Shinnecock Hills is doing what it does. The wind is howling, balls are moving on greens, and players are sprinting across putting surfaces. Saturday’s third round of the 126th U.S. Open has been less about golf and more about survival, and Jordan Spieth just gave everyone the most honest summary of the day.
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Walking to the green on hole one during Round 3, Jordan Spieth hit his approach and immediately broke into a jog toward his ball. Cameras caught him saying out loud, “PLEASE no gusts, just let me mark it.” Even broadcasters cracked up.
“All day, let him play. I think he’s having a bit of fun, but he makes a pretty good point,” A commentator said on air. “Oh, there he goes. I was gonna jog up there. Jordan’s an athlete. Day one of the day like today, you might see that quite a bit. I mean, he is hustling.”
They were laughing, but Spieth was completely serious, and he had his reason to be worried about the ball movement. Defending champion JJ Spaun hit the seventh green with his tee shot, walked up, and watched as a violent gust blew his ball clean off the putting surface and into a bunker.
Under Rule 13.1d, because the ball had not been lifted and replaced before it moved, Spaun had to play it from the bunker, not from where it originally came to rest. Spieth saw what the wind was doing to balls sitting on these greens and refused to let it happen to him. The sprint was not dramatic. It was the right decision.
And the wind was challenging the golfers throughout the round.
"PLEASE no gusts, just let me mark it." 😂 Jordan Spieth telling his ball to stay and hustling up to the 1st green 🤌
Because what do you mean it took 1 hour and 50 minutes for a golfer to make the first birdie of the round? Yep, Caleb Surratt was the lucky guy to finally make one, doing so on the par-5 fifth hole. According to PGA Tour writer Paul Hodowanic, it was the first birdie in 68 total holes played during the third round. Not to mention, Chris Gotterup couldn’t even keep the ball still on the very first hole, which made all of us think we may be headed for a delay.
This is what Shinnecock does. Saturday’s conditions had strong gusts (up to 35 mph in forecasts) with mostly sunny skies, and the USGA bumped green speeds up by half a foot heading into Round 3. The week started with a fog delay on Thursday morning, and the weather has not let up since.
Jordan Spieth came into Round 3 at three over par for the tournament, sitting at T34, and was one under through nine holes in the third round. After opening the week with rounds of 73 and 70, Spieth finished round 3 with a 3-over par, making 3 bogeys and a double bogey, and just two birdies.
But more than his numbers, that moment on the first green captured the essence of this week.
Shinnecock Hills does not care about your swing. It does not care about your game plan. If you do not sprint to mark your ball before a gust gets there first, the course will make that decision for you.