DUBLIN — Bryson DeChambeau finished off a 6-under 66 with birdies on two of the toughest holes, giving him a one-shot lead going into a final round at a Memorial that features Tiger Woods in the mix at Muirfield Village for the first time in six years.
Woods was in total control of his shots for the second straight day, only to miss short putts down the stretch that spoiled his run. He was briefly tied for the lead Saturday until three-putt bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes, and he had to settle for a 68. He was five shots behind.
Woods wasn’t alone in missing short putts.
Walking off the course with his first 54-hole lead, DeChambeau couldn’t but help but think of the two that got away. He missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, and then missed a birdie putt from 4 feet on the par-5 15th.
With the course soft and vulnerable to low scores, it was tough to leave shots on the course.
“Just keep thinking about those two 3-footers I missed,” said DeChambeau, who was at 14-under 202. “I played great, obviously. Ecstatic about where I am.”
DeChambeau wasn’t even sure where he was when he finished because so many players worked their way up and down the leaderboard over the final two hours. He wound up with a one-shot lead over Kyle Stanley, who bogeyed the 18th hole from the bunker for a 70; Patrick Cantlay, who drove into the creek left of the 18th fairway for a bogey and a 66; and Joaquin Niemann, the 19-year-old from Chile who atoned for one big mistake on the 15th hole with a birdie on the 18th for a 70.
Cantlay made two eagles, including a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth. DeChambeau rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 16th, the third-toughest at Muirfield Village in the third round, and he hit 9-iron to 5 feet on the toughest hole , the 18th.
Six players had at least a share of the lead at some point.
U.S. Women’s Open
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sarah Jane Smith has a three-shot lead entering the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open.
The Australian shot a 5-under 67 Friday, finishing her second round before more thunderstorms soaked an already wet Shoal Creek course. Half the field completed the second round Saturday morning.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn is second after a 70. South Korean-born Su-Hyun Oh, who moved to Australia at 8, shot a 68 and is third. She’s four shots behind Smith, who is at 10-under 134 for the tournament.
Michelle Wie is among eight players tied for fourth, seven shots off the lead. Wie had a 72 in the second round after a 69 Thursday. The third round begins with groups of three, starting on the first and 10th tees.
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