Live updates from US Open third round, rankings: Matthieu Pavon leads Ludvig Åberg from Moving Day at Pinehurst


It’s moving day in North Carolina, and we started with a US Open rookie in mind.

Ludvig Åberg entered Saturday with a one-shot lead over the field after his 1-under 69 Friday at No. 2 Pinehurst in North Carolina. He is playing in his very first US Open and is only a few months away from his first appearance in a major championship. If he can pull off a victory this week, he would be the first tournament rookie to do so in over 100 years.

Åberg’s lead did not last long, however. Matthieu Pavon, who briefly held part of the lead on Friday before a few late bogeys hurt him, quickly overtook Åberg on the front nine on Saturday afternoon. Pavon made three birdies on his first nine, almost matching the lowest round of the day before making the turn, while Åberg held on to tie.

There are plenty of big names behind them, however, including Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy – who is looking for his first major victory in almost a full decade.

So far Saturday, Pinehurst has been the big winner. Very few golfers managed to get under par, and the average early score was around 73. Collin Morikawa was the only exception. He posted a bogey-free 66, which brought him into a tie. Depending on the rest of the afternoon, he could be up there Sunday.

Scottie Scheffler, on the other hand, struggled once again. U.S. Open golf, he says, is like a “mental torture chamber.”

If you’re looking for tee times, we have them here.

If you’re looking for how to watch, we’ve got you covered there too.

If you would like to view the rankings, click here.

And if you need help keeping up with the action, follow below:

Live30 updates

  • Iron 6 from 278

    Bryson DeChambeau has just hit a 6 iron to 257 yards on a par 5 that is already 630 yards. A 6-iron from 257. Alas, he didn’t hit it until 256, a yard short of clearing the trap at the edge of the green.

  • Ludvig crushes No. 10

    Ludvig Åberg has perhaps just made the best approach of the day. He has just stuck his second shot on the par-5 10th at 9 feet with a 7 wood! Mad.

    Their faces say it all.

    If he makes this putt, he will regain the solo lead.

  • Bryson calls for help

    As he takes over, Bryson DeChambeau called on his physio.

    Bones just said on the show that DeChambeau’s right hip was straining. He has torn ligaments in both hips.

    DeChambeau seems to be walking and swinging well, and he’s still in the lead, but we’ll see what happens here in the sequel.

  • Leaderboard reset after Pavon and Åberg bogeys

    Matthieu Pavon has just made a bogey at No. 11, so the battle is tight at the top of the rankings.

    Here’s a look at the situation as the final group makes the rounds at Pinehurst #2.

    Ranking update:

    T1. Pavon-5 (11)

    T1. Controversy (10)

    T1. DeChambeau (9)

    T4. Aberg -4 (9)

    T4. McIlroy (10)

    T6. Hatton-3 (12)

    T6. Cantlay (9)

  • Tony Finau hangs on

    Somehow, Tony Finau managed to get off the 10th green with a tap-in par. His second shot out of the rough behind the green ended up coming back to him, but then he almost scored a birdie the second time.

    He is still 5 under, just one shot from Matthieu Pavon.

  • Finau’s shot at 9 is much better than McIlroy’s.

    Tony Finau hit a brilliant iron into the par-3 9th hole, using the slope to get to within seven feet of the hole. It was a thing of beauty that Rory McIlroy simply couldn’t match. Better luck next time, Rory!

    Both drained their putts, McIlroy with the more difficult one, pushing it to 4 under and Finau to 5 under, one behind Pavon.

  • Bryson close to 1

    DeChambeau stole a birdie at the par-4 seventh to join Aberg at 6 under, just one behind Pavon.

  • Bryson DeChambeau signs autographs

    While almost every LIV player has become persona non grata since joining the rival tour, Bryson DeChambeau has managed to become one of the most likeable (and now popular) players on both tours. But signing autographs while on tour? These guys don’t even like to punch between the holes, let alone stop, grab someone’s pen and sign something, but apparently that’s what DeChambeau did earlier.

  • Pavon in the lead

    Three birdies from Matthieu Pavon, including one from downtown at No. 7, put the Frenchman alone in the lead.

    At 3 under in his round thus far, Pavon is the outlier. Par is a good score today at Pinehurst. No one went lower than Collin Morikawa’s 66 earlier in the day.

  • Aberg returns one

    Ludvig Aberg’s first slip occurred at the long par 4 fourth. After a decent drive, he missed the green well before his approach and was unable to get up and down it.

    This made it a three-way tie atop the leaderboard until Tony Finau bogeyed the sixth. So that’s Aberg and Pavon at the top.

  • Pavon steps back

    Matthieu Pavon kept pace with Aberg, making a birdie at the fifth to bring him back to 5 under.

  • Aberg gets a break and a birdie

    Ludvig Aberg pulled his drive on the third driveway to the left, just enough for a stand to be between his ball and his line to the green. So he got a free drop, chipped and then quickly drained a 28-footer for birdie.

    That should have given him a brief two-shot lead, until playing partner Bryson DeChambeau cleaned up a short 3 1/2 feet for birdie. Except… DeChambeau missed it.

  • Tyrell Hatton with the eagle

    You have to take advantage of the par 5s — there are only two at Pinehurst No. 2 — and that’s exactly what Tyrell Hatton did, reaching the green at No. 5 in two, then rolling a 14-footer to the Eagle. That puts him at 4 under, in a group that includes McIlroy, Finau, DeChambeau and Pavon who are behind Aberg.

  • Rory, Finally just a return

    Rory McIlroy pulls back after a birdie at third. That followed playing partner Tony Finau’s birdie at the second to bring him back to 4 under and one back.

    While the third played just 316 yards, McIlroy’s second came from the greenside bunker.

  • Cantlay saves

    Patrick Cantlay started his round with a bogey, putting him back two points, then faced a 21-footer to save par at the second. An early bogey-bogey has the power to derail a round in a hurry, but Cantlay couldn’t do it, hammering the putt straight into the hole.

  • Åberg and DeChambeau are absent

    Finally, Ludvig Åberg and Bryson DeChambeau are operational. Both guys landed tee shots down the middle of the fairway from the first. Let’s see what happens.

  • Pavon returns immediately

    After a few late bogeys that knocked him out of the lead on Friday night, Matthieu Pavon started Moving Day with a birdie at first. It came back to 4 under.

  • Corey Conners almost made the 3rd par 4

    This is about the closest drive we’re going to see today on #3. Corey Conners hit his tee shot on the drivable par-4 a few yards from the cup to create an eagle look.

  • Tour of the day?

    Collin Morikawa got the start before 11 a.m. local time and he absolutely bulldozed his way into the race.

    Morikawa, thanks to a huge birdie at 18, is now back in E for the week. He entered the clubhouse with a bogey-free 4-under 66, which was by far the lowest round of the day thus far. Depending on how the afternoon wave ends, Morikawa will be in a great position on Sunday.

  • Scottie Scheffler above average, again

    For the first time in his career, Scottie Scheffler has exceeded par four times in a row. He finished with a score of 71-over today, giving him a score of 6-over for the tournament.

    Scheffler barely managed to qualify yesterday, maintaining his streak of two consecutive seasons.





Source link

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top