U.S. Open third round: What the leaders need to do on the weekend

Gary Woodland has the 36-hole lead of the U.S. Open at nine-under, but four former major champions are right behind him going into the weekend

Gary Woodland might be a surprise 36-hole leader at the U.S. Open, but the 35-year-old is certainly playing like one of the world’s best so far this week.

The four players chasing him, though, are all major champions. Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, is two shots back. Louis Oosthuizen is three back, while Rory McIlroy, fresh off a dominating seven-shot victory in Canada last week, is four back. Then there’s two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka, who enters the weekend five shots back as he looks to become the first three-peat U.S. Open champion in more than a century.

Scoring conditions have been ideal at Pebble Beach for the first two days. But on the weekend the course is sure to play tougher, and combined with the pressure of winning the U.S. Open will test each of the contenders. Here is what the five leaders need to do this weekend if they hope to join the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell as U.S. Open champions at Pebble Beach.

Gary Woodland – Prove he belongs

There’s something about the first two rounds of a major championship that brings out the best in Gary Woodland.

The native Kansan shot a bogey-free round of 65 on Friday to take a two-shot lead into the weekend at Pebble Beach. It’s a similar situation to that in which he found himself less than a year ago. Last August at the PGA Championship, Woodland shot 64-66 to take the 36-hole lead. He fell back on the weekend into a tie for sixth place, but it still snapped an 0-27 streak in finishing inside the top-10 in majors during his career. He also finished eighth at Bethpage last month.

Woodland is a three-time PGA Tour winner but is still looking for his first major. His resume doesn’t quite match up to the players chasing him, but he’s been the best in the field at the U.S. Open so far. He ranks first in strokes gained: putting and fifth off the tee. On Friday he hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation, tied for second in the field. He’s made just one bogey through 36 holes and is carrying some momentum from his finish into the weekend.

Woodland’s approach shot at the eighth, his next to last hole of the round, went well right onto a steep embankment. He managed to chip out past the flag to 15 feet, then made the putt to save par. Then, on the closing ninth hole, he holed a 50-footer to end his round with a birdie. His total of 133 is the lowest 36-hole score ever shot in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Woodland isn’t a major champion like the four players right behind him, but he’s looking like one so far this week.