RORY McILROY WILL tee off at 10.19pm Irish time tonight with the Northern Irishman just one shot off the lead at the US Open.
TV viewers have been left frustrated with the late tee times at the Los Angeles Country Club, with McIlroy’s third round not getting underway until 11.29pm Irish time on Saturday night, with leaders Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark following at 11.40pm.
“It’s a little ridiculous that we teed off that late,” said Clark on Saturday.
“I would say right around hole 15 or 16 it started getting to where you couldn’t see that well. I 100% think my bogey on 17 was because I couldn’t see, and I think Rickie’s bogey on 18 was because he couldn’t see.”
Clark was in the fairway off the tee at 17, but hit his second shot into the native scrub of a barranca. He opted to take a penalty drop and limited the damage to a bogey.
“I’m not trying to make an excuse, but it definitely was a challenge,” he said. “My putt on 17, I literally couldn’t see it, and we just played off of feel and how Rickie’s putt came in, and then my putt on 18, same thing.”
Fowler didn’t mention the light, or lack thereof, when discussing his bogey at the last.
“I hit a good putt,” he said, but he added that he, too, was surprised that the round played so late in the day — finishing around 8.00pm.
“If it was a Tour event and you were away from the clubhouse you’d be looking around for them to blow the horn,” he said.
The tee times were planned to meet the prime time window for TV viewers on America’s east coast.
However Sunday’s tee times will begin an hour earlier to allow time for a trophy presentation and any potential playoff.
McIlroy is due out at 10.19pm Irish time (2.19pm local) today alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Joint-leaders Fowler and Clark, who both sit one shot clear of McIlroy on 10 under, will tee-off at 10.30pm Irish time (2.30pm local).
Shane Lowry, who is 10 shots off the lead, is out with Tony Finau at 8.46pm Irish time (12.46pm local), while Padraig Harrington tees-off at 9.08pm Irish time (1.08pm local) alongside Patrick Cantlay. Harrington is one under par after a third round 67 on Saturday.
Full tee times for Sunday’s final round can be found here.
Additional reporting from AFP
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