2021 U.S. Open Daily Question: Will Previous Major Championship Success Matter on Sunday at Torrey Pines?

Big names and unproven players are mixed together on the leaderboard with 18 holes to go. Does a major title-winning pedigree matter at this point? Our writers on the scene weigh in.

There are 18 holes remaining at the 2021 U.S. Open, and the leaderboard features a mix of players who are unproven and those who have won previous major championships. The setup is there for a thrilling finish, and so we check in with our writers on the scene to ask: How much will major championship-winning experience matter tomorrow at Torrey?

Michael Rosenberg, Sports Illustrated: This is the big question, and the answer is ... I don't know. Sorry. Well, that's the short answer. The longer one is: Experience probably doesn't matter as much as we think it does. These guys have been playing Torrey all week, and there aren't a lot of secrets here. Hit it straight, play it safe, make your putts. The fact it's an annual PGA Tour stop means anybody who wants experience here already has it. We tend to answer this question based on what happens — if the winner is experienced, we say experience mattered, and if the winner isn't, we say it didn't. Anybody on that leaderboard has a chance, no matter how many times they have contended.

Alex Miceli, Morning Read: It’s hard to believe that the winner won’t come from one of the five major winners on the leaderboard. Each of the five — Louis Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa — were under par in the third round and each put himself in position to add to his major total.

It’s impossible to explain how difficult it is to finish off a major championship. Richard Bland, the story of the tournament through 36 holes, shot 6-over 77 on Saturday and will be more spectator than combatant on Sunday.

You need a little luck to win a major title, and for whatever reason, former major winners seem to make their own luck when it counts.

Rory McIlroy is two shots behind the co-leaders with 18 holes remaining at the U.S. Open.

Golffile | Fran Caffrey