Furyk, McDowell tee off with lead at US Open

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The leaders are on the course in the final round of the U.S. Open.

Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell teed off with an eerie fog swallowing The Olympic Club late Sunday afternoon. Both are going for a second U.S. Open championship.

Furyk's drive found the left rough on No. 1, he laid up and floated his approach 4 feet short of the pin to save par. McDowell's drive stayed in the fairway — where he has been all week — and his second landed in the shaved grass short of the green, where he two-putted for par.

They were 1 under. No other player was even at par.

Frederik Jacobson was two strokes back through one. Four other players were within four of the lead.

Tiger Woods dropped four strokes in the first three holes, including a double bogey on the par-3 third when he chunked a shot out of the rough and two-putted. He was 6 over through six holes — 10 shots behind the leaders.

The 17-year-old Beau Hossler saved par on No. 1 with a putt out of the fringe, giving a light first pump and hearing roars the once belonged to Woods. Chants of "Let's go Hossler!" could be heard from the second green when Woods was lining up his putt, which he left short for a bogey.

History hasn't been kind to the 54-hole leaders over the last decade.

Rory McIlroy was different last year, but he was playing a different kind of U.S. Open at Congressional, which was soft from rain and yielded a record score. Throw out his 69 in the final round, and you have to go all the way back to Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000 to find a 54-hole leader who broke par.

Aaron Baddeley had a two-shot lead going into the final round at Oakmont. He three-putted from 8 feet for a triple bogey on the opening hole and shot 80. Retief Goosen was going for his third U.S. Open title in five years at Pinehurst in 2005 when he took a three-shot lead into the final round. It was gone in three holes and he shot 81.

McDowell was three shots behind going into the final round at Pebble Beach two years ago when he watched Dustin Johnson hit wedge toward the second green and take five more shots for a triple bogey. Just like that, the lead was gone, and so was Johnson. He closed with an 82

Such a closing round would not seem likely for McDowell and Furyk. Not only are they U.S. Open champions (then again, so was Goosen), they have controlled games and toughness that makes them equipped for a fight against par.

Furyk won at Olympia Fields in 2003 and McDowell took home the title two years ago down the coast at Pebble Beach.