Saturday’s final U.S. Open twosome had the feel of a classic mismatch. Golf’s version of Ali vs. Quarry. Reagan vs. Mondale. Ferrari vs. Yugo.
In one corner was the best first-half player in the history of the Open, the pillager of Pinehurst, Herr 65 himself, Martin Kaymer.
In the other was a fellow who just a year ago was basking in his victory at the Web.com’s Stadion Classic on his old college course at UGA, Atlanta’s Brendon Todd.
The extremes of the playing-golf-for-money experience shared a tee box on one of the ultimate stages. One guy for whom everything seemed to come easily this week. Another for whom nothing has been easy.
The year Kaymer was No. 1 in the world golf ranking (2011), Todd, just seven months younger, slipped to as low as 1,262nd. He has since rehabilitated that nicely (to 55th), with the aid of a victory last month at the Byron Nelson Classic.
Well, the 700-pound German gorilla is still standing. Oh, Kaymer wobbled. He began touring some of the weedy recesses of Pinehurst No. 2 that he so deftly avoided in the first two rounds. He didn’t shoot his third consecutive 65 — in fact, he was seven shots worse, at 2-over 72. But the six-shot lead he had to begin the day diminished by only a stroke by the time a toughened up course had finished its Saturday dinner.
As for Todd, alas, he was out of his depth this day. He shot a 9-over 79 and tumbled from second all the way to a tie for 30th, way back to where Phil Mickelson lives.
He tipped his cap and said his farewells to playing in the feature twosome of a major. “The scores weren’t really happening for me today,” Todd said. “But, it’s cool to have fans out there. It was cool to be in the final group at the U.S. Open. All in all, I’ll take a lot from it.”
It was another former University of Georgia player who slipped into second place Saturday, almost by ambush. Erik Compton, he of the two heart transplants, the survivor from the Open qualifying tournament, shot a 3 under 67. That left him at 3 under for the Open, five back of Kaymer.
How dastardly was Pinehurst this day? Only Compton and Rickie Fowler broke par among 67 players. Fowler, too, is five back of Kaymer.
Having seen the made-over Pinehurst at its worst, Kaymer was able to more easily accept his difficult Saturday round. “Two-over-par is not as bad as it looks on the scorecard,” he said. “I think I kept it very well together, even though I didn’t hit as many great shots as yesterday and Thursday. Overall, it’s a decent round.”
Kaymer didn’t even seem to mind the impromptu landscaping that was forced upon him Saturday. The most adventurous moment of his day came following an errant tee shot on the par-4 fourth. His ball landed beside a mound of pine straw that had built up in an area washed out by the previous night’s rain. It looked like Bigfoot had built his nest overnight.
Much confusion ensued. “The main problem was I didn’t really understand the English that the (rules official) was talking. … It was a wash, waste, I don’t know those words that he was saying,” Kaymer said.
Eventually he decided to take an unplayable lie. As the pine straw was a loose impediment, he was allowed to move heaping handfuls of it before dropping his ball.
Bottom line: A bogey on that hole. One of five for the day for Kaymer. A prodigious number, considering he had made only one in the two previous rounds.
The conditions presented this field with its first real taste of U.S. Open nastiness. More than the two previous rounds, No. 2’s infamous greens were rejecting balls like a publisher rejects unsolicited manuscripts.
Assuming those conditions carry over into Sunday, they also provide the best hope for running down Kaymer.
“Stranger things have happened on normal courses,” said Matt Kuchar, 1 over Saturday and eight back of Kaymer. “Anything can happen on a course like this. I’m a long way back, I understand that. But I certainly go out knowing that I still have a chance.”
Said Fowler, “I can put myself in contention with the rest of the group and see what Martin does. If he goes out and posts double digits (under par), it’s going to be impossible for us to catch him. It’s like a second tournament going on. See what Martin does.”
As for Compton, now the biggest underdog on the board with Todd’s departure, the one with the unbelievable backstory, what if he charges to victory?
“I might just sail off and never play golf again,” he said with a smile.
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