Tommy Fleetwood definitely still has an outside chance of winning the US Open, but he will need a very good final round at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Robert MacIntyre is sitting at seven-over par after three rounds, so he will just be playing for a good finish on Sunday.
The Englishman and the Scot have games that should be perfectly suited to succeed at US Open venues.
Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre both have runner-up finishes to their names at the US Open.
However, the 2025 Tour Championship winner is the only one out of the two who has a genuine chance of winning at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday.
MacIntyre complained about the Shinnecock Hills setup after shooting a third-round 73 on Saturday.
However, Fleetwood disagreed with the Scot’s comments.
Robert MacIntyre criticizes Shinnecock Hills setup
MacIntyre spoke to reporters after his third round at Shinnecock and ripped into the USGA’s setup of the golf course on Saturday.
“Yeah, how long has that taken me to play in two balls? Four hours, probably 40. That can tell you all you need to know,“ he said.
“I mean, it’s just… if we’re playing an Open Championship, which it starts getting like out here, I think some of the pin positions are just… to be honest a bit ridiculous.
“The pin on, I think it’s 11, is only a pin position if it’s flat calm, or calm enough. I mean, it’s blowing 30 mile an hour across that green.
“The scoring average on that one hole, par three, is going to be over four. I mean, it’s some of the best golfers in the world, or the best golfers in the world, and it’s… yeah it’s carnage.“
However, Fleetwood had a completely different view on the matter.
Tommy Fleetwood shares different opinion to Robert MacIntyre
Fleetwood was asked what he made of the golf course after shooting a 70 on day three.
“I think it was fine,“ he replied.
“I think you just had to be accepting of where you could put your golf ball and then go from there really.
“I do think, like, the greens are — the places where you can hit it are very small, so you still have to hit a good shot to the right place and then go from there. It’s not as if you can hit bad shots and get away with it.
“So, no, I think it’s been fair. Yeah, it was tucked away, but of course, it’s the U.S. Open and we’re coming into the weekend, and I think they’re scoring pretty good, so I think we can expect it to be quite difficult.“
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