UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Let’s just call this the rubber match.
Patrick Reed clipped Jordan Spieth in a playoff to win the Wyndham Championship in 2013. Earlier this year, Spieth returned the favor when he beat Reed in a playoff at the Valspar Championship.
Saturday at the U.S. Open the Ryder Cup partners who went 2-0(-1) as rookies last year at Gleneagles will go head-to-head in the final pairing at Chambers Bay, at 5:50 p.m. ET. It’s the first time in the modern era that 36-hole co-leaders in the U.S. Open are 24 years old or younger.
Both are tied for the lead at 5 under par. Reed is three-for-five when holding a 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour. Spieth is one-for-four when in the same position.
“It’s going to be fun,” Reed said. “Anytime I play with Jordan I enjoy it. The main thing for me is to stay focused and focus on what I need to do to play some good golf.”
It’s no surprise to see Spieth in this position. The 21-year-old Masters champion has quickly figured out how to maneuver his way through major championships. He’s shot 68-67 here and now has recorded six consecutive rounds under par in majors.
Reed, on the other hand, has only played in five majors, has missed two cuts and his best finish is a tie for 22nd place this year at the Masters. Although he hasn’t played particularly well over the past two months he’s shot 66-69 here at Chambers Bay when he had never recorded a round in the 60s in a major.
Here’s a look at the full third-round tee times (all times ET):
11:03 a.m. - Nick Hardy (a), (+5)
11:14 a.m. - Webb Simpson, (+5); Colin Montgomerie, (+5)
11:25 a.m. - Sergio Garcia, (+5); Morgan Hoffmann, (+5)
11:36 a.m. - Angel Cabrera, (+5); John Parry, (+5)
11:47 a.m. - Troy Kelly, (+5); Andy Pope, (+5)
11:58 a.m. - Jimmy Gunn, (+5); Camilo Villegas, (+5)
12:09 p.m. - Ian Poulter, (+5); Jimmy Walker, (+5)
12:20 p.m. - Thomas Aiken, (+5); George Coetzee, (+5)
12:31 p.m. - D.A. Points, (+5); Keegan Bradley, (+4)
12:42 p.m. - Brooks Koepka, (+4); Jim Furyk, (+4)
12:53 p.m. - Rory McIlroy, (+4); Kevin Chappell, (+4)
1:04 p.m. - Robert Streb, (+4); John Senden, (+4)
1:15 p.m. - Sam Saunders, (+4); Zach Johnson, (+4)
1:26 p.m. - Billy Horschel, (+4); Charlie Beljan, (+4)
1:37 p.m. - Ryan Palmer, (+4); Luke Donald, (+4)
1:48 p.m. - Denny McCarthy (a), (+4); Brad Elder, (+4)
1:59 p.m. - Brad Fritsch, (+4); Chris Kirk, (+3)
2:10 p.m. - Cameron Tringale, (+3); Phil Mickelson, (+3)
2:21 p.m. - C.T. Pan, (+3); Mark Silvers, (+3)
2:32 p.m. - Tommy Fleetwood, (+3); Louis Oosthuizen, (+3)
2:43 p.m. - Charl Schwartzel, (+3); Beau Hossler (a), (+3)
2:54 p.m. - Marc Warren, (+2); Kevin Na, (+2)
3:05 p.m. - Marcus Fraser, +2); Justin Rose, (+2)
3:16 p.m. - Lee Westwood, (+2); Ollie Schniederjans (a), (+2)
3:27 p.m. - Ernie Els, (+2); Brandt Snedeker, (+1)
3:38 p.m. - Francesco Molinari, (+1); Adam Scott, (+1)
3:49 p.m. - Hideki Matsuyama, Japan, (+1); Jack Maguire (a), (+1)
4 p.m. - Paul Casey, (+1); Geoff Ogilvy, (+1)
4:11 p.m. - Jason Dufner, (E); Matt Kuchar, (E)
4:22 p.m. - Cameron Smith, (E); Andres Romero, (E)
4:33 p.m. - Henrik Stenson, (-1); Alexander Levy, (-1)
4:44 p.m. - Brian Campbell (a), (-1); Shane Lowry, (-1)
4:55 p.m. - Kevin Kisner, (-1); Jason Day, (-2)
5:06 p.m. - J.B. Holmes, (-2); Jamie Lovemark, (-2)
5:17 p.m. - Ben Martin, (-3); Daniel Summerhays, (-3)
5:28 p.m. - Tony Finau, (-3); Joost Luiten, (-3)
5:39 p.m. - Dustin Johnson, (-4); Branden Grace, (-4)
5:50 p.m. - Patrick Reed, (-5); Jordan Spieth, (-5)
