Joaquín Niemann suffered in the third round of the US Open Championship and slipped away from the leaders. The Chilean finished the third round of the competition with a +6 card of the day, which left his aggregate score at +7. For the moment, he occupies the 51st place, 13 strokes from the top, which for the moment belongs to the North American Scottie Scheffler.

Joaco came from a day where he went from less to more to stay alive in the competition. On Friday, the Chilean improved the closure and this allowed him to overcome the cut and even wait for the pointers, placing himself six shots from the top of the standings. He still had title options, but to increase those possibilities he needed to sign an error-free Saturday and be good at his job with the putt. However, that could not be the case.

It was a bittersweet day for Niemann from the start. On the second hole, he stumbled on his first bogey of the day, then repeated at the next flag, further complicating his quest to improve his numbers. The picture darkened further on the fifth hole, where he lamented a double bogey that left his spirits on the ground and his aim increasingly uphill.

The National couldn’t recover in the first pass and went out to face the final nine holes with the complex task of recovering their best version. He looked nervous and uncomfortable, which was reflected in his shots which lacked precision. Getting up to this height, looking at the crown already far away, was essential and urgent. But Joaco continued without meeting.

Niemann held the trend and failed to take off, in what was one of his worst days on the PGA. It had already cost him the yard in previous days and this time was no exception. At flag 10, he was forced to use a shot over par, which he repeated at flag 13. Nothing worked for the Chilean. His face said it all. A nervous, gritted-toothed smile that showed his dissatisfaction with his game.

The round was a nightmare for Joaco, who just wanted to get to the last hole to analyze a forgotten presentation. The birdie he scored on the 16th hole only slightly masked a score that was far from what was expected.

This Sunday, Joaco will try to find his best face to climb positions. His title options are minimal, so the only competing Chilean, after Mito Pereira didn’t make the cut, only yearns to say goodbye to the contest in a better place. Sad Saturday for Niemann on the PGA Tour.