AP

The Latest: Eagle putt moves Hughes into U.S. Open lead

Jun 18, 2021, 8:52 PM | Updated: Jun 19, 2021, 5:54 pm

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):

5:19 p.m.

A long eagle putt and steady play has moved Mackenzie Hughes into a share of the lead at the U.S. Open.

Hughes made a 63-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th at Torrey Pines and shot a 3-under 68 in the third round. He’s tied with overnight co-leader Russell Henley at 5 under.

Hughes reached the 589-yard 13th in two and snaked in a putt similar to the one Tiger Woods made in the third round of the 2008 U.S. Open. The 30-year-old Canadian got up and down from the greenside bunker on No. 18 to close out he second straight under-par round.

Henley reached 6 under when he holed out for birdie on the par-3 11th, but had a bogey on the par-4 15th when he couldn’t get up and down from a bunker.

___

4:24 p.m.

Russell Henley is holding up under the pressure of leading the U.S. Open.

He was the overnight co-leader with Richard Bland and has reached 6 under at brutal Torrey Pines to lead Mackenzie Hughes by two.

Henley opened with a birdie on the first hole and holed out a bunker shot for another on the 218-yard 11th after a bogey on No. 10.

Bland has backed up with three bogeys and no birdies through his first 12 holes. Matthew Wolff is even through 13 holes to remain 4 under.

___

3:50 p.m.

Rory McIlroy overcame a drive into a canyon to keep himself in contention at the U.S. Open.

McIlroy saved bogey after hitting into the canyon left of the par-4 15th hole and closed with a two-putt birdie to shoot 4-under 67 in the third round at Torrey Pines. He moved to 3 under, three behind leader Russell Henley, who is still on the course.

McIlroy had a string of three birdies in four holes to open the back nine and made a 4-foot bogey putt after hitting his third shot short of No. 15. The 2011 U.S. Open champion hit his second shot on the par-5 18th to the back of the green and cozied up a 63-foot putt close for an easy birdie.

___

2:55 p.m.

Whatever thoughts Phil Mickelson had of finally winning a U.S. Open will have to wait until next year. The 51-year-old PGA champion had a rough time at Torrey Pines.

Mickelson was wild off the tee early and it cost him. And then he struggled on the greens, particularly a four-putt double bogey on the 17th hole. It added to a 40 on the back nine for a 76, and Mickelson was toward the bottom of the leaderboard.

Lefty’s assessment: “I just completely lost it out there.”

The good news? As PGA champion, he gets four more cracks at the only major keeping him from the career Grand Slam.

___

2:30 p.m.

Rory McIlroy is working his way into contention at the U.S. Open.

Starting the third round at Torrey Pines six shots out of the lead, McIlroy has birdied three of four holes to start the back nine and was three shots behind. That included a fairway metal that hit the pin on the par-5 13th and ricocheted to the back of the green. He two-putted from there.

Russell Henley has put his nose in front with a pair of birdies offset by one bogey. Richard Bland fell two behind with his first birdie, while Matthew Wolff and Louis Oosthuizen also were two shots behind on the front nine.

___

11 a.m.

Jason Gore played in the U.S. Open for the first time in 11 years.

His score didn’t count.

Gore is most famous for playing in the final group at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2005 and shooting 84. He now works for the USGA in player relations. Gore played as a non-competing marker Saturday with Akshay Bhatia, who otherwise would have played the third round by himself.

Bhatia had to birdie the 18th hole Friday night to make the cut at 4-over 146. He shot 73 on Saturday, assured of not finishing last through 54 holes.

If Gore plays again in the final round, it will be with someone else. In his last official U.S. Open appearance, Gore tied for 47th at Pebble Beach in 2010.

___

10 a.m.

Paul Casey is taking a big step toward nailing down a spot in the Olympics.

Casey is No. 19 in the world, a fraction ahead of fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick. Casey made it back to even par for the U.S. Open with a 31 on the front nine at Torrey Pines. Fitzpatrick was 4 over through his first five holes and seven shots behind Casey.

Countries get two players for the Olympics next month, with a maximum of four if they are among the top 15 in the world. This is the final week before the 60-man field is set.

The leading British player is Tyrrell Hatton, who has not indicated if he plans to go to Tokyo.

Jordan Spieth is playing alongside Casey. He also had four birdies on the front nine, along with a bogey on No. 4 when he missed the fairway. Spieth was 1 over for the tournament.

It could be an indication of decent scoring opportunities for the rest of the field. Casey and Spieth will be done with the third round about 90 minutes before the final group even tees off.

___

8:30 a.m.

Saturday is moving day at the U.S. Open, and this one could be fascinating.

The co-leaders are 48-year-old Richard Bland and Russell Henley at 5-under par. Bland is playing his fourth major, one each in the last four decades. Henley has played 26 majors without registering a top 10.

Behind them is a long list of star power and experience. Twenty players are separated by five shots, and six of them are major champions. That includes Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. They have won three of the last four U.S. Opens.

Rory McIlroy is six shots behind and believes he’s very much in the mix. Phil Mickelson is another shot back and feels the same way.

In early play, Jordan Spieth has had two birdie putts inside 6 feet to start his third round and made one of them.

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

The Latest: Eagle putt moves Hughes into U.S. Open lead