Sam Burns with a Friday 65.
Speaking of Burns, everyone is wondering if his one-shot lead is good enough to take this tournament home. Burns (-4; 1st), Scott (-3; T2), J.J. Spaun (-3; T2), and Viktor Hovland (-1; 4th) are the only current members of the field left with an under-par score.
With the way Oakmont works, it is almost expected that at least one of these Top 4 can drop out of contention immediately with a couple of unlucky breaks.
The flip side to this is that there is likely someone out there who will start Sunday with seemingly no chance to win, and end up pulling it off at one of the most competitive and difficult tournaments we’ve seen in recent years.
