Trump submits plan for $200 million investment in Scottish golf resort

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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The only thing that spared Dustin Johnson from another U.S. Open implosion is that everyone around him suffered on a Shinnecock Hills course that even the USGA conceded got out of hand Saturday afternoon. Daniel Berger and Tony Finau were the exceptions, each posting a 4-under 66 about the time Johnson was just starting out on greens that became so slick that Phil Mickelson swatted a ball that was still moving on the 13th green and no one in the final 22 groups broke par. Johnson, who started the third round with a four-shot lead, barely nudged his 17-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole. It ran 8 feet by the cup and he missed the par putt for one last bogey and a 7-over 77. At least he still has a chance. Johnson was in a four-way tie for the lead at 3-over 213, the highest 54-hole score to lead the U.S. Open since the fabled “Massacre at Winged Foot” in 1974. “You were seeing shots that were well played and not rewarded,” said Mike Davis, the chief executive of the USGA. “It was a very tough test, but probably too tough this afternoon.” Berger and Finau, who started the day 11 shots out of the lead, will play in the final group. Johnson and defending champion Brooks Koepka will be right behind them. Koepka made only two birdies in a hard-earned round of 72, leaving him in position to become the first back-to-back winner of the U.S. Open since Curtis Strange in 1989. Henrik Stenson made one birdie and picked up three shots on the leader. Mickelson celebrated his 48th birthday by matching his worst score in his 27th U.S. Open with an 81, and he provided the snapshot of a day that was entertaining for reasons the USGA didn’t imagine. He went from behind the 13th green all the way off the front. His next shot was 18 feet above the hole. His bogey putt slid by, and after a few putts, Mickelson trotted after it and then stuck out his putter and hit the ball back toward the cup to keep it from running off the green. That’s a two-shot penalty, giving him a 10. “It’s just a moment of madness,” said Andrew “Beef” Johnston, who played with Mickelson and couldn’t stifle a laugh. Mickelson apologized if anyone was offended by his act, even after saying he knew the rules for hitting a ball in motion and was happy to take a two-shot penalty instead of playing a crude version of tennis. Johnson didn’t have anything that wild, rather more of a slow bleed that began with a shot off a sandy path and three putts on the par-3 second hole for his first double bogey of the championship. His lead was gone with a three-putt bogey on the par-3 seventh. He was back in the lead when everyone around him couldn’t hang on. Justin Rose (73) and Stenson (74) also shared the lead at some point. Rose was one-shot behind, with Stenson another shot behind. Kiradech Aphibarnrat had the only other round under par. He teed off at 9:40 a.m. and had a 2-under 68 and was three shots behind. The scoring average of 75.33 was the highest for a third round in the U.S. Open since 2000 at Pebble Beach.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – It was fitting that Brooks Koepka was paired with Tiger Woods in the opening round at the PGA Championship. Especially considering the last player to dominate major championship golf like Koepka has been was, in fact, Woods. Koepka opened his PGA Championship defense with a course-record 7-under 63 at what is supposed to be the difficult Black course at Bethpage State Park. It was the only bogey-free round of the morning wave and gave the PGA TOUR Player of the Year a four-shot lead over those who went out early. Koepka has won three of the last seven majors he has contested. Should he make it four out of eight, he will be the first to do so since Woods won four majors over the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Woods, who beat Koepka by a shot at last month’s Masters, was left as a spectator in his round of 2-over 72. Even so, the 81-time PGA TOUR winner and 15-time major champion felt Koepka could’ve done more. Given he didn’t birdie either of the two par-5’s, Woods was on to something. “He played well. I mean, he hit a couple loose tee shots today that ended up in good spots, but I think that was probably the highest score he could have shot today,â€� Woods said. “He left a few out there with a couple putts that he missed. But it could have easily been a couple better.â€� The 29-year-old Koepka’s last six rounds in the PGA Championship have been in the 60’s –  including two 63’s – the first person to have done so twice in the championship’s 101-year history. If no one catches him in the afternoon wave, he will have led the championship for three straight rounds, having held the 54-hole lead last season before claiming the victory at Bellerive Country Club. “That was one of the best rounds I’ve played probably as a professional,â€� Koepka admitted after needing just 25 putts. “This golf course is brutal. It tests every asset of your game. You’ve got to drive the ball straight. It’s long, so you’ve got to hit it far and really position yourself with some of these shots in. You can’t take a shot off, and that’s what I love.â€� While the massive New York crowd willing Woods to keep pace, Koepka seemed to feed off that energy. When Woods made an eagle to get within four, Koepka responded with another birdie on the next hole. Woods would three-putt for bogey. It was like watching what Woods used to do at his peak – almost bully others into errors. It was intimidating stuff. “(My game has) never been this confident. I think I’m still learning, understanding my game, and I’ve figured it out, and I think over the next few years, I’m excited for what’s to come,â€� Koepka added. “I understand a lot more about my misses, where to hit it, and major championships I just suck it up, and you don’t always have to aim at the flag like you do in regular events. Sometimes it’s just about how few bogeys and doubles you make this week.â€� Prior to the event, Koepka felt a couple under par might be the winning score through 72 holes. But now he plans to change that. He won’t be playing defense. “It’s always nice being out ahead. But you take a hole off, it could change very quickly out here. So you’ve just got to keep the pedal down. “I’ve just got to go out there and focus on me. I’m not really concerned about what’s going on (with others).â€�

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