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Co-Leader Mcdowell Feeling Right at Home
Westwood in The Mix Again at US Open
Two-Time Champ Els in Hunt at US Open
Don't Count Me Out, Says Woods
Furyk, McDowell Lead US Open
SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2012 (AFP) - Former winners Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk will take a two-stroke joint lead into the final round at the US Open after emerging from a packed leaderboard in Saturday's third round.
Ulsterman McDowell emerged from the shadows to win his first major at nearby Pebble Beach two years ago and the California coast was good to him again as he came in with a battling two-under 68.
Furyk, who won his first, and to date only major title, at the 2003 US Open at Olympia Fields near Chicago, had a level-par 70.
At one-under 209, they were the only men to duck under par on a pulsating day of quality golf, played on an unforgiving, but fair Olympic Club layout.
McDowell said that he had felt nervous and uncertain of himself early this morning before heading out to the course, but all had fallen into place once his round got underway.
"I was happy that I got myself emotionally in the right place. Probably for the first time this week actually enjoyed the round of golf. It was quite nice out there," he said
Furyk said that he had been guilty of a few bad swings, but that the breaks had gone his way and he had kept his cool and focus.
"I made some physical errors today and made poor swings at times, which you're going to do," he said.
"I did a good job thinking my way around the golf course and keeping the ball in positions I could play from.
"When I missed spots I missed them in the right spots where I could get the ball up and down."
Two strokes back of the leading pair after a 68 for 211 came Swede Fredrik Jacobson, while England's Lee Westwood (67), two-time former champion Ernie Els of South Africa (68), big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts (71) and US qualifier Blake Adams (70) were at two over.
Joint overnight leader and tournament favourite Tiger Woods had a nightmare round of 75 which left him at four over for the tournament with only an outside chance of ending his four-year long victory drought in majors.
Starting the day in a share of the lead on one-under 139, with Furyk and another American, David Toms, the former world No.1 quickly fell victim to the opening six holes at The Olympic Club, which he rates as being one of the toughest stretches in major golf.
Woods bogeyed the first, third and sixth, and worse was to follow at the relatively easy par-three eighth where he three-putted to further plummet down the leaderboard.
It was starting to look bleak for the 36-year-old American, who is seeking his 15th major title, but he got a timely boost at the ninth when he sunk a 15-footer for birdie and a score of 37 at the turn.
But further bogeys down the back nine at the 16th and the last, where he badly fluffed a chip from stiff rough at the side of the green, left him shaking his head.
"Tomorrow I'm just going to have to shoot a good round, and post early and see what happens," he said.
Toms went in the same direction by dropping five strokes in six holes and only Furyk held firm with two bogeys and a birdie to reach the turn in 35 and remain ahead at level par.
McDowell meanwhile played steadily with eight opening birdies before he bogeyed the ninth.
But showing the kind of determination he displayed at Pebble Beach, the Ulsterman dug deep for three birdies down the back nine.
The chasing pack was led by England's world No.3 Westwood, who came in with a day's equal best score of three-under 67 to get to two over for the tournament.
Westwood has come agonisingly close in all four major tournaments over the last few years, and with the early exits of countryman Luke Donald and defending champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, he is the highest-ranking player left in the field.
"I'm really pleased. I gave myself a lot of birdie chances and a couple on 16 and 17 that would have made it a spectacular round," he said.
"I hit a lot more fairways and didn't really struggle, even the two bogeys I had chances to make par.
Els, a 42-year-old two-time former US Open champion, who has fallen on hard times of late, had an extraordinary round.
Starting the day at four over he looked to have played himself out of contention with three bogeys in the first five holes.
But he then bounced back, looking more like the Els of a few years back, with birdies at the seventh, eighth and 12th before chipping in for eagle at the 17th.
That gave him a two-under 68 and at two over for the tournament he ended the day with realistic hopes of a third US Open win an incredible 15 years after his last.
"Experience helps around here," was his verdict.
Co-Leader Mcdowell Feeling Right at Home
SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2012 (AFP) - Graeme McDowell, a second US Open title in as many years in his sights on California's northern coast, is not surprisingly feeling right at home on the shores of the Pacific.
"There's something about this sea air coming off the Pacific that feels a little bit like home to me," said McDowell, who hails from
Northern Ireland.
In 2010, down the coast a way at Pebble Beach, he became the first European since England's Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the US Open -- coming from three shots off the lead after 54 holes to seize the victory.
He goes into Sunday's final round on the Lake Course at San Francisco's Olympic Club sharing the lead with 2003 champion Jim Furyk on one-under par 209.
They were two shots in front of Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson, but with 10 more players within four shots of the lead, McDowell was predicting a frantic finish -- much as he emerged from two years ago.
As at Pebble Beach, McDowell said he felt daunted by the task that faced him the third round. A talk with his caddie and others on his team "put it in perspective," he said.
"I remember two years ago at Pebble, Saturday being a really difficult day for me mentally and emotionally," he said. "And today was the same way. As I was getting ready to come to the golf course today I felt a little nervous and anxious and really kind of not sure how the day was going to go."
In the end, it went great.
McDowell opened his round with an impressive run of eight straight pars -- defying the danger of Olympic's opening six holes.
His only bogey of the day came at the par-four ninth, where he said his wayward tee shot served as "a wake up call".
"I had a big flare in the right trees there and made a bit of a Tarzan five," he said.
"I needed to slow my swing down and get a good groove and rhythm to come. I had some good shots coming in," added McDowell, who played the back nine in three-under and finished with a flourish -- a birdie at 18.
While McDowell said the tightly bunched field -- and a co-leader of Furyk's stature -- made for a wide Open final round, said he was comfortable sleeping in the 54-hole lead.
"I feel good right now," he said. "I feel great. My mindset is myself and Jimmy are tied up, but there's a lot of guys can still win this tournament."
If it turns out to be him, McDowell said, he might just have to start spending even more time in Northern California.
"If this good play in Northern California continues, I may have to be getting a little real estate out here or something," he said.
Westwood in The Mix Again at US Open
SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2012 (AFP) - Lee Westwood made a tour around the treacherous Olympic Club Lake Course look like a walk in the park on Saturday, firing a three-under 67 to put himself in contention for a first major title.
While his rivals spoke of plodding and grinding through the punishing par-70 layout, where the greens and fairways were baking dry in California sunshine, Westwood smiled and chatted with Aussie playing partner John Senden.
"It's a golf tournament. It's the game of golf... So I don't take it too seriously," Westwood said. "After you've been doing it for 20 seasons out here, I think it's time to relax and give yourself a break and enjoy it."
Not that the stakes aren't high for Westwood. The world No.3 is the highest-ranked player left in the field after the departures of No.1 Luke Donald and No.2 Rory McIlroy -- who was the defending US Open champion.
Westwood himself has swapped the world No.1 spot with Donald and McIlroy over the past year, but has yet to gain a major title despite a bevy of near misses on golf's biggest stages.
Not only is he seeking a first victory in one of golf's Grand Slam events, Westwood's performance Saturday had him poised to become the first Englishman to win one of the four majors since Nick Faldo's dramatic come-from-behind victory over Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters.
Westwood's three-under effort matched the low round of the day and gave him a two-over par total of 212, three shots behind co-leaders Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk and one behind Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson.
He capped his round with his fifth birdie of the day, at 18.
"If you're hitting the ball well you can give yourself a few chances, and I've been hitting the ball well," said Westwood, who arrived in San Francisco fresh from a victory in Sweden's Nordea Masters.
He played the first two rounds with Donald and McIlroy, and the first two rounds were a slog.
"The three of us didn't hit sort of full gear at any stage," Westwood said. "The two lads struggled a bit. You pay the price on the US Open style setup. You can't afford to miss too many fairways out here."
Now, Westwood said, he'll try to keep his optimistic attitude going along with his game on Sunday.
At the Masters in April, Westwood finished two shots out of the playoff in which Bubba Watson beat Louis Oosthuizen.
That made it six top-three finishes in his last 10 majors, and 10 top-five finishes in his career in majors.
He insisted Saturday that the near-misses, rather than sapping his spirit, had been valuable learning experiences.
"I think I've probably been in contention in major championships more than anybody else over the last three or four years," he said.
"I think every time you get yourself in contention you learn something new. I've been in contention a lot in different kinds of positions, leading, coming from behind -- and in this tournament and other tournaments.
"I pick little bits out of all of those, but the main thing is just to go out there and believe that I'm good enough.
Two-Time Champ Els in Hunt at US Open
SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2012 (AFP) - South Africa's Ernie Els eagled the par-five 17th at The Olympic Club on Saturday to put himself in the hunt for a third US Open title 15 years after winning his second.
Els holed out from the fringe around a closely mown collection area below the 17th's elevated green, the eagle and three birdies helping him rebound from three bogeys in the first five holes on the exacting Olympic Lake Course. 
"I'm in a much better mood now than I was on the sixth tee," Els said. "To come back and play the last 12 holes in five under is quite amazing.
"The shot at 17 is what dreams are made of -- a shot like that in a US Open."
Els said he had about 50 yards for the chip.
"It's one of those one in a thousand shots."
Els's two-under par 68 gave him a two-over total of 212, three shots behind co-leaders Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk.
Els, who won the 1994 and 1997 US Opens as well as the 2002 British Open, missed out on the Masters last month because his ranking wasn't high enough, and he couldn't earn the US tour win that would have gained him an invitation.
After that disappointment, he now has a chance to set the record for longest span between US Open wins.
The longest to date has been 11, by two people: Hale Irwin who won in 1979 and 1990 and Julius Boros who won in 1952 and 1963.
"Even if I'm within four (shots) that's a great chance," Els said. "I think if you get it into the red numbers, I think you'll win this tournament."
Els, who apologized in May for a foul-mouthed criticism of the watering of the course at the PGA Wentworth, said his mental attitude has been "quite good" despite the a typically treacherous US Open course setup that punishes poor shots with a vengeance and doesn't always reward good ones.
"I've had a couple of train wrecks out there," he said "The 16th first round I made eight, and I made double on four the first day.
"Hopefully I got those out of the way."
"Experience helps around here," he added. "For some reason I'm patient again this week."
Don't Count Me Out, Says Woods
SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2012 (AFP) - Tiger Woods headed straight for the practice putting green at San Francisco's Olympic Club late Saturday after his hopes of ending a four-year winless drought in the majors took a knock.
The former world No.1 struggled to a five over 75 that leaves him five strokes behind joint leaders Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell, and with 11 other players sandwiched in between.
It had been, he agreed, a frustrating day especially on the greens where he found it difficult to judge the speed as they dried out under the hot California sunshine after having been watered before the third round started.
"I struggled on the greens today, quite a bit," he said.
"They looked quick, but they putted slow. But they were firmer than they were yesterday. So it was a tough, tough feel for me to adjust to."
Woods got off to a horror start with four bogeys in eight holes before he grabbed what turned out to be his only birdie of the day at the ninth hole.
He never looked comfortable down the back nine and two more bogeys followed at the 16th and 18th, where he fluffed a chip from thick rough at the side of the green.
Woods, who jointly led the tournament overnight at one-under 139 with Furyk and David Toms, said that his game had not been that bad and that the margins had been small.
"I was just missing by just a few yards and that was enough," he said.
"Probably about three fairways I missed just probably about three or four yards. And then that makes a big difference."
Eight of Woods's 14 major titles have come when he has led or been the joint leader at the halfway stage and only once has he failed to seal the deal from that position.
On his prospects for Sunday, when he will play with fellow American Casey Wittenberg, Woods said "I'm definitely still in the ball game. I'm only five back and that's certainly doable on this golf course for sure.
"I think the course will be just as quick, I think they like it just the way it was.
"You saw that some of the guys went out early and shot some good scores, they had a little bit more moisture on the greens and it dried out certainly in the last few groups.
"No one really shot good numbers on the back. So maybe I can be one of those guys that goes out there and posts a round early."'
Collated scores on Saturday in the third round of the US Open golf championship at The Olympic Club's 7,170-yard, par-70 Lake Course (a-amateur)
209 - Graeme McDowell (NIR) 69-72-68, Jim Furyk (USA) 70-69-70
211 - Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) 72-71-68
212 - Lee Westwood (ENG) 73-72-67, Ernie Els (RSA) 75-69-68, Blake Adams (USA) 72-70-70, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 72-69-71
213 - Webb Simpson (USA) 72-73-68, Kevin Chappell (USA) 74-71-68, John Senden (AUS) 72-73-68, a-Beau Hossler (USA) 70-73-70, Jason Dufner (USA) 72-71-70, John Peterson (USA) 71-70-72
214 - Retief Goosen (RSA) 75-70-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 74-71-69, Matt Kuchar (USA) 70-73-71, Tiger Woods (USA) 69-70-75
215 - Casey Wittenberg (USA) 71-77-67, Hunter Hamrick (USA) 77-67-71, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 74-70-71, Justin Rose (ENG) 69-75-71, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 73-71-71, Charlie Wi (KOR) 74-70-71, Aaron Watkins (USA) 72-71-72, Michael Thompson (USA) 66-75-74, David Toms (USA) 69-70-76
216 - Adam Scott (AUS) 76-70-70, Scott Langley (USA) 76-70-70, Kevin Na (USA) 74-71-71, Raphael Jacquelin (FRA) 72-71-73, Hunter Mahan (USA) 72-71-73
217 - Steve Lebrun (USA) 73-75-69, Angel Cabrera (ARG) 72-76-69, a-Jordan Spieth (USA) 74-74-69, Alex Cejka (GER) 78-69-70, Jonathan Byrd (USA) 71-75-71, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 70-75-72, Steve Stricker (USA) 76-68-73, Nick Watney (USA) 69-75-73, K.J. Choi (KOR) 73-70-74, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 73-70-74
218 - Bob Estes (USA) 74-73-71, Phil Mickelson (USA) 76-71-71, Branden Grace (RSA) 71-74-73, Matteo Manassero (ITA) 76-69-73, Ian Poulter (ENG) 70-75-73
219 - a-Patrick Cantlay (USA) 76-72-71, Rickie Fowler (USA) 72-76-71, Jeff Curl (USA) 73-75-71, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 71-76-72, Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 75-71-73, Darron Stiles (USA) 75-71-73, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) 72-74-73, Marc Warren (SCO) 73-72-74, Alistair Presnall (AUS) 70-74-75
220 - Kevin Streelman (USA) 76-72-72, Nicholas Thompson (USA) 74-74-72, Davis Love (USA) 73-74-73, Zach Johnson (USA) 77-70-73, K.T. Kim (KOR) 74-72-74
221 - Matthew Baldwin (ENG) 74-74-73, Rod Pampling (AUS) 74-73-74, Keegan Bradley (USA) 73-73-75, Michael Allen (USA) 71-73-77, J.B. Park (KOR) 70-74-74
222 - Jesse Mueller (USA) 75-73, Simon Dyson (ENG) 74-74-74, Jason Day (AUS) 75-71-76
223 - Jason Bohn (USA) 70-75-78
224 - Bo Van Pelt (USA) 78-70-76, Joe Ogilvie (USA) 73-75-76
226 - Stephen Ames (CAN) 74-73-79