|
|
| |
 Not much forward progress on moving day
Posted: Saturday June 20, 1998 09:36 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- No one made a serious run at Payne Stewart in the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday, but that wasn't necessarily the objective. Moving day in the U.S. Open often rewards those who manage to stay put. Not many could. Matt Kuchar got the message on the 14th green that The Olympic Club was in no mood to give up birdies to the Open contenders. Kuchar, the 19-year-old U.S. Amateur champion, was putting together the kind of round that the U.S. Open rewards: eight straight pars at one point, just 2 over for the day and a birdie opportunity in sight. Perhaps because the roaring crowd pumped him up, perhaps because he is still an amateur, Kuchar rammed a 10-foot birdie putt about five feet by the hole, then missed it coming back. And that was just the start. Kuchar bogeyed the next two holes, then badly missed an 8-foot birdie on No. 18 to finish a round of 75 that put him at 4-over 214, seven strokes behind Stewart. "That first putt on 14 was my first real opportunity to make birdie," Kuchar said. "I got lined up and just goosed it. I was so ready to hit it." Of those within seven strokes of the lead when the third round started, only Tom Lehman and Steve Stricker managed to break par. As a result, Stewart takes a four-stroke lead into the final round Sunday, the largest lead in the Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970. "I don't think it's a very big lead," said Bob Tway, who birdied the 18th for a 73 that left him tied with Lehman at 211. "This golf course is so difficult, he can back up." On Saturday, just about everyone else did it for him. One of those who resisted was Lehman, who started with three straight birdies followed by three straight bogeys. He finished with a 68 and will play in the final group on Sunday of the U.S. Open for the fourth consecutive year. "It was a tough day. I thought even par would be a good score," Lehman said. Nick Price shot 71 and slowly worked his way back toward the top at 212. "You can't make up a lot of ground out here," said Price, a former PGA and British Open champion. But there is a lot of room to go backward. Jeff Maggert had a share of the lead for about 15 minutes when he birdied the first hole to get to 3 under. But he took a double bogey on No. 5 to fall to even and made five bogeys the rest of the way. Maggert shot 75 and was at 213. Lee Janzen, who beat Stewart in a duel at Baltusrol when he won the U.S. Open in 1993, was in perfect position to be in the final pairing when he arrived at No. 17 even par for the tournament. Janzen's approach landed on the green and sailed through to the rough, leaving him no shot. He wound up with a double bogey, and now has played the 468-yard hole in 5 over through three rounds. "I was trying to get to where I could play with Payne tomorrow," Janzen said. "It looked good until 17." Everything looked good for Lee Porter, who played surprisingly steady golf throughout the day. But he was jammed in the rough on the final two holes, finishing with a double bogey and wound up at 215 after a 76. The good news facing Sunday's contenders is that in three previous U.S. Opens at Olympic, the third-round leader has never won. And the winner was always been a player whom no one suspected. Kuchar, despite the three straight bogeys, still found reason to smile when he walked off the 18th. And he still had reason to hope. "Tomorrow is birthday day," said Kuchar, who turns 20 on Sunday.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
