Collin Morikawa May Have Played His Way Out of Contention at U.S. Open

Former Cal golfer Morikawa started third round well, but could not maintain it, and is 12 strokes behind leader Sam Burns

Collin Morikawa / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Collin Morikawa provided hope with a strong start to his third round at the U.S. Open on Saturday, but the rest of his round did not go as well, leaving him with little chance of capturing his third major title.

The former Cal standout finished with a third-round score of 4-over-par 74 at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh, Pa. It left Morikawa at 8-over, 12 shots off the lead, with Sam Burns leading at 4-under. Burns as a one-shot lead over J.J. Spaun and Adam Scott heading into Sunday's final round.

Television coverage on Saturday paid no attention Morikawa, which indicates he never threatened to make a significant move up the leaderboard.

Heavy rain started when Morikawa was playing the 11th hole, but quickly stopped before starting again when Morikawa was playing No. 15.

Morikawa’s opening holes suggested something special might be in store. But after recording birdies on two of his first three holes, he struggled the rest of the way. His bogeys on Nos. 8, 9 and 11 sent him to 1-over for the day and 5-over for the tournament, and he ruined his round with a double-bogey 6 on the 15th hole and a bogey on No. 16.

Morikawa played the first seven holes at 2-under and the final 11 holes at 6-over.

The good news is Morikawa is just four strokes behind the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, who is at 4-over after an even-par round of 70. The bad news is Scheffler is one of 38 golfers ahead of Morikawa heading into Sunday’s final round.

Morikawa, who is ranked No. 4 in the world, is looking for his third Grand Slam win and his first since winning The (British) Open championship in 2021. But now the odds are very much against him.

Michael Kim, another former Cal golfer, lost any chance of competing for the title on Sunday by shooting a 6-over-par round of 76 on Saturday.  That left him at 12-over for the tournament, tied for 57th, and only six golfers who made the cut are behind him.

Kim had eight bogeys in the round, although a birdie on the 16th hole prevented his round from being even worse.

Nonetheless, Kim can be pleased that he made the cut in each of the first three majors this year. Kim had missed the cut in his five previous majors before this year, and last played the final two rounds in a major in the 2018 (British) Open Championship. Kim entered this week ranked 54th in the world.

His best finish in a Grand Slam event came in the first one he entered – the 2013 U.S. Open, when he finished tied for 17th and was the low amateur. It was another five years before he played his second major.