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| - Golfing journeymen Richard Bland and Russell Henley, shock co-leaders at the US Open, teed off in the biggest rounds of their careers Saturday with major winners on their heels. The final duo began third-round play on five-under par at Torrey Pines with England's Bland trying to become the oldest US Open champion at 48 and Henley seeking his first top-10 finish in 26 major starts. World number 63 Henley, who hasn't won a US PGA event in four years, and Bland, playing in only his fourth major and second US event, had six major winners lurking within five shots. Bland won his first European Tour title at last month's British Masters after 478 starts over 25 years, becoming the tour's oldest first-time winner before becoming the oldest US Open 36-hole leader. The world number 115, who made only his second cut in a major, missed the 2009 cut at Bethpage Black in his only prior US Open. Bland is chasing the US Open winner's age mark set by Hale Irwin, who was 45 when he won at Medinah in 1990. South African Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open winner, was a stroke back alongside 22-year-old American Matthew Wolff, last year's US Open runner-up returning from a two-month mental health break. The only other major winner under par to start was two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, who was 3-under with world number three Jon Rahm of Spain. In the past 25 US Opens, 24 of the winners were among the top six after 36 holes. The past eight winners were inside the top four at halfway. Rahm spent most of last week in quarantine after contracting Covid-19 and being forced to withdraw from the US PGA Memorial after seizing a six-shot lead throiugh 54 holes. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and world number two Justin Thomas, the 2017 PGA winner, birdied early to pull within four shots of the leaders. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, seeking his first major win since 2014, birdied the second hole to reach level par overall with two front-nine birdies lifting top-ranked Dustin Johnson to level overall also. Thomas and Rahm could overtake Johnson for world number one with a victory. There was good scoring available as England's Paul Casey matched the low round of the week with a four-under 67, four birdies on the front nine helping him reach level par 213 for 54 holes. "I have nothing to lose," Casey said. "We can play golf with zero pressure and look what can happen. You can move up the leaderboard really fast. "You can get it. You can play great golf and shoot in the 60s." England's Ian Poulter made a birdie-birdie start and shot 68 to match Casey for the early clubhouse lead as hang-gliders soared over the edge of the oceanside layout. Six-time US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson, who turned 51 on Wednesday, hoped for a morning charge in his quest to complete a career Grand Slam. Instead, the left-hander missed the first four fairways and made bogeys at the fourth and sixth holes. After missing a seven-footer for eagle at the par-5 ninth before a tap-in birdie, Mickelson found deep left rough at 10 and missed the green at the par-3 11th on his way to bogeys. A birdie at the par-5 13th left him on 4-over for the tournament. Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history last month by winning the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island for his sixth major title. js/dj
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