From the fourth-to-last pairing, alternate and World No. 371 Nick Hardy swallowed a triple bogey toward a 3-over 37-36=73 in R3 of the 122nd U.S. Open, dipping two spots to solo 10th, four adrift of co-leaders Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick.
The PGA TOUR rookie is making his fourth overall major start, all at U.S. Opens, and seems primed to supplant a best of T52 in 2015 while still in college. He’s also chasing a first career top 10 in his 27th career TOUR event, his lone top 25 thus far a T14 as a non-member, open-qualifier at last season’s Sony Open, where he was T17 after 54 holes (69-63-66-66). Thru 54 holes this week, the Illinois alum has posted laps of 69-68-73 (even-par 210), today’s 73 mired by a triple bogey-7 at 13, but rebounded with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 to get back in the top 10. At the three-quarter mark, he’s totaled 10 birdies versus seven bogeys and the triple, and ranks 36th SG: Off-the-Tee (0.75), 25th SG: Approach (2.44), 48th SG: Around (-0.53), and 7th SG: Putting (5.68), including a +1.28 SGP in R3 with 31 total putts.