Carnage' on third day of US Open as organisers admit course set up went too far

Sport360 staff 10:56 17/06/2018
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  • Tournament organisers admitted they went “too far” with the set up of Shinnecock Hills after a day of “carnage” in the 118th US Open.

    Only three players broke par in the third round and scores of 66 early in the day were enough to lift Tony Finau and Daniel Berger from a tie for 45th to a share of the lead on three over par with defending champion Brooks Koepka and overnight leader Dustin Johnson.

    England’s Justin Rose is a shot off the pace after a 73, with Henrik Stenson a shot further back and Masters champion Patrick Reed and Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk on seven over alongside Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, whose 68 lifted him from joint last to a tie for seventh.

    “We want the US Open to be tough, a complete test but there’s no doubt it was a tale of two golf courses,” USGA chief executive Mike Davis told host broadcaster Fox Sports.

    “We will admit there were some aspects of the set up where we went too far, in that well-executed shots were not rewarded and in some cases penalised.”

    Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello had been seven over until a triple-bogey on the 18th and wrote on Twitter:

    The last time Shinnecock Hills hosted the event in 2004 play had to be suspended during the final round – in which 28 of the 66 players amazingly failed to break 80 – to water the seventh green, with only the winner Retief Goosen and runner-up Phil Mickelson finishing under par.

    And similar conditions transpired 14 years later as some questionable pin positions on hard, fast greens resulted in the “carnage” which two-time major champion Zach Johnson predicted after completing a 72.

    “It’s unfortunate that our nation’s tournament is already shot at a venue that they lost 14 years ago,” Johnson told Sky Sports.

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