If it was not for the player alongside him in the final group on the last day of the 126th US Open, Wyndham Clark would probably feel entirely comfortable with his gaping six-shot advantage, particularly as he looked so composed in this third-round 70.

Advertisement

But as it is, he will be joined in the spotlight by Scottie Scheffler and it is an understatement to say that the world No 1 has an overload of motivation to win his first national championship. It might seem like it is over, it might feel like it is over. But those two natural forces of golf – Shinnecock Hills and Scheffler – will still demand the 32-year-old from Denver finishes the job.

Pressure will abound, no matter the size of the cushion, or how well the leader is playing. Scheffler turns 30 on Sunday and, just like every American, comes over all cheesy on it being Father’s Day as well. But that is only part of it.

The Texan has the chance to become just the seventh male professional in history to win the career grand slam. And if he achieves that feat here, at one of the true gems of US golf, Scheffler would be five years younger than Rory McIlroy when he completed the set last year.

Advertisement

It would be foolish to right off Scott Scheffler’s chances - David J. Phillip/AP

It is an awful lot to play for, but when Scheffler was asked if he was excited about the opportunity on Saturday evening, he replied in typical trademark style. “I mean, I’d rather be leading,” he said, before expanding on his emotions. “I’ll need a really, really nice round to challenge Wyndham.

“But yeah, I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake. I’ve worked really hard for a long time to have a chance to win majors. And I think understanding the moment and giving it your best shot is all part of the process. So yeah, it’s Father’s Day, my birthday… I kind of lost a day there. You only get one day to celebrate.”

Advertisement

With Clark on seven-under following a 70, Scheffler is in a group in second with two other Americans – Sahith Theegala (70), Sam Stevens (72) – and Korean Tom Kim (72). Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood are the best-placed Englishmen on one-over par after a 74 and 70 respectively. Fleetwood is dreaming of his Sunday 63 here in 2018 that saw the Merseysider almost win. Fitzpatrick’s younger brother, Alex (72), is one further back and dreaming big for his family. “It’s great for my parents,” he said. “They have two shots at the title.”

Perhaps, but who knows what Shinnecock will throw up on Sunday. The US Golf Association had allowed it to firm up and, with a few nasty pin positions, it presented a markedly different test on Saturday. There were five rounds in the 80s and just two in the 60s (Argentine Emiliano Grillo somehow shooting a 67 in the brutal, windy morning conditions) and challenges inevitably went backwards.

Advertisement

Most notable among these was that of McIlroy, whose 73 to leave him on three-over has left him a mountain to climb in these Long Island hills.

It all started so promisingly. The Masters champion thrillingly played his way into contention by picking up three shots in three holes from the fifth. This burst of form was highlighted when he chipped in on the sixth and as he strode to two-under, his candidature verged on the irresistible. But four bogeys in six holes stalled his march and he cut a dejected figure after another bogey on the 18th.

Rory McIlroy cut a dejected figure - Sarah Yenesel/Shutterstock

Scheffler’s adventures were almost the opposite. He looked out of it when he bogeyed the first two holes. He was out of sorts on the range, remonstrating with his coach, Randy Smith, as he struggled to locate his renowned rhythm. And he was not happy with the course, either, shouting “stupid rocks” when playing a poor shot from the bunker on the second.

Advertisement

Scheffler appeared a shadow of his normal, peerless self, who had won four majors in the last three years, including the Open and the US PGA last year. But he hung in there, making pars on the next seven holes before a rare birdie on the 10th. The par four was playing havoc with the field, especially McIIroy who hit his drive to within 50 yards of the pin and then proceeded to take four more down to get into the hole.

Yet while McIlroy was in sharp reverse, Scheffler was just revving up and with three birdies in succession from the 14th, he was suddenly in the upper echelons of the leaderboard. It was a formidable sight for his rivals.

Advertisement

Scheffler bogeyed the 17th, but his 69 took him to one-under, and, even with Clark clear in front, at a place like Shinnecock, where shots can fly away on the wind like confetti in a gale, that is still a tantalising platform from which to launch a bid to follow Mcilroy, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan in the pantheon for those who have won all four majors.

Clark will surely be a tough nut to crack. He won the US Open in 2023 when he thwarted McIlroy down the stretch and the manner in which he eagled the 16th was the stuff of champions. The Ryder Cupper walloped a drive 330 yards on to the right of the fairway and from there conjured an approach from 275 yards to four feet.

Advertisement

If anything, though, his par save on the 17th was even more spectacular.

The bookmakers have him at 1-3, with Scheffler a 7-1 shot. They are probably right, but there is enough room for drama.

01:26am

That is all from us. Join us tomorrow for final round coverage. I would say it is in the bag for Clark were he not playing with Scheffler, chasing that elusive final major...

01:18am

A giant putt for birdie up the hill on 18 from Wyndham Clark gets him to three feet. He misses it cleanly to the right, has not done that much today.

Advertisement

Still, his lead is six shots, thanks to excellent, nerveless putting, resilient play and a few moments of flair. That eagle on 16 was highlights reel fare.

The runaway leader will take some catching. 64, 69 and a level-par 70 today. Scottie Scheffler is on his tail though and this course takes no prisoners.

Having been in the tufty stuff, Fitzpatrick plays a sublime long putt and takes his bogey. 74 for the day, he never recovered from bogeying the first three holes.

01:11am

So many impressive ups and downs from Wyndham Clark today. He may be out in front on eight under, but his defensive golf has regularly been masterful.

Advertisement

Hit most of his fairways and greens tomorrow successfully and he will win at a canter.

01:08am

Clark does not enough on his approach from the rough and it stays at the bottom of the green after threateningly rolling towards the bunker at first.

Fitzpatrick’s lie in the thick grass to the left is covered in grass. Have a go over the bunkers or play it safe with a pitch-out? He does a halfway house, playing forward to within about 50 yards.

01:03am

Stevens pars the last for a 72 and stays on the same score as Scheffler, Theegala and Kim.

Advertisement

This means Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark will be the final pairing tomorrow. What a combo.

12:59am

One more hole to go. Clark seems to have knocked his elbow on something, briefly bothered by it, but there is no way he will be withdrawing from the event. I do not think there would be a way to stop him from teeing off tomorrow.

He drives into the rough on 18, coming out of his swing a tad early.

12:54am

“Holy s---!” Clark exclaims as he whacks it just beneath a TV camera stand into the rough 20 yards wide of the pin. Shinnecock is not done with doling out highs and lows just yet. He gets a decent break and makes the most of it with a delicate chip.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Tom Kim taps in on 18 for a 72 in round three. He is tied on second with Scottie Scheffler, Sahith Theegala and Sam Stevens. This major could transform the Korean’s so-so season.

12:43am

What a time to produce this pinpoint, bold second shot on the par-five 16th, landing on a sixpence over the bunkers and coming round almost pin high. He is feeling no need to play conservatively: if he is going to win this US Open, Wyndham Clark clearly wants to do it his way.

Advertisement

And he will take some beating. He sinks the eagle putt to go seven clear. This is a demonstration.

12:35am

The sun is getting low at Shinnecock Hills. Long shadows on the green at 17 as Tom Kim’s tee shot rolls into the sand trap. A yard to the left and he would have been fine. Still, he plays out deftly to five feet and stays in the red with par.

Pars for Schauffele and Stevens too, fellow contenders.

12:25am

Clark is frustrated as his ball spins back off the green into the first cut on 15, close to the bunker. Another crisp chip gets him to within a few feet... but he misses a shorter putt than the ones he has been making elsewhere. Well, well. Just the five-shot lead, a blemish rather than a problem.

Advertisement

Fitzpatrick’s monster putt is an inch wide. He is the leading European, in the pack on level-par.

12:15am

71-68-71 for Sam Burns. He is in the pack lurking on level-par. Nearly won last year and has given himself a shot at winning his first major tomorrow.

Xander Schauffele has also just moved alongside him after a birdie on 15.

12:13am

Level-par rounds do not get much more balanced. One bogey and he is about to knock in from a few inches for his only birdie to take him to joint-second with Scheffler and Stevens.

Advertisement

One of the shots of the day from the 28-year-old.

12:10am

It does not look like Clark is feeling the nerves yet. His second on 14 is his best iron shot of the round, setting him up for his second birdie of the day. He high-fives congratulatory fans as he walks off the green.

Tom Kim does not hit his par putt up the hill on 15, leaving just three men in the red at Shinnecock Hills: Clark, Scheffler and Stevens.

11:51pm

Clark boldly goes for it from the thick grass but cannot get enough to clear the bunker. With his short back swing, he deliberates over his eight-footer for par... and nails it again! Masterful par-saving so far, five in a row. Moments like that keep his momentum.

Advertisement

Fitzpatrick in no such bother, but his 12-footer for birdie does not quite turn late enough. Chugging along on level-par though, battling away after his dire start.

Tom Kim bogeys 14, getting down in three from the bunker and Keith Mitchell joins Grillo in the clubhouse on level par.

11:42pm

Wyndham Clark has a quick word with his significant other on the way to the par-4 13th. Positive body language there, but a wayward tee shot – right into the fescue there beyond the fairway bunker. Even all his par-saving magic may not be able to get him out of a dropped shot (or two) here.

Advertisement

Wyndham Clark off the tee - Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

11:34pm

His fifth bogey of the back nine. Just like the second round, this one unravelled on 10 and he kept dropping shots, his iron play and short game letting him down. 69, 71 and now 73 – not a promising trend, is it?

You cannot discount McIlroy and there is no such thing as a comfortable lead at Shinnecock Hills, but I reckon he has left himself far too much to do tomorrow.

11:29pm

Stevens misses a shortie, dropping onto one-under with Scheffler. He has three bogeys in a row.

Advertisement

Tom Kim makes a fine approach on 13 and holes the birdie putt to move into outright second place. It is not how you start, it is how you finish.

11:23pm

Silence on 18 as Scheffler does not reduce the deficit or sink his very makeable putt. Nevertheless, he will take a round in the red and signing his card on one-under-par. That wonderful chip in on 14 revitalised his whole round. 72-68-69 for the tournament.

Scottie is in contention, it will be intriguing to see how close to the lead he is at the end of the play and whether he is part of the final pairing.

11:20pm

He saves par again, backing up that peach of a sand shot with his putter. Short game to the rescue from this master scrambler. Still on six-under-par.

11:17pm

A horrid bunker shot from Clark, barely able to see the flag with the wind blowing, but he gets it to within six feet.

Advertisement

His playing partner tomorrow might be Scottie Scheffler. After a booming drive, his approach seems to dance around the pin, grazing it, before coming to rest a few feet away. He will have that for birdie and a 68.

11:15pm

Matt Fitzpatrick to within 20 yards on the 11th. About as good on you can do given the fiendish pin position on a precipice. His younger brother cards a 72, sub-par for the back nine, and is two over going into Sunday.

Advertisement

Not so good from Wyndham Clark, plopping into the bunker. Plenty more twists and turns on this back nine, let alone the tournament.

11:09pm

Well, he won in 2023 and that was a champion’s hold. Sheer willpower seemed to keep that ball in, as it did a little tour of the hole before dropping. He has scrambled well today and holds on to his three-shot lead.

He must know that if he can commit and try to keep the errors minimal, he will be hard to catch.

11:07pm

A lovely bunker shot to seven or so feet, but nothing doing with that par putt. Another twist on this maddening course.

Advertisement

McIlroy misses for birdie on 16 and Clark plays a courageous chip to give himself a fighting chance of par on 10. The pundits on Sky Sports are asking whether even par could win this?

First birdie of the day for Matt Fitzpatrick on 10, moving onto that score. Still time for his round to change.

11:04pm

These balls just do not sit on the greens unless the shot is borderline perfect. Clark has some words for his caddie. Matt Fitzpatrick, ailing on one over par, has landed where he wanted.

Burns bogeys 13 and falls back into the Schauffele-Morikawa pack on level par.

11:02pm

That will hurt the tournament’s Mr Consistency. He falls back to level par.

Just five men in the red on this attritional course: Wyndham Clark on six-under, Stevens on three-under, Scheffler on two-under, then Kim and Burns on one-under.

10:59pm

This sport, this course, eh? The buoyant Scheffler finds the bunker with his tee shot on 17.

As for steady Sam Stevens on ten, his long birdie effort rolls just past the cup. Still, his consistency is keeping him right in the mix, two shots off Wyndham Clark.

10:54pm

His eagle putt stays outside the hole the entire way, but he has found a rich seam of form and belief right when he needed to. Three birdies in a row and on two-under-par, the Texan is right where he would want to be, four shots off the lead.

Wyndham Clark saves par with another nerveless six-footer on nine.

10:49pm

He has a smile on his face after finding a sliver of green among the green-adjacent sand traps and bouncing to within 20 feet on the 16th. Absolutely thumped the drive, now he has that for eagle. World No 1 Scheffler is finishing strongly.

10:46pm

A dire, mis-chip off the back of the green on 15. Very uncharacteristic of McIlroy. It limps up but it cannot stay where he wants and trickles back down. A very serviceable attempt at par, but it slides just left off the hole.

Four bogeys in six holes. Two over par now, eight off the lead for McIlroy.

10:40pm

Clark’s shot from the bunker on eight has too much heat on it. It runs and runs... all the way off the green, quite remarkable. Pitfalls everywhere at Shinnecock Hills. He nearly makes a sensational par save, but that bogey cuts his lead to two over Sam Stevens.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose cards a 73, four-over par for the tournament.

10:33pm

His long putt on 15 is straight in the middle of the cup. Three birdies on the back nine, he is six off Clark. Probably the last player he would want to see closing the gap.

The US Open is the only major he has not won and he is putting himself firmly in the conversation for Sunday at this rate.

10:31pm

You do not see him miss those three-footers often. He has almost the same length left for bogey after that straightforward putt fails to drop. He must be fuming.

Onto one-over par for the Northern Irishman. Just like yesterday, he has had an error-strewn back nine.

10:25pm

Tommy Fleetwood looked frustrated after bogeying the 18th for a one-over total. He believes he should be a couple better, but he has been very consistent - 70, 71, 70. Contrast this with the last time the US Open was here in 2018. Then, for his first three rounds, he was nine-over - 75, 66, 78. Of course, on the final day Fleetwood produced an incredible 63 to finish second. What he would give to replicate that score on this Sunday.

10:24pm

Schauffele on eight skips one through the green, Fitzpatrick and Clark both end up overshooting on seven and having to chip back.

The Englishman almost gets his in, inches away. Clark is hanging tough in front, clenching his fist after making another six-footer.

10:18pm

Don’t forget the world No 1, coming back strongly on the back nine. Chipping in on 14 for birdie from the edge of the green, clenching his fist and showing his emotion.

The host broadcasters like that so much they replay it four times.

10:16pm

A handy par saved on six for Clark. He had to judge a wicked chip from off the green onto the down-slope then found the cup with a nerve-jangling six-footer.

Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood finishes with a bogey on 18. Still, one over par for the tournament on this capricious course gives him a sniff of the win and a 70 will be one of the better rounds of the day.

10:08pm

The wind is dying down, welcome news for the front-runners. Sam Stevens looks like being the man to give Wyndham Clark the biggest problems. He and Xander Schauffele – never outside the top 15 in the US Open in nine appearances, don’t you know? – both hit eight-irons to within 18 feet on the seventh.

10:04pm

After dropping a shot on ten, another here. Back to level par. Testament to the toughness of the back nine, though this is reminiscent of yesterday when 10-11-12 were his undoing.

It is so hard to make a sustained move up the leaderboard on a course which is like playing snakes and ladders.

His tee shot on 13 zips across the green and into the bunker.

10:01pm

Some people in the gallery thought that was going to roll in on the sixth. The Korean needs a reason to be cheerful after three bogeys in five holes.

09:59pm

It could have been even better after getting on the green in two on five, but his putt slid to the right of the hole. A little frown on Clark’s face as he walks away, but his lead is three again and he is back to his overnight score.

09:55pm

Sam Stevens does not have the pedigree of the golfers around him in the ascendancy, but boy he can play. Two birdies already on his card.

09:52pm

Leading by three shots, Wyndham Clark is doing exactly what he needs to do right now. He does not need to force anything or be over-aggressive.

Again, he goes from fairway to the middle of the green on five: textbook. His iron play has been superb at Shinnecock Hills.

09:45pm

The popular English golfer almost chipped in from the bunker on 16, turning away as the ball trickled hole-wards to gauge what happened from the crowd noise. Nearly a no-look eagle, but a straightforward birdie nevertheless. Back in the red for his round.

Tommy Fleetwood is moving up the leaderboard at Shinnecock Hills - Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

09:41pm

Swinging freely, Wyndham Clark lands on the centre of the green at three. He cannot snag a birdie, but he still leads by three. A steady eddy round would probably do him just fine. Fitzpatrick takes par, too, to stop the rot.

09:39pm

A 365-yard drive gets McIlroy to within 50 on the 10th, but he is too aggressive with his approach. The ball skips past the pin, down a slope and off the green.

His return chip shoots past the flag the other way with little spin on it. With a full 20 feet putt back, he has to take his medicine and a bogey. Similar scenario to his five there yesterday.

09:28pm

Three bogeys in a row to start his day, ropey iron play giving himself far too much to do with putter in hand. In the space of 40 minutes, he has gone from second place to T10.

Eagle for Justin Thomas on five, who returns to level par. A first birdie of the day for Scottie Scheffler on 10. On the fringes of the top 10, on one-over par, he is not out of this yet.

Matt Fitzpatrick dropped three shots in his first three holes of the US Open third round - David Cannon/Getty Images

09:23pm

Just been out there on the course and the wind seems to have died a little. It is low tide in Shinnecock and the canny Scottish will tell you that is time to take on the links if you want favourable conditions. The morning starters clearly had the tougher of the conditions, although saying that, there are only six players under par for today. Shinnecock still has teeth.

09:21pm

A fearless up and down in two after walloping his iron over the green. Four off the lead and Wyndham Clark is in danger of dropping another shot on the third.

09:16pm

Consistency (hitting fairways and greens) will be the name of the game over the next few hours. Good, un-flashy, gutsy golf. Sam Stevens moves back to three-under, a ropey tee shot giving him sorts of problems on the third.

Sam Burns joins McIlroy on two-under after a birdie on five. The North Irishman has a job on his hands to save par after hitting his tee shot into the wispy long stuff, well wide of the fairway. And it gets worse for Matt Fitzpatrick, who goes from long grass to bunker on three. Clark is in a similar spot but gets to the bottom of the green.

09:08pm

Ending up off the front of the green on two, Matt Fitzpatrick cannot convert a 10-footer for par after a so-so chip. Two holes, two bogeys and he drops back to one-under. Fortunes can change in 20 minutes at Shinnecock.

Clark taps in for par to steady the ship and any jangling nerves. Morikawa with a bogey too, joins McIlroy.

09:01pm

Three in a row takes him to two-under – and he gets to within six inches with a well-judged putt up the hill on eight, guaranteeing par.

08:58pm

Clark is almost pin high with his second but his ball trickles several yards on a down-slope and he three-putts. Fitzpatrick finds the bunker on the other side, chips out to six feet shy and cannot save par either. Narrowly off-line.

Schauffele shows them how to do it with an excellent par on the second, up and down from a bunker.

08:48pm

Here we go, all the players are out. Wyndham Clark walks with a bit of swagger after finding the fairway with his tee shot. He is the hunted, not the hunter though and Sam Stevens cuts his lead to three with an ideal start on the first.

08:40pm

“Rory! Rory! Rory!” cheers the gallery after an unlikely monster, 50-yard snaking putt on the sixth that turned left at the perfect moment. Impeccable reading of that line.

He clenches his fist. Two in a row, the Holywood hero is in the red and in business.

08:37pm

Sam Burns shouts “fore” on the first, going too far left. His ball lands a foot or two from some grandstand steps. Xander Schauffele finds the smoother stuff. Both are three-under for this US Open.

Just Fitzpatrick and Wyndham Clark left to tee off.

08:30pm

That four-footer drops. The Northern Irishman has not played particularly well, but is hanging in there. His playing partner Maverick McNealy is outshining him, up to two-under.

Meanwhile, Morikawa and Kim tee off. Justin Thomas bogeys the first and Harry Higgs’s par putt slides past the cup too.

08:27pm

It is fair to say that Emiliano Grillo could sell that 67 for a lot of money. The conditions are so severe here and that is relayed in the scorecards. The Argentine’s three-under magnificence is the only completed sub-70 round so far today, but there are already three scores in the 80s. Brutally tough.

08:25pm

The par-five fifth at Shinnecock Hills has been a happy hunting ground for McIlroy, with an eagle and birdie in the first two rounds. However, he picks the wrong club off the fairway and the ball dribbles off the green.

He opts to make a mammoth putt up the slope ratherr than chip and gets to within four feet. He should get back to level par from there.

08:18pm

Beautiful judgment of a looooong birdie putt on 10, inches short. Five pars in a row.

08:12pm

Emiliano Grillo’s birdie putt on 18 goes a little wider astray than he would have liked, but he holes to card 67. Tremendous in such testing conditions, with gusts of 30 and 40mph. The Argentine will be happy to be in the clubhouse on level par.

He started the day in a tie for 46th and will probably finish it inside the top ten.

08:06pm

Scheffler’s gettable birdie bid dies away on four. He simply did not hit it. Nearly putts were the story of his round yesterday. Then he finds the first cut of rough on five.

Playing in the pairing behind him, McIlroy finds the green pin high from the bunker and comes away with par. If he is going to make a move, it probably needs to happen this slightly more favourable run through four, five and six. Maverick McNealy knows that – he takes a neat birdie to move into the red.

Rory McIlroy plays out of the sand - David Cannon/Getty Images

08:02pm

A reminder of the front-runners’ tee times.

20:12 Harry Higgs, Justin Thomas.
20:23 Collin Morikawa, Tom Kim.
20:34 Sam Stevens, Xander Schauffele.
20:45 Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark.

07:54pm

Par for Fleetwood on eight, but that is all right. He is one of the few golfers out there in the red for his round.

McIlroy cannot save par on the third, having wound up in the thick-ish grass off the tee then off the front of the green with a salvage shot. A first bogey of the day, down to one-over. Grillo drops a shot on 17 too, unable to get up and down from the sand trap in two.

07:44pm

This is sloppy from Scottie Scheffler and his shot at completing the career grand slam this week is quickly disappearing out of view. He is clearly not happy, taking his frustration out of the bumpy bunkers. “Stupid rocks,” he said, on his way to bogeys on his first two holes to fall nine off the pace. The world No 1 was out of sorts on the range, remonstrating with his coach Randy Smith as he failed to find his renowned rhythm.

07:34pm

He has gone through the back of the green on the 604-yard 16th in two. No bother, a two-putt would make what could well be the lowest round of the day even sweeter. Bellowing “Go!” at the ball, leaves himself six feet to do just that and sinks the birdie putt – his fifth of the day.

Four-under-par for the day, he is now tied for seventh place. Making moves.

07:30pm

Scheffler finds the sand again with his tee shot and cannot get up and down from there for par. He needs to get out of reverse gear, on two-over par.

07:24pm

Fleetwood leaps up to level-par after an eagle three on the par-five fifth, sinking his putt after reaching the green in two. Just what the doctor ordered.

McIlroy does what Scheffler could not, getting up and down from the greenside bunker for par on the first.

07:17pm

Scottie Scheffler holes a six-footer on the first for bogey, moving to one-over par. That is a result after hacking left and right from fescue to greenside bunker. He will breathe a sigh of relief, take his medicine and regroup.

07:14pm

Next up on the first tee are Rory McIlroy and the marvellously-named Maverick McNealy. The only two players with surnames starting Mc (alas, no Graeme McDowell) to make the cut are playing together.

The stats tell the story for Rory: second for strokes taken off the tee, but not in the top 100 for short game or approach shots. His opening shot trickles into the first cut.

Rory McIlroy starts the third round on level-par - Warren Little/Getty Images

07:07pm

Bogey for Alex Fitzpatrick on the first, failing to get up and down from the greenside bunker in one.

Teeing off in the pairing behind his, Scheffler takes a gamble and smacks a driver off the first tee. Into the light rough. Playing partner Brian Harman just about keeps it on the fairway.

Meanwhile, mover Grillo gets to within half a foot on 14 with his birdie putt. If he can just keep doing that on the last four, he will have transformed his tournament.

06:58pm

The US Golf Association sent out a memo to the players last night warning that the greens would be faster and firmer on the weekend. And with the wind whipping it looks far more like Shinnecock than the first two rounds. A couple of plain nasty pin positions are out there as well. At the moment, of the 50 players on the course, only three are under par for the day.

06:55pm

A first birdie for Miles Russell today on the 14th, the ball rocketing into the hole with the wind behind it. The 17-year-old amateur had his friend, Tiger Woods’s son Charlie, caddying for him in the qualifying tournament and played delightfully yesterday on the way to 71. However, with five bogeys on his card, this is something to smile about.

06:51pm

Emiliano Grillo is putting like a god today. He nearly holes a monster at the 13th, tapping it in par. Finishing on level-par today would be a decent marker and an almighty achievement, playing in the expected worst conditions of the day. Still time for it to all unravel though.

Of the 50-odd players currently on the course, only he, Dustin Johnson and Andrew Puttnam are in the red.

06:46pm

06:45pm

Rai aims a few inches wide of the cup with a short par putt and it does not break at all. Down to two-over par after his first hole. Tommy Fleetwood is also there after a bogey on the third, but he has given himself a chance of birdie. Rose joins them after dropping a shot at the second.

06:42pm

Hats are blowing off after tee shots, flags are fluttering like mad and gusts are rippling across the fescue at Shinnecock Hills. Beastly conditions, though the wind is expected to ease off a little in the afternoon for the leaders.

06:38pm

The PGA Champion is off, playing with Corey Conners today. He will hardly be under-estimated or flying under the radar, but do not discount Wolverhampton’s wonder. One of the game’s most unerring fairway finders off the tee.

Aaron Rai starts the third round on one-over par - Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

06:32pm

After his four-birdie hot streak, the Argentine ranked 116th in the world is still on level-par as he tackles the 12th. One of the few significant movers on a windy, challenging day.

06:26pm

Justin Rose misses his birdie putt on the first by millimetres. He covers his face with his hands, he cannot believe that one rolled on by.

Over on two, Tommy Fleetwood cannot convert his either, despite a deft approach shot.

06:22pm

06:09pm

Fleetwood and Aberg with par on the first. Many will remember the Englishman’s remarkable course record final round of 63 in 2018, which shot him to a second place finish. He messaged his caddie earlier that day and said he would do just that.

“I just had a feeling,” Fleetwood says. “And I was only saying it to my pal, and it was half in jest. There is nothing wrong with positive thinking.”

06:01pm

Classy play from one of the early starters.

05:58pm

Last night, the United States Golf Associations messaged the field, letting them know of their intentions, adjusting them for the wind. Matt Fitzpatrick has already talked to the media about the difficulty of keeping balls on greens in past blustery conditions here. Just one more challenge to factor in.

05:54pm

Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg are straight as arrows on the 380-yard par-4 first. The former Ryder Cup colleagues are playing partners for a third day in a row, both back at one-over.

05:50pm

Mel Reid on the Sky Sports punditry believes anything under 70 will be superb today. There will be some hearts broken today at Shinnecock.

05:45pm

Jordan Spieth is one of four men in the red for their round so far. Michael Kim and Argentinean Emiliano Grillo are purring along, both on three-under for the day and level par for the tournament.

Correction: Grillo just sunk a 20-footer at nine, his fourth birdie in a row and moves to one-under.

05:41pm

Committing to shots, patience and good strikes are the name of the game in the blustery crosswinds.

05:39pm

Here are some of the players and tee times (all BST) to look out for later today:

17:50 Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg.
18:12 Ben Kohles, Justin Rose.
18:28 Aaron Rai, Corey Connors.
19:01 Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman.
19:12 Maverick McNealy, Rory McIlroy.
20:12 Harry Higgs, Justin Thomas.

The front-runners
20:23 Collin Morikawa, Tom Kim.
20:34 Sam Stevens, Xander Schauffele.
20:45 Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark.

05:30pm

Welcome to our live coverage of the third round of the US Open from treacherous Shinnecock Hills.

It is moving day, but on a cruel links-style course with soft greens and winds gusting strongly, upward mobility will be earned by only the most cool-headed and most accurate golfers. Embrace the madness, fellows.

Ten men are in the red, with 2023 champion Wyndham Clark leading by four shots on seven-under. He followed up his remarkable six-under-par 64 on the opening day with 69, shooting the best 36-hole ever score to par at a US Open held here. Breaking records, a year after he smashed up lockers at Oakmont a year ago after missing the cut.

If he can reprise the same shot-making and accuracy which has taken him into the runaway lead, the others might as well pack up their golf bags and go home.

However, momentum can evaporate in the swing of a club here and there is a glut of major winners and recognisable faces in the chasing pack, led by his playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele (looking for a tenth consecutive top 10 finish in this tournament), Sam Stevens and Tommy Kim.

Up to No 4 in the world, helped by three PGA wins, Englishman Fitzpatrick carries hopes of a “UK Slam” after the triumphs of Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai. “I’ve always had belief in myself with what I can achieve,” he said yesterday. “But I am definitely more confident now than I was at the start of the year.”

Frankly, he was expecting worse from the par 70 Shinnecock Hills course. “I really thought it was going to be way more severe, almost unplayable,” Fitzpatrick said. “I was here [in May] before the Memorial. It literally was gusting 45 miles an hour, and the 11th green would not hold the ball. It didn’t matter where I put it, it would not hold the ball.”

Collin Morikawa is on two-under after a sensational 65 yesterday, with Gary Woodland and Justin Thomas lurking on level par in a 12-strong group which also includes Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. They had contrasting second rounds, the Northern Irishman carding 71, throwing away all his consistent front nine work with a string of bogeys, brought about by poor iron play. The American world No 1, seeking a career grand slam, gutted out a 68, finishing strongly in the wind.

Joaquin Niemann is already out on the course, four over par. Credit to him for making the cut – unlike Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry and defending champion JJ Spaun – after carding a septuple-bogey 11 on the par four ninth on Thursday, two more shots later tacked on as penalty for the “serious misconduct” of throwing his club in frustration.

Clark and Fitzpatrick tee off at 8.45pm BST. I’ll post selected tee times above this preview.