Rory McIlroy or Adam Scott may be on the verge of the greatest comeback in major championship history. Both are making serious runs at the U.S. Open lead on Sunday at Chambers Bay, coming from well behind the pace to get into the conversation late in the final round.
McIlroy started the day at 4 over, eight shots behind the four 54-hole co-leaders, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Branden Grace. Scott was 3 over and seven back.
After draining a 75-foot bomb -- maybe the longest putt holed this week -- McIlroy got to 6 under on the round, 2 under overall and within striking distance of shooting the first-ever 62 in a men's major championship. Scott, playing behind McIlroy, is 4 under through 11 holes, with the drivable par-4 12th next.
With these two guys knocking on the door, what's the biggest final round comeback in a major championship -- or, at a minimum, in a U.S. Open?
Well, in major championship history, that honor belongs to Paul Lawrie, who started the final round of the 1999 Open Championship a full 10 shots behind the lead of Jean van de Velde. Arnold Palmer holds the U.S. Open record, coming from seven back in the final round in 1960 at Cherry Hills.
In terms of position on the leaderboard, McIlroy, who entered the day T-25, could assume that record.
As for the threat of a 62, a total of 26 rounds of 63 have been shot in men's major championships by 24 guys. McIlroy is one of those 24, shooting 63 in the opening round of the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
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