Tag: Los Angeles Country Club

Wyndham Clark ‘gets cocky,’ ‘plays big’ and felt like his mom was watching over him as he edges Rory McIlroy to win 2023 U.S. Open

Winning the U.S. Open required handling one more dose of adversity.

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LOS ANGELES — Before the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open, mental coach Julie Elion told her pupil Wyndham Clark, who had never won on the PGA Tour in five seasons until May and had never finished better than T-75 in a major, that he could stare down Rory McIlroy, playing in the group ahead of him, and Rickie Fowler, another of the most popular players in the game.

“She goes, every time you hear someone chant ‘Rickie,’ think of your goals and get cocky and go show them who you are,” Clark said. “I did that. It was like 100 plus times today I reminded myself of the goals. Now maybe they’ll be chanting my name in the future.”

Now maybe they will after the 29-year-old Clark closed in even-par 70 at Los Angeles Country Club to win his first major championship of his career, finishing with two gutsy pars to edge McIlroy by one stroke.

It’s all the more remarkable when you consider that Clark nearly quit golf after his mother, Lise, died of breast cancer. She had started him in the game, driven him to his tournaments and she was his rock, instilling in him the mantra of “Play big.”

“Even in junior golf there’s times when you’re so mad and you feel like you should have done better or you’re embarrassed with how you played, or other sports, she was always there to comfort me,” Clark said.

Without his mother, who died when he was 19, Clark was lost.

“When I was on the golf course I couldn’t have been angrier. I was breaking clubs when I didn’t even hit that bad of a shot. I was walking off golf courses,” Clark recalled. On multiple occasions at Oklahoma State, he stormed off the course and emptied his locker as if he was going to quit only for his then-coach Mike McGraw to pick up his gear and put it back. But eventually, McGraw decided to stage his own version of an intervention.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | Photos

“He said, ‘Hey, I think it’s just best if you step away from golf. At first I really was mad. I’m competitive. I didn’t want to not play, and I thought it was bad if you redshirted, that you weren’t good enough,” Clark recalled. But it was also the best thing for me. I owe Mike a lot for that.”

When Clark returned to the team under new coach Allan Bratton, he remained intense, and when he didn’t make the squad for the 2016 NCAA tournament, he decided to transfer to Oregon. At the same time, John Ellis returned there to his alma mater to serve as an assistant coach to Casey Martin, who told him, “You’re going to be watching over this guy a lot.”

“I heard of this talented kid but there are a lot of those in the college ranks,” Ellis recalled. “What stood out was that he wanted to be the best in the world and he was willing to work harder than everybody.”

Clark blossomed into the Pac-12 Player of the Year and when he turned pro Ellis joined him as his caddie. Clark managed to keep his PGA Tour card but he couldn’t nab that first win.

 

“I was beginning to think that maybe I’ll never win,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy because I’ve only been out here five years, but I had a lot of chances to where I was within two or three shots either going into the back nine or starting on a Sunday and I always seem to fall short, and not only that, but seem like I fell back in positions.”

There were times when Clark was so frustrated with his play that he was ready to quit. Indeed, he withdrew from the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2020, citing a back injury but he could’ve just as easily cited attitude. As he continued to run hot, Ellis, his agent and the rest of Clark’s team orchestrated an intervention in November and suggested he meet with Elion, who has helped the likes of Phil Mickelson and Jimmy Walker win majors.

“I was a little reluctant to do it, and I’m just so glad that she was brought into my life, and what these honestly six months, it’s crazy to see how much I’ve improved and how much she’s helped me,” he said. “I wouldn’t have thought I’d be a major champion six, seven months ago.”

Elion is pretty tight-lipped about how she helps players, but noted that Clark has outworked any of her other students and said, “I just held up the mirror.”

Clark has finally learned to harness his emotions. Since a young age, Clark has been called a winner. That’s what his mom used to call him. And he finally validated all his other-worldly talents last month by winning the Wells Fargo Championship.

“The weight of expectation has been lifted,” Martin said, “Like, ‘Oh, I’ve justified my talent. I’ve I’m not a failure,’ you know, kind of a deal.”

Clark opened with a 64 on a day of record scoring in which Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot the first two 62s in U.S. Open history.

“I’m used to the U.S. Open being as mean as a pitbull with a bad tooth,” said Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee. “This was more like a basket of kittens.”

The marine layer burned off on Friday and LACC began to play fast and firm and showed some of its fangs, but Clark handled it all in stride, posting rounds of 67-69 and making a birdie at the final hole in near-darkness on Saturday to share the 54-hole lead with Fowler and secure his spot in Sunday’s final group.

He made birdie on the first hole to take the lead and never relinquished it despite some dicey moments, including saving bogey at No. 8 after whiffing on a pitch shot, and rescuing pars on Nos. 9 and 11 with a nifty short game. He handled this potential mine fields beautifully. If there ever was a moment that personified his mom’s message to “Play big,” it was at the par-5 14th, where he busted a 3-wood from 271 yards to set up a two-putt birdie and grab a three-stroke lead.

But winning the U.S. Open required handling one more dose of adversity. After being the only player in the 65-man field on Sunday to bogey the short par-3 15th and another bogey at 16, he made two clutch pars and clenched his fists and hugged Ellis after finishing at 10-under 270.

“I felt at ease,” he said. “I kept telling myself ‘I can do it, I can do it.’ ”

That sense of calm? Clark had a pretty good idea where it stemmed from, as did Fowler, who said as much when they shared a quiet moment together.

“I went back in there and just said, your mom was with you,” Fowler said. “She’d be very proud.”

“I just felt like my mom was watching over me today,” Clark said during his trophy presentation. “She can’t be here, and I miss you, mom.”

One person who never stopped believing in Clark was Ellis. On Saturday night, he had flipped on Golf Channel and all he heard was talk about McIlroy, Fowler and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was in striking distance too.

“No one was giving us a chance,” he said. “I made it a point to let him know and we were here to get it done too.”

And while Clark spoiled the Hollywood ending of Fowler finally winning a major or McIlroy ending his nearly nine-year major-less drought, Ellis knew that Clark was meant to be more than a bit character in the finale of the 123rd U.S. Open.

“He does things that other guys can’t do. He hits it a mile, he putts and chips with some of the best. You put that together and get your mind right, he’s going to be hard to beat,” Ellis said.

What a beautiful mind, indeed.

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About that water bottle? Rickie Fowler’s explanation at 2023 U.S. Open is pretty simple

It’s a question quite a few golf fans were asking.

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LOS ANGELES — It’s a question quite a few golf fans were asking.

What’s up with Rickie Fowler carrying around that water bottle?

During the 2023 U.S. Open, Fowler has been seen hauling around a large metal water bottle, covered in stickers.

Most golfers tend to just grab a nearby plastic water bottle for hydration but Fowler likes his metal one.

“I started carrying it at the beginning of this year,” he said when asked after his third round Saturday. Then he explained having it makes for a good reminder. “I drink more if I’m carrying it, and it’s also heavy when it’s full, so I don’t want to necessarily throw that on Rick, my caddie, to tote that thing around.”

He then added: “The real reason is I drink more water and electrolytes when I carry it.”

2023 U.S. Open
Rickie Fowler walks with Jason Day during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. (Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)

And as many people tend to do, Fowler also has several stickers on his.

“I have a few different stickers on there, friends of friends or connections in one way,” he said. As for his favorite? “There’s a little lightbulb logo, it’s kind of a cool logo for kind of a cool brewery in St. Louis called Side Project.”

Here’s guessing Side Project picked up some Google search traffic over the last 12 hours.

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5 essentials for Wyndham Clark at every golf tournament

Clark co-leads the 2023 U.S. Open after 54 holes along with Rickie Fowler.

Wyndham Clark recently won his first PGA Tour event at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Clark has been near the top of lots of leaderboards since then and has a chance to take home his first major victory at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

The 29-year-old Colorado native and former Oklahoma State and Oregon golfer is constantly on the road traveling from tournament to tournament and spends a bit of time away from his current home in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Having some familiar items with him can make those long weeks on the road easier, so Golfweek asked Clark for five things he brings to every tournament.

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Here’s the case for Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Wyndham Clark choking at the U.S. Open

“I thought the greatness of golf is the choke factor,” Johnny Miller said.

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LOS ANGELES – Something Johnny Miller said this week sets up the final round of the U.S. Open Sunday, with golfers Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Wyndham Clark in contention for the major championship.

Miller, the Hall of Fame golfer who became a popular golf commentator, was here to accept the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor awarded by the United States Golf Association. During a news conference, he talked about what distinguished him for almost three decades as a broadcaster.

“I thought the greatness of golf is the choke factor,” Miller said. “I don’t care if you’re playing for a milkshake or $5 Nassau or whatever. The greatness of golf is whether you can make that putt to win, and to ignore that is sort of missing the greatest part of golf, no doubt.

“Nobody wanted to talk about it.”

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch | Sunday tee times

Yet Miller talked a lot about the choke factor. And heading into the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open is the perfect time for more talk about one of Miller’s favorite subjects.

2023 U.S. Open
Rickie Fowler looks on in the first hole during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

Why Rickie Fowler might choke in U.S. Open final round

For Fowler, the good news is what he says.

“I’m not scared to fail,” he told reporters after his round Saturday. “I’ve dealt with that. We’re just going to go have fun, continue to try to execute, leave it all out there, see where we stand on 18.”

Fowler’s not scared to fail, he suggested, because he’s survived struggles that included him almost losing his PGA Tour card last year. But as likable as Fowler is, there’s still the choke factor.

Fowler has never won a major.

Worse, he has a history of near-misses.

Tied for second at the U.S. Open in 2014. Tied for second at The Championship Open in 2014. Tied for third at the PGA Championship in 2014. Second at the Masters in 2018.

How could anyone be shocked if Fowler heads into the final holes still in contention, only to reverse to runner-up form?

Let’s not forget that Saturday he failed to make a putt inside 15 feet and made bogey on the final hole and lost his one-stroke lead.

2023 U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy reacts on the 9th green during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. (Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)

Why Rory McIlroy might choke in U.S. Open final round

For McIlroy, the good news is what he says.

“I’m going out there to try to execute a game plan,” he told reporters after his round Saturday, “and I feel like over the last three days I’ve executed that game plan really, really well. And I just need to do that for one more day.”

Of course, McIlroy has uttered some version of this many times during the nine years. It’s been that long since he won his last major − the PGA Championship in 2014.

For the fifth year in a row, McIlroy will enter the final round of the U.S. Open no lower than tied for seventh on the leaderboard. But has not prevailed.

Perhaps more worrisome, two weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament, McIlroy entered the final round in a three-way tie for the lead at 6-under. On Sunday he shot a 3-over 75 and finished tied for 7th.

Jun 16, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Wyndham Clark hits on the 11th tee during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Why Wyndham Clark might choke in U.S. Open final round

For Clark, the good news he says.

“Honestly I’m really looking forward tomorrow and the challenge it’s going to bring,” he said, “and hopefully it’s my day.”

Although his mindset his admirable, it’s probably not his day.

Yes, in May he won his first PGA Tour event at Wells Fargo Championship. But in the six major championships he has played, his best finish is tied for 76th – and he missed the cut at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Clark, 29, has never played on a stage this big.

Also, after his 1-under 69 Saturday, he was refreshingly candid in criticizing the late tee times. But please name the last player who complained about tee times the night before winning their first major.

What if they all choke in U.S. Open final round?

If Fowler, Mcllroy and Clark all gag under pressure, this is where it gets interesting.

Scottie Scheffler, three shots off the lead at 7 under, won the 2022 Masters with a three-shot victory over McIlroy and currently is the world’s top-ranked golfer.

Moreover, on Saturday he closed his round of 2-under 68 with an eagle and birdie. The back-to-back holes had a clutch vibe.

And if Scheffler chokes, there’s always Dustin Johnson, who’s five shots off the lead. He won the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters and has tied for second in three other majors.

All of these players might want to channel their inner Johnny Miller, for this is the 50-year anniversary of his final-round 63 at the 1973 U.S. Open. With one of the greatest rounds in golf history, Miller outdueled the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino in securing a one-stroke victory over John Schlee.

He also beat the choke factor.

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5 things from Saturday’s third round at the 2023 U.S. Open, where Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark co-lead

Fowler is embracing the opportunity to claim that elusive first major.

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LOS ANGELES — Rickie Fowler missed a short putt of 4 feet, 9 inches at 18 to drop back into a tie for the 54-hole lead with Wyndham Clark at the 123rd U.S. Open. NBC’s Paul Azinger wondered if it would be the type of putt that would haunt Fowler.

“That hurts because you have to sleep on that one all night,” Azinger said. “You hate to finish like that. When a golfer has nightmares, it’s usually about a putt of that length.”

But speaking after the round, Fowler took it all in stride.

“I hit a good putt,” he said. “Just a bummer. It would be nice for that one to go in. Really doesn’t matter, having the lead, being one back, two back. You’re going to have to play good golf tomorrow.”

Fowler has played well for three days as he tries to end a four-year winless drought on the PGA Tour and claim that elusive first major championship. Fowler, who opened with a U.S. Open record 62 and shot 68 on Friday, posted an even-par 70 in the third round and a 54-hole aggregate of 10-under 210.

His putter was solid for most of the day. He canned a 25-foot birdie at No. 7 and drained a 69-foot putt from just off the green at 13 to lead Clark by two strokes.

Fowler earned a spot in the final pairing of a major for the third time in his career. He was paired with Martin Kaymer at the 2014 U.S. Open (finished T-2) and paired with Rory McIlroy at the 2014 British Open (finished T-2 too).

“This is the best I’ve felt, let alone in a normal tournament but especially a major, and I would say really ever in my career,” Fowler said.

This is the 10th time Fowler has held 54-hole lead or co-lead, but he’s converted just two of the previous nine into victory.

Fowler said he’s not scared to fail.

“I’ve dealt with that,” he said. “We’re just going to go have fun, continue to try to execute, leave it all out there, see where we stand on 18.”

And Fowler, who hasn’t won since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open, is embracing the opportunity to claim that first major that has long been expected of him but in the last few years seemed as if he might never achieve.

“Through three rounds we’re in the spot that we want to be in, and tomorrow is when the tournament starts,” Fowler said.

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Best final round pairings to watch Sunday at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

Sunday’s finale in Beverly Hills features some must-watch pairings.

LOS ANGELES — As soon as your Father’s Day plans are over, find a television, change the channel to the 2023 U.S. Open and enjoy the show.

Or better yet, watch with your dad because neither one of you will want to miss this finish.

After 54 holes at the famed Los Angeles Country Club the leaderboard is loaded with PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars, as well as compelling would-be first-time major winners. Co-leaders at 10 under, Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler are in the latter category. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is solo third a shot back at 9 under, with 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler three back in fourth at 7 under. Then there’s the likes of Harris English, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele all idling within reach.

And what comes with a packed leaderboard? A handful of must-watch pairings. Here are the groups you won’t want to miss during Sunday’s final round of the 2023 U.S. Open.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch | Sunday tee times

2023 U.S. Open final round tee times for Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club

The 123rd U.S. Open is down to the final day.

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Los Angeles Country Club fought back on Saturday, and it’s only going to get tougher from here.

We’re 18 holes away from crowning a champion of the 2023 U.S. Open, and there are some big names at or within a few shots of the lead.

Rickie Fowler, despite the missed three-footer for par on his closing hole, sits at 10 under with Wyndham Clark, who birdied the 18th Saturday. Those two are one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy, who is looking to win his first major championship since 2014. Scottie Scheffler, 7 under, will play alongside the Northern Irishman. Harris English is in solo fifth at 6 under.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch/stream the action

The final group is starting 1 hour, 10 minutes earlier Sunday than Saturday.

Here are the final round tee times for the 123rd U.S. Open. All times listed are ET.

1st tee

Tee time Player
11:23 a.m. Ryo Ishikawa
11:34 a.m.
Patrick Reed, Jacob Solomon
11:45 a.m.
Adam Svensson, Maxwell Moldovan (a)
11:56 a.m.
Ben Carr (a), David Puig
12:07 p.m.
Romain Langasque, Aldrich Potgieter (a)
12:18 p.m.
Abraham Ancer, Adam Hadwin
12:29 p.m.
Ryan Gerard, Mackenzie Hughes
12:40 p.m.
Yuto Katsuragawa, Gordon Sargent (a)
12:51 p.m.
Jordan Smith, Sam Bennett
1:07 p.m.
Nick Hardy, Sebastian Munoz
1:18 p.m.
Charley Hoffman, Sahith Theegala
1:29 p.m.
Andrew Putnam, Austin Eckroat
1:40 p.m.
Kevin Streelman, Sergio Garcia
1:51 p.m.
Sam Stevens, Tommy Fleetwood
2:02 p.m.
Jon Rahm, Dylan Wu
2:13 p.m.
Gary Woodland, Denny McCarthy
2:24 p.m.
Billy Horschel, Patrick Rodgers
2:35 p.m.
Ryan Fox, Brian Harman
2:51 p.m.
Justin Suh, Eric Cole
3:02 p.m.
Sam Burns, Keith Mitchell
3:13 p.m.
Si Woo Kim, Joaquin Niemann
3:24 p.m.
Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton
3:35 p.m.
Cameron Young, Russell Henley
3:46 p.m.
Shane Lowry, Tony Finau
3:57 p.m.
Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick
4:08 p.m.
Padraig Harrington, Patrick Cantlay
4:19 p.m.
Min Woo Lee, Viktor Hovland
4:35 p.m.
Hideki Matsuyama, Cam Smith
4:46 p.m.
Bryson DeChambeau, Tom Kim
4:57 p.m.
Ryutaro Nagano, Xander Schauffele
5:08 p.m.
Dustin Johnson, Harris English
5:19 p.m.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy
5:30 p.m.
Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark

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Tale of two U.S. Open nines: Why the front nine is 509 shots easier than the back this week at Los Angeles Country Club

There’s been quite the scoring discrepancy between the two sides this week at LACC.

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LOS ANGELES – The early-week game plan for the 2023 U.S. Open was simple: find the fairway, pick your spots and attack when possible.

But as the week at Los Angeles Country Club has progressed, a new wrinkle has been added: find the fairway, pick your spots and attack the front nine, then hang on for dear life on the back nine.

Players quickly took note of the scoring discrepancy between the two sides of LACC’s North Course, and the week has since been a tale of two nines. Even as conditions began to firm up during Saturday’s third round, the front nine remained scorable given the number of wedges players can hit from the short stuff, the getable par 5s – No. 1 is a handshake right off the bat and No. 8 is reachable in two more times than not – as well as the drivable par-4 6th hole.

“I’m not saying it’s easy, but you can definitely get 3- or 4-under through six holes and get off to a good start and hang on on the back nine,” said Harris English of the front nine.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch | Sunday tee times

“Yeah, the back nine is just a lot tougher,” noted Rory McIlroy on Friday after he played the front nine 10 under over two rounds. “You’ve got a lot of — those last three holes, 16, 17, 18, are playing tough even if it is pretty benign conditions out there.”

That’s putting it lightly.

After the third round, the front nine clocked in at 86-over par for the week. The back nine? That’d be 595-over par (shoutout stats guru Justin Ray).

The back nine has a bit more bite, and compared to the four or five scorable holes on the front, there’s really only one or two on the back.

“I think maybe 15 is a really good — like 15 is probably one of the more realistic ones because it’s a wedge, so if you have a wedge, you have a chance to get it close and have a chance,” said Tom Kim. “But par-5, 14, like if you hit a good drive, get it up there, especially with a back pin, definitely, but those are only two holes out of how many. So not a lot.”

Over the first three rounds, the long, par-4 17th hole has played as the most difficult on the golf course this week. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Scottie Scheffler is the first player in 20 years to make an eagle on the hardest hole of a U.S. Open after he holed out from the fairway en route to a 2-under 68.

With 18 holes still to go, eight players within six shots of the lead and a clean forecast for Sunday, the final round is sure to entertain. Especially on the back nine.

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LACC turns ‘diabolical’ and players complain ‘it’s not my cup of tea’ at the 2023 U.S. Open

“Some of the tee shots are just – I think they’re a little bit unfair.”

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LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Open turned nasty on Saturday.

Two days after Los Angeles Country Club endured a birdie barrage under soft conditions, including not one but two record-breaking 62s in less than 30 minutes, LACC showed its teeth, and it may end up having the last laugh.

“It’s just diabolical,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “It’s a completely different test of golf than a normal U.S. Open.”

The sun popped out Saturday morning, drying the greens and making the course play fast and firm the way it was designed to be. The field scoring average was still a modest 71.850, slightly easier than round two’s 72.230.

“It’s gotten to where it’s links style,” DeChambeau said. “That’s the best way I can describe it. I feel like I’m playing a British Open now in a sense.”

LACC began to bite back on Friday, most notably with Dustin Johnson making a quadruple-bogey eight on the second hole and Justin Thomas shooting 81. You knew the U.S. Open was messing with minds when Brooks Koepka said that he didn’t like the course that much, singling out the blind shots.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch | Sunday tee times

The chorus of complaints for LACC grew on Saturday with Viktor Hovland saying, “You know what, I’m not a big fan of this golf course, to be honest. I think there’s some good holes. I don’t think there’s any great holes. I think there’s a few bad holes. I think No. 9 is probably the best hole out here in my opinion.”

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Hovland wasn’t the only one to share their distaste for the George Thomas Jr. design from the 1920s, which received a renovation in 2010 from Gil Hanse, his partner Jim Wagner and architecture critic and golf blogger Geoff Shackelford.

“I just think the golf course is interesting, to be polite, I think. There’s just too many holes for me where you’ve got blind tee shots and then you’ve got fairways that don’t hold the ball. There’s too much slope,” Matt Fitzpatrick, the defending U.S. Open champion said. “I think the greens certainly play better when they’re firmer. I definitely think that’s the case. They’re rolling really, really well. Some of the tee shots are just – I think they’re a little bit unfair. You hit a good tee shot and end up in the rough by a foot and then you’re hacking it out. Meanwhile, someone has hit it miles offline the other way and they’ve got a shot. Yeah, not my cup of tea.”

Speaking on Friday, Rory McIlroy, took a different stance:

“Yes, the course has played maybe a little easier than everyone thought it would, but wouldn’t be surprised on Saturday/Sunday to see it bite back, which going back to your question I feel is what a U.S. Open is all about. It should be tough. It should be just as much of a mental grind out there as a physical one.”

In the final analysis, LACC has identified a stacked leaderboard and exposed any weaknesses in a player’s game. A U.S. Open without players complaining would be like a June without weddings.

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Lynch: Brooks Koepka still isn’t a fan of the U.S. Open venue, but even a four-putt doesn’t have him crying ‘unfair!’

Koepka had proclaimed himself a fan of L.A.C.C.’s North Course, but as a U.S. Open venue? Not so much.

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LOS ANGELES — For a time on Saturday, the U.S. Open began to feel like a Hollywood sequel as Brooks Koepka made his move at a major championship, stealthily maneuvering himself toward the upper reaches of the leaderboard, or at least close enough to alert the other primates to the presence of a silverback.

He began the third round at Los Angeles Country Club 10 strokes behind overnight leader Rickie Fowler, but the two-time winner – who has also won three PGA Championships on U.S. Open venues – knows that the score leading Saturday morning is often lower than what wins Sunday night. Posting a number would put him in the mix for a sixth major title and second of the season. For a while, he was doing exactly that.

Four birdies against one bogey moved Koepka to 3 under, and from tied-30th at daybreak into the lower rungs of the top 10. But the steely competitor who has often seemed impervious to the struggles that doom mortals on weekends in majors hit a pothole. Then another. By the time he signed for a round of 70, he was back where he began the day and his hopes of a third Open were all but extinguished.

Earlier this week, Koepka had proclaimed himself a fan of L.A.C.C.’s North Course, if he was playing a round with his buddies. But as a U.S. Open venue? Not so much. Three rounds in and the vagaries of Gil Hanse’s restored layout are still flummoxing him. “On eight, you can hit it where it barely lands on the left side and still miss the fairway right,” he said. “And everybody hits it to the same spot on three. Like why don’t we just play it from the wedge area? It makes no sense.”

But does it rise to the level of being unfair?

“No, I don’t think it’s unfair at all,” he quickly replied. “It’s plenty fair enough.”

I asked his opinion of the short 15th hole, which played 81 yards Saturday to a treacherous pin location on a small sliver of green.

“Which one is 15?” he said, thinking.

“The one you four-putted.”

He laughed. “Honestly, it’s fine. I just hit it long and hit four putts.”

“It’s tricky because of the wind. The wind is not consistent,” he continued. “The guys who teed off in front of us got it when it was calm, then we got it straight downwind. I put it up and it sailed.”

I asked when he had last teed up a lob wedge. “I must have been a young kid. It was definitely like 12 or under.”

When he arrived at the 15th tee, Koepka felt he was where he wanted to be. “I thought if I made birdie there, maybe made one coming in, get to 5-under par.” The double-bogey ended his hopes, though he was loath to admit as much as he stood outside the clubhouse. “Two people shot 8 under on Thursday,” he said with a shrug. “You never know.”

Is that what you think you need on Sunday? “Probably more, to be safe,” he replied.

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When he signed his card, Koepka led the field in strokes gained around the green and was ranked in the top 10 off the tee, but that doesn’t add up to a realistic shot at winning Sunday. “It’s just uncharacteristic mistakes. I hit it good, I’m just doing some stuff that I don’t normally do in majors or when I’m clicking on all cylinders,” he said. “I’m definitely hitting it good enough and putting good enough to compete, it’s just the small stuff.”

“I like playing the week before to get all this stuff out,” he added. LIV staged tournaments the week before the Masters, where Koepka finished second, and before the PGA Championship, which he won, but his last competitive outing before coming to L.A. was three weeks ago at a LIV stop in Washington, D.C. He won’t see action in the week before the next major either. LIV will play in Spain and the U.K. then have an off week before the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Koepka is famously disciplined during majors, known for adopting a game plan and sticking to it with the slavish devotion of a true believer. He insisted that’s true this week too, he’s just not executing. “I’ve stuck with it. I didn’t have 100 percent control of my ball at Oak Hill [where he won the PGA Championship]. I mean, I didn’t know where the ball was going on Saturday or Sunday, but I willed it around. This one is like…. aarrghh!”

Even par through 54 holes is usually enough to put a man in contention at a U.S. Open, but this year it leaves Koepka well off the pace and rueing a missed opportunity. He began Saturday as a long shot, briefly became a contender, but ended it knowing he’s just making up the numbers on Sunday. What did you need to post to have other players thinking about you tomorrow? I asked.

He flashed his Chiclet teeth. “There’s a lot of people who think about me every day,” he laughed. “Let’s be real.”