Gary Woodland led by as many as four strokes in the third round of the U.S. Open and was three clear through 11 holes.
Things got a little shaky on the back nine, but every time it looked like Woodland might drops some shots, he managed to make remarkable saves.
The first came at the par-3 12th. After hitting his tee shot into the thick fescue above the left greenside bunker, Woodland shanked his second shot into the right fringe. No worries. He calmly chipped in for par.
BOOM!
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2019
Gary Woodland simply cannot miss! #USOpen #LexusGolf pic.twitter.com/m0lA4WRdis
He then encountered more trouble at the treacherous par-5 14th. Woodland was short of the green in three and chipped his fourth well short of the hole, lucky to keep his ball from running back off the green. And, again, he made the par save from 42 feet.
GARY WOODLAND, THERE ARE NO WORDS! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/vEyfiBMmof
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2019
What made the saves more important were that his nearest competitor, playing companion Justin Rose, birdied both the 12th and 14th holes. Rose easily could have grabbed the advantage coming down the stretch, but found himself still trailing.