US Open 2012: McDowell and Furyk set for final day showdown

McDowell and Furyk set for final day showdown

Graeme McDowell launched himself into pole position ahead of the final round of the US Open, with a joint share of the lead after shooting a two under par round of 68. His leading rival is Jim Furyk, who produced a level par round on Saturday, and he has played both economically and extremely consistently over the entire tournament. The US Open looks likely to come down to a final day decider between the pair who are two shots clear of the rest of the field. It will provide McDowell with an opportunity to secure a second US Open title in three years, and perhaps more importantly, send a gentle reminder to his critics and players that Europe’s golfing hopes do not just rest with Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood. He certainly has the right kind of game to succeed at Olympic. The Northern Irishman is not the longest hitter in the game, but his short game is relentlessly accurate and he putts well from distance. The same could also be said for Furyk – so the final round is shaping up to be sensational.

Woods falls away from the field

After two fantastic opening rounds, Tiger Woods’ US Open bid took a catastrophic blow on Saturday after he carded a five over par round of 75 to move from -1 to +4. The former world No1 and 14-time major winner struggled to fire in all aspects of his game in the third round to leave his chances of obtaining a 15th major all but over. Despite being the favourite throughout the tournament, Woods, who has only won two PGA tour events in as many years, still looks to be struggling with regards to stringing four good rounds of golf together. Although not completely out of the tournament, it would take something of a miracle for Woods to triumph at Olympic. Perhaps he will have to wait for another Major to achieve complete golfing redemption.

Westwood is still hanging on

But for an extremely poor first round, Lee Westwood would be right in the mix to secure an elusive first Major this week. The Worksop-based Englishman played wonderfully to get round in 67, three under par. That round leaves him three shots off the lead but crucially he takes the momentum of possibly the best round anyone has played this week with him as the tournament moves into the final day. Westwood may not have won a major in 57 attempts, but write him off at your peril on Sunday.

Like The Sport Review on Facebook:

Read more on: Golf, graeme mcdowell, jim furyk, luke donald, tiger woods, us open 2012.