LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Wyndham Clark birdied the par-five first hole to move to 11-under and grab the outright lead from Rickie Fowler as the final pairing of the U.S. Open’s final round set out at Los Angeles Country Club.
As the morning marine layer began to give way to sun, Fowler missed the fairway right and ultimately had to settle for par.
The Southern Californian is a former top-10 player who fell off the golf map in recent years but has been in first place at the end of each round to the delight of his many fans in LA.
“Tomorrow is when the tournament starts,” Fowler said on Saturday.
“After going through the last few years, I’m not scared to fail.”
Clark, who won his first PGA Tour event last month, has been attacking the George C. Thomas designed course near Beverly Hills with impressive confidence through the first three days.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, who is out to end his nine-year major drought, birdied the first hole to climb into a tie with Fowler at 10 under par.
Players who went out earlier took advantage of the cooler conditions, with Tommy Fleetwood firing a round of 63 that included two eagles to climb into fifth place.
Yesterday’s winner will walk away with $3.6 million of the tournament’s $20 million purse.