US Open Golf 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Saturday Leaderboard Scores

Rickie Fowler was one putt away from holding the outright 54-hole lead at the 2023 US Open.

Fowler missed a par putt on the 18th hole to drop back to 10-under alongside Wyndham Clark, who he will play with again in the final pairing on Sunday.

Clark could have folded back to the field after he took a penalty on the 17th hole for an errant approach shot, but he delivered a tremendous bounce back on the 18th to give himself confidence entering the final round.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler were brought closer to the title picture after Fowler's unexpected 18th hole bogey.

Scheffler delivered the biggest late-round statement before Clark, as he finished with an eagle and a birdie on the final two holes.

The No. 1 player in the world would have been four shots back of Fowler, but now he is three strokes adrift and within real striking distance right away.

McIlroy produced a steady hand on Saturday to remain in third place. He and Scheffler will go out one pairing before Clark and Fowler, and he will be expected to put pressure on the leaders right away.

Rickie Fowler's 18th Hole Slip-Up Could Be Important

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Rickie Fowler of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Fowler had not missed a putt from within five feet until his par putt on the 18th hole.

It was one of the few mistakes Fowler made over 54 holes at Los Angeles County Club, and it could be a costly one.

Fowler went from having a four-shot lead to a three-stroke advantage and into a tie for first place alongside Clark with the dropped shot on No. 18.

That dropped the margin of error Fowler has for Sunday's final round, one that could experience a leaderboard flip in the first few holes.

Fowler can certainly recover from the mistake, or forget about it before the final round, but he will have to sleep on the error and not have a chance to make up for it, like Clark did at the end of his round.

The miss on No. 18 casts a small bit of doubt on Fowler's title-winning credentials after he produced a steady hand over 53 holes.

Fowler did not have as many bogeys on Saturday as he did on Friday, but he also carded fewer birdies, and that could be a worry if the course continues to play tough on Sunday.

Wyndham Clark's Late Bounce Back

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Wyndham Clark of the United States reacts to his birdie putt on the first green during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Clark's emphatic club twirl after his approach shot at the 18th hole was a statement to all of us that he is not going anywhere.

The 29-year-old birdied the final hole after his tremendous approach to recover from a calamitous 17th hole.

Clark's attempt from the fairway skipped off a few rocks and deep into the rough off the 17th green.

Instead of forcing a play out of the deep stuff, Clark opted to take a penalty shot and settled for a bogey.

Other inexperienced major-tournament players could have crumbled and let the mistake hurt them on the final hole.

Clark responded in the exact opposite way, and it proved that he is ready for the final challenge against a fan favorite in Fowler and two major champions in McIlroy and Scheffler.

Scottie Scheffler's Finish Put Him In Contention To Win

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts to his putt on the seventh green during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Scheffler went from seven shots back of the leader to facing a three-shot deficit at the end of the third round.

Scheffler sank a shot from the fairway for eagle at the 17th hole and then he birdied the 18th hole to get to seven-under.

Fowler's 18th-hole bogey got Scheffler one shot closer going into Sunday, which is a dangerous prospect for anyone in the field.

Scheffler produced either a 67 or 68 in each of his three rounds at LACC, and he could use Saturday's finish as a huge momentum boost to start the last round.

No one in the field wanted the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world to gain that much momentum going into Sunday.

Scheffler must take advantage of the four-shot swing now that he has it, and he could have some extra fuel from playing with McIlroy.

McIlroy has done little wrong through three rounds, and the two major champions could push each other to a high level of success on Sunday, which would be a bad thing for Clark and Fowler.