Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick share the lead in a U.S. Open that was more about survival
Will Zalatoris reacts after making a birdie on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Saturday, June 18, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. BROOKLINE, Mass. — — Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick avoided the carnage and calamity that took down golf's best Saturday at a U.S. Open that set the tone for a final day of survival.
Fitzpatrick, already a champion at The Country Club with his U.S. Amateur title in 2013, was equally steady and ran off three birdies over his last five holes for a 68. He will be in the final group of a major for the second straight time.That's what knocked defending champion Jon Rahm out of the lead on the final hole.
Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick were at 4-under 206, the same score of the 54-hole lead when the U.S. Open was last at The Country Club in 1988. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was not immune. The world's No. 1 player looked to be pulling away when he holed a wedge from some 80 yards for eagle on the par-5 eighth.
Rory McIlroy was not on that list. His was more of a slow bleed, mostly from a putter that wasn't behaving. He made one birdie in his round of 73.“It was one of the toughest days on a golf course I’ve had in a long time,” McIlroy said. “I just needed to grind it out, and I did on the back nine. To play that back nine at even par today was a really good effort, I thought. Just kept myself in the tournament. That’s all I was trying to do. Just keep hanging around.