Scott's US Open dream gets washed away at rainy Oakmont
The 2013 Masters champion would have broken the record for the longest time between a player winning his first and second majors but signed off with a nine-over-par 79 that dropped him into a share of 12th on six over for the tournament, seven shots behind winner J.J. Spaun.
A 96-minute suspension in play caused by rain that left pools of water on the putting surfaces and fairways made the already treacherous Oakmont layout even tougher.
"It was bad conditions. No one really had a good score," said Scott, who has 32 worldwide wins, including 14 on the PGA Tour. "Once the fairways were soaked, it was very hard controlling the golf ball."
The 44-year-old Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, started the day as the only player from the starting field of 156 golfers with three rounds of par or better.
Two over on the day when play was suspended, Scott bogeyed his first hole after the restart, the par-three eighth, but still reached the turn one shot off the lead.
Scott then found himself in a five-way share of the lead early on the back nine as conditions saw positions change rapidly on the leadeboard, but his game then started to unravel.
"I felt better before the rain delay, that's for sure," said Scott. "I went back out feeling okay, but then I left every kind of tee shot to the right coming in, and that was impossible to recover from almost."
Scott's slide started at the par-four 11th where he sent his approach into the tall grass behind the green and made bogey. He made another at 14 where his shot from a bunker failed to find the fairway.
He had a birdie putt from 72 feet at the 15th that would have given him another share of the lead but three-putted from there for bogey and followed that with a double-bogey at 16 after finding the thick rough off the tee.
Scott capped his round with another bogey and conceded he did not handle the conditions well.
"Unfortunately, I think the course just couldn't take much more water really," said Scott. "I didn't adapt to those conditions well enough."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
44 minutes ago
- CNA
Rybakina upsets Sabalenka to reach Cincinnati Open semis, Alcaraz through
Elena Rybakina powered into her first Cincinnati Open semi-final after stunning defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-1 6-4 on Friday, while five-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a second-set blip to beat Andrey Rublev. The Kazakh ninth seed delivered a fine performance to secure her seventh career win over a top-ranked player, setting up a blockbuster last-four clash with six-times major winner Iga Swiatek in a showdown of Wimbledon champions. Rybakina fired 11 aces throughout the match, earning an impressive 81 per cent of points on her first serve, while saving all five break points she faced as she secured her fifth win over Belarusian Sabalenka in 12 meetings. "I'm happy with the serve. It was the key," former world number three Rybakina said. "We're both big hitters. Today I served really well. If Aryna serves well, it's completely different. Hopefully I continue like this." Earlier, Swiatek advanced to her first WTA 1000 semi-final in 15 months after beating Russian 28th seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4. Kalinskaya, who had defeated Swiatek in their only previous meeting, put up a spirited fight by saving four match points, before the Polish third seed converted her fifth opportunity on serve to seal the victory. "I just played my game," Swiatek said. "For sure, it wasn't easy. Just happy I was solid and had the intensity to apply pressure." Russian Veronika Kudermetova carved out a comfortable 6-1 6-2 victory over Varvara Gracheva to reach the semis of Cincinnati for the first time. Kudermetova appears to be back to the form that once carried her into the top-10 as she earned her first WTA 1000 last-four spot since 2023. She will next face Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who rallied from a set down to shock twice Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff 2-6 6-4 6-3. "I tried to fight every point and it worked. I'm really happy. Thank you for cheering for me ... because we are in the States ... Coco is from here," Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon runner-up last year, said. ALCARAZ SURVIVES RUBLEV SCARE In the men's draw, Spanish second seed Alcaraz battled to a 6-3 4-6 7-5 victory over Russian ninth seed Rublev to reach the semi-finals. The 22-year-old Alcaraz was far from his best, committing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, but capitalising on his lone match point, courtesy of a Rublev double fault, to secure his 15th consecutive Masters 1000 win. "Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or the match. I just stayed strong mentally and that's what I'm most proud of," Alcaraz said. "It's just accepting the moment, accepting that I am playing a third set, that it's going to be a really tough battle, and I love that." Alcaraz, winner of 37 of his last 39 matches, advanced to his 12th Masters 1000 semi-final, equalling the mark of world number one Jannik Sinner, who faces French qualifier Terence Atmane in the other semi-final. Next up for Alcaraz is third seed Alexander Zverev, who knocked out Canadian Open champion Ben Shelton with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 win. "I came out today and probably felt the best I've felt in a few months. Was feeling the ball incredibly well from both sides," Zverev, who won the Cincinnati title in 2021, said. But the German struggled physically and called for the doctor in the second set.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Exercising in the heat can boost your fitness – here's how to do it safely
Tish Hamilton is a veteran of 59 marathons and five ultramarathons. The 63-year-old former executive editor of Runner's World also lives in Savannah, Georgia, where training through summer heat and humidity is a given. And while the conditions are unpleasant, she has come to appreciate them, knowing that come fall, she'll perform at her best. 'I don't think I ever get used to it,' Hamilton said, 'but I know how good it's going to feel once the humidity breaks.' It's not in her head. Research suggests that exercising in warm, humid conditions can provide what some call 'poor man's' altitude training – improving performance in endurance sports like triathlon, cycling and running. In the first few weeks of training in hot conditions, your body sends more blood to the skin's surface to create sweat. This leaves less of it for your muscles, which is one reason you often get tired more quickly in early summer. But your body adjusts by creating more blood, as well as more red blood cells, over four or five weeks, similar to what happens to your body after three weeks at altitude. You may also experience a boost in your VO2 max, the maximum rate at which your body uses oxygen while exercising. While you won't necessarily feel the benefits during the thick of summer training, you likely will on the first cool days of fall. 'I've both experienced it personally and seen it with my athletes,' said Steve Magness, a running coach in Houston and author of The Science Of Running.' 'All of a sudden you get a huge boost, and you realise that summer really did pay off.' When summer is at its hottest, it's certainly fine to take your workouts indoors. But if you'd like to take advantage of the summer's payoff, here's how to do it safely. UNTIL YOU ACCLIMATE, ADJUST Before you even begin training in the heat, it's important to set expectations, Magness said. 'You will go from feeling good to feeling miserable,' he explained. 'Go slow, and don't worry about your miles or workout intensity.' Research varies on how long it takes to acclimate to summer conditions, but after about two weeks or so, you should begin to better tolerate higher temperatures and humidity. 'Start with small doses of training outside, like 30 minutes of easy activity,' said Jill Patterson, a cycling coach in Virginia and three-time national USA Cycling Gran Fondo champion. 'Be consistent about getting out.' Once you start, try to spend a few workouts a week in the heat. That's not to say that you should torture yourself. If the midday heat is just too much where you live, try other times, but stay outside the whole 30 minutes if you can. Plan to take more breaks, throw your normal pace out the window and pay close attention to how you're feeling. Monitor your thirst level, and make sure to hydrate more often than usual. Any signs of dizziness, headaches, confusion or chills are red flags to call it quits. Different exercisers will respond differently to heat training and you should talk to your doctor before beginning, especially if you have a medical condition. You can also try wearable patches that measure your sweat rate, fluid and sodium loss. For the best accuracy, wait until you've acclimated to the heat first. If it helps, you can also cool down by putting ice in your hat or sports bra, or pouring cold water over your head. TRAINING AFTER ACCLIMATION Even after you acclimate to hotter conditions, you may never be as fast or feel as good as you do in cooler temperatures. But you should be able to handle a similar training level. 'Focus more on the feeling you want versus the pace you want,' Magness said. 'If you want something harder, go after it, but be willing to stop or modify if you aren't tolerating it well.' For example, watch for a large jump in heart rate or breathing rate. Also pay attention to your ability to talk – if you could previously say a sentence at a certain speed but now can barely talk, dial it back or walk. This is a good time to check your ego at the door, Hamilton said: 'I switch from focusing on how many miles I'm running to how much time I'm on my feet.' Keep an eye on the weather for days when the heat and humidity take brief breaks. 'On those good days, do your favourite hard workout, and you'll get an indication that your fitness has improved,' Magness said. While you acclimatise in just a couple of weeks of heat training, you need to continue outdoor workouts to make gains and sustain them. You can maintain them on just a few sessions a week, until they begin to wane about a month after cooler temperatures set in. Once fall arrives, you'll get the reward you've worked so hard for all summer. 'When you get that beautifully cool, low humidity day, you appreciate how much less effort it takes,' said Hamilton. 'You feel like a million bucks.'
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Sabalenka stunned by Rybakina in Cincinnati, Alcaraz into semis
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was dismantled 6-1 6-4 on Friday by Elena Rybakina who powered into her first Cincinnati Open semi-final with a display of clinical serving. The Kazakh ninth seed delivered a brilliant performance to secure her seventh career win over a top-ranked player and set up a blockbuster clash with Poland's Iga Swiatek in a showdown of Wimbledon champions. Rybakina fired 11 aces throughout the match, earning an impressive 81 per cent of points on her first serve, while saving all five break points she faced as she secured her fifth win over Sabalenka in 12 meetings. "I'm happy with the serve. It was the key," former world number three Rybakina said. "We're both big hitters. Today I served really well. If Aryna serves well, it's completely different. Hopefully I continue like this." Earlier, third seed Swiatek advanced to her first WTA 1000 semi-final in 15 months, beating Russia's Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4. Kalinskaya, who had defeated Swiatek in their only previous meeting, put up a spirited fight by saving four match points, before the six-times Grand Slam winner converted her fifth opportunity on serve to seal the victory. "I just played my game," Swiatek said. "For sure, it wasn't easy. Just happy I was solid and had the intensity to apply pressure." Veronika Kudermetova breezed past Varvara Gracheva 6-1 6-2 to reach her first Cincinnati semi-final. The Russian seems to be back to the form that once carried her into the Top 10, earning her first WTA 1000 last-four spot since 2023. She will next face either second seed Coco Gauff or seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini in the semis. In the men's draw, second seed Carlos Alcaraz survived a three-set battle against Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev, claiming a 6-3 4-6 7-5 win to reach the last four. The Spaniard was far from his best, committing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, but capitalising on his lone match point, courtesy of a Rublev double fault, to secure his 15th consecutive Masters 1000 win. "Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or the match. I just stayed strong mentally and that's what I'm most proud of," Alcaraz said. "It's just accepting the moment, accepting that I am playing a third set, that it's going to be a really tough battle, and I love that," he added after setting up a showdown with either third seed Alex Zverev or American fifth seed Ben Shelton. Five-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, winner of 37 of his last 39 matches, advanced to his 12th Masters 1000 semi, equalling the mark of Italian top seed Jannik Sinner, who faces Frenchman Terence Atmane in the other last-four clash.
