Seamus Power failed to replicate the heroics of a day one 66 but would’ve envisaged making a dart through the field on Saturday but, despite a birdie at the first, the Olympian struggled from there to eventually card a one-over par 71 that saw him finish in a tie for 41st at 3-under.
At the head or of proceedings Chez Revie showed no signs of a US Open hangover as he bolted into a six-shot lead after firing a stunning seven-under par 63.
Truth is, Reavie is navigating new waters here. His only other 54-hole lead came in 2008 at the RBC Canadian Open, when he held on for what is his only PGA TOUR win in 277 starts. That was so long ago, Reavie’s competition is either off the TOUR (Anthony Kim) or has settled into PGA TOUR Champions competition (Billy Mayfair, Mark Calcavecchia, Scott McCarron).
Just don’t think the lack of victories translates into a pushover, because nothing is further from the truth.
“He’s a little bulldog. He’s an MMA fighter trapped in a golfer’s world,” said longtime caddie and loyal friend Justin York. “He hates to lose more than he likes to win.”
York concedes that the stunning turnaround will be remembered for the way in which second round overnight leader Zack Suchar started the back nine (he hit a tree on 10 and drove it just 154 yards; his tee ball on 11 landed up against the lip of a bunker; his third shot on 12 was flopped into a bunker). What shouldn’t be overlooked here is how Reavie remained stoic. The 5-foot-9-inch, 160-pound Corey Pavin-like competitor rolled in birdies from 24, 11 and 3 feet during that stretch, then kept the foot on the gas with birdies at 13, 15, 17 and 18.
“We just stuck to our game,” said York, who has been on Reavie’s bag for nearly six years. While Reavie could have gotten caught up in the struggles of Sucher, who went out in 31 and came home in 40, the fact that he did not is a tribute to him.
“It was like last week at the U.S. Open,” said York. “We played the fourth round with Brooks (Koepka) and Brooks birdied four of the first five, while we were 1-over. But Chez knows he isn’t Brooks, he can’t play Brooks Koepka’s game, so he just focused on playing his.”
Koepka did shoot 68 to finish second, but significantly, Reavie came home in 71 for a share of third, his best-ever finish in a U.S. Open.
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