Matthew Wolff making the U.S. Open his coming-out party

21-year-old Matthew Wolff is poised to become the youngest U.S. Open champion in nearly a century

Matthew Wolff should still be in college, not leading the 120th U.S. Open. He shouldn’t be able to conquer Winged Foot despite hitting just two fairways. He shouldn’t be contending for a major championship at the age of 21.

There are plenty of things Wolff shouldn’t be able to do, but here he is, 18 holes away from winning his first career major championship. Wolff will take a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau into Sunday’s final round at Winged Foot, and if he plays as he did on Saturday, he’ll defy all expectations to become a U.S. Open champion.

Wolff began the third round four shots off the lead but went out and quickly erased that deficit, playing the front-nine in five-under to overtake Patrick Reed. He hit just two of 14 fairways but, despite playing from Winged Foot’s notoriously thick rough, he didn’t make a bogey until the 16th. On the 18th hole, he hit iron off the tee but kept it out to the right. The ball took a fortunate bounce out of the second cut, and he was able to hit his approach shot to 10 feet for a closing birdie to shoot 65 and get to five-under for the championship. It was the type of break a player needs to win a tournament of this magnitude.

Wolff is doing to this iconic course just outside New York City what no one is supposed to do, thanks to a unique swing and game that belie his relative inexperience. He’s 58th of 62 players in driving accuracy but ranks second in driving distance and fourth in strokes gained: approach to the green. It’s the epitome of the modern game, with a greater emphasis on power over accuracy.

Wolff is the youngest 54-hole leader at the U.S. Open since amateur Jim Simons led Jack Nicklaus by two at Merion in 1971. With a win on Sunday, he’ll become the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923. A year ago he was in college at Oklahoma State; he’s still the reigning NCAA champion.

He’ll play in the final group with DeChambeau. Two months ago, Wolff led DeChambeau by three going into the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. But he got off to a slow start, playing his first 10 holes in three over, but rebounded to birdie four of his last seven. Despite losing to DeChambeau in Detroit back in July, Wolff is looking to draw on that experience this week.

“I think what was really important was the lead that I had in Detroit earlier this year when, actually, Bryson clipped me. But I think just being in that lead and knowing what it’s like to sleep on the lead, I feel like I’m going to look back at that a little bit,” he told NBC’s Steve Sands after his round.

“But there’s really not much you can do. It’s a really hard course and today was a good day. I felt really good with my game. I’m just going to go out there and do the same thing. Whatever happens, happens.”

Wolff had played just one previous major championship in his career, a fourth-place finish at the PGA Championship last month. He won his only PGA Tour title at the 3M Open last July in his third career professional start. He’s never played in a U.S. Open. No one has won the U.S. Open in his debut since Francis Ouimet in 1913. Sunday just happens to be the 107th anniversary of Ouimet’s memorable victory.

Fortunate timing for another young gun to walk away with the trophy.