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2pm - Welcome to Father's Day at the 113th US Open and welcome to the US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk, today I will be previewing the final round of the US Open, looking back at amateur success in the US Open, the 1950 and 1971 US Open and sharing some epic US Open memories ahead of live text coverage of the final round.
Just as a reminder the #TuesdayTeeTime google+ hangout for St. Andrews Golf Magazine will be reviewing the US Open this Tuesday and will feature Stephanie Wei and Oliver Horovitz along with the regular panel of Graylyn Loomis, John Boyne and myself, Matt Hooper. Stay tuned to google+, facebook and twitter for updates.
Today is Father's Day and it is also the birthday of the leader of the US Open, Phil Mickelson, who is on the verge of claiming a fifth major championship and a first United States Open Championship of his stellar career. Phil Mickelson has finished second in the US Open more times than any other golfer in history and in the 22 championships he has played he has finished in the top ten on nine occasions. However, Mickelson has never held the 54-hole lead in the US Open, but he has come agonizingly close to lifting the trophy on several occasions and a win today would see him join some illustrious names in the game with five major wins.
The first time "Phil the Thrill" was in contention in the US Open was at Shinnecock Hills in 1995, he started the final round at level par and just 1 shot behind the joint leaders Greg Norman and Tom Lehman but shot a 74 and finished six shots back of the eventual winner Corey Pavin on one of the all-time classic US Open Sunday's. Four years later he was involved in one of the great US Open final rounds, he led by 1 with 3 holes to play but lost out on the final green to the now iconic putt by Payne Stewart at Pinehurst. Then in 2002 Tiger Woods defeated him by 3 shots at Bethpage Black, and in 2004 when he had broken his major duck at Augusta he was going for the second leg of the grand slam. He duelled with Retief Goosen but came up short following a disastrous double-bogey at the 17th at Shinnecock Hills. Then in 2006 came perhaps the most painful defeat in a major for Mickelson.
Winged Foot was brutal but Mickelson came to the 72nd hole with the lead, but following a pushed drive and two attempts to extricate himself from the tree he found a plugged lie in the greenside bunker and went on to make a double-bogey to lose out by one stroke to Geoff Ogilvy. Once again in 2009 he came in second place to Lucas Glover at Bethpage and in 2010 he finished fourth at Pebble Beach. For many people he doesn't have the game to win a US Open but every year he seems to contend with his creativity and ability to get out of trouble with his short game and this year the modern-day Seve is on the verge of matching the major tally of the iconic Spaniard.
Peter Thomson, John Henry Taylor, James Braid, Byron Nelson and of course, Seve, have all won five major championships. Should Mickelson prevail this afternoon at Merion he will be secured a place in the history of the game and hold three of the four legs of the career grand slam ahead of the Open Championship at Muirfield this July,
Mickelson holds a one stroke lead over Hunter Mahan, Charl Schwartzel and Steve Stricker who are all tied at level par.
Hunter Mahan has won two World Golf Championships and was picked by Colin Montgomerie as his favourite to win because of his steady tee-to-green game. Charl Schwartzel had a fantastic end to 2012 winning consecutive tournaments by 11 and 12 shots respectively and is looking to add a US Open to a Masters title and join Player, Goosen and Els as a South African US Open champion. Steve Stricker is looking for a first major title at the age of 46 and his putting has kept his hopes of that elusive first major alive.
One stroke further back is an English duo who will play together this afternoon, each looking for a first major title. Luke Donald and Justin Rose have both won World Golf Championships and have been a regular contender for majors and significant titles in the last decade, as well as featuring prominently in the world rankings. Donald's back-to-back wins at Wentworth are the highlight of his career to date and his wedge play and putting have made him a serious contender this week. Justin Rose produced a fine up and down from 60 yards last evening to keep himself right in the thick of contention and his experience of battling against the odds in his career has surely prepared him for the pressure of a final round in the US Open.
Billy Horschel, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are 1, 2 and 3 over par respectively and all need a round of 69 or better if they are to sneak into a play-off.
Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and TIger Woods all start the day well off the pace at 6, 8 and 9 over par respectively but if they could find 5 or 6 birdies in the first 13 holes they could finish in the top ten.
My hope for the day is that the championship goes right down to the final green and that the likes of Horschel, Day, Fowler and Mahan fall away and we get Mickelson, Schwartzel, Stricker, Donald and Rose battling for the title in the final five holes. Of course it would be dream stuff if Westwood, McIlroy and Woods were to find a 63 or 62 and force their way into a play-off and because of my chosen theme for the coverage centred around 18-hole play-off's I believe that we are going to get an 18-hole play-off between Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald tomorrow morning. But as with all major championships you can never accurately predict what will happen, and the drama that will unfold later today will be something to behold and cherish as another chapter in the annals of golf history is written.
3pm - Since the very start of the United States Golf Association in 1895 amateur golfers have played an integral part in the history of the US Open and this week we have celebrated the 100th anniversary of perhaps the greatest amateur success in US Open history. And this week another young man is making an impact at Merion, following in the footsteps of amateur golfers throughout history who have made a big impact at the Pennsylvania course in the US Open.
| 1933 | Johnny Goodman (a) |  United States | North Shore Country Club | Glenview, Illinois | 287 (−1) | 0 |
| 1930 | Bobby Jones (a) (4) | United States | Interlachen Country Club | Edina, Minnesota | 287 (−1) | 0 |
| 1929 | Bobby Jones (a) (3) | United States | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 294 | 0 |
| 1926 | Bobby Jones (a) (2) | United States | Scioto Country Club | Columbus, Ohio | 293 | 0 |
| 1923 | Bobby Jones (a) | United States | Inwood Country Club | Inwood, New York | 296 | 0 |
| 500 | ||||||
| 1917–1918: Cancelled due to World War I | ||||||
| 1916 | Chick Evans (a) | United States | The Minikahda Club | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 286 | 0 |
| 1915 | Jerome Travers (a) | United States | Baltusrol Golf Club, Revised Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 297 | 0 |
| 1913 | Francis Ouimet (a) | United States | The Country Club | Brookline, Massachusetts | 304 | 0 |
4.51pm - US Open memories
1999 US Open, Pinehurst
2000 US Open, Pebble Beach
2002 US Open, Bethpage State Park
2004 US Open, Shinnecock Hills
2006 US Open, Winged Foot
2007 US Open, Oakmont
2008 US Open, Torrey Pines
5.03pm - yet another epic Sky Sports introduction that sets them apart from any golf broadcaster on earth, the next 6-8 hours are going to be thrilling and I am here to guide you through it all
5.09pm - Sky looking back at the final day of the 2006 US Open
5.09pm - Sky looking back at the final day of the 2006 US Open
5.13pm - Tiger Woods birdies the first hole to get back to 8-over-par, now 9 shots behind
5.14pm - Sky looking back at Phil Mickelson's third round
5.19pm - Sky looking at Justin Rose and Luke Donald's third rounds
5.29pm - Sky analysing the pressures of a final round in the US Open
5.31pm - Tiger Woods makes a treble-bogey at the second hole to fall to 11-over-par
5.33pm - Sky show stat that shows no 54-hole leader in a US Open at Merion has ever won, Lee Trevino was four behind in 1971
5.35pm - Sky look at the closing five holes at Merion
5.39pm - Shawn Stefani makes the first ever hole-in-one in a US Open at Merion, on the 17th
5.41pm - Sky look at the 18th hole
5.48pm - Sky set the scene for the start of live coverage with a montage to music referring to a title fight / rocky etc.
5.57pm - Rory McIlroy begins his final round 9 behind needing the round of his life to stand any chance of winning a third major championship
5.58pm - Everybody should remember the likes of Aaron Baddeley (2007 Oakmont), Jason Gore and Retief Goosen (2005 Pinehurst) and Ernie Els (2004 Shinnecock) who were all in contention after 54-holes but shot in the 80's on Sunday and blew the championship wide open
6.18pm - Rory finds the second green in two shots and will have a 60 foot putt for eagle, he needs an inspirational moment
6.21pm - An utterly fantastic first putt from McIlroy and he should make birdie at the second hole
6.22pm - Woods bogeys the sixth and falls to 12-over-par
6.25pm - Rory McIlroy birdies the second hole to move to 7-over, 8 back of the leader
6.37pm - McIlroy bogeys the 3rd and is back to 8-over-par; Tiger bogeys the 7th and is now 13-over-par
6.43pm - Ernie Els, who came from 7 back to win last years' Open, birdies the first to move from 7 to 6 behind the leader
6.56pm - Els birdies the second hole to move to 4-over and is now five behind
7pm - Lee Westwood plays a stunning 3-wood to the second hole and has a kick-in eagle to move back to 4-over, just five back of the leader
7.09pm - Westwood misses eagle putt but makes birdie and moves to 5-over
7.12pm - Westwood hits a terrible hook off the third tee and is in all sorts of trouble following his missed eagle attempt
7.16pm - Tiger birdies the 10th, he is now 12-over-par; Rory double-bogeys the 5th and he is now 10-over-par
7.20pm - Els bogeys the third and he is now 5-over-par
7.27pm - Westwood bogeys the third hole to move back to 6-over-par
7.36pm - Rory McIlroy birdies the 7th to get back to 9-over; Fowler and Kim find the fairway at the first
7.42pm - Kim finds the green at the first and has a 6-8 foot putt for birdie
5.14pm - Sky looking back at Phil Mickelson's third round
5.19pm - Sky looking at Justin Rose and Luke Donald's third rounds
5.29pm - Sky analysing the pressures of a final round in the US Open
5.31pm - Tiger Woods makes a treble-bogey at the second hole to fall to 11-over-par
5.33pm - Sky show stat that shows no 54-hole leader in a US Open at Merion has ever won, Lee Trevino was four behind in 1971
5.35pm - Sky look at the closing five holes at Merion
5.39pm - Shawn Stefani makes the first ever hole-in-one in a US Open at Merion, on the 17th
5.41pm - Sky look at the 18th hole
5.48pm - Sky set the scene for the start of live coverage with a montage to music referring to a title fight / rocky etc.
5.57pm - Rory McIlroy begins his final round 9 behind needing the round of his life to stand any chance of winning a third major championship
5.58pm - Everybody should remember the likes of Aaron Baddeley (2007 Oakmont), Jason Gore and Retief Goosen (2005 Pinehurst) and Ernie Els (2004 Shinnecock) who were all in contention after 54-holes but shot in the 80's on Sunday and blew the championship wide open
6.18pm - Rory finds the second green in two shots and will have a 60 foot putt for eagle, he needs an inspirational moment
6.21pm - An utterly fantastic first putt from McIlroy and he should make birdie at the second hole
6.22pm - Woods bogeys the sixth and falls to 12-over-par
6.25pm - Rory McIlroy birdies the second hole to move to 7-over, 8 back of the leader
6.37pm - McIlroy bogeys the 3rd and is back to 8-over-par; Tiger bogeys the 7th and is now 13-over-par
6.43pm - Ernie Els, who came from 7 back to win last years' Open, birdies the first to move from 7 to 6 behind the leader
6.56pm - Els birdies the second hole to move to 4-over and is now five behind
7pm - Lee Westwood plays a stunning 3-wood to the second hole and has a kick-in eagle to move back to 4-over, just five back of the leader
7.09pm - Westwood misses eagle putt but makes birdie and moves to 5-over
7.12pm - Westwood hits a terrible hook off the third tee and is in all sorts of trouble following his missed eagle attempt
7.16pm - Tiger birdies the 10th, he is now 12-over-par; Rory double-bogeys the 5th and he is now 10-over-par
7.20pm - Els bogeys the third and he is now 5-over-par
7.27pm - Westwood bogeys the third hole to move back to 6-over-par
7.36pm - Rory McIlroy birdies the 7th to get back to 9-over; Fowler and Kim find the fairway at the first
7.42pm - Kim finds the green at the first and has a 6-8 foot putt for birdie
7.48pm - Tiger Woods bogeys the 13th to fall to 13-over-par
7.53pm - Day and Horschel find the fairway at the first hole
7.56pm - Lee Westwood's challenge is almost certainly over after finding the creek on the left of the fairway at the fifth
7.57pm - Horschel and Day par the first hole
7.58pm - Donald finds the fairway down the left of the first hole, Rose also finds the fairway up the right hand side and the English bid for a first US Open since 1970 and first major since 1996 is under-way
8.03pm - Donald's approach spins away from the hole but still has a putt for birdie at the first, Rose's shot is inside Donald and should get a read
8.06pm - Rickie Fowler bogeys the second hole to fall to 4-over-par
8.07pm - Rose and Donald make pars at the first hole
8.09pm - Stricker finds the fairway at 1, Schwartzel follows suit
8.12pm - Phil Mickelson walks on to the first tee to rapturous applause
8.15pm - Charl Schwartzel's second shot from 147 yards finishes some 6 feet from the hole and he has a chance to get to level par at the first green
8.20pm - Hunter Mahan tees off to polite applause, finds the right side of the fairway; the cheers ring up for Phil Mickelson immediately, but he misses the fairway by about 10 yards, an early twist as the final round is fully under-way?
8.22pm - Charl Schwartzel ties Mickelson for the lead with a birdie at the first hole, -1
8.26pm - Mickelson finds the green with his approach from the rough, has a birdie putt
8.32pm - Mickelson makes par at the first and remains tied for the lead
8.36pm - Luke Donald, using driver, is in massive trouble on the par 3 third hole
8.40pm - Schwartzel finds the green with his third shot to the par five second and could start birdie-birdie
8.41pm - Donald escapes with a bogey four at the third hole
8.42pm - Schwartzel misses birdie chance at the second; Stricker makes a treble-bogey and is now 3-over-par
8.44pm - The wind is blowing hard and the course is firming up massively
8.46pm - Schwartzel nails a 3-wood onto the 3rd green
8.49pm - Mickelson plays an outrageous bunker shot on the second hole and has a birdie putt
8.50pm - Jason Day birdies the fourth hole to get to 1-over-par
8.52pm - Mickelson lips out and the lead remains tied at 1-under-par
8.55pm - Schwartzel takes 3 putts at the third hole and now falls to level par, Mickelson leads alone
8.57pm - Luke Donald set to make at least bogey on the par five fourth hole, and falls to 3-over-par
9pm - Mahan and Mickelson miss the third green left and right
9.01pm - Tiger Woods finishes at 13-over-par; Rose birdies the fourth hole to get back to 1-over, 2 behind
9.05pm - Mickelson's shot from the rough ends up 60 feet from the hole and now has a putt for bogey from 7 feet; he misses and now no players are under par, Schwartzel and Mahan lead at level par, Mickelson 1-over
9.14pm - Schwartzel three-putts the par five fourth and now Mahan leads alone, but he is in the rough on the same hole
9.16pm - Wowee what a shot from Phil Mickelson at the fourth, eagle chance to reclaim the lead on his own and two putts to tie
9.19pm - Mahan's approach is to 6 feet; Donald facing total disaster at the fifth
9.21pm - Mickelson 2-putts for birdie at the fourth to tie the lead at level par; Mahan pars to remain tied
9.24pm - Westwood pars the 12th and remains 6-over-par
9.25pm - up to date leaderboard
9.31pm - Schwartzel bogeys the fifth to fall to 2-over-par
9.34pm - Justin Rose holes a 40 footer across the sixth green to reach 1-over and just one behind Mahan
9.35pm - Luke Donald goes bogey-bogey-bogey-double to fall to 6-over-par on a truly brutal Sunday at Merion
9.40pm - Mickelson makes double at the fifth and Mahan has a putt to stay level par; he pars and leads alone
9.42pm - Jason Day birdies the 8th to get to 1-over and 1 behind Mahan
9.43pm - Justin Rose!! Snakes one in for birdie at 7 and leads alongside Mahan at level par!
9.48pm - Charl Schwartzel makes another double-bogey at the 6th and is 4-over-par
9.49pm - Luke Donald also birdies the 7th and is back to 5-over-par
9.54pm - Mickelson pars the sixth to remain 2-over-par
9.56pm - Mahan bogeys the sixth and Rose leads alone at level par
9.57pm - Justin Rose holes a 7 foot putt to stay in the lead on his own at level par
9.58pm - Mickelson finds the 7th fairway, as does Mahan
9.59pm - Els birdies the 15th to get to 5-over-par; Schwartzel bogeys the 7th and falls to 5-over-par
10.01pm - Rose finds the right side of the par three ninth hole
10.02pm - Mahan's approach is pin high on the 7th, Mickelson slightly long and right and has downhill putt for birdie
10.03pm - up to date leaderboard
10.08pm - Jason Day ties Justin Rose with a superb birdie on the 10th hole, tied at level par
10.11pm - Ernie Els unleashes a superb shot on the par three 17th and will birdie to move to 4-over-par
10.17pm - Day finds the water at 11 and is in trouble; then he chunks his shot from the drop zone and is facing meltdown
10.20pm - Rose pars the 10th and remains level par
10.21pm - Mickelson plays a fantastic shot on the ninth hole
10.22pm - Day holes the pitch for bogey!
10.23pm - Donald birdies 10 to get back to 5-over-par
10.27pm - Mickelson lips out at nine for birdie
10.28pm - Rose flies the pin on 11 and has a birdie putt
10.35pm - Els bogeys the 18th to finish at 5-over and tied leader in the clubhouse
10.35pm - Rose three-putts the 11th to tie the lead with Day and Mahan at 1-over-par
10.36pm - up to date leaderboard
10.38pm - WOWEEE! Phil Mickelson holes for eagle on the 10th hole from the rough and leads the US Open! Incredible!
10.43pm - Justin Rose fires in to the 12th and will bounce back with birdie to tie Mickelson, this is an epic final day; Donald also birdies to get back to 5-over
10.48pm - Mickelson finds the 11th fairway and the green about 12 feet left of the hole
10.54pm - Mahan pars the 11th to remain one shot back
10.55pm - Mickelson's first putt drifts past the hole, faces tough one back for par at 11; he makes it and we remain tied with 7 holes to play at Merion
10.56pm - Justin Rose is putting like he did on the final day of the Ryder Cup and he drains yet another one at 13 to move under par and leads alone yet again!!
11pm - Rose finds the 14th fairway with a 3-wood
11.01pm - up to date leaderboard
11.03pm - The rain has started coming down as Mickelson finds the 12th green with a hooking iron shot
11.04pm - Rose finds the green-side bunker at 14
11.08pm - Mickelson makes 2 putts for a par at 12
11.09pm - Rose's bunker shot comes out at a strange angle and he has a 25 foot putt for par at 14
11.12pm - It is a bogey for Rose at 14 and Mickelson is in terrible trouble through the back of the par three 13th, for the moment they are tied at level par
11.14pm - Mickelson has an awful lie on 13, he extricates the ball to the front of the green and will have a putt for par
11.16pm - Rose safely finds the 15th fairway and Mickelson makes bogey on 13, JUSTIN ROSE LEADS BY ONE WITH 4 TO PLAY
11.22pm - Mickelson misses 14th fairway to the left and is in rough
11.23pm - A fine second shot from Rose at 15 sets up a downhill birdie putt
11.26pm - Mickelson then tries a cut wood from the rough but runs through the 14th fairway into more trouble
11.28pm - Rose's putt at 15 narrowly misses, the sun comes out
11.29pm - Mickelson's pitch comes up short on 14; Rose makes par at 15 and he leads by one with three holes remaining for the Englishman
11.31pm - Incredible save from Mickelson at 14 and he is still in this, 1 behind
11.33pm - Mahan ups and downs for par at 14 and remains 1 behind
11.33pm - Rose finds 16th fairway with long iron
11.37pm - up to date leaderboard
11.38pm - Mahan misses 15 fairway to the right in rough, Mickelson's ball bounces out of the rough on to the fairway
11.39pm - Rose's second shot on 16 lands on the same level as the hole but rolls down the slope to the lower level
11.40pm - Amazing up and down from day at 17 to remain in contention at 2-over-par
11.41pm - Mahan's second shot stays in rough at 15
11.42pm - Mickelson's wedge shot at 15 spins off the front of the green
11.42pm - Day misses 18th fairway left in rough
11.43pm - Rose three-putts to fall back into a three-way tie with Mickelson and Mahan at 1-over-par
11.46pm - Rose fires straight at the 17th pin and finishes off the edge of the green but some 12 feet under the hole
11.48pm - Mickelson and Mahan have massive par putts at 15
11.49pm - Mahan bogeys 15 and falls to 2-over-par
11.50pm - Mickelson makes bogey at 15 to fall to 2-over-par, to Rose at 17
11.51pm - Rose makes par and moves to the 18th hole with a 1 stroke lead and the nearest challengers in trouble; Mahan makes double at 15 to fall out of it on 3-over-par
11.53pm - Mickelson misses the 16th fairway 30 yards left and Justin Rose is getting closer and closer
11.55pm - JUSTIN ROSE CRUSHES A DRIVE ON 18 TO LEVEL WITH HOGAN PLAQUE
11.56pm - Day makes bogey at 18 to finish at 3-over-par
12am - Stupendous shot from Mickelson at 16 and he has a great birdie chance at 16
12.03am - Rose nails his second shot onto the 18th green and it rolls to the back edge, a terrific shot to follow the drive
12.04am - Mickelson misses and makes par at 16
12.07am - Mickelson's 6 iron on 17 hits the perfect line but is short and the ball rolls back and to the right and he has an incredibly difficult putt
12.08am - Using a fairway wood at 18 Rose gets up and down and posts 1-over-par in the clubhouse JUSTIN ROSE HAS ONE HAND ON THE TROPHY
12.13am - Over to Phil Mickelson on the 17th, a putt to tie
12.14am - The putt comes up short and unless Mickelson makes a miracle birdie at 18 Rose is the champion
12.17am - Mickelson pars the 17th and goes to 18 needing a birdie to tie Rose
12.18am - Mickelson misses the 18th fairway, Rose is getting closer and closer
12.21am - Tim Barter and Justin Rose conducting an incredibly emotional interview for Sky Sports following the round, Rose remembering his late father on father's day
12.23am - Mickelson's cut second shot comes up 30 yards short, Rose getting even closer
12.26am - The scene on the 18th is like 1950 all over again, fans on the fairway and the whole crowd is chanting "Let's Go Phil"
12.28am - Mickelson fails to hole his pitch
JUSTIN ROSE IS THE 113th US OPEN CHAMPION
An extraordinary United States Open Championship comes to a close in dramatic and fantastic fashion with the first English winner of the championship since 1970
No players finish under par or at level par on a course measuring less than 7,000 yards
FINAL LEADERBOARD
This brings the US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk broadcast to a close. The blog will review an epic US Open on Monday.
7.53pm - Day and Horschel find the fairway at the first hole
7.56pm - Lee Westwood's challenge is almost certainly over after finding the creek on the left of the fairway at the fifth
7.57pm - Horschel and Day par the first hole
7.58pm - Donald finds the fairway down the left of the first hole, Rose also finds the fairway up the right hand side and the English bid for a first US Open since 1970 and first major since 1996 is under-way
8.03pm - Donald's approach spins away from the hole but still has a putt for birdie at the first, Rose's shot is inside Donald and should get a read
8.06pm - Rickie Fowler bogeys the second hole to fall to 4-over-par
8.07pm - Rose and Donald make pars at the first hole
8.09pm - Stricker finds the fairway at 1, Schwartzel follows suit
8.12pm - Phil Mickelson walks on to the first tee to rapturous applause
8.15pm - Charl Schwartzel's second shot from 147 yards finishes some 6 feet from the hole and he has a chance to get to level par at the first green
8.20pm - Hunter Mahan tees off to polite applause, finds the right side of the fairway; the cheers ring up for Phil Mickelson immediately, but he misses the fairway by about 10 yards, an early twist as the final round is fully under-way?
8.22pm - Charl Schwartzel ties Mickelson for the lead with a birdie at the first hole, -1
8.26pm - Mickelson finds the green with his approach from the rough, has a birdie putt
8.32pm - Mickelson makes par at the first and remains tied for the lead
Luke Donlad just hit a shot on 3 that only Frodo Baggins could find
8.36pm - Luke Donald, using driver, is in massive trouble on the par 3 third hole
8.40pm - Schwartzel finds the green with his third shot to the par five second and could start birdie-birdie
8.41pm - Donald escapes with a bogey four at the third hole
8.42pm - Schwartzel misses birdie chance at the second; Stricker makes a treble-bogey and is now 3-over-par
8.44pm - The wind is blowing hard and the course is firming up massively
8.46pm - Schwartzel nails a 3-wood onto the 3rd green
8.49pm - Mickelson plays an outrageous bunker shot on the second hole and has a birdie putt
8.50pm - Jason Day birdies the fourth hole to get to 1-over-par
8.52pm - Mickelson lips out and the lead remains tied at 1-under-par
8.55pm - Schwartzel takes 3 putts at the third hole and now falls to level par, Mickelson leads alone
8.57pm - Luke Donald set to make at least bogey on the par five fourth hole, and falls to 3-over-par
9pm - Mahan and Mickelson miss the third green left and right
9.01pm - Tiger Woods finishes at 13-over-par; Rose birdies the fourth hole to get back to 1-over, 2 behind
9.05pm - Mickelson's shot from the rough ends up 60 feet from the hole and now has a putt for bogey from 7 feet; he misses and now no players are under par, Schwartzel and Mahan lead at level par, Mickelson 1-over
9.14pm - Schwartzel three-putts the par five fourth and now Mahan leads alone, but he is in the rough on the same hole
9.16pm - Wowee what a shot from Phil Mickelson at the fourth, eagle chance to reclaim the lead on his own and two putts to tie
9.19pm - Mahan's approach is to 6 feet; Donald facing total disaster at the fifth
9.21pm - Mickelson 2-putts for birdie at the fourth to tie the lead at level par; Mahan pars to remain tied
9.24pm - Westwood pars the 12th and remains 6-over-par
9.25pm - up to date leaderboard
| POS | PLAYER | TODAY | THRU | TOTAL | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL |
| T1 | MAHAN, H. | E | 4 | E | 72 | 69 | 69 | 210 | ||
| T1 | MICKELSON, P. | +1 | 4 | E | 67 | 72 | 70 | 209 | ||
| 3 | SCHWARTZEL, C. | +1 | 4 | +1 | 70 | 71 | 69 | 210 | ||
| T4 | DAY, J. | E | 6 | +2 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 212 | ||
| T4 | ROSE, J. | +1 | 5 | +2 | 71 | 69 | 71 | 211 | ||
| T6 | DUFNER, J. | -5 | 14 | +3 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 218 | ||
| T6 | HORSCHEL, B. | +2 | 6 | +3 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 211 | ||
| T8 | DONALD, L. | +3 | 5 | +4 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 211 | ||
| T8 | STRICKER, S. | +4 | 4 | +4 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 210 |
9.31pm - Schwartzel bogeys the fifth to fall to 2-over-par
9.34pm - Justin Rose holes a 40 footer across the sixth green to reach 1-over and just one behind Mahan
9.35pm - Luke Donald goes bogey-bogey-bogey-double to fall to 6-over-par on a truly brutal Sunday at Merion
9.40pm - Mickelson makes double at the fifth and Mahan has a putt to stay level par; he pars and leads alone
9.42pm - Jason Day birdies the 8th to get to 1-over and 1 behind Mahan
9.43pm - Justin Rose!! Snakes one in for birdie at 7 and leads alongside Mahan at level par!
9.48pm - Charl Schwartzel makes another double-bogey at the 6th and is 4-over-par
9.49pm - Luke Donald also birdies the 7th and is back to 5-over-par
9.54pm - Mickelson pars the sixth to remain 2-over-par
9.56pm - Mahan bogeys the sixth and Rose leads alone at level par
9.57pm - Justin Rose holes a 7 foot putt to stay in the lead on his own at level par
9.58pm - Mickelson finds the 7th fairway, as does Mahan
9.59pm - Els birdies the 15th to get to 5-over-par; Schwartzel bogeys the 7th and falls to 5-over-par
10.01pm - Rose finds the right side of the par three ninth hole
10.02pm - Mahan's approach is pin high on the 7th, Mickelson slightly long and right and has downhill putt for birdie
10.03pm - up to date leaderboard
| FAV | POS | PLAYER | TODAY | THRU | TOTAL | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL |
| 1 | ROSE, J. | -1 | 8 | E | 71 | 69 | 71 | 211 | ||
| T2 | DAY, J. | -1 | 9 | +1 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 212 | ||
| T2 | MAHAN, H. | +1 | 6 | +1 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 210 | ||
| 4 | MICKELSON, P. | +3 | 6 | +2 | 67 | 72 | 70 | 209 | ||
| 5 | HORSCHEL, B. | +3 | 9 | +4 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 211 | ||
| T6 | DUFNER, J. | -3 | 17 | +5 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 218 | ||
| T6 | ELS, E. | -1 | 15 | +5 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 216 | ||
| T6 | FOWLER, R. | +2 | 10 | +5 | 70 | 76 | 67 | 213 | ||
| T6 | STRICKER, S. | +5 | 7 | +5 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 210 | ||
| T6 | SCHWARTZEL, C. | +5 | 7 | +5 | 70 | 71 | 69 | 210 |
10.08pm - Jason Day ties Justin Rose with a superb birdie on the 10th hole, tied at level par
10.11pm - Ernie Els unleashes a superb shot on the par three 17th and will birdie to move to 4-over-par
10.17pm - Day finds the water at 11 and is in trouble; then he chunks his shot from the drop zone and is facing meltdown
10.20pm - Rose pars the 10th and remains level par
10.21pm - Mickelson plays a fantastic shot on the ninth hole
10.22pm - Day holes the pitch for bogey!
10.23pm - Donald birdies 10 to get back to 5-over-par
10.27pm - Mickelson lips out at nine for birdie
10.28pm - Rose flies the pin on 11 and has a birdie putt
10.35pm - Els bogeys the 18th to finish at 5-over and tied leader in the clubhouse
10.35pm - Rose three-putts the 11th to tie the lead with Day and Mahan at 1-over-par
10.36pm - up to date leaderboard
| FAV | POS | PLAYER | TODAY | THRU | TOTAL | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL |
| T1 | DAY, J. | -1 | 11 | +1 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 212 | ||
| T1 | ROSE, J. | E | 11 | +1 | 71 | 69 | 71 | 211 | ||
| T1 | MAHAN, H. | +1 | 9 | +1 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 210 | ||
| 4 | MICKELSON, P. | +3 | 9 | +2 | 67 | 72 | 70 | 209 | ||
| 5 | HORSCHEL, B. | +3 | 12 | +4 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 211 | ||
| T6 | DUFNER, J. | -3 | F | +5 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 67 | 285 | |
| T6 | ELS, E. | -1 | F | +5 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 69 | 285 | |
| T6 | FOWLER, R. | +2 | 12 | +5 | 70 | 76 | 67 | 213 | ||
| T6 | STRICKER, S. | +5 | 10 | +5 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 210 | ||
| T10 | FDEZ-CASTANO, G. | +1 | 13 | +6 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 215 | ||
| T10 | DONALD, L. | +5 | 11 | +6 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 211 |
10.38pm - WOWEEE! Phil Mickelson holes for eagle on the 10th hole from the rough and leads the US Open! Incredible!
10.43pm - Justin Rose fires in to the 12th and will bounce back with birdie to tie Mickelson, this is an epic final day; Donald also birdies to get back to 5-over
10.48pm - Mickelson finds the 11th fairway and the green about 12 feet left of the hole
10.54pm - Mahan pars the 11th to remain one shot back
10.55pm - Mickelson's first putt drifts past the hole, faces tough one back for par at 11; he makes it and we remain tied with 7 holes to play at Merion
10.56pm - Justin Rose is putting like he did on the final day of the Ryder Cup and he drains yet another one at 13 to move under par and leads alone yet again!!
11pm - Rose finds the 14th fairway with a 3-wood
11.01pm - up to date leaderboard
| FAV | POS | PLAYER | TODAY | THRU | TOTAL | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL |
| 1 | ROSE, J. | -2 | 13 | -1 | 71 | 69 | 71 | 211 | ||
| 2 | MICKELSON, P. | +1 | 11 | E | 67 | 72 | 70 | 209 | ||
| 3 | MAHAN, H. | +1 | 11 | +1 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 210 | ||
| 4 | DAY, J. | E | 14 | +2 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 212 | ||
| 5 | FOWLER, R. | +1 | 14 | +4 | 70 | 76 | 67 | 213 | ||
| T6 | DUFNER, J. | -3 | F | +5 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 67 | 285 | |
| T6 | ELS, E. | -1 | F | +5 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 69 | 285 | |
| T6 | HORSCHEL, B. | +4 | 14 | +5 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 211 | ||
| T6 | DONALD, L. | +4 | 13 | +5 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 211 | ||
| T6 | STRICKER, S. | +5 | 12 | +5 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 210 |
11.03pm - The rain has started coming down as Mickelson finds the 12th green with a hooking iron shot
11.04pm - Rose finds the green-side bunker at 14
11.08pm - Mickelson makes 2 putts for a par at 12
11.09pm - Rose's bunker shot comes out at a strange angle and he has a 25 foot putt for par at 14
11.12pm - It is a bogey for Rose at 14 and Mickelson is in terrible trouble through the back of the par three 13th, for the moment they are tied at level par
11.14pm - Mickelson has an awful lie on 13, he extricates the ball to the front of the green and will have a putt for par
11.16pm - Rose safely finds the 15th fairway and Mickelson makes bogey on 13, JUSTIN ROSE LEADS BY ONE WITH 4 TO PLAY
11.22pm - Mickelson misses 14th fairway to the left and is in rough
11.23pm - A fine second shot from Rose at 15 sets up a downhill birdie putt
11.26pm - Mickelson then tries a cut wood from the rough but runs through the 14th fairway into more trouble
11.28pm - Rose's putt at 15 narrowly misses, the sun comes out
11.29pm - Mickelson's pitch comes up short on 14; Rose makes par at 15 and he leads by one with three holes remaining for the Englishman
11.31pm - Incredible save from Mickelson at 14 and he is still in this, 1 behind
11.33pm - Mahan ups and downs for par at 14 and remains 1 behind
11.33pm - Rose finds 16th fairway with long iron
11.37pm - up to date leaderboard
| FAV | POS | PLAYER | TODAY | THRU | TOTAL | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL |
| 1 | ROSE, J. | -1 | 15 | E | 71 | 69 | 71 | 211 | ||
| T2 | MAHAN, H. | +1 | 14 | +1 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 210 | ||
| T2 | MICKELSON, P. | +2 | 14 | +1 | 67 | 72 | 70 | 209 | ||
| 4 | DAY, J. | E | 16 | +2 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 212 | ||
| T5 | DUFNER, J. | -3 | F | +5 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 67 | 285 | |
| T5 | ELS, E. | -1 | F | +5 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 69 | 285 | |
| T5 | HORSCHEL, B. | +4 | 16 | +5 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 211 | ||
| T5 | STRICKER, S. | +5 | 14 | +5 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 210 | ||
| T9 | FOWLER, R. | +3 | 17 | +6 | 70 | 76 | 67 | 213 | ||
| T9 | DONALD, L. | +5 | 15 | +6 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 211 |
11.38pm - Mahan misses 15 fairway to the right in rough, Mickelson's ball bounces out of the rough on to the fairway
11.39pm - Rose's second shot on 16 lands on the same level as the hole but rolls down the slope to the lower level
11.40pm - Amazing up and down from day at 17 to remain in contention at 2-over-par
11.41pm - Mahan's second shot stays in rough at 15
11.42pm - Mickelson's wedge shot at 15 spins off the front of the green
11.42pm - Day misses 18th fairway left in rough
11.43pm - Rose three-putts to fall back into a three-way tie with Mickelson and Mahan at 1-over-par
11.46pm - Rose fires straight at the 17th pin and finishes off the edge of the green but some 12 feet under the hole
11.48pm - Mickelson and Mahan have massive par putts at 15
11.49pm - Mahan bogeys 15 and falls to 2-over-par
11.50pm - Mickelson makes bogey at 15 to fall to 2-over-par, to Rose at 17
11.51pm - Rose makes par and moves to the 18th hole with a 1 stroke lead and the nearest challengers in trouble; Mahan makes double at 15 to fall out of it on 3-over-par
11.53pm - Mickelson misses the 16th fairway 30 yards left and Justin Rose is getting closer and closer
11.55pm - JUSTIN ROSE CRUSHES A DRIVE ON 18 TO LEVEL WITH HOGAN PLAQUE
11.56pm - Day makes bogey at 18 to finish at 3-over-par
12am - Stupendous shot from Mickelson at 16 and he has a great birdie chance at 16
12.03am - Rose nails his second shot onto the 18th green and it rolls to the back edge, a terrific shot to follow the drive
12.04am - Mickelson misses and makes par at 16
12.07am - Mickelson's 6 iron on 17 hits the perfect line but is short and the ball rolls back and to the right and he has an incredibly difficult putt
12.08am - Using a fairway wood at 18 Rose gets up and down and posts 1-over-par in the clubhouse JUSTIN ROSE HAS ONE HAND ON THE TROPHY
12.13am - Over to Phil Mickelson on the 17th, a putt to tie
12.14am - The putt comes up short and unless Mickelson makes a miracle birdie at 18 Rose is the champion
12.17am - Mickelson pars the 17th and goes to 18 needing a birdie to tie Rose
12.18am - Mickelson misses the 18th fairway, Rose is getting closer and closer
12.21am - Tim Barter and Justin Rose conducting an incredibly emotional interview for Sky Sports following the round, Rose remembering his late father on father's day
12.23am - Mickelson's cut second shot comes up 30 yards short, Rose getting even closer
12.26am - The scene on the 18th is like 1950 all over again, fans on the fairway and the whole crowd is chanting "Let's Go Phil"
12.28am - Mickelson fails to hole his pitch
JUSTIN ROSE IS THE 113th US OPEN CHAMPION
An extraordinary United States Open Championship comes to a close in dramatic and fantastic fashion with the first English winner of the championship since 1970
No players finish under par or at level par on a course measuring less than 7,000 yards
FINAL LEADERBOARD
11th Tee Start
| FAV | POS | PLAYER | TODAY | THRU | TOTAL | RD 1 | RD 2 | RD 3 | RD 4 | TOTAL |
| 1 | ROSE, J. | E | F | +1 | 71 | 69 | 71 | 70 | 281 | |
| T2 | DAY, J. | +1 | F | +3 | 70 | 74 | 68 | 71 | 283 | |
| T2 | MICKELSON, P. | +4 | F | +3 | 67 | 72 | 70 | 74 | 283 | |
| T4 | DUFNER, J. | -3 | F | +5 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 67 | 285 | |
| T4 | ELS, E. | -1 | F | +5 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 69 | 285 | |
| T4 | HORSCHEL, B. | +4 | F | +5 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 74 | 285 | |
| T4 | MAHAN, H. | +5 | F | +5 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 75 | 285 | |
| T8 | DONALD, L. | +5 | F | +6 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 75 | 286 | |
| T8 | STRICKER, S. | +6 | F | +6 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 76 | 286 | |
| T10 | MATSUYAMA, H. | -3 | F | +7 | 71 | 75 | 74 | 67 | 287 | |
| T10 | COLSAERTS, N. | +2 | F | +7 | 69 | 72 | 74 | 72 | 287 | |
| T10 | FDEZ-CASTANO, G. | +2 | F | +7 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 287 | |
| T10 | FOWLER, R. | +4 | F | +7 | 70 | 76 | 67 | 74 | 287 | |
| 14 | SCHWARTZEL, C. | +8 | F | +8 | 70 | 71 | 69 | 78 | 288 | |
| T15 | WESTWOOD, L. | +3 | F | +9 | 70 | 77 | 69 | 73 | 289 | |
| T15 | SENDEN, J. | +4 | F | +9 | 70 | 71 | 74 | 74 | 289 | |
| T17 | HUH, J. | +1 | F | +10 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 71 | 290 | |
| T17 | SNEDEKER, B. | +2 | F | +10 | 74 | 74 | 70 | 72 | 290 | |
| T17 | LINGMERTH, D. | +4 | F | +10 | 74 | 71 | 71 | 74 | 290 | |
| T17 | KIM, M. | +6 | F | +10 | 73 | 70 | 71 | 76 | 290 | |
| T21 | LAIRD, M. | -2 | F | +11 | 74 | 73 | 76 | 68 | 291 | |
| T21 | HEARN, D. | +1 | F | +11 | 78 | 69 | 73 | 71 | 291 | |
| T21 | HARRINGTON, P. | +2 | F | +11 | 73 | 71 | 75 | 72 | 291 | |
| T21 | GOGGIN, M. | +3 | F | +11 | 68 | 74 | 76 | 73 | 291 | |
| T21 | VAN PELT, B. | +5 | F | +11 | 73 | 71 | 72 | 75 | 291 | |
| T21 | POULTER, I. | +6 | F | +11 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 76 | 291 | |
| T21 | STENSON, H. | +6 | F | +11 | 74 | 68 | 73 | 76 | 291 | |
| T28 | WEIR, M. | -1 | F | +12 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 69 | 292 | |
| T28 | PARRY, J. | +3 | F | +12 | 76 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 292 | |
| T28 | KUCHAR, M. | +3 | F | +12 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 292 | |
| T28 | MADSEN, M. | +4 | F | +12 | 74 | 74 | 70 | 74 | 292 | |
| T32 | CHAPPELL, K. | +1 | F | +13 | 72 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 293 | |
| T32 | OGILVY, G. | +2 | F | +13 | 74 | 70 | 77 | 72 | 293 | |
| T32 | SIMPSON, W. | +2 | F | +13 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 72 | 293 | |
| T32 | CHOI, K. | +2 | F | +13 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 72 | 293 | |
| T32 | WOODS, T. | +4 | F | +13 | 73 | 70 | 76 | 74 | 293 | |
| T32 | DONALDSON, J. | +4 | F | +13 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 293 | |
| T32 | LOAR, E. | +6 | F | +13 | 73 | 71 | 73 | 76 | 293 | |
| T32 | WATSON, B. | +6 | F | +13 | 71 | 76 | 70 | 76 | 293 | |
| T32 | LAWRIE, P. | +7 | F | +13 | 76 | 71 | 69 | 77 | 293 | |
| T41 | PETTERSSON, C. | +3 | F | +14 | 72 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 294 | |
| T41 | LANGLEY, S. | +4 | F | +14 | 75 | 70 | 75 | 74 | 294 | |
| T41 | MCILROY, R. | +6 | F | +14 | 73 | 70 | 75 | 76 | 294 | |
| T41 | KELLY, J. | +6 | F | +14 | 70 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 294 | |
| T45 | ALKER, S. | +2 | F | +15 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 72 | 295 | |
| T45 | KNOX, R. | +4 | F | +15 | 69 | 75 | 77 | 74 | 295 | |
| T45 | GARCIA, S. | +4 | F | +15 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 74 | 295 | |
| T45 | KIM, B. | +5 | F | +15 | 72 | 75 | 73 | 75 | 295 | |
| T45 | SCOTT, A. | +5 | F | +15 | 72 | 75 | 73 | 75 | 295 | |
| T45 | PAN, C. | +6 | F | +15 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 295 | |
| T45 | HOFFMAN, C. | +9 | F | +15 | 71 | 73 | 72 | 79 | 295 | |
| T45 | CASEY, P. | +9 | F | +15 | 73 | 72 | 71 | 79 | 295 | |
| T53 | STALLINGS, S. | +3 | F | +16 | 71 | 76 | 76 | 73 | 296 | |
| T53 | BETTENCOURT, M. | +7 | F | +16 | 72 | 71 | 76 | 77 | 296 | |
| 55 | JOHNSON, D. | +4 | F | +17 | 71 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 297 | |
| T56 | THOMPSON, N. | +6 | F | +18 | 72 | 76 | 74 | 76 | 298 | |
| T56 | TEATER, J. | +6 | F | +18 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 298 | |
| T56 | COETZEE, G. | +7 | F | +18 | 71 | 73 | 77 | 77 | 298 | |
| T59 | STEFANI, S. | -1 | F | +19 | 72 | 73 | 85 | 69 | 299 | |
| T59 | KAYMER, M. | +4 | F | +19 | 76 | 72 | 77 | 74 | 299 | |
| T59 | SIEM, M. | +8 | F | +19 | 73 | 71 | 77 | 78 | 299 | |
| T62 | PHELAN, K. | +4 | F | +20 | 71 | 77 | 78 | 74 | 300 | |
| T62 | WEIBRING, M. | +6 | F | +20 | 75 | 73 | 76 | 76 | 300 | |
| 64 | WEAVER, M. | +5 | F | +21 | 74 | 74 | 78 | 75 | 301 | |
| T65 | HEDBLOM, P. | +5 | F | +22 | 70 | 78 | 79 | 75 | 302 | |
| T65 | HOWELL, D. | +7 | F | +22 | 77 | 71 | 77 | 77 | 302 | |
| T67 | SUTHERLAND, K. | +2 | F | +23 | 73 | 74 | 84 | 72 | 303 | |
| T67 | PETERSON, J. | +7 | F | +23 | 73 | 75 | 78 | 77 | 303 | |
| T67 | HERMAN, J. | +9 | F | +23 | 76 | 72 | 76 | 79 | 303 | |
| T67 | PRESNELL, A. | +9 | F | +23 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 79 | 303 | |
| 71 | KARLSSON, R. | +3 | F | +25 | 74 | 72 | 86 | 73 | 305 | |
| 72 | KHAN, S. | +6 | F | +26 | 74 | 74 | 82 | 76 | 306 | |
This brings the US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk broadcast to a close. The blog will review an epic US Open on Monday.
Third day updates
10.10am - Welcome to day three of the US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk and what a day we have ahead of us, if it can match the golf we have seen over the first two days then we are in for a Super Saturday indeed. The live coverage will begin at 6.30pm this evening in the UK keeping you up to date with all the action, opinion and news via twitter feeds from journalists on site and the USGA, along with my own insight into the year's second major. Some 70 players still have to complete their second rounds and the cut mark currently stands at +8.
If the cut stays at this mark then some very big names will sneak through to the weekend including Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Wartson and Adam Scott. With only nine shots covering a field of potentially 86 players this United States Open is truly wide open.
10.30am - Sky Sports 4 HD begins live coverage at 5pm followed by Sky Sports 1 HD at 6.30pm in the UK; NBC begins its coverage at 12pm EDT and follows it with Live from the US Open on Golf Channel after the conclusion of play today
10.34am - I will be back at 6.30pm to bring you all the action and analysis from what should be a riveting day of major championship golf
10.34am - I will be back at 6.30pm to bring you all the action and analysis from what should be a riveting day of major championship golf
6.50pm - The second round is underway at Merion and we are set for a third consecutive day of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy playing together, this time they are joined by Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
6.56pm - Padraig Harrington birdies the second holes with a 30 footer to get to 3-over-par and right in contention for a first US Open and fourth major championship
6.57pm - McIlroy finds the left side of the fairway with a long iron, Tiger splits the fairway with a long iron
7.02pm - Rory finds the green with a wedge at the first and has a 25 foot putt for birdie, Tiger flies his approach past the pin and spins the ball back to within 12 feet but has a difficult downhill putt
7.09pm - Boom! Birdie for Rory McIlroy at the first and he moves to within 3 of the lead
7.10pm - We are in for something very special this afternoon! Tiger drains a downhill curler for birdie and he is also now within 3 shots
7.12pm - McIlroy blazes his drive out of bounds at the second hole, Tiger finds the left rough
7.18pm - Woods lays up from the rough, McIlroy hooks his fourth shot left of the green and needs to up and down for bogey
7.24pm - Lovely recovery shot from Rory gives himself a chance of saving a bogey
7.30pm - Rory makes bogey and falls back to 3-over but he is still well in contention
7.35pm - Nicolas Colsaerts makes a double-bogey at the first hole to fall to 3-over-par
7.37pm - another blockbuster of an introduction from Sky Sports and the greatest presenter in sports television, David Livingstone
7.38pm - Mickelson, Horschel and Donald waiting to tee-off at the first hole
7.40pm - Donald splits the fairway, Mickelson follows suit and Billy Horschel joins them as the third round is completely up and running
7.45pm - McIlroy bogeys the third hole and is now 4-over-par and five shots back after such a great start
7.47pm - Tiger also bogeys the third and falls to 3-over-par
7.50pm - Mickelson's birdie putt narrowly misses at the first hole
7.52pm - Both McIlroy and Woods find the rough on the fourth hole
Billy Horschel was Rickie Fowler's foursomes partner in 07 Walker Cup at County Down. Played Rory a lot that week and it wasn't friendly. DM
7.57pm - Nicolas Colsaerts starts double-bogey, eagle to remain at 1-over-par
8pm - Donald takes an iron off the par five second tee to lay up into the widest part of the fairway
8.02pm - Rory plays from 143 yards at the fourth and sets up a birdie chance
8.05pm - Mickelson lays up from the rough on the second hole, Horschel waits to play his second to the par five
8.08pm - McIlroy misses the birdie putt and he isn't making any headway
8.09pm - John Senden birdies the first two holes to tie the lead at 1-under-par
8.10pm - Horschel hooks his second shot to the second well left
8.11pm - Mickelson plays a superb approach out of the rough to set up a birdie chance at the second, Donald also has a birdie putt of over 20 feet
ICYMI: Friday at the U.S. Open, no one shot 62 (morons!) but someone achieved something just as rare #behindthescenes http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/u-s-open-friday-62-no-way-you-clowns …
8.16pm - Horschel in danger of making a bogey at the second hole
8.17pm - John Senden has a great birdie chance to take the lead at the third
8.19pm - Mickelson makes par at the second
8.25pm - Tiger's second shot at the fifth comes up 35 yards short
8.26pm - Luke Donald misses the 245 yard par three
8.28pm - Horschel follows the par at the second with a hooked tee shot on the par three third
8.31pm - Rose pars the third hole to remain level par
8.32pm - Stricker pars the third hole to remain level par
8.33pm - Tiger's putt at the fifth comes up some 8 feet short
8.33pm - Luke Donald plays a delightful pitch at the third to set up par save
8.34pm - Mickelson's pitch out of a tough lie rolls some 6 feet past the hole at the third
8.35pm - Woods makes bogey at the fifth and is now 4-over-par, five shots adrift
8.35pm - Horschel plays a fine bunker shot and could save par at the third to remain in a tie for the lead
8.38pm - Rory McIlroy bogeys the fifth hole and is now 5-over-par and six shots back of the leaders, needs to find at least 3 birdies in the last 13 holes if he is to be in contention on Sunday
8.41pm - Mickelson pushes his putt at the third and falls out of the tie for the lead at level par, just two players remain under par; Horschel makes bogey and now just John Senden is under par
8.42pm - My prediction is that 1-over-par will be leading at the end of the third round
8.43pm - Charl Schwartzel moves into second place at level par
9pm - Luke Donald and Justin Rose move into a tie for the lead with John Senden after birdies at the fourth hole
9.13pm - Justin Rose bogeys the fifth and is now level par; Rory makes birdie at the 7th to move back to 5-over-par
9.35pm - John Senden bogeys the 6th to fall out of the lead; Charl Schwartzel birdies the 7th to tie for the lead; Donald in trouble on the 6th
9.38pm - Ian Poulter birdies the 8th to move to 1-over-par, tied with Justin Rose, 3 Englishmen in the thick of it on a steamy Saturday in Pennsylvania
9.45pm - Luke Donald bogeys the sixth hole and Schwartzel leads alone
10.01pm - Charl Schwartzel reaches the end of the front nine in the lead at 1-under alongside John Senden
10.05pm - John Senden 3-putts the 8th and falls out of the lead at level par
10.12pm - Michael Kim birdies the 13th to get to 1-over and inside the top ten
Michael Kim is now inside the top ten. The last amateur to post a top ten finish was Jim Simons at Merion way back in 1971. #USOpen
10.14pm - Luke Donald birdies the 8th to get back into a tie for the lead at 1-under-par
10.17pm - Rory McIlroy's US Open chances are surely now over, 7-over through the 11th hole and 8 back of the leaders with so many top golfers ahead of him
10.22pm - Ernie Els saves par from the rough at 13 and at four-over is by no means out of this
10.25pm - Putting through his shadow, Charl Schwartzel birdies the 10th and leads alone at 2-under, 3 clear of third place now, no players at level par and only two players under par
10.28pm - Luke Donald's birdie putt at the 8th narrowly misses; Tiger Woods makes another bogey at the 12th and he is now 7-over-par
10.35pm - The leaderboard at this US Open is just spectacular
10.40pm - It is of little surprise to me that so many European Tour members are doing so well at Merion, many of the challenges they faced at Wentworth last month are replicated in Pennsylvania
10.47pm - Luke Donald birdies the 10th to tie Schwartzel at 2-under; Michael Kim birdies the 14th and is now level par just two off the lead
10.49pm - Jason Day birdies 17 to move to 1-over
10.53pm - 100 years after Francis Ouimet could we just possibly have another incredible amateur moment in the United States Open? As part of my extensive coverage of Championship Sunday I will profile Michael Kim and look back at the amateurs who have won the US Open as well as looking at the 1950, 1971 and 2008 US Opens
10.57pm - Hunter Mahan finds a bomb across the 12th green and moves to level par
11pm - Phil Mickelson birdies 10 and 11 to move to 1-under-par and what an incredible US Open we have again
11.01pm - Hunter Mahan plays a stunning tee shot on the 13th and has a kick-in birdie chance to move 1 off the lead
11.02pm - Donald produces a stunning up and down to save par at the 11th remain tied for the lead
11.03pm - Jason Day finishes at 1-over-par
11.03pm - Charl Schwartzel misses the 13th green with a sand wedge and will face an almost impossible task of remaining tied for the lead
11.08pm - Incredible save from Schwartzel to remain tied with Donald
11.10pm - Hunter Mahan holes the putt at 13 and is one off the lead
11.16pm - The variety of the challenge presented by Merion is just breathtaking, such a superb course to play a championship on
11.18pm - Donald misses golden chance at 14 to move into the lead alone
11.21pm - Justin Rose birdies the 13th and now we have five players under par covered by one stroke, we are set for a sensational Sunday
11.23pm - Ian Poulter drives out of bounds on 15, the drama and unpredictability of the championship continues
11.25pm - What about a BIG 6? Tiger, Rory, Scott, Schwartzel, Oosthuizen and Donald?
11.29pm - Billy Horschel birdies the 13th to move back to level par; Donald misses yet another chance to take the outright lead at 13 but is having birdie putts on every single hole
11.34pm - Rory unleashes a 2-iron into the 17th green, the shot of his day and it is the only highlight of his day
11.42pm - Schwartzel plays a sublime bunker shot to give himself a great chance of par at 15
11.44pm - Michael Kim finishes at 4-over-par
11.45pm - Ian Poulter makes double-bogey at 15 and his approach to 16 fails to reach the green
11.46pm - Mickelson's second shot from 219 yards misses the 14th green to the right; Luke Donald gets a massive slice of luck at the 14th as his second shot bounces out of the rough and back on to the green to give himself a birdie chance
11.49pm - Wow! Phil Mickelson plays a truly sensational chip at 14 and the ball crashes against the pin and rolls on a few feet, could easily have dropped for a birdie
11.51pm - Ian Poulter makes another bogey at 16 and falls to 4-over and 6 back of Donald and Schwarztel, the leaderboard is stretching
11.53pm - Donald pars 14 and heads to the daunting 15th with a share of the lead, the atmosphere is electric and this championship is wide, wide open
11.55pm - Justin Rose has a 25 foot putt at the 15th to tie his countryman Luke Donald for the lead
11.56pm - Hunter Mahan plays a stunning approach to the 16th and has a putt to tie for the lead; Donald finds the fairway at 15
11.57pm - Lee Westwood is inside the top 20 despite being 6-over-par, I wouldn't bet against him finishing in the top ten yet again (could be his 140th top 10 on the European Tour)
12.01am - Mahan holes the putt and ties with Schwartzel and Donald
12.02am - Tiger finishes at 9-over and Rory at 8-over in a dreadful day for the world number one and two
12.03am - Luke Donald with a stunner at 15 and he has a chance to get to 3-under-par for the third time this week
12.05am - Mickelson's second shot at 15 is played to below the hole and a reasonable chance of birdie; Mahan and Schwartzel in trouble at 17
12.10am - Inexplicably Donald misses and the one coming back is far from short
12.13am - Mahan will make at least bogey on 17
The top five players on the leaderboard are a combined 9-under for the day. Quality, controlled, precision golf. #USOpen
12.14am - Luke Donald splits the 16th fairway
12.23am - Donald finds the 16th green but far left; Mickelson plays a superb approach and has an uphill putt for birdie
12.26am - Donald's putt is a beautiful lag and he should make par
12.27am - Mickelson's putt lips out and he remains one behind Donald
12.29am - Rose stubs his chip at 17 and is facing a bogey in the face unless he holes a tough uphill putt
12.32am - Rose misses and falls back to level par
12.35am - Mickelson plays a magnificent 4-iron to within 10 feet on the 254 yard par three 17th
12.41am - Schwartzel bogeys the 18th hole to fall back to level par
12.42am - Donald finds the bunker on 17 and fails to get up and down and now we have three players tied at 1-under, Mickelson will putt for the lead
12.43am - PHIL MICKELSON LEADS THE US OPEN AGAIN with a birdie at the brutal 17th
12.46am - Mickelson's tee shot barely finds the fairway at 18, Donald finds the right side of the fairway
12.54am - Justin Rose bogeys the 18th and falls over par for the first time in a while
12.56am - Steve Stricker drains a 20 footer for par at the 18th and remains level par through 54 holes
12.57am - 246 yards out Phil Mickelson annihilates a 3-wood through the green
12.58am - Luke Donald flares his 2-iron shot 30 yards wide and short of the green into the rough
1.03am - Donald's ball settled in a horrible lie and he could only extricate the ball left and long of the green; his next chip comes up some 15 feet short and he is staring a double-bogey in the face and suddenly the championship looks totally different
1.06am - Mickelson's chip comes up some 10 feet short and he too faces a struggle to save par
1.07am - Donald's putt runs three feet past
1.08am - Mickelson's putt comes up agonizingly short and remarkably he finishes the day as the only player under par and this championship is wide, wide open
1.09am - Donald makes a double-bogey and finishes at 1-over-par
What a day at the 2013 United States Open Championship, one player under par and 7 players within 2 shots going into championship Sunday and with the lowest round of the week to this point being 67 you have to say that only these seven have any sort of chance of winning the championship
This championship could have one of the all-time great finishes and my blog will cover it more extensively than any other in the world beginning at 12pm on Sunday, join me!
Second Day updates
10.15am - Welcome to the second day of the 113th US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk. The Live televised coverage begins at 1.30pm and today I will be providing updates and opinion through until 4.30pm and then again from 11.30pm through to the conclusion of play. The first day of this US Open had it all including two weather delays, great golf from the best in the world, unlucky breaks and some truly terrible stuff at times from a seemingly wounded Tiger. As I look at the leaderboard this morning I see the names of Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Nicolas Colsaerts, Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Ricky Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter all within five shots of the lead. And Tiger Woods limping his way around the east course at 2-over-par but still very much in contention at this early stage.
The potential for the next three days to be one of the great major championships is limitless.
@garywilliamsGC @TimRosaforte - Tiger gettin in some early morning (5:45 am) reps on the putting green at Merion. pic.twitter.com/fI8fB3TGNm
11.04am - However astounding this championship is I personally believe it will be the last Merion stages. Its facilities are not modern or spacious enough for a major event like the US Open and whilst I love the unique look of the wicker baskets the Lee Westwood incident late on Thursday proved that they could become an integral factor in the deciding of this championship. The limiting of crowds is fine for a regular tournament but not for a major championship and surely the USGA will not take the $10m hit again because it can only allow 25,000 people through the gates each day.
11.10am - Play resumes at 12.15pm BST
11.55am - 20 minutes until play resumes and Sky Sports 2 HD will be on air at 1.30pm in the UK
12.10pm - play set to resume shortly and this blog will keep you updated with all the action through to 4.30pm and then again from 11.30pm this evening
11.10am - Play resumes at 12.15pm BST
Overcast morning at Merion. It stopped raining 45 mins ago. Chilly, chance of rain, wind later pic.twitter.com/puzGvtWun1
Exclusive coverage of Tiger, Rory and Adam begins at 7:15 am EDT in our #AmexGolf live stream: http://bit.ly/L7oT6y #usopen
11.55am - 20 minutes until play resumes and Sky Sports 2 HD will be on air at 1.30pm in the UK
12.10pm - play set to resume shortly and this blog will keep you updated with all the action through to 4.30pm and then again from 11.30pm this evening
It's early, but that hasn't stopped fans from getting out to the practice range to see leader @LukeDonald: #usopen pic.twitter.com/WG8MO6CjRp
12.15pm - PLAY RESUMES
12.20pm - Tiger drives into the rough on the par four twelfth hole
12.26pm - The feature group of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott is now live on the red button on Sky Sports 2 HD
12.27pm - McIlroy makes par at the 12th to remain level par
12.29pm - Tiger's par putt grazes the edge of the hole on 12 and now Woods is 3-over and 7 back of Luke Donald
12.31pm - Scott also makes bogey and falls back to -2
12.32pm - Donald makes par at 14 and enters the daunting last four holes of the east course at Merion; Westwood also makes par to remain -1 and three behind
12.33pm - The marquee trio all have very good chances for birdie at the par three 13th
12.40pm - Tiger finds the inside of the cup and bounces back with birdie at the 13th, but both Scott and McIlroy settle for pars
12.42pm - The Masters saw the 'Drive, Chip and Putt championship' announced, the US Open is the event where 'While we're young' campaign has been launched and I wonder what the R&A has up their sleeves for Muirfield?
12.50pm - Tiger's second shot finds the green but some 50 feet short of the hole, McIlroy fortunate to find the green as he pulls his second shot and Scott just pitches out on to the fairway from thick rough
David Livingstone, Butch Harmon and Colin Montgomerie preview day 2 of the US Open on @SkySportsNews soon
12.53pm - Merion's greens taking a lot of spin from the fairway so far, an unusual sight in the post box-groove era
12.54pm - 16 players currently under par, if the cut was to fall now it would be 3-over-par
12.57pm - Woods and McIlroy make par at the 14th, Scott makes 2nd bogey in 3 holes to fall to -1 and 3 behind Donald
12.58pm - Donald and Westwood par the 15th and remain 4-under and 1-under respectively
1pm - Woods finds the 15th fairway with 3-wood, McIlroy's tee shot gets an horrific bounce into the fairway bunker and is struggling for par; Scott misses the fairway and is indeed out of bounds and his once great round is completely falling apart
1.05pm - Not a fan of the out of bounds on 15, one bounce and out - that is not fair, it reminds me of a golf course I played in Preston called Ingol, a slight error shouldn't be out of bounds whether it is a major or not
1.08pm - Tiger plays a lovely approach to the green and has an uphill putt for birdie
1.09pm - McIlroy manages to advance his ball out of the bunker but the spin drags his ball back into the long rough and he is struggling massively to keep himself at level par
1.11pm - McIlroy's third shot comes up some 25 feet short
1.14pm - The 2011 champion is now 1-over-par following a bogey at the 15th; Luke Donald bogeys the 16th and is tied at -3 with Phil Mickelson
1.15pm - Tiger makes par and Adam Scott makes double-bogey, the marquee group are now a combined 4-over-par
1.16pm - Ernie Els closes to within one stroke of the lead at 2-under-par
1.18pm - Woods safely finds the 16th fairway with long iron, McIlroy follows suit but Scott narrowly misses and is leaking oil like a grounded tanker
1.23pm - Another precise iron shot into the 16th green from Tiger and he has a real chance of birdie, McIlroy's approach short and right but on the green
1.25pm - Scott's approach pitches 6 inches from the hole but bounces onto the back edge and he will face a testing putt with a lot of break on it for birdie
1.27pm - Sky Sports full live coverage of day two will start shortly on Sky Sports 2 HD
1.29pm - McIlroy makes par at 16
1.31pm - Els makes bogey at 13 to fall back to -1
1.32pm - Another epic Sky Sports introduction to the live coverage of the US Open, the best golf broadcaster in the world by far
1.33pm - Scott holes for birdie at the 16th to get back to 1-over-par, Woods, McIlroy make par at the 16th and head to the magnificent par three 17th
1.35pm - 11 players under par currently but only 2 in the clubhouse, this might not be Winged Foot or Oakmont but level par will be in contention on Sunday evening
1.38pm - Westwood bogeys the 17th to fall back to level; Luke Donald finds the 18th fairway with a 3-wood
1.41pm - Els bogeys the 15th and now there are just nine players under par
1.43pm - Donald's second shot finds the heart of the 18th hole
1.45pm - Westwood misses the 18th green to the right and faces a treacherous task in saving par on his final hole of the first round, at one point he was tied for the lead but now could be 4 or 5 back
1.49pm - absolutely magnificent bunker shot from Lee Westwood and he should save par and post level par to remain well in contention for a first major title
1.52pm - Donald unexpectedly takes three putts to drop out of a tie for the lead and posts 68 for a round of 2-under; Westwood makes par
1.53pm - Woods 3-wood tee shot on 17 plunges into the green-side bunker on the short side of the hole, Rory's 3-iron comes up 20 yards short of the pin, Scott's 3-iron finds the front edge of the green but all three players are facing a treacherous task of making par at the brutal 17th hole
1.58pm - Just seven players are currently under par
1.59pm - Woods ball comes to rest in the thick rough above the bunker rather than in the sand, he faces an incredibly difficult shot, Scott's putt comes up 6 feet short
2pm - Rory plays a terrible pitch and doesn't make the green, Woods recovery sticks in the grass short of the green and all three are in desperate trouble
2.01pm - Rory gets up and down but is now 2-over with one to play
2.02pm - Woods plays a bellied chip but doesn't find the right line and will make bogey, Scott misses his second putt and all three make bogey, Merion is destroying the best golfers in the world
2.04pm - The big three are now 7-over-par in comparison to England's top three who are a combined 1-under-par
2.07pm - Woods and McIlroy find the 18th fairway, Scott's drive slips off the fairway and he will be up against it to make a par now
2.15pm - Woods plays an aggressive second shot on 18 and has a great result leaving himself 12-15 feet chip for birdie; McIlroy flares his approach to the right and is in trouble, Scott finds the front of the green from the rough
2.18pm - Rory nearly holes his bunker shot at 18 but the ball rolls some 20 feet past the hole and he faces a very difficult putt for par, this round looked so good early on
2.19pm - Woods plays lovely chip and makes par for a round of 73, 6 shots behind Mickelson
2.21pm - Scott makes a par but McIlroy makes a bogey to finish on a very disappointing 73
2.22pm - The world's top 3 golfers all post over par rounds and will need to watch the cut mark this afternoon during their second rounds
2.27pm - Els plays a delightful chip on 17 to set up great par, maybe this year's US Open could see Els and Mickelson duel for a fifth major title to match Seve Ballesteros on the all-time major rankings
3pm - Sky analysing the first round ahead of the second round beginning shortly
3.01pm - 5 players currently under par
3.09pm - Sky's Tim Barter investigates how Merion is hosting this US Open
3.16pm - Butch Harmon and Colin Montgomerie question whether the US Open will return to Merion because of the lack of space for a major championship
Russell Knox remains at 1-under with just the 18th to play. The last Scot to finish a round inside the top ten was Monty in 2006. #USOpen
3.24pm - Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer begin their second rounds off the 11th tee
3.35pm - Lee Westwood takes three putts at the 11th to fall to 1-over-par
3.44pm - Tiger Woods begins his second round on the 11th hole, finds the fairway with an iron; Rory McIlroy begins his second round safely down the middle, and Scott matches them
3.50pm - The wind is getting up and Graeme McDowell looks like he is going home at 9-over
3.51pm - Luke Donald rolls in a birdie at the 12th to move to 3-under tied for the lead
3.52pm - Rory McIlroy plays a beautiful approach to the 11th to set up great birdie chance
3.53pm - Luke Donald's tee shot at the short 13th flies the green and he faces an awkward next shot
3.56pm - Rory McIlroy birdies the 11th to move to 2-over-par and back in the right direction
3.58pm - Luuuuuuuukeee!! WOW! take a bow young man! an extraordinary chip-in sends the Englishman to the top of the leaderboard! 4-under for the former world number one
This concludes this afternoon's live broadcast on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk I will be back after 11pm this evening for the conclusion of day two
It has been quite some afternoon at Merion and Phil Mickelson is continuing to lead despite an early bogey, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have safely made the cut but Lee Westwood and Adam Scott are sweating in the clubhouse
11.42pm - Phil Mickelson pars the 11th hole to remain at -2 and in the lead 1 ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel
11.47pm - Just 6 players at par and better and only 3 players under par currently
11.57pm - Current cut is +6
11.59pm - Mickelson misses an inexplicable putt at the 12th hole and now we have a three-way tie at -1 between Horschel, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson - another incredible twist in this amazing US Open
12.04am - Mickelson's tee shot flies the 13th green and plugs in the bunker, he nearly holes the bunker shot but has at least ten feet for par
12.06am - Padraig Harrington is only 1-over
12.07am - Mickelson makes bogey and falls out of the lead and we now have only two players under par
12.08am - Steve Stricker birdies the 13th and ties Rose and Horschel for the lead at 1-under-par
12.10am - Rose misses chance to edge ahead of Horschel and Stricker but remains 1-under-par
12.20am - Harrington misses birdie putt at the 11th hole and then misses the one back for par to fall three back of the lead
12.25am - Mickelson pars the 14th to remain 1 behind the leaders
12.28am - 62 players on 6-over and better, cut looks likely to move out to 7-over
12.34am - Mickelson and Stricker find the green with their approaches at 15
12.37am - Mickelson comes up around four feet short with his first putt, Stricker does the same
12.39am - Stricker takes three putts at 15 and drops out of the lead
12.43am - Mickelson finds the 16th fairway with a 5-wood from the tee
12.45am - 37 players within five shots of the lead, when they finished Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were tied for 29th place and now they are tied for 18th with a good number of holes to play in the second round
12.52am - Rose bogeys the 15th and now Billy Horschel leads by 1 and is the only player under par - remarkable
12.58am - Poulter rolls in a twenty-footer at the 13th for birdie 2 and now sits one back of the lead, 6 players tied for second place
1.03am - Mickelson misses the green on the 17th
1.08am - Mickelson plays a superb chip and run and should save par and head to 18 level par
1.14am - Colsaerts powers an iron out of the rough onto the 18th green to set up great birdie chance, Mickelson and Stricker find the fairway
1.20am - Cut moves to +7 and Lee Westwood and Adam Scott move inside the cut mark
1.22am - Stricker's second shot comes up 30 yards short on 18, Mickelson finishes pin-high and has a putt to tie the lead
1.25am - Rose misses the 18th fairway left in the rough
1.27am - HORN SOUNDS FOR SUSPENSION OF PLAY DUE TO BAD LIGHT
1.28am - WOWEEE what a way to finish the second day, Phil Mickelson holes a massive birdie putt to tie the lead on 1-under-par and is he finally going to lift the US Open trophy? Stricker makes a great up and down to finish at level par
1.32am - Rose lays up from the rough
1.39am - Justin Rose makes a stunning par at the 18th to conclude a truly awesome first two days at Merion
This concludes the second day broadcast of the US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk and I will be back tomorrow to keep you up to date with moving day at the 113th US Open, check Facebook and Twitter for times
12pm - Welcome to my live coverage of the 113th United States Open. So far the US Open on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk has looked back at my special US Open memories since 1999 and has looked at the history of the US Open through five 18-hole play-offs and coming up over the next couple of hours before live televised coverage begins I will preview this year's championship and give my views on the main contenders for the title on Sunday. I will also be keeping you up to date with the latest headlines, tweets and quotes from various sources including journalists on site at the Merion Golf Club
12.16pm - Bubba Watson birdies his first hole, the 367 yard par four 11th, to tie the early lead at -1 with Sweden's Rikard Karlberg
12.20pm - Phil Mickelson has begun his quest for an illusive US Open championship alongside Keegan Bradley and Steve Stricker on the 11th hole
12.20pm - Phil Mickelson has begun his quest for an illusive US Open championship alongside Keegan Bradley and Steve Stricker on the 11th hole
12.25pm - Watch John Boyne and Matt Hooper preview the 113th US Open
12.26pm - Mickelson and Bradley bogey the short 11th to fall to +1 after 1
12.28pm - Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar and Bradnt Snedeker on the course
12.32pm - Live marquee group coverage of Stricker, Mickelson and Bradley is now available on Sky Sports 2 on the red button
12.33pm - 2009 champion Lucas Glover is 1-under through 1 hole and tied for lead with Bubba
12.34pm - Mickelson and Bradley in danger of making back-to-back bogeys on the 12th
12.39pm - Merion's East course is already looking very typical US Open style, players really having to fight for pars even when it is softer because of the torrential rain recently
12.40pm - Steve Stricker three-putts for bogey at the 12th
12.41pm - Mickelson makes par and Bradley makes par; Bubba bogeys the 13th, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Nicolas Colsaerts join Lucas Glover at -1 early on the first day at Merion
12.46pm - Merion's 13th looks absolutely superb, a typical and traditional hole which is to me what makes the US Open so special
12.26pm - Mickelson and Bradley bogey the short 11th to fall to +1 after 1
12.28pm - Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar and Bradnt Snedeker on the course
12.32pm - Live marquee group coverage of Stricker, Mickelson and Bradley is now available on Sky Sports 2 on the red button
12.33pm - 2009 champion Lucas Glover is 1-under through 1 hole and tied for lead with Bubba
12.34pm - Mickelson and Bradley in danger of making back-to-back bogeys on the 12th
12.39pm - Merion's East course is already looking very typical US Open style, players really having to fight for pars even when it is softer because of the torrential rain recently
12.40pm - Steve Stricker three-putts for bogey at the 12th
12.41pm - Mickelson makes par and Bradley makes par; Bubba bogeys the 13th, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Nicolas Colsaerts join Lucas Glover at -1 early on the first day at Merion
12.46pm - Merion's 13th looks absolutely superb, a typical and traditional hole which is to me what makes the US Open so special
12.50pm - Bradley birdies the 115 yard par three 13th to return to level par, Mickelson follows him in and they are both level par through three holes
12.58pm - Nicolas Colsaerts birdies the fourteenth hole to move to -2 for the first round
1pm - Mickelson finds the 14th green and has a putt for birdie to get under par for the first time, no sign of rain yet and crowds building
1.03pm - Seven players under par early on day one but also eleven players over par, including Sergio Garcia
1.04pm - Mickelson misses low and remains level par; birdie for Stricker and he joins Bradley and Mickelson at level par
1.06pm - Tomorrow on US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk I will be looking at the 1950 US Open as part of my build-up to the live televised coverage
1.10pm - My December 2012 tip to win this US Open, Ian Poulter, birdies the 11th to become the ninth player under par
1.12pm - Tim Clark birdies the 13th and is tied for the lead with Nicolas Colsaerts at -2
1.14pm - Steve Stricker plays a phenomenal approach to the fifteenth and has a certain birdie
1.15pm - Bradley struggling after finding bunker off the tee; Mickelson yet to hit a fairway but is level par
1.28pm - Ian Poulter birdes the 12th and is now tied with three others for the lead at 2-under-par
1.30pm - Keegan Bradley facing disaster at the 16th after finding rough off the tee and the quarry with the second shot
1.33pm - After a drop for an unplayable lie Bradley faces a very long, sloping putt for bogey
1.36pm - HORN BLOWS TO SIGNAL SUSPENSION OF PLAY FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA (8.36am local time)
The wicker baskets, the small greens, the thick rough and the sloping greens - this is going to be a special US Open, unless the weather ruins it
Live coverage on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN in the US begins in 20 minutes at 2pm BST / 9am ET
1.44pm - Ian Poulter managed to get one more birdie in before the horn sounded and he now leads alone at -3, I am starting to wish I had the courage of my convictions
12.58pm - Nicolas Colsaerts birdies the fourteenth hole to move to -2 for the first round
1pm - Mickelson finds the 14th green and has a putt for birdie to get under par for the first time, no sign of rain yet and crowds building
1.03pm - Seven players under par early on day one but also eleven players over par, including Sergio Garcia
1.04pm - Mickelson misses low and remains level par; birdie for Stricker and he joins Bradley and Mickelson at level par
1.06pm - Tomorrow on US Open Live on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk I will be looking at the 1950 US Open as part of my build-up to the live televised coverage
1.10pm - My December 2012 tip to win this US Open, Ian Poulter, birdies the 11th to become the ninth player under par
1.12pm - Tim Clark birdies the 13th and is tied for the lead with Nicolas Colsaerts at -2
1.14pm - Steve Stricker plays a phenomenal approach to the fifteenth and has a certain birdie
1.15pm - Bradley struggling after finding bunker off the tee; Mickelson yet to hit a fairway but is level par
1.28pm - Ian Poulter birdes the 12th and is now tied with three others for the lead at 2-under-par
1.30pm - Keegan Bradley facing disaster at the 16th after finding rough off the tee and the quarry with the second shot
1.33pm - After a drop for an unplayable lie Bradley faces a very long, sloping putt for bogey
1.36pm - HORN BLOWS TO SIGNAL SUSPENSION OF PLAY FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA (8.36am local time)
The wicker baskets, the small greens, the thick rough and the sloping greens - this is going to be a special US Open, unless the weather ruins it
Live coverage on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN in the US begins in 20 minutes at 2pm BST / 9am ET
Play has just been suspended here in Merion. Could be a very long day. Looks like a large storm. #gutted http://
Play has just been suspended 8.36 local time. "Possible Tornado activity". Poulter -3 leads as stands evacuated
Poulter leads US Open after birdies at first 3 holes. May still be leading on Friday at -3 thru 3. Derecho Undrained about to premier.
Seven straight seconds of thunder at #Merion. That's not typical, right? #USOpen #DiggingIn
Sky Sports coverage about to begin on Sky Sports 2 HD channel 402 - watch here
Typical, brilliant Sky introduction and excellent presentation from David Livingstone, Butch Harmon and Colin Montgomerie
Rain is pelting the Sky Sports studio
An enormous bolt of lightning and clap of thunder above Merion and it looks like the first day's play is under serious threat of abandonment
This doesn't look very good at all right now. I've chosen the house not the tent. http://instagram.com/p/agB-E-pg2H/
Me & my mate Tiger chilling in the house whilst this storms comes thru. http://instagram.com/p/agAaTPJg0j/
Sky now showing the 2012 final round but I venture to say their broadcast won't last past 5pm with the "end of the world" conditions outside their studio. I will continue to post updates from twitter but you can also view Stephanie Wei and Luke Elvy preview the US Open here
Photo doesn't do it justice but this is some epic rain. 11 has to be on life support #doomsdaystorm #usopen pic.twitter.com/3o1IHsBRfG
3pm - Sky back in the studio and showing pictures from the course at Merion, looking quite significantly better, maybe play will be back up and running within the next couple of hours but as David Livingstone says "perhaps clutching at straws"
3.47pm - updates on the USGA website just purely regarding parking, but nothing about resumption of play - officials are now evaluating the conditions of the course and will make a statement shortly after 4pm BST (11am EDT) - spectators are returning to the golf course
Lee Trevino looks back at his win over Jack Nicklaus at Merion in 1971. http://youtu.be/oxeMB3cMfoY
11:15 players will head to range and try to take advantage of the weather window. More rain coming but #letsplay
Players starting to head out to the range, which is over a mile from the first tee. Shuttle vans replaced by speedboats.
Looks like players are on the range. So I guess that means it's now safe to paddle out to the course! Question is for how long? #USOpen
4.15pm - less than one hour until the first round resumes, weather intervened at Bethpage in 2009 and we ended up with one of the most dramatic final rounds in many years and Merion is sure to deliver something dramatic and historic - Sky continuing to fill time with 2012 final round
Green speeds at US Open will likely go from 13-13.5 to around 12 on stimpmeter. Brings a lot more contenders into play.
4.55pm - Sky building up with Butch and Colin in the studio to continuing coverage of the first round after play resumes in 15 minutes
5.10pm - play resumes
Sky Sports commentary from Ewen Murray, Bruce Critchley, Robert Lee, Butch Harmon and Colin Montgomerie
5.11pm - Charley Hoffman joins Poulter with 3 straight birdies; Keegan Bradley makes treble-bogey 7 on 16
5.20pm - Charl Schwartzel joins Hoffman and Poulter at the top of the leaderboard with birdies at 13, 15 and 15
5.23pm - 13 players currently under par
5.27pm - Garcia out of bounds on 15
5.28pm - Poulter makes bogey at the 14th to fall out of a tie for a lead
5.33pm - Schwartzel pars the 16th and now leads alone at -3
5.38pm - super up and down from Rose at the par three 17th to remain one-over-par
5.47pm - Poulter bounces back with a birdie at the 15th and is now tied with Schwartzel for the lead
5.55pm - Justin Rose bogeys the 18th and is 2-over-par after 8 holes of his first round, five off the leaders
6.03pm - Mickelson drains a 30 footer on the first, his ninth hole, to get under par for the first time today
6.06pm - Schwartzel bogeys the 18th to fall to -2 and give Poulter the outright lead
6.11pm - 18 players under par including the 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir
6.23pm - Poulter takes three putts at 17 and now there are three players tied for the lead and sixteen players within 1 stroke of the lead
6.30pm - despite the soft conditions the best in the world are not eating up the East course at Merion
6.33pm - 12 players under par and all within 1 stroke of the lead
6.45pm - Just nine players under par now as the sun shines over Merion, and an Amateur from Chinese Taipei has tied for the lead in the 100th anniversary year of you know what - Cheng-Tsung Pan is -2
6.48pm - Marcel Siem drives the par four tenth hole and rolls in the putt for an incredible eagle to get back to +1
7pm - Under 3 hours until Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott tee-off
7.04pm - Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, playing as an alternate, is now tied for the lead at 2-under with an amateur from Chinese Taipei, the stories are already being written in this championship
7.07pm - George Coetzee drains a 20 foot putt to tie for the lead at 2-under-par
7.23pm - Mickelson plays a stunning approach to the 5th and has a chance to rescue a par four
7.29pm - The five-time runner-up remains 1-under and just one off the lead following a superb par save at the 5th
7.31pm - the crowds have been limited to 25,000 a day at Merion due to the lack of space but the atmosphere is electric regardless
The hardest 4 holes at Merion right now: No. 5 (499 yards), No. 18 (500), No. 6 (489) and No. 17 (243). #WonderWhy #USOpen
7.48pm - Phil Mickelson keeps his round together with another completely unbelievable up and down from a green-side bunker for par
7.55pm - Tim Clark holds the lead alone after a bogey from George Coetzee on the 14th sees him fall back to 1-under-par, and then a double-bogey from Clark sees the championship lead tied by six players including Phil Mickelson, Charl Schwartzel and Ian Poulter
8pm- Sky showing a feature about Bobby Jones' Grand Slam whilst the American networks change from ESPN to NBC
8.04pm - back-to-back bogeys see Schwartzel fall back to level par, while Mickelson hits his approach stone dead to make another birdie and assume the sole lead in the 113th United States Open
8.15pm - 90 minutes ahead of the big three starting Tiger Woods has made his way on to the range at Merion
8.20pm - Jerry Kelly, from out of nowhere, is tied with Mickelson at 2-under
8.22pm - Poulter makes bogey at the 5th and finds the rough off the 6th tee and his first round is ending on a sour note
8.30pm - both Tiger and Scott wearing blue today, not yet seen Rory's outfit for this afternoon
8.31pm - 7 players under par
8.38pm - Phil Mickelson is taking control at Merion with another stunner on the greens he assumes the lead at 3-under-par and is it finally his time in a US Open?
8.42pm - Nicolas Colsaerts posts the first under-par round of the championship with a 69
8.50pm - Phil Mickelson pars the 10th hole to post a 67 and leads in the clubhouse at 3-under-par
9pm - Justin Rose, Steve Stricker and Dustin Johnson all post rounds of 71 to sit four off Mickelson's lead
Merion's lovely but logistical nightmare. Phil leads #USOpen but not coming to media center. Flies across country but can't get in golf cart
9.15pm - Ian Poulter birdies the 8th to get back to 1-over with two holes to play
9.16pm - Charl Schwartzel shoots level par 70
9.25pm - Mickelson could have a two stroke lead shortly with Kelly in all sorts of trouble at the 18th
9.30pm - Sergio Garcia shoots 73 despite a 6 and an 8 on consecutive holes
9.33pm - Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer are on the course, Westwood finds fairway and green
9.35pm - Luke Donald rolls a birdie putt in at the first to move to -1, 2 behind; Westwood misses but makes par
9.41pm - Ian Poulter shoots 71
9.41pm - The big three make their way to the first tee
9.44pm - Tiger misses fairway by 15 yards in the rough, McIlroy fires down the middle of the fairway and Scott finds the right half of the fairway
9.47pm - Luke Donald pitches to within five feet and has a chance to get to 2-under after 2 holes
9.50pm - Woods and Scott find the green but have massive putts, McIlroy spins his approach back to within four feet at the first hole
9.51pm - Donald misses putt for birdie, stays 1-under
9.56pm - Woods makes bogey at the first hole, McIlroy misses birdie putt and he and Scott make par
10.04pm - Luke Donald rolls in a twenty-footer on the third to move to -2 after 3 and one behind Mickelson
10.09pm - Woods and McIlroy flare their second shots to the right and left respectively
10.15pm - Woods plays nice recovery to set up birdie putt at 2, McIlroy plays two poor pitches and nails a putt for par to remain level after 2
10.18pm - Tiger Woods birdies the second to get back to level par
10.28pm - Rory plays a delightful bunker shot to save his par on the 246 yard par three third hole
10.29pm - Tiger makes a bogey at the third and falls back to 1-over
10.40pm - Lee Westwood drains 30-footer for birdie at the fifth to move to 1-under, Donald makes bogey
10.45pm - David Howell goes 3, 9, 3
10.49pm - Rory birdies to move under par at the fourth, Scott also makes birdie to move to -2
10.54pm - The first day so far has had a mix of the sublime and ridiculous, some of golf has been of a stunning standard and some of it has been very poor, 14 players under par currently
11.02pm - Westwood rescues a par after a terrible second shot on the sixth
11.05pm - WEATHER WARNING ISSUED
11.06pm - After a poor pushed tee shot and a flared second shot from the rough Woods plays a poor chip and is left with 10 feet to save his par at five
11.09pm - Scott makes bogey at the fifth after wildly hooked tee-shot; and as McIlroy and Woods are preparing for their next putts the horn is sounded to signal weather delay
11.11pm - PLAY SUSPENDED DUE TO THREAT OF LIGHTNING
Play has been suspended at #Merion. You can check http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/live_updates.html … for updates. #usopen
Players are being held place, which gives us a little bit of hope that there is a possibility of play resuming fairly shortly. #USOpen
Sky analysing the early afternoon play during the weather delay
Robert Lee does a guide of Philadelphia for Sky during weather delay
11.46pm - Players hanging around on the golf course awaiting for a resumption of play
11.47pm - Players moving into position to resume play
11.55pm - Play resumes
11.55pm - Rory holes putt for a par at the fifth; Lee Westwood chips in for birdie at the 7th to move to -2 and Tiger makes bogey to fall to 2-over-par through five holes
12.07am - McIlroy and Scott miss the sixth fairway, Woods finds the left half of the fairway
12.10am - Westwood misses great opportunity to tie the lead at the 8th
12.14am - Tiger holes a 60 footer for birdie on the sixth to move back to 1-over, McIlroy makes bogey and Scott makes par, the drama of this disrupted round continues late into the Pennsylvania evening
12.22am - The world's best three find the fairway at 7
12.25am - Woods, Scott and McIlroy set up birdie chances on 7
12.26am - McIlroy rolls in a 16-footer for birdie to return to 1-under and just 2 behind Mickelson
12.29am - Westwood drives the 10th with a 3-wood to set up a putt to take the lead
U.S. Open - We'll be coming on air half an hour earlier than scheduled tomorrow - 1.30pm SS2HD to finish Round 1 & then start Round 2
12.34am - Woods plays a superb approach to the 8th to set up birdie chance, McIlroy and Scott also give themselves a chance of birdie
12.39am - LEE WESTWOOD TIES PHIL MICKELSON FOR THE LEAD AFTER 10 HOLES with a birdie 3 at the tenth hole
12.40am - Adam Scott birdies the 8th to move into a tie for third place, one stroke off the leaders; Woods misses golden opportunity for birdie and remains adrift
12.45am - Lee Westwood has an opportunity to do something he doesn't do very often and that is lead from the start of a tournament, has a putt for birdie at 11 and he could reach five or six under by the end of this round either tonight or tomorrow morning
12.47am - Rory McIlroy looks very relaxed and focused, I love how this US Open has begun, we could have that fantasy final day and play-off I have dreamed about for many years
12.50am - Luke Donald birdies the 11th to move to within 1 shot of Westwood and Mickelson, tied with Scott at -2
12.53am - Woods takes 3 putts at the 9th and falls to 2-over
12.54am - Graeme McDowell makes consecutive birdies around the turn to move back to 1-over-par
1am - Woods approach to 10 from rough finds green some six feet from hole, meanwhile Westwood in a mess on the 12th after driving into the hay his third shot strikes the wicker basket on the flag stick and ricochets down the fairway, now struggling for a bogey
1.05am - Scott makes par at 10 remains 1 behind Mickelson; McIlroy makes par
1.07am - Westwood makes double-bogey and drops to -1
1.08am - another appalling putt from Tiger Woods, struggling on day one
1.09am - Luke Donald makes birdie at the 12th to tie Mickelson for the lead, the light now fading and questions being asked on the course as to whether play will continue for much longer
1.11am - In my opinion this will be a magnificent grand farewell to Merion as a US Open championship venue - my introduction tomorrow will explain the many reasons why
1.15am - Woods turns away in disgust at his tee shot on the 11th which narrowly avoids the hazard; Scott plays superb approach to set up possible birdie; Woods approach comes up 30 yards short in the thick rough, holding his wrist in pain
1.17am - LUKE DONALD TAKES THE LEAD WITH A THIRD STRAIGHT BIRDIE and moves to 4-under
1.20am - Scott makes birdie to move to -3 and one behind Donald, McIlroy makes bogey to fall to level par
1.21am - PLAY HALTED BY DARKNESS
It has been an epic first day of the 113th United States Open championship at Merion and Luke Donald leads with five holes to play tomorrow morning, that brings the broadcast to an end for today. Re-join me at 10am tomorrow morning for a wrap-up of the first day and a preview of the second day ahead of the full broadcast from 6.30pm on Friday evening
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