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Wetterich Grabs Third Round Lead

Brett Wetterich shot a 5 under par 66 to grab a single shot lead over Aaron Olberholser in the third of the Duetsche Bank Championship. Phil Mickelson was another shot back after a 68 and Tiger Woods (67) three back. All told there are twelve players within five shots of the lead heading into today’s final round. Mr. Woods and Mr. Mickelson will be paired for the third time, this time in the second to last group which could lead to some really loud cheers drifting back to the leader during the afternoon. Steve Stricker, the Fedex Cup points leader is one of those twelve persuers, five shots behind.

Published

19 years ago

Sep 3, 2007

Eric Schuster

Brett Wetterich called his par at the fourth a "round saver", while Phil Mickelson decribed it as "just an amazing par".

Those may be understatements. After fanning his tee shot way right into the trees, Mr. Wetterich needed six drops to get the ball in play, allowing him to stiff a 220 yard 5 iron to four feet and save that par. Two holes later he added an eagle on his way to a 66 and a single shot lead over Aaron Oberholser.

Mr. Mickelson trails by two shots and Tiger Woods is three back after coughing up two shots with three putts on the last two holes. This is Mr. Wetterich’s first time ever entering the final round with the lead. "If I go out and shoot 5 under like I did today, it’s going to be hard to beat me, unless someone really plays a good round of golf,” Wetterich said. "I’m going to go out and try to make the best score that I can. And if someone catches me and beats me, then they did.” There certainly are a lot of chasers, as a dozen players are withing five shots of the lead.

Mr. Woods and Mr. Mickelson will be paired for the final round thanks to Aaron Baddeley’s decision to go for the par 5 18th green in two from out of a fairway trap. That ill fated decision led to a shot that found the hazard right of the green and led to a second bogey in the final three holes. After playing with Mr. Woods and Vijay Singh for the first two rounds, Mr. Mickelson shared that since teaming up with Mr. Woods old teacher, Butch Harmon, he’s learned to watch for some nuances of Mr. Woods. "In the past, I haven’t really played that well with Tiger,” Mickelson said. "But he [Harmon] told me a couple things that he likes to do, and I kind of watched for it, and I chuckled throughout the round when I’d pick up on it. I think that working with Butch has really helped me understand how to get my best golf when I play in the same group as Tiger."

Mr. Wetterich leads the field in driving distance, not really surprising, has missed only twelve fairways thus far, and is fourth in greens in regulation. "He can make a bunch of birdies," Woods said. "He plays extremely aggressive, very strong, very powerful. It’s just a matter of him being up there in contention enough times to gain the experience because we all know he has the talent to be up there consistently, it’s just a matter of being up there." Ah yes, just a matter of being up there, with twelve guys chasing you, in the final round of the second playoff it might not prove so easy.

I was watching after Mr. Woods finished up and was asked on television by Jimmy Roberts if he remembered finishing up with two three putts. The response, "I don’t want to", reminded me of something Manuel de la Torre said his father taught him. Never try to remember what you did wrong, unless of course you wish to attempt to repeat the error. Always focus on what you did correctly so you can repeat that instead. Sound advice when one plays as fickle a game as golf.

News

5 Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S.. Women’s Open

Published

15 hours ago

Jun 5, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Gone are the days when the U.S. Women’s Open was held at Scenic Hills or Churchill Valley. Fine courses that they are (or were, as Churchill Valley went bankrupt a decade ago) there is something to be said for the venue. Not all Women’s Open playings need to take place on Men’s Open venues, but some should. This week in Los Angeles, the Women’s Open visits Riviera Country Club for the first time. Down the road, we will visit Inverness, Oakmont, Interlachen, Oak Hill, Chicago Golf, and Merion. That is quite the murderer’s row (1927 Yankees reference) of golf clubs.

What can we expect from the 2026 tournament? Greatness and uncertainty. Unlike the PGA Tour, which visits Riviera each February, the LPGA does not, so the women will not have nearly the body of work over the George C. Thomas layout. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll play #10 smarter than the men do. Maybe they’ll figure some things out that their male counterparts can not. For today, we’ll try to find five things to learn, and share them with you.

First, this ain’t your momma’s U.S. Open course

How do we know? Well, so far, only one previous champion currently sits inside the top thirty. That would be Minjee Lee, the 2022 winner at Southern (NC) Pines. Lee made par on her first nine holes, the inward side at Riviera. She dropped birdie putts on the first and ninth holes (ten and eighteen for her day) and tallied another seven pars, for 69. She sits three shots off Jennifer Kupcho’s opening 66. Don’t worry about Kupcho; we’ll get to her. After Lee, defending champion Maja Stark ranks T30 at even par, joined by three other, former winners.

What Minjee did, is the sort of thing that wins U.S. Open titles. She guided her ship safely past swells, and made a move when the waters calmed. The fewer the bogeys, the more likely Minjee figures in the outcome on Sunday evening in Pacific Palisades. Off the tee, Lee was unmatched. She hit 14 of 14 fairways. Her iron play was a bit loose in comparison. She putted for birdie on 12 of 18 holes, which meant that her recovery short game was on point. Lee was ten yards longer on measured driving holes than the field average, and was below the field average (a good thing) in putting.

Second, the amateurs beat a loud drum

Three of the world’s top amateur golfer posted 70, placing them four off the lead, in a tie for 14th place. Canada’s Aphrodite Deng, Spain’s Paula Francisco Llaño, and Colombia’s Maria José Marin, showed the professional world that their game is strong. Both Deng and Francisco Llaño collected five birdies on the day. Should they match that output on day two, and minimize the foozles, they’ll be the topic of conversation on Saturday morning. Marin, the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion and an NCAA team semifinalist last week, played a game similar to Minjee Lee: few mistakes and few taken risks.

The last amateur to post the low medal score for 72 holes was Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998. She lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak, who matched her plus-six effort at Blackwolf Run. The last amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open was Catherine Lacoste in 1967. The amateurs are stronger than they’ve ever been, but the professionals have not allowed them to close the gap. A victory by one of the college set would be a cannon shot heard round the world. Could it happen? Absolutely. Is it likely? Not at all.

Third, let’s talk Kupcho

Jennifer Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She won three times on tour in 2022, including the Chevron, a major title. She won a fourth event in 2025, but has not established the winning credentials projected on her after 2022’s marvelous coming-out.

Kupcho hails from Colorado, and spent four years in the Carolina Piedmont, at Wake Forest Universtiy. Neither of those locales cries out I’ll be at home at Riviera, but here we are, after a seven-birdie performance. Kupcho posted birdie on each of her first three holes, and added four more (against two bogeys) to assume a one-shot advantage over Korea’s Sei Young Kim.

Kupcho drove the ball decently, approached moderately well, but putted lights out on Thursday. Her 26 putts were tied for best in show on day one. There might just be something about the putting surfaces at Riviera that aligns with Kupcho’s vibe. If that is the case, just get the ball on the green, anywhere, and let the flatstick do the lifting.

Fourth, how young is Sei Young?

Sei (pronounced “So”) Young Kim won a dozen times from 2015 to 2020. She took time off from winning until 2025, shen she captured a thirteenth LPGA title. Like Kupcho, Kim has hardware from one major event, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship. How to explain the five years away from victory? No idea. When Sei Young was in contention during the prime of her career, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

What to expect over the next three days at Riviera? Anyone’s guess. It might be the 2015-2020 Sei Young, or it could be the 2021-2025 version. Kim began her day with birdies at 10 and 11, then settled into a stretch of pars before her solitary bogey at the 4th (her 13th) hole. Kim regained her composure and reeled in three birdies to close the front nine. Her four-under performance trails Kupcho alone, and there is a real chance that Sei Young will produce a second score in the 60s and take a bit of control of the tournament.

Fifth, we’re giddy for Gaby

Although I cannot place my finger on why, it seems that each year, Gaby Lopez pops up on the U.S. Open leaderboard. She hasn’t figure out how to remain in contention, but here we are, in 2026, and Lopez is once again in the mix. The three-time champion on the LPGA circuit had a stunning first nine holes, turning in minus-five. She reached six deep at her tenth hole, but then gave three shots back coming home. Which Gaby will show up on Friday, and for how long? If back-nine Gaby can somehow channel front-nine Gaby, all outcomes are within reach. If the loose play continues, Lopez’ wiki page will add one more T41 to her majors column.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

2 days ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

4 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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