Wolff Leads U.S. Open After Three Rounds

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) — Matthew Wolff is playing his first U.S. Open and carving his own path. That starts with shots he gouges out of the rough. It ends with him making six birdies, the last one a towering 7-iron from the first cut of rough that landed over the steep slope on the 18th green at Winged Foot and settled 10 feet right of the pin to match the best score — a 5-under 65 — at Winged Foot in a major. He hit only two fairways Saturday on a course — and a major — with a blueprint for avoiding the rough. The only number that mattered to the 21-year-old Californian was a two-shot lead going into the final round. It’s going so well that Wolff is one round away from becoming the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923. Maybe he’s too young to realize U.S. Open champions are supposed to play from the short grass Or maybe Wolff is so dynamic and talented that it doesn’t matter. Either way, he held a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau, another guy with a recipe all his own, who only hit three fairways managed to hang in there long enough to scratch out a 70 to keep his hopes very much alive.