Americans Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen will start the weekend in first place at the US Open with just one stroke ahead of Spanish Jon Rahm, defender of this Grand Slam title, and other figures such as Rory McIlroy.
The American Scottie Scheffler, number one in the world ranking, is also on the lookout for what is anticipated as a fast-paced fight for the trophy in Brookline (Massachusetts).
Instead, the main names of the new Saudi circuit LIV Golf have had a disappointing performance in the tournament, mainly Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, who did not make the cut this Friday.
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The one who will be there is the weekend is the Colombian Juan Sebastián Muñoz, who overcame a weak round on Thursday and a bad start on Friday, with a double bogey on the first hole of his course, to finish with 143 hits (+3), just on the limit to get into the rounds on Saturday and Sunday .
At the moment the leadership is held by Morikawa, winner of the last British Open and the PGA Championship, together with the revelation Joel Dahmen, number 130 in the PGA ranking, both with a cumulative 135 (five under par).
Morikawa, 25, tamed the challenging The Country Club (7,254 yards (6.6 km) with an excellent card of 66 strokes (-4), achieving five birdies and committing only one bogey.
“Right now my game feels great,” Morikawa congratulated himself. “The last few days are a big confidence boost for me going into this weekend, and hopefully we can distance ourselves somewhat.”
If he wins the trophy, Morikawa would be the first golfer since the absent Tiger Woods to lift three different major titles in a three-year period.
“I can’t really talk about what it would be like to win here. I have to focus on tomorrow,” he remarked.
The one and two of the world ranking, involved in the fight for the US Open title
The young Californian golfer will have to overcome fearsome competitors to win the third Grand Slam of the season. One of them will be the Spanish Jon Rahm, who wants to maintain the idyll with this tournament after his triumph in 2021, with which he got rid of the weight of not having any ‘Major’ in his showcase.
“It’s fantastic for golf to have the highest ranked players and the best players up there, especially in the tournament where really the best player ends up winning,” Rahm said. “It’s fun for all of us because we all want to compete against the best and beat the best,” he stressed.
The number two in the world ranking improved his solid round on Thursday (69 shots) with another 67 (-3), signing an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys.
The Basque golfer has a cumulative 136 (-4), tied for third place with Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, winner of four Grand Slams, and Americans Hayden Buckley, Beau Hossler and Aaron Wise.
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Reserving his place for the duel of stars, Scottie Scheffler recorded his best round in the Open (67 strokes) on Friday and is only two strokes off the lead. This reaction allows the winner of the last Augusta Masters to aspire to join Tiger Woods as the only world number ones to win the Open.
The first Latin American player in the table is the Chilean Joaquín Niemann, who ranks 31st, while his compatriot Mito Pereira was left out of the cut.
Two of the LIV Golf figures failed at the US Open
The Open takes place under the shadow of the division that the sport lives with the appearance of the LIV Golf circuit, which has recruited some of the PGA’s stars with lucrative offers backed by Saudi Arabia.
Although expelled from the PGA, the “dissenting” players are authorized by the United States Golf Association to compete at Brookline against their former teammates on the US tour.
Drawing wide eyes from rivals and fans alike, two of LIV’s biggest names, American Phil Mickelson and Spaniard Sergio Garcia, were eliminated after another disappointing performance on Friday.
Mickelson had stumbled with 78 shots (+8) on Thursday, the day of his 52nd birthday, and this Friday he could barely improve his record to 73 shots (+3) to place himself in 134th place with a cumulative +11, when the cut-off line stood at +3.
Upon his departure, the Californian described the event as “spectacular” after receiving mostly supportive comments from the spectators.
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“The fans here have always been amazing. They create a really special atmosphere,” said Mickelson, who had not competed in his country for four months.
The Saudi circuit offers its members the largest prize pools in the history of the sport, with 25 million dollars in each regular season event, 7.5 million more than the total distributed by this US Open.
SPORTS
with AFP
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