A Four-Man Race Is On Tap for Sunday and It Could Be the Epic Ending This U.S. Open Needs

After 54 holes this U.S. Open is still looking for an identity. Thanks to the stars who are set to play in the final groups, the tournament should find it in the final round.

LOS ANGELES — It was almost dark on Saturday night when Rickie Fowler three-putted from 42 feet to fall into a tie for the lead with Wyndham Clark heading into the final round of the U.S. Open. After making 18 birdies over his first 36 holes, Fowler came back to earth in the third round with an even-par 70. Appearing stunned on his walk to the scorer’s tent, he was intercepted by his wife, Allison, who gave him a kiss on the lips to perhaps console the bruise of the three-putt.

On Sunday, Fowler, who grew up about 200 miles south of Los Angeles in Murrieta, Calif., hopes to have a more celebratory kiss from his wife off the 18th green at LACC after winning his first major championship. He has never held a share of the lead heading into the final round of a major. In other PGA Tour events, he’s had a share of the 54-hole lead nine times and won three of those tournaments.

On a day when the defending U.S. champion, Matt Fitzpatrick, complained about the “very poor” atmosphere at LACC and fairways that have “too much” slope, the stage was set for an exciting final round. Since Fowler and Xander Schauffele pummeled the LACC North Course on Thursday with 62s this championship has been searching for its identity. This venue has resisted almost every criteria for a U.S. Open. The USGA’s limited-capacity rules and the laid-back country-club vibe of the spectators gives the impression of a corporate outing more than a U.S. Open. Coming into the week, Brooks Koepka was one of the favorites after a runner-up at the Masters in April and a win at the PGA Championship, but sitting well back of the leaders, he’s made it known that he’s not a big fan of the course.

Yet for all the complaining and battering of LACC and the supposed unenthusiastic spectators, we have a great golf tournament that promises an exhilarating finish. Even as he licked his wounds over the three-putt, Fowler was able to put in perspective the importance of the final round.

“It really doesn't matter, having the lead, being one back, two back,” he said. “You're going to have to play good golf tomorrow. Bummer to have that one slip away, but tomorrow is a whole new day, and like I said, that's kind of when the tournament really starts.”

It will be a four-man race to see who will raise the U.S. Open trophy on Sunday night. Fowler has done everything but win the championship through three rounds. Clark has been just as impressive and resilient. The more the week has gone the more confident he has become about his chances. He likes his chances even better if he can see where his ball lands.

“It's a little ridiculous that we teed off that late (3:40 p.m.),” he said. I would say right around hole 15 or 16 it started getting to where you couldn't see that well. “I don't personally understand why we teed off—we played twilight golf.”

On Sunday, Clark will tee off an hour and 10 minutes earlier with Rickie Fowler. Behind them in the next to last group are Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. This is a dangerous pair. If there are crowds for the final round, that pair will draw it and let Fowler and Clark know what each are doing to steal the tournament.

Scheffler may be carrying the most momentum into Sunday after holing an iron shot from 169 yards from the fairway at the 17th hole for an eagle. He followed that with a birdie at the 18th hole to finish with a two-under-par 68 that left him three shots back of the 10 under par lead held by Clark and Fowler.

“Going into tomorrow I'm going to be chasing, but it's not going feel any different,” Scheffler said. “If I was in the lead it's just I'm four shots behind instead of four shots ahead or whatever it is. Got to go out there and execute and do the best I can.”

With a 9 under par total after a 1-under-par 69 on Saturday, McIlroy is just one shot back of the leaders and perhaps the player with the most pressure to win on Sunday. He is supposed to win majors—more than any of these three players he will have to beat on Father’s Day. With a par-5 to start his round, he might join the leaders with a birdie while they stand on the first tee.

These two final groups will get to watch the leaderboards and listen to the cheers and moans in front of them. McIlroy has the best resume of the four, but he admits that those memories have dimmed with time.

“It's been such a long time since I've done it,” said McIlroy, who last won a major in 2014. “I'm going out there to try to execute a game plan, and I feel like over the last three days I've executed that game plan really, really well, and I just need to do that for one more day.”