Collin Morikawa rebounds with impressive third round at US Open

PINEHURST, N.C.— Collin Morikawa showed the leaders it can be done. Morikawa, who had a disappointing first two rounds at the U.S.

Open, with a 70 and 74 to enter the third round at 4-over par, went low Saturday at Pinehurst No.2, shooting a 4-under 66 to climb back to even-par for the week. Morikawa, a two-time major champion who was in contention to the end at last month’s PGA Championship, was asked what went well Saturday, and his response was, “Everything.’’ “Made up-and-downs, putted a lot from off the fringe [and] just made the putts that I needed to,’’ he said.

“Yesterday, I think I missed everything that I could have made.First day was kind of a little bit of both.

“So, it was nice to see putts go in [and] just kind of build that hopefully for tomorrow.’’ Morikawa said, trailing the leaders by nine shots entering the day, his goal was to get to even par, which he did. Asked what his realistic goal is for Sunday’s final round, he said, “If I play the way I did today, who knows what could happen?’’ Morikawa predicted the conditions to become even more testing Sunday. “You can’t fake in a round when it’s this tough,’’ he said.“Everything gets exposed.

Yes, some good shots aren’t rewarded as well as you would want.It’s a true test of who can stay as patient as possible.’’ Many players with later tee times like to watch the TV coverage to pick up tendencies on how holes are playing.

Rory McIlroy is not one of those players. “I don’t like seeing where other guys are hitting it,’’ McIlroy said.“I particularly don’t like when I can watch people hit putts on greens, because then whenever I have a similar putt on the golf course, I’m going off the memory of what I think I saw on TV instead of seeing it with my own eyes. “I’d rather just not have that option at all.

I’ve learned the hard way at times that I don’t need to be watching on the TV.’’ Conversely, Bryson DeChambeau...