Matthew Wolff leads after the third round of the 2020 U.S. Open

Matthew Wolff (Google Images)

Matthew Wolff may only be 21 years old, but has the potential to be a real golf superstar. That is not just years from now. I am speaking in the present.

On Saturday, Wolff, a native of Simi Valley, California, tied the Winged Foot course record for when the event has hosted the U.S. Open. Wolff shot a five-under-par 65, which tied Justin Thomas’s record which was initially set in the first round on Thursday. In the process, Wolff has a two-stroke lead over American Bryson DeChambeau. The only other player under par is Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, who is at -1.

In the record-tying third round, Wolff had six birdies and one bogey. He birdied the first, fourth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and 18th holes, and bogeyed the 16th hole. The mere fact that Wolff recorded a score of 30 on the opening nine holes was quite simply miraculous.

According to ESPN, Wolff’s score of -5 is also tied for the lowest score ever after 54 holes at Winged Foot. Hale Irwin had the initial record of -5 after the third round of the 1984 U.S. Open. Interestingly in the fourth round 36 years ago, Irwin struggled mightily on the Sunday, as he had a fourth round score of 79, and lost to Fuzzy Zoeller by eight strokes. Ironically, Irwin was the 1974 U.S. Open champion at Winged Foot.

This is also Wolff’s second career major. At the PGA Championship last month in San Francisco, he finished in a tie for fourth place at -10, and three strokes back of the eventual champion Collin Morikawa of Los Angeles.

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