Wednesday, June 11 Sunday's guide to the Open
By David Kraft
ESPN.com
We've heard of Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh and Nick Price -- all brand names in tournament golf.
So who are they joined with in the final groups at this year's U.S. Open?
Stephen Leaney. Dicky Pride. Ian Leggatt. Eduardo Romero. Jonathan Byrd.
Not exactly golf's list of Who's Who. To compensate, a quick scouting report of the unfamiliar fivesome:
Stephen Leaney (second place, 7-under): The Australian suffered a life-threatening blood clot in his shoulder in 1993 and lost two ribs in the recovery. It kept him away from golf for 18 months. Since regaining his health, he's played on the PGA European Tour and has won three times, most recently at the German Masters in 2002. He lost to Woods 7-and-6 in World Match Play this year. He's ranked 52nd in the world.
Pride
Dicky Pride (tied for fifth place, 5-under): He's split time on the PGA and Nationwide Tours this year - and doesn't have much to show for either. Of course, considering he was violently ill 18 months ago suffering from gallstone pancreatitis, it's all relative. His best finish is a tie for 11th at the Carolina Classic on the Nationwide Tour; he tied for 15th at Pebble Beach, but missed his last three cuts on the big tour. He's won once in his career - 1995 at Memphis - but has slipped to 444th in the world rankings, just behind Martin Lemesurier of England.
Ian Leggatt (tied for fifth place, 4-under): The ex-provincial and Canadian national speed-skating champ has a legitimate PGA Tour resume - he had three top-10 finishes last year and was 47th on the money list. He's struggled this year, missing seven cuts in 12 events, including last week at the FBR Capital Classic. He's 194th in the world rankings.
Eduardo Romero (tied for fifth place, 4-under): At age 48 and ranked 39th in the world, the Argentinian - nicknamed "El Gato" (The Cat), has won 16 times in his career around the world, including the national opens of Spain, France, Italy, Scotland and Argentina (five times). He's played in the U.S. Open five times, making the cut in four of them - but his best finish is a tie for 25th. He's virtually guaranteed better now.
Jonthan Byrd: Despite missing more cuts than he made a year ago (17 misses; 15 makes). he won $891,107 in his last four events a year ago to finish 39th on the Tour money list ($1,462.713) and earn rookie of the year honors. This year, he's made 10 cuts in 16 events and has three top-10s - including a tie for eighth at The Masters. The former Clemson Tiger has climbed to 80th in the world rankings.
Four final pairings
Furyk
Jim Furyk-Stephen Leaney, 4 p.m. ET
Furyk looks to win his first major. The last time Furyk was among the leaders at the Open - 2001 at Southern Hills, where he was ninth after three rounds - he shot 82 in the final round. He's never shot better than 70 on Sunday at the Open. Furyk's won seven times on the PGA Tour, but three of them were at Las Vegas. His best win? Last year's Memorial Tournament. This week, he's first in greens in regulation - always a key at the Open. Leaney is fifth in GIR and 10th in putting and comes in on a high, having shot 67-68-68. Still, he admits to being nervous. "This is a major championship and everyone gets nervous and I'm nervous over every shot," he said. "But I've learned to control it in the past." The future -- namely Sunday -- is a whole different deal.
Nick Price-Vijay Singh, 3:50 p.m. ET
Price
Two guys looking to shake off nightmarish finishes to their rounds Saturday. Price was cruising - with birdies in five of his first six holes before making bogey on four of his next six. A bogey-par-birdie finish left him with a wholly unsatisfying 69. "If I have one wish (Sunday), that's to drive the ball in the fairway," said Price, who hit just nine of 14 on Saturday (he's still second in fairways hit in the tournament). Singh, looking to complete three-fourths of a career grand slam (he's already won The Masters and PGA), stumbled home with three straight bogeys and a 38 on the back nine. He was tied for the lead at late as the 11th hole before imploding.
Dicky Pride-Ian Leggatt, 3:40 p.m. ET
Leggatt
Pride's never made it past the cut in a U.S. Open and had never scored better than a 77 before this week. But he's hit fairways (eight in the tournament) and putts (tied for 10th to shoot 71-69-66. Sunday, he's got something additional to shoot for. "I would certainly like the top 10 for the simple fact that it would put me in the Buick Classic next week. Otherwise, I'm going to Erie to play in the Nationwide." Leggatt is third in the tournament in greens in regulation and wants more of the same. "Now we've got a lot harder, more difficult conditions, so I'll be playing more conservative," he said. "Not firing at flags is probably going to be the plan."
Eduardo Romero-Jonathan Byrd, 3:30 p.m. ET
Byrd
A long-drive competition within itself. Byrd is listed at 155 pounds; he says he's 160. Still, he hit a ball estimated at 380 yards on the 18th hole Saturday and is fifth in the tournament in driving distance (312.5 yards). But he's also eighth in fairways hit and 10th in putting and is playing as well as he did at Augusta National in April. "You wish you could play this solid & every week," he said. "I feel like I get charged up for these majors." Romero is third in driving (316.3 yards) and is 10th in putting and has made just seven bogeys all week.
Keep an eye on Winner plays late: The last four winners of the U.S. Open played in the final group of the day. Lee Janzen was in the next-to-last group when he won at Olympic Club in '98 and Corey Pavin was in the third-to-last group when he won at Shinnecock Hills in '95. But further back than that? You've got to go back to Hale Irwin, who was 20th heading into the final round in 1990 before shooting 67 to tie Mike Donald, and win in an 18-hole playoff the next day. The host of that tournament? Medinah, just outside of Chicago.
Mike Weir: He nearly put himself in the middle of the action Saturday, shooting 32 on the front nine, including an eagle at the sixth, to get to 4-under. But he couldn't capitalize and, at 2-under, doesn't have a realistic chance at winning his second major of the year. But ... you never know.
Tiger Woods: Last year, he shot 81 in the third round of the British Open, the shot 65 on Sunday. Starting 2½ hours ahead of the leaders, don't be surprised to see it again - though if Furyk shoots even par, Woods would need a 59 to tie.
Scoring: The all-time record is 12-under par, set by Woods in 2000 at Pebble Beach (no one else has finished more than 8-under). Woods' 272 total score that year matches Jack Nicklaus in 1980 and Lee Janzen in 1993 -- both at Baltusrol. Furyk needs to shoot 71 to break that.
The lowest scoring average ever is 72.11 at Baltusrol in '93; no other tournament has been below 73.16 (Oakland Hills in 96). This year's scoring average? 72.26 through 54 holes.
David Kraft is an ESPN.com Senior Editor.
