5 things to know for Sunday’s final round at the U.S. Open
Rickie Fowler is on a quest to win his first major championship at the 2023 U.S. Open.
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Only one round remains at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and fans are reveling in the incredible leaderboard.
Rickie Fowler has a chance to go wire-to-wire, and co-leads the charge by one shot at 10 under par overall, alongside Wyndham Clark.
With players attempting to win a major for the first-time in the mix alongside multiple-major-winning veterans, Sunday’s round is looking like it’ll be a true barn burner.
Here are five things to know for Sunday’s final round at Los Angeles Country Club.
The contenders are locked in
Rickie Fowler. Rory McIlroy. Scottie Scheffler. Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele. Cameron Smith. Bryson DeChambeau. Golf’s biggest names are in the mix in this U.S. Open championship, as well as a few slightly lesser-known names in Wyndham Clark, Harris English, Ryutaro Nagano and Tom Kim.
Given the difficulty of the course over the weekend, scratching back shots has only gotten tougher. At first glance, it looks like this will be a battle between Fowler, McIlroy, Clark and Scheffler, who has only a three-shot deficit.
But because this is golf, we know anything can happen. And we can’t wait to watch.
Scottie Scheffler’s late charge
Scottie Scheffler was the odds-on favorite to win this week’s U.S. Open, and for good reason. The World No. 1 has two wins already this year and hasn’t finished outside the Top 12 since last October — that’s 16 tournaments!
But Scheffler was a bit overshadowed by the ultra-low rounds in the early days of the tournament, quietly firing solid opening scores of 67-68. But on Saturday, Scheffler came alive at the finish, electrifying the crowd by holing out with an eagle 2 on the par-4 17th and following that up with a birdie on 18.
All of the sudden, Scheffler was firmly in the mix. He’ll have a tee time in the penultimate pairing on Sunday, and trails the lead by only three shots.
What’s at stake?
In addition to a cool trophy, a golf medal and a record haul of cash from the USGA ($3.6 million!), the U.S. Open winner can enjoy perks aplenty, including years of major exemptions and PGA Tour card-holding status.
How Scottie Scheffler played 1,006 yards at the U.S. Open in only 5 strokes
A win also represents different milestones for different players. For Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark, Harris English and Xander Schauffele, this U.S. Open would be a breakthrough achievement, the first major of their career, and a true ascension to the sport’s mountaintop.
For McIlroy, a win would mark his first major in nearly nine years, while Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson are seeking to add to their current single and double-major resumes, respectively.
How far back is too far back?
As we saw on Thursday with Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele’s eye-popping 62s, golf records — even longstanding, seemingly unbreakable ones — are destined to fall.
So perhaps we should take the current historic metrics with a grain of salt, because given what we’ve already witnessed this week, anything can happen.
But the fact remains that no one has ever won the U.S. Open on Sunday after trailing by more than seven shots. Arnold Palmer was the man to do it, at Cherry Hills in 1960.
Given those parameters, that means there are 11 players with a plausible chance on Sunday, which makes things very interesting indeed.
Sunday funday! (For the fans)
After the flurry of birdies carded in the opening rounds of this U.S. Open, red numbers have been considerably harder to come by on the weekend.
But even if things remain tight throughout most of the final round, Scheffler’s finish on Saturday was a reminder of just how quickly things can turn around at LACC.
Just imagine what could go down on the home stretch on Sunday!
There’s no doubt that Sunday’s final round will be must-see TV. And to that we say, bring it on!
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