Newport Showdown: Fujita leads, Stricker hot on his heels at US Senior Open

Steve Stricker knows a thing or two about patience on the golf course. With seven senior major titles under his belt, including the 2019 U.S. Senior Open, Stricker understands that closing the deal on Sunday requires consistency over 72 holes, not the typical 54 of regular PGA Tour Champions events.

This week at Newport Country Club, Hiroyuki Fujita was the model of consistency. The 55-year-old Japanese star has missed just one fairway and hit just one bogey, posting three consecutive rounds under par at the 44th US Senior Open. A third round of 3-under 67 on a cloudy Saturday keeps Fujita atop the leaderboard at 14-under 196, a spot he has held since Thursday.

But his lead is slim. Just two strokes behind is the formidable Stricker, who shot his third straight 66 to finish 12-under 198. Despite this being only his fourth U.S. Senior Open, Stricker’s record is impressive: a win and two consecutive runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023. His final-round average is an impressive 67.6, including a 65 two years ago that nearly saw him overtake Padraig Harrington.

Left-handed Australian Richard Green, runner-up at this year’s Senior PGA Championship, is three strokes behind at 11-under 199 after shooting a 69 in the third round.

Sunday’s showdown promises drama, with tee times pushed back due to the threatening weather. The top trio—Fujita, Stricker and Green—played together on Saturday and will do so again in similarly foggy conditions.

England’s Richard Bland, the 2024 Senior PGA winner, Bob Estes and Paul Stankowski are five, six and seven strokes behind respectively and will need a miracle to catch the leaders. Bland briefly reached 10-under before falling to a 69. Estes matched his low round of the day with a 66, while Stankowski shot 69. Rocco Mediate, the 2008 U.S. Open runner-up, is in solo seventh, eight strokes back, after a 67.

Fujita has been a machine. The 18-time Japan Golf Tour champion, aiming to become the first Japanese male golfer to win a USGA title, started strong with a birdie on the par-5 opening round and added two more on six and nine to make it 32. A crucial 10-foot par save on 15 kept his card clean, the only bogey-free round on Saturday.

“I just tried to stay calm and consistent,” Fujita said through an interpreter. “I’m just trying to enjoy being here, and I feel very lucky to be here. I’m trying to focus on that.”

Stricker, meanwhile, made a changing birdie on the first hole and a crucial save from 15 feet on the second hole (326 yards), setting the tone for his round.

“I putted the ball really well again today,” said Stricker, who, together with Fujita and Green, has the most birdies with 15. “I feel very good with the new putter I used this week. That (par putt on No. 2) was an important one right away.”

Stricker trailed by four strokes for most of the round, but he closed the gap with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 16th and a 20-footer at the 17th. He almost came even closer at 18, leaving his 15-footer inches short.

“He hasn’t really missed a shot the whole round,” Stricker said of Fujita. “He’s been very consistent, hitting the ball on the fairway, through play, and getting it on the green. He’s very consistent and has been placing the ball very nicely.

“We’re going to have to go out there and have a good round to try and catch him,” Stricker added. “He seems to have his game and his emotions under control.”

Green, aiming to become the first lefty to win the U.S. Senior Open, played steadily, knocking off consecutive bogeys at five and six. He birdied the 14th and two-putted for birdie at the 16th to stay within three shots of Fujita.

“I’m pretty low on the stress scale,” says Green, who always wears sunglasses. “I was probably where I needed to be to perform today. Hopefully I can feel the same way tomorrow.”

What’s next

The final round begins at 8:20 a.m. EDT, with the leaders teeing off at 10:20 a.m. Live streaming begins at 10:30 a.m. on Peacock and switches to NBC from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. If there is a tie after 72 holes, a two-hole all-out playoff on Nos. 10 and 18 will determine the champion.

Remarkable

The number of sub-par rounds dropped from 42 on Day 1 to 29 on Friday and just 23 on Saturday. The average scoring grade was 71.11, compared to 71.78 for Round 1 and 72.49 on Friday. Steve Stricker, Paul Broadhurst and Bob Estes posted the lowest rounds of the day with 66s.

Fujita also works as a TV commentator in Japan and recently said it was “a long eight hours” but the coffee and snacks in the booth were good.

Of the 71 professionals who made the cut, 22 were qualifiers, including alternate Guy Boros, grandson of 1963 U.S. Open champion Julius Boros. Massachusetts residents Fran Quinn and Jeff Martin, and Australian Matthew Goggin, also made the cut.

Thirty-six Americans made the cut, along with players from 16 other countries. Australian Mark Hensby celebrated his 52nd birthday on Saturday with a 3-over 73 after a second round of 63.

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