England’s Matt Fitzpatrick on track to join Jack Nicklaus in history books with clubhouse lead at US Open

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Fitzpatrick would have taken the outright clubhouse advantage, but for a bogey on the 18th. But he was not moaning, particularly as he peered at the leaderboard and saw the idendidties of those who were struggling. McIlroy bogeyed three of the first six holes and actually fared valiantly to hang on and post a 73 to move back to one-under.

That is plenty close enough, but McIlroy will be desperate to ensure that his putter does not catch a dose of the chills as it did early on Sunday. Thankfully, it regained its previous hotness, as he astonishingly made eights single putts in nine holes from the ninth. That alone kept alive the 33 year-old’s hopes of a first major in eight years.

Sunday should be dramatic, if only because no lead is safe at The Country Club. Not when it is playing like this. This was highlighted by none other than world No 1 Scottie Scheffler. Looking to become just the sixth player in history to win the Masters and the US Open in the same season, Scheffler was in command when he holed from 101 yards for an eagle on the eighth. That took him to six-under and two clear and it seemed like Augusta National all over again.

But in a startling mini-collapse, Scheffler dropped five shots into four holes from the 11th, double-boegying the shortest hole on the course and then compounding that error with three bogeys in succession. He stopped the rot with a par on the 15th and birdied the 17th to post a bizarre 71 and remained in contention on two-under alongside Keegan Bradley, the Massachusttes local lad who fired a 69.

Collin Morikawa enjoyed no such fightback. The joint-overnight leader went out in a three-over 38, with a double-bogey on the seventh, and then took another six on a par-four at the 13th. Playing the last, the world No 7, looking for his third major title in just his 12th major start, was seven-over for the day and two-over for the tournament.

There is no LIV Golf representation at the business end of the leaderboard. Fifteen of the players who have signed with the Saudi rebel circuit set out here in Boston, but only four survived the cut. Dustin Johnson is best-placed on two-over, following a 71, while Richard Bland, the 49-year-old defector from Southampton, is on four-over after a 72.

LIV’s next $25 million, no-cut event is in 12 days time in Portland, Oregon. That 48-man field is set to be announced early next week and rumours are rife that there could be a few new big names in the ranks, with Matsuyama a strong mention in the locker room.

US Open, third round: as it happened .

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