Matthew Wolff holds a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau heading into Sunday's final round of the US Open.
-5 Wolff
-3 DeChambeau
-1 Oosthuizen
E Matsuyama, Schauffele, English
+1 McIlroy
The 21-year-old will become the youngest winner of the event since Bobby Jones in 1923 should he convert the lead he earned with a brilliant round of 65, on another day of difficult scoring conditions at Winged Foot.
In hot pursuit is DeChambeau, who emerged from the pack with birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to serve up a repeat of the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this summer, where he reeled in Wolff to win impressively.
Matthew Wolff birdies the last to extend his lead at the #USOpen! 🔝
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 19, 2020
How big will his advantage be heading into the final round? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/p7v14ZirC8
Louis Oosthuizen is four back of the leader in third place after an excellent round of 68, one of eight sub-70 efforts as the USGA struck a balance between difficult and unfair at a course which has been one of the stars of the week.
One of those came from Rory McIlroy, who shot 68 himself to move to one-over and within six, but Dustin Johnson (72), Justin Thomas (76) and Jon Rahm (76) endured frustrating Saturdays which surely ended their title ambitions.
Overnight leader Patrick Reed held a three-shot lead as he went out in 34, but a double-bogey at the 11th made it three dropped shots in two from the turn, and more would follow at the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes as his chances also faded.
Wolff on the other hand produced a display of youthful aggression and fearlessness which both started and finished with birdies.
The American hit just two fairways but was rewarded for attacking the course and avoiding the big miss, his only bogey coming at the 16th hole when a stray tee shot forced him to lay up and accept his bogey.
The last time 2 different players age 23 or younger won majors in same year: 1923 (Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones)
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) September 19, 2020
Morikawa was 23, Wolff is 21.
Wolff's response was to fire a brilliant approach into the last setting up a sixth and final birdie in a round which was the best of the day by two, the next coming from Alex Noren who climbed from the cut line to 11th after a fine 67.
DeChambeau appeared set to fall back into the pack who had been left in Wolff's wake after bogeys at the first and second holes, but he avoided mistakes from the third to the 17th and picked up three birdies to regather himself.
A closing bogey left a slightly sour taste after birdies from close range at holes 16 and 17, but he'll begin the final round as the man closest to Wolff, the pair clear of the rest.
Noren reaches the turn under par for the day, despite this birdie attempt somehow not finding the target! 😲
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 19, 2020
📺 Watch the third round of the #USOpen live now on Sky Sports Golf or follow our live blog: https://t.co/IturVA4I1J pic.twitter.com/fiaxmrYzET
“I feel like I’m ready to win out here and win a major. I’ve already won a PGA Tour event and I knew my game was in a really good spot,” said Wolff, who was fourth behind Collin Morikawa on his major debut in the US PGA Championship just six weeks ago.
“I’ve been feeling really good, really confident, and with my mindset right now, how I’m thinking about the game is really good. I really think that I can go out there and play really well.
“It is a major. It’s really important, and yes, it is really early in my career, but I feel like I have the game, like I said, to win. Collin won at 23, I’m 21, and I’m not saying that it’s going to happen, but I put myself in a really good spot.
“Obviously I’m feeling really good with my game, so I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing and whatever happens, happens.”
Wolff admitted he would be “antsy” sleeping on the 54-hole lead in a major championship, but has good reason to keep the importance of the occasion firmly in perspective.
“Even though it is the US Open, there’s a lot of things in life that are a little different right now, and in the world you can see how many things are affecting us,” he added.
“And even though it would be unbelievable to add my name to a US Open trophy, I think that the most important thing is realising everything that’s going on and the people that I’m close with, there’s some things happening with that.
“My agent is undergoing stomach cancer right now. He’s probably going to be p***** at me for saying that and he doesn’t want anyone to feel bad for him, but it just puts things in perspective.
“And I’m going to go out there, try to make him proud and go have a good time.”