George Willis

George Willis

Sports

Pushover no longer: Pinehurst bares its teeth

PINEHURST, N.C. — Pinehurst may get the last laugh after all, and that could make the finish of the 114th U.S. Open more interesting than expected. The Martin Kaymer run-away express has been stalled a bit, thanks to some bite-back from the storied golf course on Saturday.

After being pulverized in the first two rounds by Kaymer, who set a 36-hole U.S. Open record of 10-under, Pinehurst turned firm, crisp and ornery on Saturday, causing Kaymer to battle for a 2-over 72 and see his lead trimmed to five strokes. He is at 8-under heading into Sunday’s final round.

Five shots at Pinehurst is nothing. Especially, after the way it played Saturday under a baking sun that made the fairways firm and the greens difficult to hold.

“Today played significantly harder than the first two days,” said Rickie Fowler, one of just two players to shoot under-par on Saturday.

Fowler began the day 10 shots behind Kaymer. But his 3-under 67 put him at 3-under for the tournament and five shots behind Kaymer. Also at 3-under is Erik Compton, who shot 67, as well.

Kaymer wasn’t at his best, but he didn’t fold under the pressure of his historic start. There were a few shaky moments early when he took bogey on the second hole and got in serious trouble at the fourth hole where he had to take an unplayable after his tee shot sailed way left into the waste area. He was looking at double-bogey, but drained a 20-footer for bogey to limit the damage.

After driving it into the waste area again at the par-5 fifth hole, any sign of collapse was erased when his second shot stopped 6 feet from the cup. He made the putt for eagle to get back to 10-under.

With Pinehurst playing far more difficult than it did the first two days, Kaymer endured bogeys at the sixth, 13th and 15th, but left with a smile after holing a 12-footer for birdie at the 18th to stretch his lead.

“I didn’t play as well as I did the first two days,” Kaymer said. “But I kept it together. If you kept the ball anywhere from 25 feet or 30 feet from the hole you did well. I made a couple of bad swings on the first nine. There was only one birdie and one eagle. But 8-under par is a good score.”

It’s likely a good enough score to win his second major championship if he posts close to even par on Sunday. The gallery is sure to be rooting hard for Fowler, who is seeking his first major, and Compton, who has had two heart transplants. They will be the crowd favorites. But Kaymer, the 2010 PGA champion, might be unbeatable.

“He’s obviously on top of his game and playing well,” Fowler said.

Fowler, who will be playing in the final pairing with Kaymer, began the tournament by paying homage to the late Payne Stewart by wearing knickers in the first round. Maybe that’s a good omen. Even more important is that he duplicates the five birdies he recorded on Saturday and eliminates the bogeys. He will have to play flawless golf to have any chance of catching Kaymer, who hasn’t lost any of his form after winning the Players Championship.

“If you hit good shots and have control of your golf ball, it’s definitely a playable golf course right now,” Fowler said.

Kaymer won’t be able to enjoy a stress-free victory lap the way Tiger Woods did at Pebble Beach in 2000 and Rory McIlroy enjoyed at Congressional in 2010. They are the only two of the last nine players to hold the 54 hole lead that have gone on to win. Kaymer will try to do that Sunday and hope Pinehurst doesn’t get the last laugh.