Doug Mills/The New York Times
Phil Mickelson entered the final round of the United States Open as the leader.
As the week wore on and Merion Golf Club dried out and showed its teeth, it became clear the final round of the United States Open was not going to be filled with low scores or grinning golfers.
The facial expression of choice in Saturday’s third round was a grimace, or a mystified tilted head as drives buried themselves in ankle-deep rough and putts slid by holes as if propelled by a motor. Only Phil Mickelson managed more than a handful of smiles as he emerged as the only player under par and he carried a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.
Quickly, though, Charl Schwartzel of South Africa joined Mickelson in the lead at one under with a birdie on the first hole. He had an 8-foot putt for another birdie on No. 2, but pulled it just left of the hole. Mickelson had his chance for birdie on the first hole slide by as well. Then, Mickelson’s approach shot on No. 2 landed in a greenside bunker, but he nearly holed his shot for birdie from there, but settled for a tap-in par.
Mickelson got to smile while warming up in the driving range, when spectators began singing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his 43rd birthday, spent exactly where he wants to be: in contention for his first Open title. He already has five second-place finishes in his career but no victories in what is traditionally the most punishing major.
That punishment came in many forms on Sunday. Luke Donald, who started the round two shot out of the lead, pulled his drive on the par-3 No. 3 so wildly that it hit a volunteer manning the ropes and knocked her to the ground. She eventually got up and Donald apologized and gave her a signed glove. He went on to bogey the hole.
Steve Stricker had an even tougher go on the second hole, sailing his drive out of bounds on the par-5 No. 2 twice. Stricker, who is in his 59th major without a victory, just made his road even tougher with a triple-bogey on the hole.
Long before the leaders teed off , Merion got a jolt of excitement from its first hole-in-one in its Open history. Shawn Stefani, a P.G.A. Tour rookie, hit a 4-iron off the tee at the 229-yard par-3 No. 17. The ball landed in the left rough but bounced onto the green and rolled as if pulled by a string into the hole. It was the 43rd ace at an Open overall, but the first at Merion.
Stefani leapt in the air when he saw it roll in, and when he got to the green, he knelt and kissed the ground.
“Honestly I think I’ve seen a bunch of balls that week kind of not kick to the right and I was really surprised to see the ball kick to the right,” Stefani said. “And then once it did kick, it kept rolling and I was like, well this could be good. And the fans stood up and then it kept getting closer and closer and then when it went in, I was just super excited because it’s the first hole-in-one I’ve ever had in a tournament.
“I didn’t know what to do but jump up and down for joy.”
Video by Kenny Dorset
Shawn Stefani Hole-in-One
Despite that, Stefani still finished 19-over par.
Low scores have been hard to come by all week, but no more so than on Saturday and Sunday, when the United States Golf Association pulled out the most difficult pin placements and the greens grew firmer and firmer in the warming temperatures. The monsoons of earlier in the week were long gone — although there is still a chance of rain through the round on Sunday — and all that is left is a bunch of eager golfers and a golf course with a snarl.
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