The straight-talking Poulter got within one shot of Johnson before running up a triple-bogey at his 17th hole, the par-four eighth, where he got too aggressive with a bunker shot.
Advertisement
“Unfortunately, it’s just what I’ve done the last few events, ” Woods said. He had not missed the cut in a major since the 2014 PGA Championship. While Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Tiger Woods all miss the cut.
Poulter has never managed a top-10 finish at a U.S. Open – his best result coming in 2006 when he finished tied for 12th – but his win at this year’s Houston Open after a year of injury frustration has helped build confidence.
After firing a respectable 2-over 72 in Round 3 to finish the day at 8-over par, Johnson railed into the way the USGA set up Shinnecock Hills this week.
Mickelson defended his decision to jog after and then hit his missed bogey putt back towards the hole despite the ball still moving and appearing to be heading off the green.
Former US Open champion Johnson fired a brilliant 67 to climb to 4-under and he will take a four-shot cushion over Scott Piercy (71) and Charley Hoffman (69) into day three in NY.
This week’s addition to the thickening evidentiary file is his 78-72 in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, which allowed Woods and his $20 million yacht to depart the premises early. “You know, the course played very tough”.
“There were a couple times where I had a couple of bad iron shots, but every time I felt like I was able to save par, at least give myself a really good look at par”, he said.
He picked up two of his birdies on the par 3s, an 8-iron to 8 feet on the scary 11th, and the long putt on No 7. “I’m 10-over-par”, he said after missing the cut by 10 strokes at Shinnecock Hills.
The 42-year-old will now struggle to make the cut and has a mountain to climb if he is to end his decade-long major drought, stretching back to the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. I took the two shots and moved on. He still made bogey, but it beat having to go back to the tee to play his third shot. “I just haven’t done that”.
“Well, I was consistent”, Woods said when asked what hallmark he needs to channel from his golden era. You don’t know what the weather is going to do and how hard it’s going to get.
But he’ll be 45 when the USGA takes over the South Course, a punishing venue that has taken its toll on Woods even under the more benign conditions of the Farmers Insurance Open in recent years. “He felt as bad for me that I didn’t make the cut”.
“I’m expecting it to be very tough; the greens will speed up because I don’t think they would have liked the scores they saw this afternoon”, Leishman said.
You know, wind and rain and chilly temperatures, just like back home in England. All it takes is putting them all together, he swore, and all will be right in his golf world again.
“It’s a U.S. Open, so disaster’s always around the corner”, Koepka said. Rose said. “I enjoy the battle”. There was a couple of holes yesterday and a couple today that I wish I could get back but that’s the way it is. Justin Rose (73) and Stenson (74) also shared the lead at some point.
Mickelson shot 11-over 81 on Saturday, including a controversial 10 on the par-4 13th hole.
Advertisement
Brooks Koepka’s chances of becoming the first player to successfully defend the US Open title since 1989 after a second round of 66 lifted him into a tie for fourth place.
