The USGA gets a couple of things right by shortening holes

Birdie: The USGA. Trimmed 34 yards off the fourth hole, leaving 290 yards. Tom Watson took a shot with a driver, saying: “It’s a lot of fun to go ahead and take a crack at that green.” Jerry Kelly hit a three-wood to 14 feet but missed the eagle try.

Bogey: Mike Weir. Hard to believe he held the lead briefly Thursday. Weir followed his 79 on Friday with an 83 on Saturday, his highest score in 42 career U.S. Open rounds. And he made an eagle Saturday on No. 4.

Birdie: At the risk of being repetitive … the USGA. Cut down No. 7 to 99 yards, the shortest hole in U.S. Open history (post-World War II). Stewart Cink was among those applauding the move. He made birdie. Ian Poulter, not so much. He turned to an NBC camera after his tee shot and griped about the front-left pin placement.

Bogey: Steve Stricker. A third-round 77 means that Stricker, ranked second in the world earlier this year, will remain free of a major victory.

Birdie: Davis Love III. He climbed the leaderboard by carding a five-under 30 on the front that featured a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch. “You’ve got to play for birdies,” Love said, “because I’m not going to win shooting even par [Sunday], for sure.”