Brian Harman takes US Open lead after day three

Dress rehearsals are all very well but Rory McIlroy confessed that when the curtain went up he was unprepared and fluffed his US Open lines. Yet by close of play, he did not even lead the tournament. After McIlroy missed the cut, Elkington posted that the Northern Irishman looked “bored playing golf” and added that “without Tiger (Woods) the threshold is prolly 4 majors with 100 mill in bank”.

Instead, Fleetwood was grateful for the closing bogey, and heads into the final round of the 117th U.S. Open one back of leader Brian Harman.

He three-putted on No. 13.

Oosthuizen, whose sole major title to date came at St Andrews in 2010, birdied the first, fourth, seventh and eighth to move to four under par, while 2015 victor Spieth had covered his first 11 holes in level par.

“I’m a part of history”.

NOTEWORTHY: None of the top 18 players on the leaderboard have won a major.

Lowry’s opening 71 might have been a 68 or 69 had he not lost focus towards the end of the day.

Some of those who came out to the U.S. Open said they wanted to experience the tournament and check out the lovely Erin Hills Gold Course.

Day at least managed to find one positive spin.

The 54-year-old Australian snapped back: “New you were a money guy”.

China’s Li Haotong, who on Friday became the first player from mainland China to make the cut at a major, bombed out of contention with a 10-over-par 82.

Fowler will have to play better than he did Saturday to win, and that’s saying something.

Behind the leading quartet, a logjam grouped eight players within two shots of the lead.

He never would have guessed it.

For the first time since the world golf rankings were established in the mid-1980s, the top-three ranked players missed the cut in a Major – last year’s victor and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (73) finished on four-over 148, three off the cut, and No. 3 Jason Day had a second-round 75 to finish on 154. Certainly, not anyone who will be at Erin Hills for what promises to be an exciting Father’s Day Sunday. And even that was frustrating.

Even at 7,818 yards, almost 4 ½ miles, the kids are having their way, with five players joining Thomas with double-digit under-par totals on Saturday and more than half the remaining field, 42 of 68, lingering on the red side of par. He is 1 over for his round with six holes.

In defence of the U.S. Golf Association, the wide-open course was designed and set up to be played in strong winds and with firm and fast fairways and greens.

McIlroy dismissed the notion of being rusty before the tournament, but conceded on his way out of Wisconsin that he hasn’t played almost enough. Aside from Rickie Fowler – who is ranked ninth in the world, contended at the Masters two months ago, and had top-5 finishes at all four majors in 2014 – no one among the top nine can lay claim to any kind of major championship insight.

“Every time I’ve been in majors so far, I’ve put so much emphasis on them and tried so hard”. If I go out and shoot 65 or 85, I can still walk off the last green with one of my best mates in the world.

His schedule will pick up immediately.

There had been four other 63s in US Open history before this week. His first love, he told me, was baseball.

Johnson, who arrived late at Erin Hills following the birth of his second child on Monday, will now have extra time to spend with his infant son after returning a 73 for four-over. He is long and straight off the tee and an excellent chipper from closely mown areas around the green. I think being exempt and coming in a little early and not having it be so hectic the week of has definitely helped.

After waiting while playing partner Jonathan Thomas hit his third, fourth, fifth and sixth shots, Thomas stood over his ball for a couple seconds and rolled it in for an eagle. And it’s taken me a long time to get it back.