Please use the following links:
Day joins foursome in US Open lead
Mickelson prolongs his US Open drought
Rory rues putting woes at US Open
Day joins foursome in US Open lead
TACOMA, 21 Jun 2015 (AFP) - Americans Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, Australian Jason Day and Branden Grace of South Africa will share the lead going into Sunday's final round of the US Open.
The international quartet emerged ahead from a day of all-out attrition on the unforgiving links of Chambers Bay golf course that saw just eight players still under par by the time the dust had settled.
The round of the day though came from Jason Day, who came close several times to abandoning due to vertigo sickness, only to battle back against the odds with five birdies down the back nine.
His 68 put him at four-under 206 and he was soon joined by Johnson, who had a 70, Spieth with a 71 and Grace who signed for a 70.
They were three shots clear of the field with four players tied on one under - Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, who had the round of the day with a 66, Cameron Smith of Australia (69), Shane Lowry of Ireland (70) and JB Holmes of the United States (71).
In a day of dramas, Day's heroic effort was the most dramatic of all.
He collapsed playing the final hole of his second round on Friday, struck down by another attack of the vertigo which he has been suffering from for the last year.
He had to be helped onto the green to finish his round and then needed extensive medical treatment before waking up on Saturday and deciding to step onto the tee in the early afternoon despite still feeling unwell.
At times he struggled to stay on his feet, looked distressed throughout, and even had difficulty glancing up to follow his ball in flight.
But somehow he kept his game together as others around him came to grief on a golf course that takes no prisoners. Day on the contrary picked up shots.
"I didn't feel that great coming out early, and then I felt pretty groggy on the front nine just from the drugs that I had in my system, then kind of flushed that out on the back nine," the 27-year-old Queenslander said.
Johnson, who has come close in the past in all four of the majors but has yet to win one, stained his round with three bogeys and a double.
But his length was always going to be a godsend on this monster course as he also rattled in five birdies to keep himself on par for the day.
"I've been in the situation a few times so I know how to handle myself," he said.
"I know what it takes to get it done. And tomorrow just need to go out there and focus on one shot at a time. And we'll see what happens.
Masters champion Jordan Spieth was three strokes clear after just three holes before his magical putting touch left him.
But he finished strongly to climb into the four-way tie boosting his hopes of becoming the first players since Tiger Woods in 2002 to win the Masters and the US Open in the same year.
"Four three-putts today, two of them I could not do much about them. The other two were unforced. All in all it was just a little bit off. But plenty of birdies. Just need to limit the mistakes tomorrow," the 21-year-old Texan said.
Grace, at 27 the latest ace to emerge from the golfing academies of South Africa, grappled with the lead all day before bogeys at 12 and 13 pegged him back.
But he rallied again with a birdie at 15 to join the leaders and keep alive his hopes of winning a first major title.
"I'm stoked. I can't wait. Tomorrow is going to be a good one. Like I said, this is what we play golf for. So it's my dream to lead a tournament or tying for the lead," he said of the challenge ahead of him on Sunday.
World number one Rory McIlroy hit an array of superb shots, but at the end of the day his 70 meant he was still four over for the tournament and needing a minor miracle on Sunday to win a fifth major title from eight strokes back.
Phil Mickelson's chances of finally winning a US Open, after a record six runner-up finishes, were wrecked when a 77 left him a distant 10 over.
Mickelson prolongs his US Open drought
TACOMA, 21 Jun 2015 (AFP) - Phil Mickelson's US Open winless drought continued at Chambers Bay after his bid for a career Grand Slam skidded to a halt on a murderous row of front nine par-fours on Saturday.
The 45-year-old American had five bogey's on the front nine en route to a seven-over 77 in the third round of the 115th US Open.
"As bad as my score was, I hit a lot of good shots that ended up as bogeys," said Mickelson.
Mickelson has finished second a record six times at the US Open and needed to win in Chambers Bay to become the sixth player in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
The crowd favourite finished his round with nine bogeys, two birdies to go with seven pars.
Mickelson needed a good showing Saturday after shooting a second round four-over 74, but his game started heading south early on in the third round and continued to go downhill.
He started the day at three-over but the first sign of trouble came on the second tee box.
Already reeling from two bogeys on his first three holes, Mickelson headed to one of the toughest four-hole stretches of par fours in the history of the US Open, beginning with the 509-yard No. 4.
By the time he made the turn he was at five-over 35 and his chances of claiming his first US Open title had all but vanished.
Mickelson parred No. 1 but followed with three straight bogeys starting with the par-four 399 yard second hole.
His tee shot on No. 2 found the deep rough on the left side of the fairway. He knocked it out but the ball sailed across the fairway into the thick fescue on the right side, coming to a stop on the side of a slope and giving him an awkward downhill stance for his approach to the green.
Mickelson then hit a fine recovery shot to about 10 feet but ended up two-putting for a bogey.
He teed off on the par-three third but his ball landed on the lip off the green and after a slight hesitation it rolled about 40 feet downhill giving him a long chip to the green. His first putt from 10 feet missed just left and he had to settle for another bogey.
He bogeyed two of the holes and parred the other two through the difficult par-four stretch to get him to four over on the day and seven over for the tournament.
Rory rues putting woes at US Open
TACOMA, 21 Jun 2015 (AFP) - Rory McIlroy endured one of the most agonising putting displays of his career at the US Open on Saturday as his hopes of a fifth major title were badly dented.
The world number one started the day nine shots adrift of joint leaders Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed and sorely in need of a barnstormer of a round.
He delivered off the tee and fairways with some superb shot-making, but time and again he missed with the putter from within eight feet.
At the end of the day, two front nine birdies were matched by two back nine bogeys and McIlroy was back where he started at four over par.
"I'm hitting great shots and great drives and giving myself chances the whole time," he said.
"So it's just hard to stay patient whenever I'm not holing anything. I feel mentally I've accepted most things this week, which is good."
The putting woes he experienced on Saturday were not new as he had gone through something similar in the two opening rounds.
And he was not alone in that amid a welter of criticism from players that the fescue grass greens are simply not up to championship standard.
Among the latest to have a go at the greens after Friday's play was Sweden Henrik Stenson who said it felt like putting on broccoli.
Asked if he agreed, McIlroy said: "I don't think they're as green as broccoli. I think they're more like cauliflower.
"Like, they are what they are, everyone has to putt on them. It's all mental. Some guys embrace it more than others, and that's really the way it is.
"It is disappointing that they're not in a bit better shape."
McIlroy, who won his first major at the 2011 US Open on the other side of the United States, said that he had not yet ruled out a final surge for the title on Sunday.
But asked if we would come out super-aggressive, he replied: "I don't think I can.
"I've hit it as well as I can. And I've given myself plenty of chances. Just try to do the same thing and try to play the birdieable holes better.
"There are chances that you need to take advantage of out here.
"Keep trying and keep going, but give it a good go tomorrow.
"I'm glad my name is on the trophy at least once and I'll try to make it twice at some point."