McCarthy a surprise contender at Brookline

Go back to late Friday afternoon to find Denny McCarthy needing a pair on the final hole to make the cut in the US Open. And look at him now. McCarthy had a 68 in the third round, started Sunday with three birdies in five holes and is in a tie for fourth.

He’s become the most unlikely to contend on a leaderboard filled with stars.

Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick are setting the pace. Scheffler had three birdies in four holes to give the Masters champion the lead. Fitzpatrick has been steady as always and made birdie on No. 3 to tie Scheffler at 5 under.

Jon Rahm has all pars through four holes and is two behind. Rory McIlroy is up and down, three birdies and two bogeys and is three back.

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2:55 p.m.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler birdied the first two holes of the final round in the US Open to move into a tie for the lead.

Scheffler started the day at 2 under and two holes later he had matched Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick at minus-4. The overnight co-leaders teed off at 2:45, so the entire field has started the final round at The Country Club.

Scheffler made a six-foot putt for birdie on No. 1 and a 15-footer on the second hole. He’s the reigning Masters champion, looking for his second career major victory.

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1:50 p.m.

The USGA is back with some historic pin placements for the final round of the US Open

The governing body says the front-left hole location on No. 17 at The Country Club is in the same place as it was when Francis Ouimet made a birdie in the final round of the 1913 tournament to force a playoff against British pros Harry Vardon and TedRay.

And the front-right 18th hole is where it was on Sunday for the 1988 US Open, when Curtis Strange made par from the front bunker to force a Monday playoff with Nick Faldo.

On Saturday, the 17th pin was in the same place it was when Justin Leonard made a 45-foot birdie to clinch the Ryder cup for the United States in 1999.

The par-3 11th hole is also getting some attention: It’s playing at just 119 yards. That didn’t make it any easier. It was playing as the eighth-hardest in the early going, with 10 bogeys and just three birdies in the first 26 players.

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1:50 p.m.

Guido Migliozzi is off to a good start in the final round at The Country Club.

The Italian finished tied for fourth last year in his US Open debut. He was 3 under through 14 holes on Sunday as he tried to overcome a 74 in the third round that dropped him to plus-6 through 54 holes.

Second-round co-leader Collin Morikawa picked up a birdie on the fourth hole and was at 1 over for the tournament. He is trying to recover from a third-round 77 that dropped him off the leaderboard.

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Noon.

Grayson Murray is getting a lot of TV time at the US Open — for all the wrong reasons.

Murray tossed his putter after a quadruple bogey on the seventh hole at The Country Club. Then he snapped an iron over his knee on No. 10.

The 28-year-old from North Carolina missed the cut in his only other US Open, in 2013. But playing on the weekend is apparently no reason for him to celebrate.

Murray needed four tries to get out of the rough behind the seventh hole on Sunday and then threw his putter into the high fescue as he left the green. After a par on No. 8, I made a triple on the ninth hole.

When he missed the green with his approach on the ninth hole and snapped the club over his knee.

Murray was plus-9 for the fourth round and 17 over for the tournament. That left him tied with Harris English for last place.

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8:15 a.m.

The idea of ​​a firm and fiery final round of the US Open has been doused.

Rain and temperatures began falling overnight at The Country Club, leaving weather that makes the US Open feel like a dreary day at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

There hasn’t been enough accumulation of rain to soften the course. But the forecast was for cloud cover and temperatures barely reaching 60 degrees when Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick teed off in the final group.

Rain or shine, this US Open should be wide open. Defending champion Jon Rahm is one shot behind. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is another shot back, as is New England favorite and former PGA champion Keegan Bradley.

Also very much in the mix is ​​Rory McIlroy, who turned a tough Saturday into a 73 that kept the four-time major champion within three shots of the lead.

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