My good, bad, and ugly moments from ‘moving day’ at the US Open as DeChambeau leads McIlroy
Published: Last updated:
I’ve watched every second of the 2024 US Open coverage on moving day and scoured social media to bring you everything you missed from Saturday with a slightly different spin.
The third round at Pinehurst produced plenty of drama as the absence of Tiger meant we finally got to watch some other players and an early Scottie Scheffler start meant most of the haircut chat was done and dusted by the time the contenders hit the course.
No.2 was set-up tough as Pinehurst once again bared its teeth, much to the delight of the fans – most of who now root for Bryson DeChambeau it seems. How times change. Anyway, gather your fellow Crushers GC followers, and dive into my sideways glance at the action from the year’s third Major.
US Open 2024: Everything you missed (and some things you didn’t) on day three
1. The fans were baying for blood early on moving day. Kate Phillips, a member of the Pinehurst greens staff, was booed by the crowds as she watered the greens to soften them a little. Did it bother her? Nope. “Coolest thing that’s ever happened to me,” she says. Judging by the early scoring, she didn’t use a lot of that high-quality H2O.
2. Laura Davies appears to have a crystal ball with her, declaring what is or isn’t a great shot while the ball is still in the air. “Called that too early, sorry” she says about another incorrect prediction later in the round. Learn quicker, Dame.
3. Three days in and the commentators are still talking about Scottie’s haircut, now referencing Jordan Speith’s £9 Carnoustie cut in 2019 (I did that on Thursday, guys). Andrew Coltart wonders if the barber is still in business.
4. Speaking of hair… Amateur Neal Shipley and his long locks made more birdies in round three (five) than Scottie Scheffler has managed in the hole tournament (four).
5. Perhaps Shipley read No.4 and let it go to his head. He was about to back-hand a putt into the hole before his caddie caught his eye and he thought better of it.
6. Shipley’s flowing locks couldn’t stop him picking up a one-shot penalty post-round for making his ball move while preparing for a stroke on the 13th hole. If (and it’s a big if) the ball did move it was about a dimple further away from the hole. “Bullshit penalty,” one X user screamed. Indeed. Still, it leaves the leading amateur race between Shipley and Luke Clanton neck-and-neck at +4 heading into Sunday.
7. I can’t help but feel pleased once the cut has been made. Loads more air time for players who didn’t get any coverage over the first two days. And we don’t have to watch every shot Tiger hits, regardless of how badly his round is going.
8. I think we can all agree that this “get in the hole” guy does look EXACTLY how we all envisage a “get in the hole” guy to look!
9. With fellow Aussie Jason Day watching from home, Cam Smith took on the ‘fashion’ mantle with the outfit of the Championship so far. Yes, that is a ‘periodic table of booze’ shirt.
10. Henni Koyack appears to have a ‘toss scale’. After Scheffler threw his club after a pulled tee shot on 16 she referred to it as a “mini toss”. I use a similar scale for the players who joined LIV. I’ll leave it to you to decided who “enormous toss” is.
11. Max Homa isn’t letting the fact he missed the cut ruin his weekend.
12. The Golfing Gods giveth… and they taketh away. Having made the cut thanks to that incredible ace on the par-3 9th on Friday, Francesco Molinari bogeyed the hole today. Having tripled it on Thursday, the Italian is now two over for that hole through three rounds, even with a hole-in-one to his name. A seven-over Saturday 77 has him towards the bottom of the pack. But not as low as…
13. 2022 US Champion Matt Fiztpatrick. The Englishman demonstrated just how difficult Pinehurst No.2 is playing on “moving day”, shooting a nine-over 79 with back-to-back double bogeys. He props up the field, which few would’ve predicted pre-tournament.
14. The Postman delivers. J.T. Poston, not Ian Poulter. The American’s slam-dunk from the greenside bunker on 16 was a first-class effort.
15. Zac Blair choosing “that guy that’s walking” as his target line on the 2nd hole felt like he missed the point of picking a target. No wonder his caddie looked confused.
16. Sergio Garcia looked like he was paying homage to the famous lemon top from Pacitto’s in Redcar with his Saturday scripting. Credit here to TG writer James Hogg… much like Sergio, I’ve never been to Redcar. Perhaps we could take a trip together.
17. I wonder if we’ll always have to see the photos and videos of a young Tony and Rory when McIlroy and Finau play together? We get it, they were kid golfers who knew each other.
18. Four consecutive rounds over par for the first time in his 120 professional starts (440 rounds) for Scottie Scheffler. Less peak Tiger and more current Tiger. One thing Tiger definitely can’t do in 2024 is swing like this…
19. Collin Morikawa’s four-under 66 on a tough Saturday set-up… peak Tiger-esque. My pick for the tournament is level par heading into Sunday and another 66 could prove enough to earn me a nice payout.
20. Blimey, Albania score against Italy after 26 seconds. Who saw that coming? Sorry, back to the golf.
20a. Oh, Henni Koyack’s doing a session on box breathing, back to the football.
20b. Is the golf back on yet?
20c. Oh, now Henni’s on about Bryson’s gym routine. Right that’s it, I’m demanding the Rolex hour is renamed the Koyack hour.
21. Matthieu Pavon would be the first Frenchman to win the US Open and the first man from his country to win a Major since 1907 when Arnaud Massy won The Open Championship. Cela a mis longtemps à venir.
22. Hideki Matsuyama’s polo shirt is based on Leicester City’s 1983 home shirt and a tribute to Gary Lineker, who he has been a huge fan of since the former England striker played in Japan. And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything.
23. The cameraman who zoomed in tight on Ludvig Aberg’s face as he applied lip balm on the 1st tee knew what he was doing. Be still my beating heart.
24. My conscientious Dep Ed started work on Thomas Detry’s US Open What’s In The Bag 30 mins before the Belgian teed off for his third round to ensure we had it ready in case he wins. She got it finished just as the DP World Tour star made his bogey, double-bogey start. Thanks anyway, Sarah.
25. Bryson DeChambeau signing autographs as he walked off the 3rd tee raised eyebrows among the commentary team. I loved it. Made a kid’s day and further enhanced his growing likeability. I also hate this idea that anything other than ignoring everyone and everything means you’re not focused on the job in hand.
26. “He’s built like a flagstick,” Andrew Coltart says of Akshay Bhatia after he chips in to get to –2 on the 8th. Earlier in the week I suggested he’s built like his broomstick putter, so good to hear that Coltart and I have similar minds.
27. Everything is better when Sir Nick Faldo is in the commentary box. And when he calls early, he gets it right. Take note, Dame Laura.
28. What two grown men get up to in the woods is none of our business. Luckily a plane was on hand to supply grainy aerial footage of Bryson’s physio treatment for all of the voyeurs out there.
29. The reason Bryson needed said treatment is because he’s reportedly competing with a hip ailment. I struggle to get out of the car after the 20-minute drive home from my Sunday morning round.
30. It’s been a while, but the sight of Hideki giving up on an approach shot only for it to end five-feet from the hole made a welcome return as he went on to birdie the 14th hole.
31. Just caught up on Scheffler’s post-round comments and he says he’s considering a new approach to Majors and may no longer play the week before. He remembers he won a trophy and $4m last week, right?
32. “Don’t boo me, I’m sorry,” Bryson tells the crowd on the 13th tee as he opts for a lay-up rather than a pop at the green. Sensible play when leading. What’s less sensible is then hitting that iron lay-up into the sand. Boooooooo. But then he hit his best shot of the day. Wooooooo.
33. If more Pinehurst set-ups start creeping onto Tour then expect to see less of Morikawa. “We’d be so stressed out every week. I would need way more time off than what we have,” he said. “You can’t fake in a round when it’s this tough. Everything gets exposed.” The fact you can “fake” a round on current PGA Tour set-ups probably tells you all you need to know about the current set-ups.
34. Patrick Cantlay is plodding along – but then he doesn’t have another pace. Could Patty-Ice (worst nickname ever) follow best pal ‘X’ (Xander Schauffele) onto the Major winners’ rostrum? Personally, I’m hoping not. I’m stoked to see a McIlroy/Cantlay Sunday pairing so that Joe La Cava can wave his cap in celebration when Rory lifts Major No.5. Perhaps he’ll wait beside the 18th to do so.
35. Bryson’s double-bogey at the 16th was his first since the 15th hole in the third round of the Masters. My last double bogey was my first since the previous hole. DeChambeau bounced back with a birdie. I bounced back with? Yep, you got it, another double bogey. When I get hot, I get really hot.
36. Only seven rounds under par today and one of them went the way of amateur Luke Clanton… step aside Neal Shipley, there’s a new kid on the block!
37. Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley made it clear that when he’s not watching golf he’s got the darts on. A man after my own heart. Sky’s on-course commentator said the 17th was Luke Littler’s favorite hole. Why? It was playing 180 yards. And if you don’t know who Luke Littler is, where have you been?
38. Hearing Matthieu Pavon deny he has “a big pair” in his post-round interview was my highlight of Saturday’s player chats. Michael Lorenzo-Vera was credited with telling a reporter that Pavon had the said “big pair”, but Pavon wanted to play things down. “The thing is I don’t know if it’s that I have a big pair.” If you don’t know, Matthieu, we may have to call your wife.
39. Only seven rounds under par on ‘moving day’. And only eight players left under par for the tournament. That makes it sound like a dull tournament, full of bogeys and struggle. But it has been fascinating to watch and I cannot wait for Sunday.
40. How different things might have been if Zach Johnson had taken Bryson DeChambeau to Rome for the Ryder Cup rather than picking his friends.
About the Author
Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.
He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge regarding golf balls, rangefinders, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.
You can email Rob or get in touch with him on X.
-
Bryson DeChambeau proved a crowd pleaser once again during the third round of the US Open.
-
Akshay Bhatia is not exactly bulky.
-
Hideki Matsuyama's polo shirt was giving off retro football shirt vibes.
-
Was Sergio Garcia paying tribute to a famous Redcard dessert?
-
Comparisons have been growing between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler. Unfortunately for Scottie, his 2024 US open has been more current Tiger than peak Tiger.
