So we had a Lyme disease alert on Thursday with DJ, Rory, Day and Spieth having their exploits in the fescue. And on Friday we had an E. coli alert at one of the "hydration stations" on the Erin Hills course layout. Just a reminder, folks... you have no idea what lurks in those coolers at your regular golf course stomping grounds! I mean, having the Ho Chi Minh two-step is one thing, but being laid up in the hospital with a serious infection is another! Purified water is the safer way to go.
Speaking of Ho Chi Minh... Dustin Johnson did a two-step out of the picture on Friday. For those keeping score, Erin Hills - 2, McIlroy, Day and Johnson - 0. And hopefully they didn't drink from the E. coli cooler on Friday.
Fowler didn't exactly shit the bed... more like a nasty, moisturizing fart on the back-nine Friday that was absorbed by his underwear (that will need some "Shout" stain remover and washed in hot water nevertheless) although it's worth noting that he salvaged the bed linens at least with a +1 on Friday... if that's as bad as it gets for him, one shot back of the lead heading into the weekend is about as much as he could possibly hope for. And as we've heard him say on more than one occasion in an interview on the the eve of a third round in a major , "I can't be upset with where I am." Hopefully it materializes this week, Rickie. Not to take anything away from the rest of your fellow competitors, but the USGA really needs you to pull this one out. Otherwise only the real golf fans will stay tuned in on Sunday and the ratings will suck because the casual fans need a big name to keep them entertained enough to follow along.
A lefty has never won the US Open. Not sure Brian Harmon will be the first, but he's tied for the lead heading into the weekend and has my undivided attention. It's worth noting that he's all of 5-foot, 7 inches and weighs in at 150 pounds. A long hitter he is not.
The last amateur who won a US Open was Johnny Goodman back in 1933. But Cameron Champ is hoping to end the drought this weekend, only two shots off the lead (@ -5) heading into Saturday. Hey, with that last name you have to think he's more than accustomed to playing under pressure. Were it to happen, it would be the biggest story in US Open history since, well, 1933.
Tommy Fleetwood looks like he should be manning a counter at Zumiez, but he'll be manning a later tee time Saturday in hopes of continuing to play well enough to become the second Englishman to win a US Open in the past 5 years. At 7-under, he's tied for the lead. And here's hoping he doesn't pull a Danny Willett should he prevail. (Willett shot 81 on Thursday and wasted little time slamming the trunk that evening to never return. Not a fan of guys who just up and quit... maybe there was something going on there I'm not aware of, but he should be kissing Jordan's ass for making a mess of that 12th hole at August last year.)
Brooks Koepka... I think rsvman mentioned him as a good choice in the other thread. Tied for the lead. Hits it miles and is playing the best of any long-bomber in the field. The course suits him well, and with a good round Saturday - ya never know!
J.B. Holmes - continues to play that high-fade beautifully. Only problem is that he's been known to hit a few pulls when the weekends come around (Players Championship several weeks back). Underrated putter, sits one shot back heading into the weekend with a pair of 69's. (69 is my favorite number. Which is better than a 6.9, which is a 69 interrupted by a period. Ewwww...)
Then there's Sneds @ 5-under, who would shock the dickens out of me if he were to win, but he seems like such a nice fella and he seems to be rolling the rock well this week. But he just doesn't strike me as a major champion (sorta like Kuchar in that regard) but nevertheless he's got an opportunity this weekend to prove me wrong. Come on, Opie!
Matsuyama... was unbelievable on the front-nine Friday, putting on an absolute clinic with 6 birdies and going out in 30. If I had that pause at the top of my backswing - I'd shank the ever-loving shit out of every ball with every swing. Started the day at +2 and outside the cutline, and now finds himself only 2 shots back of the lead. I guess that's to be expected though with someone comfortably residing within the top-5 of the world golf rankings, not named Rory, Jason or Dustin.
And lastly... not only is there no Tiger or Phil... likewise there's no Rory, no Jason, no Dustin. Or Rose. Or Stenson. Or Bubba. Or Rahm. And judging by the leaderboard, we're probably looking at our 7th consecutive first-time major winner.
Should be an interesting weekend.
At least for those of us who don't require the biggest names to keep us interested.