The Colombian Juan Sebastián Muñoz played again under par in the third round of the US Open, third major of the year, and got into the top 20 of the tournament, which ends this Sunday at the Brookline Country Club (Massachusetts). Muñoz is the best Latin American in the tournament.
The Bogota native, who played in the morning, delivered a card of 69 strokes, one under par, to accumulate 212 strokes (+2) and finish the third round in 17th place. “I think I played good golf, the best in the week,” Muñoz told ESPN.
Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick, leaders, go for their first win
American golfer Will Zalatoris and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick finished top of the US Open on Saturday, taking advantage of an unfortunate third-round finish by defending champion Jon Rahm of Spain.
Rahm, number two in the PGA ranking, had achieved a fabulous streak of three birdies in four holes and was the sole leader reaching the last of the day in Brookline (Massachusetts), where the wind and brutal roughs martyred the players.
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The Spaniard started the nightmare on the 18th hole by sending the tee shot into a bunker. With a look of disbelief, Rahm watched as his first blow from the arena hit the edge and returned to the same spot. With the next one he managed to get out of the hole but the ball ended up landing in another bunker.
Rahm ended up committing a double bogey that dropped him to third position with a card of 71 strokes (one over par) and a cumulative 207 (-3).
Despite the unfortunate finish, Rahm is just one shot behind Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick, who will have to withstand heavy pressure on Sunday to lift not only their first Grand Slam trophy but the first title of their careers.
Scottie Scheffler is still in the running for the US Open title
In addition to Rahm, other favorites are close to the top. Current PGA leader Scottie Scheffler is in the group in fourth place at two strokes and former world number one Rory McIlroy in seventh at three.
Zalatoris, number 14 in the world ranking, and Fitzpatrick (18th) are the best positioned players on the PGA who have not yet inaugurated their record. Should one of them emerge victorious on Sunday, he would be the first golfer to open his showcase with a Grand Slam since Danny Willett at the 2016 Augusta Masters.
Both Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick have been knocking on the door of their first major trophy for a long time.. In the last disputed, the PGA Championship in May, Fitzpatrick already started the last day as co-leader and Zalatoris reached the final tiebreaker, in which he fell to the champion Justin Thomas. This Saturday they were the players who best adapted to the difficult conditions at The Country Club.
“The wind was very strong. It made it difficult,” admitted Fitzpatrick, who signed a card of 68 strokes (-2). “You had to be aware of how you hit, where you missed, and I think that’s why it was a big challenge. I’m very happy with my score.”
“I knew I was going to play hard and I just had to be patient,” said Zalatoris, best of the day with 67 shots (-3). “He knew if he had one or two early bogeys, he wouldn’t change the game plan, he wouldn’t try to be extra aggressive, because that’s how you mess it up.”
The day had started with the leadership in the hands of the also renowned Collin Morikawa, current British Open champion, who quickly relinquished command with a resounding round of 77 shots (+7).
Morikawa’s fall was first taken advantage of by Scheffler, who became the leader thanks to a spectacular eagle on the eighth hole. The winner of the last Augusta Masters, however, later fell apart in a disastrous second part of the course with a double bogey and three bogeys.
The 25-year-old American is still aiming to join the absent Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win the US Open as world number one.
Rahm, for his part, was the most consistent of the group of favorites, adding four birdies and three bogeys before the disaster on the last hole. The Spaniard aspires to maintain the idyll with the US Open after his triumph in 2021, with which he got rid of the weight of not having any Grand Slam.
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with AFP
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