In the picturesque setting of Pinehurst, where the lack of traditional rough presents players with unfamiliar challenges, you definitely need a dose of luck to win the US Open 2024. Ludvig Aberg proved this impressively during his third round on Saturday.
Perfect drop at the US Open 2024
The USGA had moved the tees on the par-4 3rd forward to 345 meters to encourage players to attack the green directly from the tee. Almost all of them did so – of the 64 players, only five decided against it. Three even managed to hit the green with their tee shot. Aberg, who was in the lead after 36 holes and was playing in his first US Open and only his third major, was one of those who took the risky shot. But he misjudged his 3-wood shot and sent the ball to the left side of the fairway towards the natural areas and wire grass. “He must be lucky here,” commented NBC analyst Brad Faxon.
The ball initially bounced onto the short grass, but then headed towards a sandy area about 50 yards to the left of the hole. Fortunately, the ball came to rest directly in front of a grandstand. This allowed Aberg relief under Rule 16.1 and Local Rule F-23 for a Temporary Moving Obstruction. “He could get back on the fairway,” Faxon said. Indeed, there was short grass within a club-length of Aberg’s nearest relief point, and no closer to the hole. But as reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay noted, there was an important challenge in doing so. “That drop is very important because the ball has a chance to roll backwards into the near-natural area,” Mackay explained. Aberg dropped the ball – and it didn’t roll an inch. “He hit the drop absolutely perfectly,” commented Mackay. Instead of having to deal with a possible sandy location or wire grass, Aberg now had a perfect location on the fairway, just 49 yards from the hole and with plenty of green to work with. “If the ball had rolled back just a few inches, he might have just been able to play out the side,” Mackay added.
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Aberg landed the pitch in the middle of the green, from where the ball rolled out about 30 feet to the hole. But he sank the long putt and recorded a birdie. That birdie gave him a two-stroke lead and moved him to one under for the day and six under for the tournament. The Swedish newcomer showed impressively that, in addition to skill, making the best possible use of the rules of golf is also essential if you want to be successful in an important tournament.