122nd U.S. Open: The Biggest Questions Going Into Sunday at Brookline

It was a grueling moving day at the 122nd U.S. Open on Saturday and after 54 holes of action, we still have no idea who will come away with the trophy on Sunday.

The U.S. Open well and truly lived up to its name as being one of the toughest tests of golf on Saturday.

The Country Club at Brookline played nearly a stroke more difficult than Thursday’s opening round, and over one and a half more difficult on average than on Friday.

In fact, the 1.54 jump in scoring average from Friday to Saturday’s third round was the fourth largest jump in U.S. Open history as Justin Ray highlighted.

There are seven players still within three shots of the leaders going into Sunday, so there are still plenty of questions that need answering heading into the final round of the 122nd U.S. Open.

Let’s take a look at a few of the biggest talking points going into Sunday’s final round.

Two players who have yet to win on the PGA Tour share the lead at the U.S. Open

Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick set the pace heading into the final round action at Brookline on Sunday.

The pair will be the final group out tomorrow with both players looking for their first win stateside and in a Major.

Zalatoris, of course, is no stranger to this position after his experience at last month’s PGA Championship where he was outdueled by eventual winner Justin Thomas in a playoff.

The 25-year-old has been a regular contender in Majors already in his young career and it surely is only a matter of time before the breakthrough comes, will it be this week?.

Englishman, Matt Fitzpatrick, had his best finish in a Major at Southern Hills last month when he finished T5, and much like Zalatoris, he has been threatening to win in the U.S. for quite some time now.

Unlike Zalatoris, Fitzpatrick has seven wins already under his belt, all of which came on the DP World Tour.

Matt takes the co-lead at four under par heading into the final round, can he pick up the biggest win of his young career so far at this year’s U.S. Open with some of the biggest names in the world breathing down his neck?.

Can defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm rebound after disastrous final hole?

Last year’s U.S. Open winner is in the mix once again in 2022 as he looks to become just the eighth player in U.S. Open history to win back-to-back titles.

Brooks Koepka was the last player to accomplish the feat after winning back to back in 2017-2018.

Jon Rahm was one of just a handful of players to hang in the mix during Saturday’s brutal conditions, and he was poised to take at least a one-shot lead heading into Sunday as he made his way up the closing 18th.

But the Spaniard found one of the fairway bunkers after an errant tee shot drifted to the left on the closing hole.

His second shot struck the lip of the bunker before rolling back in, after which he was finally able to muscle out his third on the par 4 last only to find the deep front greenside bunker.

The 2021 U.S. Open champion eventually left himself with a lengthy putt for bogey which he was unable to convert and the end result was a difficult double-bogey to finish out what had otherwise been a terrific third round.

The Major champion will need to forget how Saturday finished, but that is often easier said than done. Can he rebound on Sunday to claim a second consecutive U.S. Open?.

Will McIlroy end Major drought?

Rory came close to breaking a nearly eight-year winless drought in Major championships at last month’s PGA Championship. McIlroy was leading after day one before having his hopes diminished following a Saturday 74.

The four-time Major winner came into this week with great momentum after winning his second straight Canadian Open title last week. The Northern Irishman was able to hang in the mix on Saturday at the U.S. Open despite not having his best stuff.

Rory will go into the closing round just three shots back, can he make another Sunday charge up the leaderboard to win his first Major since the 2014 PGA Championship?.

There are plenty of other fascinating storylines developing going into Sunday’s final round at a wide-open 122nd U.S. Open.

Keegan Bradley, a Massachusetts native, looks to win his second Major in front of the home fans, he enters the final round just two shots back.

Sam Burns, a two-time winner in 2022 already, looks to claim his first Major title.

Then there is Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, the world’s number one ranked player, who once again finds himself in the mix.

It is all set up perfectly for an enthralling final round at The Country Club.