Collin Morikawa Still in the Hunt at the U.S. Open

Former Cal golfer Morikawa is just two shots out of second place entering the final round

Collin Morikawa | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Former Cal golfer Collin Morikawa did not have a great day at the U.S. Open on Saturday, but he remains in contention for his third major title – assuming Wyndham Clark comes back to Earth.

Morikawa had three bogeys and no birdies in Saturday’s third round at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

That left him at 3-over for the day and 1-over for the tournament, eight strokes behind leader Clark, who is at 7-under for the tournament after an even-par round of 70 on Saturday.

That seems like an insurmountable gap for Morikawa, who is tied for 11th place. However, Morikawa is just two shots behind the second-place quartet of Scottie Scheffler, Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim and Sam Stevens.

It’s certainly not impossible for Morikawa to catch those four in Sunday’s final round, then he would need only Clark to choke under pressure and blow his six-shot lead on the field. Clark showed his fallibility when he missed a three-foot par putt on the final hole on Saturday, costing him an under-par round.

It’s not likely that Clark will collapse, but not impossible, given the pressure involved in the final round of a major and the difficulty of the course.

Morikawa is very much in contention for his second top-10 finish in a major this year after tying for seventh place at the Masters back in April.

Just gotta give it a little body english!

Collin Morikawa with a much needed par save at 7. pic.twitter.com/MTcUSbg6kd

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 20, 2026

The other former Cal golfer in the field, Michael Kim, began his third round like he was would challenge for the lead. But the back nine kicked back in the field.

He finished the front nine on Saturday at 3-under, with birdies on Nos. 5, 8 and 9.

But things came apart on the par-3 11th hole, when he had a double-bogey-5.  He also had bogeys on the 14th and 17th holes to go along with a birdie on No. 16.

His third-round score of even-par 70 put him at 3-over for the tournament, tied for 17th place, two shots behind Morikawa.

Kim still has a chance for his highest finish in a major. His best finish was a tie for 17th at the 2013 U.S. Open when he was an amateur. His best finish as a pro was a tie for 27th at the 2025 Masters.