Brooks Koepka wins US Open 2018 – as it happened

Brooks Koepka held off Tommy Fleetwood to retain his title at Shinnecock Hills with a performance of skill and nerve

Official US Open leaderboardMickelson’s mad moment suggests the US Open has him beaten

1.15am BST

Related: Brooks Koepka makes history in holding off Fleetwood to retain US Open title

12.02am BST

All that’s left is to post the leader board one last time ... and to thank you all for reading. Hope to see you in a month for the action at Carnoustie. Hey, if the pros thought Shinnecock Hills was tricky...

+1: Koepka
+2: Fleetwood
+3: D Johnson
+4: Reed
+5: Finau
+6: Shauffele, Hatton, Stenson, Berger
+7: Simpson, Rose
+8: Knox, Fitzpatrick, Z Johnson
+9: Aphibarnrat
+10: Matsuyama, Oosthuizen, Li, Casey

12.01am BST

The presentation ceremony ... and Brooks Koepka gets his trophy back! “I want to thank the USGA, they do a great job. [muted applause, followed by more platitudes] ... I would have taken five on 11 - hoo hoo hoo! I made an incredible four, I was dead ... to make those eight-to-ten foot par saves is sometimes better than making birdies ... to lag it up from 13 feet to win is tougher than it looks, I can tell you!”

11.53pm BST

The runner-up Tommy Fleetwood - fourth last year, second this - speaks! Again! And what a magnanimous interview he gives. “The time went quick, funnily enough. It was fine. I enjoyed watching the golf. As a fan, it was good watching, how he handled himself down the stretch ... as a player who was one behind him, it wasn’t great to watch, but I have nothing but respect for him and enjoyed watching how he did it. It was time well spent. All in all, it’s been a great day.”

11.48pm BST

All hail Brooks Koepka, then! The first man to retain the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1989, and the first to retain any major since Padraig Harrington kept hold of the Open jug in 2008. It’s a stellar achievement, which should in time help us forget the nonsense about the course set-up ... and Phil Mickelson’s rush of blood to the head. Koepka won this tournament with some brilliant all-round golf: he attacked, going on a birdie blitz in the second half of his second round to kick-start his bid, and today in the early stages of his round to earn himself a buffer; and he defended, out in the worst of it yesterday, and making some huge saving putts coming back today. It’s a comprehensive and well-deserved victory. He’s a major talent.

11.39pm BST

Par for Daniel Berger, who signs for a 73 and ends a fine week at +6. A double for Tony Finau, who ends the day with a 72 at +5. A sad end for Finau, but he can take succour in the fact that’s back-to-back top-ten finishes in the majors.

11.37pm BST

Finau had in fact sent his second into more filth, so hacks his third into sand. He splashes four onto the green. This is becoming an expensive denouement for Finau. Fleetwood will finish in second, a fitting reward for his final round of 63.

11.33pm BST

Down the hole, Finau bashes out of the rough. He’ll have to hole his third from the fairway to deny Tommy Fleetwood - a couple of turns of a ball away from a 62 and a play-off - second place on his own.

11.30pm BST

Brooks Koepka is the 2018 US Open champion! He tickles his first putt up to the lip, and taps in for a bogey. He ends with a 68 that was initially exhilarating, later steely. He’s become the first man to retain the title since Curtis Strange in 1989. Dustin gives him a big hug, as the crowd do their thing!

11.27pm BST

There’s a bunker between Koepka’s ball and the flag. Out comes the lob wedge. He doesn’t faff around, just hits it. No time for the nerves to overwhelm him. And it’s a great decision, because he lobs onto the far-left edge of the green, and allows the ball to turn right down the slope, finishing roughly pin high, but 15 feet the other side of the hole. That’s a sensational shot in the circumstances. He’ll have two putts from there for the title, because back on the tee, Finau has lashed his drive into thick muck. Before he can take them, Dustin rolls a birdie putt into the cup and signs for a 70.

11.23pm BST

“Oh no!” He sends a big hook towards the stand on the left! The ball takes a clatter off the hoardings, and bounces a few yards from the stand. So that’s a huge break, as it’s pinged back towards the green. But suddenly he’s become a little tense. With two shots in hand over Fleetwood - and Finau’s just missed his birdie chance on 17 - he’s got margin for error. But the pressure of winning a major championship, eh?

11.20pm BST

Justin Rose finishes the week with a 73, at +7. Henrik Stenson shoots 71, ending up at +6. Back down the hole, Brooks Koepka prepares to hit one of the shots of his life, and ...

11.17pm BST

Koepka sends his drive at 18 bouncing down the fairway. One more good shot, a couple of putts, and he’ll soon be crowned US Open champion again. Tony Finau knocks his tee shot at 17 to 15 feet, searching for a desperate birdie, just in case Koepka stumbles.

11.13pm BST

DJ takes another long look at a long putt. This one’s just over 60 feet, in fact. And he leaves a dreadful effort ten feet short. Koepka’s up next, and his 25-footer looks like it’s going to drop for birdie, but it breaks right near the end. Dustin can’t make his par putt, and his US Open is over. He’s +4. It’s been a miserable weekend for the world number one. Finally Koepka tidies up, and he’s got a two-shot lead going up 18. Finau can only par 16 - he stays at +3 - so this really is the reigning champion’s tournament to lose now.

11.06pm BST

Koepka looks in total control of his game and his emotions. He calmly sends his tee shot at 17 into the heart of the green. He’s 25 feet from the flag. DJ finds the green too, but he’s well short of the cup, facing a good 50 footer for a birdie that might apply a little pressure. Meanwhile up on 18, Reed’s brave bid dies: he can’t make his long birdie putt, and ends up carding a final-hole bogey after missing a tiddler. It’s a miserable end to a superb tilt at the title from the Masters champion. No grand slam of majors in 2018, then. A 68, and he ends the week at +4.

11.00pm BST

It’s do or die for Reed at 18. He reaches the green in regulation, but his ball thinks about toppling off the front. It doesn’t quite, but he’s left with a huge rake if he’s to join Fleetwood in the clubhouse lead.

10.59pm BST

Dustin’s 20-foot uphill putt is surely a must-make. He spends an age prowling around it, considering, contemplating. But he’s built it up too much, and pulls a nervous one left of the cup. Just a par. Meanwhile Koepka tips his little birdie putt into the centre of the hole, and this is beginning to look like his US Open! Meanwhile Finau can only par 15, while Berger, his race run, bogeys.

E: Koepka (16)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: Reed (17), D Johnson (16), Finau (15)
+5: Berger (15)

10.53pm BST

Dustin lifts his wedge in to 20 feet. He’ll have a good look at birdie. But Koepka will have a tiddler to go two clear at the top, because he pings a stunner of a chip to a couple of feet from 130 yards. That might just be the shot that won ... no, retained the US Open!

10.51pm BST

Reed’s birdie effort at 17 is always going right, and always stopping just short. He’ll make his par, but he’ll need a birdie up the last to retain any sort of chance. Finau wedges his second at 15 pin high; he’s in similar territory to DJ, who made birdie a few minutes ago. And on 16, Johnson and Koepka take turns to lay up with their second. Much depends on the wedge shots coming up ... especially if Koepka goes close.

10.47pm BST

Reed fires an iron at the par-three 17th straight at the flag ... but he’s a good 30 feet short. Back on 15, Finau smacks his tee shot down the middle. And on 16, DJ batters his drive down the centre of the fairway ... and Koepka follows.

+1: Koepka (15)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: Reed (16), D Johnson (15), Finau (14)
+4: Berger (14)

10.40pm BST

Reed wedges his third into the par-five 16th. It lands well short of the hole, and he can’t rake in the 45-footer for an outrageous birdie. Par, and he needs something at either 17 or 18 if he’s to tie Fleetwood and keep himself alive. A two-putt par for Koepka on 15, but DJ sends his second to seven feet and teases in the birdie putt. He’s back in business at +3! And back on 14, Berger races his first putt 12 feet past the hole, but nails the return to cling onto hope. He’s +4 still.

10.35pm BST

Tyrrell Hatton pars 18, and signs for an excellent final-day 69. He ends the week at +6; that’s a top-ten finish at the US Open to go with his top tens at the Open and PGA in 2016. Meanwhile Tony Finau bangs a 370-yard drive down 14, then wedges his second to kick-in distance from 140 yards. He’ll move to +3, and his bid is back on!

10.29pm BST

Koepka clips a fine chip at 14 eight feet past the pin. And he makes the par saver! He’s battled like hell since the 11th hole, his putter getting him out of some serious scrapes. And he’s still leading the tournament as a result! He’s within sight of becoming the first man to retain the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1989. But it’s slipping away from DJ, who leaves a 70-foot rake from the back of the green eight feet short, and pushes a timid par putt to the right. He’s going backwards at exactly the wrong time.

+1: Koepka (14)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: Reed (15)
+4: D Johnson (14), Finau (13), Berger (13)
+5: Stenson (14)

10.26pm BST

Ian Poulter doubles the last, and signs for a 75. he finishes the week well off the pace at +12, having once tussled with the leading pack. In retrospect, his bid fell apart around the 8th green on Friday night, when he bladed a bunker shot over the green and ran up a triple bogey. But it’s been another street-fighting showing from a fine player enjoying a late-career renaissance.

10.22pm BST

Koepka has a terrible lie, and can only blast his ball out, roughly 100 yards up the fairway. He’ll need to get up and down from 66 yards to save his par. Meanwhile Berger knocks his second at 13 to 12 feet, then watches in astonishment as his birdie putt horseshoes out at slow speed. And Reed rolls in a biggie across 15 to rise back to +3. It’s tight at the top!

10.18pm BST

Koepka sends his drive at 14 into the deep fescue on the right. That ball took a couple of bounces, then disappeared; his lie is in the lap of the golfing gods. DJ, spooked, smacks an iron down the track. Meanwhile it looks like the end of the road for Rose, who finds sand with his tee shot on 14, was forced to splash out sideways, and ends up missing a 15-footer for his par. He’s +6. His partner Stenson birdies to pass him going the other way: he’s +5.

10.13pm BST

The greens are getting bald, the greens are getting fast. And so Koepka’s right-to-left birdie putt, hit firmly, stays on the high side and dribbles four feet past. That’s a nervy one coming back, but in it pops. Par for Dustin, too. I wonder how fast the second hand on Tommy Fleetwood’s watch is going round right now?

+1: Koepka (13)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (13)
+4: Reed (14), Finau (12), Berger (12)
+5: Rose (13)

10.07pm BST

Reed drives into sand down the left of 14. Up against the face, he can only hoick out short of the green. But he bumps his chip up to three feet, and escapes with a par to remain at +4. Back on 13, Koepka puts an end to a couple of shaky holes, lifting a wedge over the flag to eight feet and setting up a birdie chance. And on 12, a three-putt bogey for Tony Finau. He had a wedge in his hand from the centre of the fairway, only to come up well short of the flag, at which point his woes began. He slips to +4 and he can’t afford that sort of silly mistake at this stage. A needless bogey.

9.59pm BST

More trouble for Koepka, who wings his tee shot at 12 into rough down the right, then sends a flyer through the green. But he whips a high lob back towards the flag, and will have a six-footer to save a brilliant par. In it goes. That’s the first time he’s avoided bogey on this hole this week; what a time to buck the trend! Dustin meanwhile sends his second to 16 feet ... but once again spurns a good chance, his putt sailing by, high on the left. Par. Rose lets a six-foot birdie chance tickle by on 14, too.

+1: Koepka (12)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (12), Finau (11)
+4: Reed (13), Berger (11)

9.53pm BST

Justin Rose started dismally: a double at 4 and a bogey at 5. But birdie at 6 meant he retained a faint glimmer of hope, and the lights have been turned up a further notch on 12, as he arrows his approach to three feet and tidies up for another birdie. He’s +5 and the 2013 champ will know nothing’s over quite yet. And here’s some illustration of that: Tony Finau rattles in a 40-footer up 11 for his third birdie in four holes! He’s +3. His partner Daniel Berger, who had gone close with his tee shot, sends his six-foot birdie putt to the right and remains at +4. Par meanwhile for Reed on 13.

9.48pm BST

Xander Schauffele pars the last and signs for a 68. After tying for fifth spot at Erin Hills last year, it looks like he’ll be finishing in the top ten at a US Open again. Not a bad record from two starts in the competition. Meanwhile Russell Knox was in with a 69; he ended the week at +8.

9.46pm BST

Koepka splashes out from the deep bunker, but only to 12 feet. He rattles in a stunning bogey putt, though. That was a big putt, and if it’ll not feel quite like a birdie, it’ll give him a boost considering the trouble he was in. Meanwhile DJ had sent his tee shot carefully into the centre of the green, perhaps spooked by the fate of his partner. He leaves his 30-footer for birdie six feet short - then yips the par putt. Oh Dustin! And not finished yet: Berger, who rakes a long birdie putt across 10. He’s +4, as is Finau, who pars. It’s all change at the top!

+1: Koepka (11)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (11)
+4: Reed (12), Finau (10), Berger (10)
+6: Rose (11), Schauffele (17), Hatton (14)
+7: Simpson (17), Stenson (11)

9.40pm BST

Reed bumps a lovely chip up 10 to six feet or so. He very nearly hit the flagstick again, but it misses and scoots past. He knocks in the return putt to limit his pain to bogey, but he’s +4. Meanwhile on 11, Koepka has to come out of the thick stuff and up the bank. He decides to punch up the hill ... and sends his ball flying through the green and into the sand on the other side. A new-look leader board coming up soon!

9.37pm BST

Koepka’s tee shot at the par-three 11th is abysmal. Off down the bank to the left it goes, and snags in the thick stuff. It’s where Reed was a few minutes ago, and he needed a huge stroke of fortune just to limit the damage to bogey. Speaking of Reed limiting the damage to bogey ... he can only punch his third out of the rough to the fairway in front of the green. Meanwhile Matt Fitzpatrick signs for a 70: he ends the week at +8.

9.34pm BST

Koepka makes his birdie putt, while Dustin only pars, and gets himself back to level. Meanwhile Reed flays his drive at 12 into thick oomska down the right, and can only hack further up the hole. He’s in danger of dropping a third shot in four holes.

E: Koepka (10)
+2: Fleetwood (F), D Johnson (10)
+3: Reed (11)
+4: Finau (9)

9.29pm BST

Patrick Reed very nearly curls his right-to-left putt in. But that’s him dropping back to +3. Some good news for Tommy Fleetwood. Not such good news: a simply delicious second at 10 by Brooks Koepka to five feet. And Tony Finau isn’t giving this up, either: after his awful start, he follows up birdie at 8 with another at 9, and he’s turning in 36. And this is instructive: the back-nine performances of four players looking to usurp Fleetwood as clubhouse leader. Koepka has played the back nine in +6, Reed +4, Dustin even par, and Finau -3. Place your bets! Because this is beginning to look as though anything could happen.

9.22pm BST

A big stroke of luck for Reed, who hits a hot chip up the bank at 11 and onto the green. It looks like bounding through and into the sand on the other side ... but twangs the flagstick and rebounds to the left, holding the green. He’ll have a 15-footer to complete an outrageous par save!

9.19pm BST

Reed is in an awful place on the par-three 11th. He pulls his tee shot left, and it bounds down the big swale and into the semi-rough. That’s going to be a test and a half. Meanwhile birdie on 8 for Tony Finau, who moves up to +5 alongside his playing partner Daniel Berger. Those two, bringing up the rear, are hanging onto the coat-tails of the leading quartet. Just about.

9.15pm BST

Koepka and Dustin swish their second shots into the heart of 9. Both have good looks at birdie from 15 feet or so. Koepka leaves his a couple of turns short. Par. He’s +1. Dustin has the chance of grabbing a share of Koepka’s lead from similar distance ... but lets that one bleed off to the left. Another par. Up on 10, Reed finds the dancefloor in regulation, and is left with a 26-footer. He’s not far away with his birdie effort, but he makes his par without fuss and stays at +2. “A par of 70 on a 7,000 yard course is a bit of a laugh,” suggests Hubert O’Hearn. “I say it’s par 72 and Fleetwood is in at -6. Anyone want to fight me on this?”

9.10pm BST

Tommy Fleetwood speaks to Sky! How does it feel to be joining some of the US Open greats with a final-round 63? “That was more on my mind than where we were with the tournament! It is very cool. It is something very special. I thought about the 62 after about six or seven holes. I knew I had to shoot something really good. Early on, it was getting back into the tournament. Coming down the stretch, the 62. I felt really good, I hit it great. I’d love to hit the putts again on 16 and 18, but I can’t take anything back. I wouldn’t really change anything. I hit the putt on 18 I wanted to hit, I thought I’d made it, but the green’s so steep. I don’t think I’ve got a chance, I think it’s going to be one or two short. Unfortunately I’ve got the best players in the world up in front! There’s nothing I can do now. The greens late in the day aren’t as easy, the wind might pick up ... but if it was yesterday’s conditions I might feel a lot more confident! We’ll see. We’ll just wait and see!”

9.01pm BST

Bounce-back birdie for Dustin Johnson at 8! He’s within one of the lead, because Brooks Koepka spurns a chance for a birdie of his own, lipping out from eight feet. His putter’s suddenly gone cold at the most inopportune time. And a three-putt bogey for Patrick Reed on 9. A first blemish on his card, though he’s still turning in 31. Meanwhile bogey for Finau at 7; Berger can only par. This is going to be a long two or three hours for Tommy Fleetwood, isn’t it.

+1: Koepka (8)
+2: Fleetwood (F), Reed (9), D Johnson (8)
+5: Berger (7)

8.55pm BST

And, y’know, it’s not easy out there. On 7, Koepka misses his short birdie putt, while Dustin fails to get up and down from the front. I wonder if the wind will pick up? Or if these greens dry out in the Saturday style? It’s not going to be easy out there. And Fleetwood’s in the clubhouse. With Reed, Koepka and Johnson all battling away, I guess the odds are against ... but you never know!

+1: Reed (8), Koepka (7)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (7)

8.51pm BST

The Shinnecock Hills crowd gives Fleetwood a glorious ovation as he walks up to the green. The most popular Englishman in New York! An eight-foot, uphill, left-to-right slider. This is for the all-time low round in a US Open. He strides round the putt. Sizes it up. And ... it dies to the right at the death. Bah! But it’s still a stunning, superb, sensational 63! He looks disappointed right now, but soon enough he’ll realise how brilliant that was. He matches the best-ever US Open lowest rounds of Justin Thomas, Johnny Miller, Vijay Singh, Tom Weiskopf ... and Jack Nicklaus. Not bad company, huh? The crowd pour on the love. Whatever happens, he’s once again proved his world-class credentials. A fourth-place finish last year ... and what will happen today? He’s set a mark of 282, +2, and you never know. You just never know!

8.45pm BST

Fleetwood whip-cracks a 5-iron from 190 yards straight at the pin! He’s got an eight-foot uphill putt to tie the best-ever round in a major championship, the 62 set by Branden Grace at last year’s Open. There’d be a nice symmetry to the story if he manages it, seeing Grace set the mark on Fleetwood’s home course of Royal Birkdale. God speed, Tommy Fleetwood!

8.42pm BST

An appalling tee shot at 7 by Dustin Johnson. His iron lands on the front edge of the green, then topples back down the track. He’ll still have about 50 yards coming into this par three! Brooks Koepka makes no such mistake, clipping a wonderful shot to six feet, setting up a birdie chance. Meanwhile on 18, Tommy Fleetwood smashes his drive down the middle. A chip and a putt for a 62, then. No pressure!

8.40pm BST

Koepka sends his tee shot into the rough down the right of 6. He does well to get his second greenside, but half-duffs his wedge, leaving himself well short of the cup. The 15-footer shaves the right of the cup, and he slips back into a share of the lead with Reed ... who has just found the centre of 8 in regulation, setting up another birdie chance from 20 feet. And a birdie for Berger on the par-five 5th. He’s slowly turning his US Open bid around. Birdie for Finau, too.

+1: Reed (7), Koepka (6)
+2: Fleetwood (17), D Johnson (6)
+4: Berger (5)
+5: Finau (5)

8.35pm BST

Fleetwood whips his tee shot at 17 straight at the flagstick. The ball takes a hot bounce past, though, and he’s left with a 20-footer back up the hill. He can’t make it, but that’s another par, and if he makes a third in a row up 18, he’ll be signing for a 63. On the final day of a US Open!

8.34pm BST

Yet another birdie for the Masters champion Patrick Reed! He sends his tee shot at 7 to 12 feet, and the putt never looks like missing! Five in seven! He’s +1. It’d be something to see Reed win this tournament, partly because he’d be halfway to the grand slam, but also because he took a ludicrous amount of flak after his Masters win. People criticised the supposed stodgy nature of his final round, but ignored the three days of brilliant golf that preceded it, plus the fact he’d closed it out calmly when Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler came racing at him late on. It was a magnificent performance. As for the personal stuff, well, he ignores it so let’s do that too. He’s a top talent, and whatever happens today, will be a factor in the majors for quite some time.

8.27pm BST

Fleetwood’s second down 16 slips into the semi-rough down the left. But he swishes a wedge straight at the flag, leaving himself an uphill 12-footer for yet another birdie. But he doesn’t hit it. It was probably missing left anyway. That puts an end to his run of birdies. The first sign of nerves? Par meanwhile for Fitzpatrick on 13.

8.24pm BST

Koepka lags his 60-footer up to tap-in distance. Wonderfully judged. That’s his third birdie of the day. Dustin has a 22-footer for his eagle, but that’s never going in. Both men settle for birdies. Par for Reed on 6. This is hotting up beautifully ... but threatening to turn into a four-man race.

E: Koepka (5)
+2: Fleetwood (15), Reed (6), D Johnson (5)
+5: Fitzpatrick (13), Stenson (5), Berger (4)

8.20pm BST

Daniel Berger stops the rot with par at 4. He stays at +5. But his fellow traveller in the final group continues to slide: a third bogey in a row for Tony Finau, who slips to +6. Meanwhile four big booms down 5, and both Koepka and Dustin are on the par-five green with long eagle putts.

8.16pm BST

Justin Rose splashes out from sand at the side of five to four feet. He looks to have salvaged his par after playing the hole in the slapdash style ... but he pushes the short putt wide right, and he’s off in the wrong direction at pace. He’s +7.

8.13pm BST

Tommy Fleetwood hits an extremely average wedge into 15. It’s a rare mistake. But then he rattles in a 30-footer for his fourth birdie in a row! This is an astonishing run, and one which might stand him in very good stead if he can keep it going until the end. If he can post something low, and the sun and wind dry the greens out ... well, he could improve on last year’s fourth place at the very least. But let’s not tempt fate and get ahead of ourselves. God speed, though, Tommy! He’s +2, with the second par five to come!

8.11pm BST

A third bogey in five holes for Ian Poulter, this time at 8, and at +10 he’s toast. Meanwhile Justin Rose, who doubled 4, is now in all sorts of trouble, hacking his way down the right side of 5. And bogey for Matt Fitzpatrick on 12, the result of a wide flay left from the tee. Although he found the dancefloor, he was 50 feet from the pin, and raced his first putt well past the cup. He’s back to +5.

8.05pm BST

The final pairing are struggling. Tony Finau and Daniel Berger have followed up bogeys at 2 with bogeys at 3. They’re +5. Going the other way, though, is the Masters champ Patrick Reed. His second into 5 found the bunker, and his splash out wasn’t all that, but he’s sent the 20-foot birdie putt scampering into the cup, and the 118th US Open Championship, ladies and gentlemen, is on!

+1: Koepka (4)
+2: Reed (5)
+3: Fleetwood (14), D Johnson (4)

8.02pm BST

And in a flash, John is gone. Goodbye, John. And hello Tommy Fleetwood! He’s just raked one in from off the front of 14. That’s three birdies on the bounce, and suddenly Southport’s finest is tied for second! Matthew Fitzpatrick has the sniff of glory in his nostrils too, with birdie at 10.

+1: Koepka (3)
+3: Fleetwood (14), Reed (4), D Johnson (3)
+4: Fitzpatrick

7.56pm BST

Koepka’s next tee shot is wayward so work to do for him. The same will go for Johnson. Justin Rose ended up on the jaws between two bunkers from his drive and a bogey is the best he can hope for. His bump and run gives him a chance that he blows. Double bogey drops him to +6. Tommy Fleetwood’s charge on 14 might have been stopped by falling short of the green. Berger’s scramble shot to save himself on the third, having bogeyed the second, has him wringing his hands in agony. Reed finds a bunker, too. That lengthy sequence of goofs and poor luck is a reminder of just how tough this course remains.

7.47pm BST

Koepka is two clear now at +1 after holing from close in but Johnson’s good work from the rough is undone by a missed birdie putt. Up the course, charging Tommy Fleetwood is five under for the round and just two off the lead after birdie on 13th. Patrick Reed is excited, too excited and that weird swing of his, as if he was trying to take his jumper off, is exacerbated as his ball wangs into the wilderness. The bunker beckons.

7.42pm BST

Reed’s run come to its end with a putt on the fourth that squirts into a run away from the hole. Justin Rose’s putter is steady enough but not quite inspired. He will have to settle for par on the third. Dustin Johnson is out in Hazzard County in some thick rough but his saver shot, a low punch, is inspired. It gives him a fine chance for birdie. Koepka is just as close after a far more regulation effort.

7.37pm BST

Koepka has the lead at +2 after a birdie on the second. Johnson couldn’t match him. Off the third, Johnson worries some spectators with a wild tee shot while Koepka’s shot bounces along merrily into safety. Patrick Reed plays another pearler to set up the quadpot of birdies.

7.34pm BST

Further back in the field, Ian Poulter drops a shot on the par 5 fifth while Tommy Fleetwood on the 12th, has put himself within two of the lead. There are a huge amount of possibilities for the win and being a clubhouse leader might not be a bad state of affairs if, say, the wind picks up even more.

7.30pm BST

John McEnerney in Barcelona emails in: “Big Henrik has the last day Major win experience & he showed glimpses of his class yesterday. He’ll be there & thereabouts today but that putter of his needs to stay hot. Pin placements today should produce some low scoring.”

7.28pm BST

Reed now has a share of the lead after his third consecutive birdie. In the final pairing, Tony Finau and Daniel Berger are underway, with Finau going to first to stay safe off the tee, and the same for Berger, who landed the better angle. Justin Rose’s bunker shot is ambitious but is affected by a layer of sand that keeps him too short. But! He holes the par putt.

7.25pm BST

Dustin Johnson lays up on the first with a measured long putt and has a gimme for par. Koepka, meanwhile, has the chance to take the lead but his putt has too much purchase. He and Johnson stay levels, you devils. Elsewhere, Patrick Reed is on one hell of a charge. And he has got the locals hollering and yahooing with his stroke play. Another birdie looks likely on the third.

7.19pm BST

Stenson and Rose play that par 3 second. Stenson lands it on the green though has a way to go to make birdie. Rose, though, has plugged his in the sand. A rescue job required. Dustin Johnson’s wedge is topped a little from an unkind angle. He has two difficult putts to make par on the first.

7.15pm BST

Popular Patrick Reed birdies the second and is within a shot of the lead. Behind them Dustin Johnson, 2016’s champion of course, blamms a three iron to the left of the fairway. Brooks Koepka, defending champ, and playing with his mate here, drills one into a similar position, yet probably behind Johnson. Rose’s first putt falls short but a par should be his.

7.11pm BST

Rose’s second shot on the first lands on the green, and spins dead. Par looks on from that distance, though a birdie putt is far more of a problem. Stenson gave his shot a bit too much gas and narrowly avoided rolling on from the green. Rose has the better chance.

7.07pm BST

Patrick Reed holes out on the first for birdie and then sets up another with a fine tee shot off the second tee. Tyrell Hatton also lands a birdie on the ninth. The putts are flying in compared to yesterday’s crazy golf on a rollercoaster but Ian Poulter says, “You are kidding me” as his shot lips into the bunker.

7.04pm BST

Thank you, Scott. Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose go on the first tee. Stenson has the honour and the local yahoos acclaim a shot that booms into the centre of that mighty fairway. Justin’s effort is within yards of Stenson’s, though Rose, narrowly further behind, will play his wedge shot first.

6.59pm BST

After missing short birdie putts at 1 and 2, Ian Poulter nearly makes a 30-footer on 3. But that’s a third par in a row, on a day when he needs a fast start. He stays at +7. And Tommy Fleetwood can’t rescue himself from the side of 9; a bogey, and an underwhelming end to his front nine, though he’s still out in 32. He slips to +6, and in all probability, that was a slip he simply couldn’t afford if he was to post something special, early doors.

And with that slightly downbeat message, I’m off to chow down on a plate of Hamburger Helper, still the only MSG-flavored foodstuff to be marketed by a singing golf glove. Your pal and mine, John Brewin, takes up the reins!

6.52pm BST

Charley Hoffman goes the wrong way, a ten-foot left-to-right curler lipping out at 3. He’s back to +8. Paul Casey is back to where he started the day, after coming up short at 7 and dropping another stroke. He’s +9 again. And trouble for Tommy Fleetwood at 9, as he sends his approach to the right of the green, his ball nestling in some pretty thick stuff. He’ll have his work cut out getting up and down from there.

6.45pm BST

Ian Poulter responds to disappointment at missing out on birdie at 1 by creaming a long iron into the par-three 2nd. It rolls serenely up the green, sliding in from left to right, and stops four feet behind the cup. That’s a beauty. But another chance goes begging as he shoves his putt right of the hole. Par for Tommy Fleetwood at 8; he’d nearly made it three birdies in a row but his 25-foot putt stopped just short. He stays at +5. Par for Tyrrell Hatton at 1: he’s +7. And birdie for Matthew Fitzpatrick at 5; he joins the group at +6, just three off the lead.

6.35pm BST

Poulter whips his second at 1 straight at the pin, then pumps his chest in a show of determination. But he misses the birdie putt and stays at +7. Grace can’t save his par, always in trouble after that loose tee shot, and he drops to +8. Meanwhile another birdie for the 2012 winner Simpson, at 3. The leader board has had its first serious shake-up!

+3: Berger, Finau, Koepka, D Johnson
+4: Rose
+5: Fleetwood (7), Stenson
+6: Schauffele (3), Simpson (3), Aphibarnrat, Reed, Furyk

6.30pm BST

Another birdie for Tommy Fleetwood! He sends his tee shot at the tricky par-three 7th to ten feet, then guides home the left-to-right slider. He’s moving through the field at pace! He’s +5. Meanwhile Xander Schauffele lands his second at 3 pin high, but 20 feet left of the target. He can’t quite make the birdie putt, but that’s another drama-free hole for the young Californian.

6.21pm BST

Fleetwood sends a gentle high draw into 6. It lands softly by the flag, and stops within kick-in distance. He’ll surely make a birdie that will lift him to +6. A dropped shot for Paul Casey at 4, though; he slips back to +8. And Ian Poulter is out, clapping an iron down the middle of 1. Branden Grace however finds the thick semi-rough down the left and might be in a little trouble from the get-go.

6.15pm BST

Scott Piercy suffered terribly in the final group yesterday, shooting 79 as he and Dustin Johnson dragged each other down. He looks in much better nick today, though: birdies at 5 and 6 have sent him up the leader board to +7. A lot of red figures out there right now; there are birdies to be had out there. Hideki Matsuyama illustrates this point perfectly: he’s in with a 66, at +10 snatching the very early clubhouse lead from Rickie Fowler, who had posted that best-of-week 65 earlier today. One thing to note: most of Fowler and Matsuyama’s low scoring was done on the front nine. So it’s important to get a wriggle on quicksmart, Schauffele style.

6.10pm BST

The 2012 champion Webb Simpson came back to prominence last month with his stunning romp round Sawgrass to win the Players. He’s been grooving himself into form this week, following up an opening-day 76 with a couple of 71s. And he keeps that momentum going with birdie at 1 today: he’s +7. Ditto his playing partner Zach Johnson: the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open champ birdies 1, moves to +7. Meanwhile another birdie for Schauffele, who sends a low draw into the long par-three 2nd, then strokes home the 13-footer he’d left himself. The fastest start, and he’s +6, just three off the lead.

6.05pm BST

A lovely chip bumped up from the back of 2 by Matthew Fitzpatrick, and he’s saving his par. He remains at +7. But his playing partner Justin Thomas is heading the wrong way, missing a short par putt that drops him to +9. Joining Fitzpatrick at +7: Paul Casey, with his second birdie of the day at 3, and Xander Schauffele, who is a major winner in waiting, I’ll be bound, with birdie at 1.

6.00pm BST

Brooks Koepka is aiming to become the first player since Curtis Strange in 1989 to win back-to-back US Open titles. If the 28-year-old Floridian manages it, he’ll become only the seventh man in history to achieve the feat. And it’s quite an elite club: Willie Anderson, John McDermott, Bobby Jones, Ralph Guldahl, Ben Hogan and Strange. This sort of thing doesn’t happen often; we could be witnessing some rare golfing history today.

5.55pm BST

Fleetwood is this close to making it three birdies in a row, at 4. But his putt from 15 feet shaves the side of the hole. He’s got the par-five 5th, statistically the easiest hole of the week, coming up. Behind him, Matthew Fitzpatrick comes out of the blocks quickly, sending a gorgeous second into the 1st green to four feet. He makes his birdie to move to +7, though he’s a bit aggressive with his tee shot at the par-three 2nd, and his ball scoots past the flag and topples off the back. That’s not a pin position you can have a pop at the USGA for, given the length of the hole: it’s playing at 264 yards today.

5.50pm BST

A bad omen for Dustin Johnson. Whenever he’s held the lead after 54 holes of the US Open, he hasn’t converted his position to a victory. He led by three going into the 2010 edition at Pebble Beach, only to start duffing chips and winging drives onto the beach. He ended up shooting 82 as Graeme McDowell snatched the prize. Then in 2015 at Chambers Bay, he was tied going into the final day, but ended up missing a short birdie putt for the win, then yipping the one coming back to hand the trophy to Jordan Spieth. Third time lucky? Or is the 2016 champion somehow ill-starred in these particular situations?

5.40pm BST

Another birdie for Fleetwood, this time the result of a 20-footer across 3. He’s already risen to +7. Russell Knox follows his lead by raking in a monster on 2; he’s +8. An opening birdie for Paul Casey: he’s +8. And Patrick Rodgers is back in the clubhouse with a 67. There’s definitely a score out there right now. But who will seize the day? Justin Thomas, maybe, who shot 63 last year at Erin Hills. He’s out and about now. Expect a bit of upward movement on the leader board soon, as the later groups begin to take to the course.

5.35pm BST

A fast start for another links expert, Tommy Fleetwood. The son of Birkdale can only find the front fringe of the green at the long par-five 2nd, but rakes a 60-foot monster straight into the cup for his birdie. He smiles broadly, in the manner of a man who has decided he’s just going to go out and enjoy himself today. He’s +8. “I was dismayed at the greens yesterday,” begins Anthony O Connell. “They got so far out of control that I fear today will basically be a joke in the other direction. Someone could easily shoot a 63 looking at the early scores. The PGA tour sets up stupid easy courses then the USGA work in the complete opposite direction.”

5.27pm BST

Fowler was going round with Phil Mickelson today. Lefty scribbles his name on a 69, milks the applause from his loyal fans, and ends the week at +16. And with that, the circus leaves town.

5.25pm BST

Rickie Fowler sends his second at 18 to three feet, tidies up for birdie, and signs for a best-of-week 65. He finishes the week at +11 and will be ruing his total capitulation yesterday amid the carnage, when he shot 84. The plus side: Fowler is a links aficionado and this is all good preparation for the upcoming Open Championship. He really is due a major. Millions will be wishing him all the best at Carnoustie.

5.20pm BST

Some pre-action reading: “I’ve recently finished a blog about Ray Floyd’s win at Shinnecock Hills in 1986,” writes our man Steven Pye. “A triumph for the 43-year-old after an uncharacteristic collapse at the Westchester Classic the week before, and more disappointment for Greg Norman in the year of his Saturday Slam.”

5.15pm BST

With such a crowded leader board, there’s a fair chance this could end in a play-off. A reminder that, should it happen, we won’t be going to 18 holes on Monday, in the traditional style. The USGA have adopted a new format, and it’ll be a two-hole aggregate play-off on 17 and 18. Should the scores still be tied after that, they’ll keep playing 17 and 18 on a sudden-death loop. I have a feeling that this one is going all the way.

5.05pm BST

Anyone for some actual golf? Yay! First out today, with a marker, Andrew Johnston. Poor Beef had to put up with a lot yesterday, as Lefty lost it, and shot 82 as a whirlwind whipped around his bemused but highly amused head. “I looked at him and was like: ‘Is this actually happening?’ I said to him: ‘Sorry but I can’t help but laugh at that, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.’ I’ve never seen anything like it.”) Still, he’ll have some story to tell the grandkids. And he’s finished his third US Open in positive fashion, with birdies at 15 and 16. He’s back in the house with a 71, the gallery sending this popular man off with the ovation he deserves. He ends the week at +19. God speed, Beef.

4.55pm BST

Rich Beem, the 2002 PGA champion turned Sky commentator, reckons 17 out of 18 pin placements today are absolutely fine and dandy. The only one he’d question is 7, but there’s nothing you can do on that Redan green anyway, it’s a fault of the course architecture. Mike Davis of the USGA meanwhile has said his team were initially happy with the set-up yesterday, but it went wrong in the latter stages of the day because the wind got up more than they’d expected, drying the greens out. Hence all this preemptive action ahead of the final day’s play. And even if it does dry out in similar style this afternoon, the kinder placements should at least offer a little succour. Fingers crossed, then!

4.45pm BST

The USGA have also pumped “appropriate levels” of water - i.e. large quantities - onto the greens for “turf health and firmness”. Accordingly, they’re going to be on average “10 to 12 inches slower than rounds two and three”. They’ve also adjusted the pin positions according to “agronomic data”, so hopefully those won’t be as punitive today. In other news, Phil Mickelson told Butch Harmon this morning that he “kinda lost it” yesterday. He also reportedly offered to withdraw, but the USGA weren’t having it, though no doubt we’ll be hearing more from both sides down the line.

4.30pm BST

Do all these early birdies suggest the course is playing fairer today? Perhaps best to wait a while: it was giving up scores yesterday morning, too, and look how that panned out. The weather forecast is for sun and a bit of wind ... much like yesterday, then. But the pin placement on 15 doesn’t seem half as daft today, so that’s one in the bag from the get-go. Let’s see how this pans out.

4.21pm BST

Hideki Matsuyama, like Rickie, is surely going to become a major champion one day soon. Like Rickie, he’ll have to wait a bit longer, after a hope-shredding 79 amid the mayhem yesterday. The Japanese star initially went backwards today with bogey at 2, but then followed it up with four birdies on the bounce. Matsuyama either blows hot or cold with the putter; this morning he was on one of his sizzling streaks. Another birdie at 9, and he’s reached the turn in 31 strokes, too. He’s +10.

4.15pm BST

Mickelson was out in 32 this morning. Though he’s since bogeyed 11, he’s two under for his round through 12 right now, +15 for the championship. Also eating up the front nine this morning: Rickie Fowler. A disastrous 84 yesterday put paid to Rickie’s hopes of landing that elusive first major, but he’s going like the clappers today. Birdies at 5, 7, 8 and 9, and he’s reached the turn in 31 strokes. He’s +12 overall.

4.10pm BST

Here we go, then ... and where shall we start? How about [plucks random name from the ether] Phil Mickelson? You could make an argument that his slapshot on 13 yesterday afternoon is destined to become the defining shot of this US Open. Maybe. But this morning he’s made a more traditional application to the canon. From the centre of the par-five 5th fairway, he whipcracked a long iron from 275 yards to 18 inches, then tapped in for eagle. The gallery, needless to report, are still four-square behind Lefty, and celebrated accordingly. It was such a gorgeous shot, his ball landing just short of the green and trundling towards the flag in the links style. Shades of his Muirfield pomp. He might have lost it yesterday, but he’s not lost it.

1.24pm BST

Well, Moving Day sure escalated quickly. The US Open, folks! There’s not another tournament like it!

But how about that Phil Mickelson shot? No, not his hockey-puck slap on the 13th. The one on 18, off the back of a green everyone else had been tentatively nudging their ball down, lest it slide ten feet past the hole and they three-putt. He opened up his lob wedge, took a full-blooded swing, sent his ball a thousand miles into the air, and landed it softly by the flag. The ostentatious, showboating shot of a singular man who had nothing left to lose, had already made his grand statement, and fancied making another. If ever there was a middle finger to the USGA, it was surely that.

Continue reading...