Bryson DeChambeau will take a commanding three-shot lead into the ultimate spherical of the 124th US Open, with Rory McIlroy a part of the chasing pack regardless of a irritating end at Pinehurst No 2.
DeChambeau overcame a hip subject and sluggish begin to his third spherical to card three birdies in a five-hole stretch to tug away from a congested leaderboard, with solely a double-bogey late in his spherical stopping him from an excellent larger benefit.
The world No 38 additionally recorded six birdies and one bogey throughout an eventful third-round 67, shifting him to seven below and in pole place to win the occasion for a second time as he sits three away from McIlroy, Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay.
McIlroy stays in competition to assert an elusive fifth main regardless of two late bogeys in his 69, with Hideki Matsuyama and in a single day chief Ludvig Åberg 5 again forward of England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Tony Finau.
How DeChambeau took cost of Pinehurst take a look at
Dechambeau began the day one adrift of the Swede and scrambled a par on the first to keep away from falling additional behind, solely to then drop two behind when Åberg rolled in from 30 ft on the third and he missed from 4 ft to match the birdie.
The 2020 US Open champion bounced again from bogeying the par-four fourth to rise up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-five fifth, then added one other from 11 ft on the seventh to affix Åberg one behind Pavon.
Frenchman Pavon – enjoying three teams forward – carded a front-nine 32 to succeed in the flip one forward however missed a possibility to double his benefit on the par-five tenth, earlier than a bogey on the subsequent noticed him slip right into a four-way tie with Åberg, DeChambeau and Finau.
DeChambeau moved into the solo lead after matching Åberg’s birdie on the tenth, with the American then receiving therapy within the woods for a hip damage earlier than making a 15-footer on the subsequent to double his benefit.
As a number of of the chasing pack dropped pictures over the again 9, DeChambeau recovered from burning a six-foot birdie have a look at the thirteenth – the place Åberg made a triple-bogey – to select up a shot on the subsequent and get to eight below.
McIlroy had been three below for his spherical till bogeying each closing par-threes, dropping him again to 4 below alongside Pavon, leaving DeChambeau briefly 4 clear till he noticed his ball roll again to his ft on his option to a double-bogey six on the sixteenth.
DeChambeau replied strongly as he birdied the par-three subsequent and two-putted the final to remain three forward, with the 30-year-old now hoping to go one higher than final month’s runner-up end on the PGA Championship and add to his main tally.
“I gave it everything I had out there today,” DeChambeau instructed Sky Sports activities. “The crowd support has been fantastic. It’s amazing. I can’t thank them enough – and I’ll continue to feed off of them. Tomorrow it’s about fairways and greens and let’s see if I can give them something special.”
Cantlay carded a third-round 70 to arrange a Sunday showdown with McIlroy – who combined 4 birdies with three bogeys – within the penultimate group, the primary time the pair have been grouped collectively since their fiery encounter eventually 12 months’s Ryder Cup.
“I’m pretty much in the same position that I was last year going into the final day at LACC,” mentioned McIlroy, who completed runner-up to Wyndham Clark in 2023. “So familiar position, been here many times before, and hopefully I produce the golf that’s needed to go one better.”
Solely eight gamers stay below par for the event heading into the ultimate day, with Collin Morikawa shifting inside the highest 10 following a round-of-the-day 66, whereas world No 1 Scottie Scheffler’s hopes ended after a 71 dropped him to 6 over.
Who will win the third males’s main of the 12 months? Watch the US Open reside on Sky Sports activities. Stay protection of the the ultimate spherical begins on Sunday from 2pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Stream the US Open and extra with NOW.
Get the perfect costs and guide a spherical at one among 1,700 programs throughout the UK & Eire