US Open round three: Spaun & Burns lead, Hatton, Hovland & Scott in pursuit

Adam Scott is feeling this now after rolling in a birdie on 13 following an awesome tee shot on the par three from 177.

Scott’s been playing pretty well all day and is now starting to get his rewards with his second birdie of the day – he’s only had one bogey today and that was on his opening hole.

Adam Scott finds the rough off the tee so has to lay up before opting to putt out of the fringe around the green with his fourth to the par five.

Scott plays with a long broomhandle putter and I’ve never liked them for either the longer lag putts or playing through the fringe grass, as Scott shows when his putt pulls up way short.

Viktor Hovland makes his par when playing it as a genuine three-shotter, with 25 feet left after his approach safely navigated in two for his five.

Another fine putt from the 15-20 feet range earns Ben Griffin another birdie.

Back to even par and a share of fourth place.

An excellent tee shot gives Tyrrell Hatton an outside chance of an eagle on the par-four 17th.

In the end he makes a birdie three and the Englishman is back to one over par, four off the lead.

JJ Spaun’s par putt from five feet wipes its feet on the way in, but it drops in for the American to stay at three under par.

I don’t recall him missing too many from that range this week.

The players below this pair on the leaderboard will hope one or both show signs of frailty in the closing holes, but at the moment neither is showing any weakness.

Carlos Ortiz bogeys the last hole but he is the clubhouse leader at level par after a three-under-par round of 67 today.

That’s the lowest round of the day.

He’s been in a good pairing today – playing partner Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark went round in 69 to end two over.

I’ve given Brooks Koepka 14 holes and nothing has happened.

He’s just made another par.

I’m having the final four holes off.

(Unless something interesting happens…)

JJ Spaun and Sam Burns have both hit eight of 10 greens in regulation in this third round so far.

Very solid stuff from our two leaders, who continue along their respective merry ways with a two-shot lead over their closest challengers.

Adam Scott really fancies a birdie on 11 after hitting his approach to 11 feet, but it just slides by the hole and the Australian puts his hand over his mouth in disbelief as he thought he’d nailed that one.

Scott’s going along quite nicely but nothing much is dropping his way on the greens – yet.

A 15-footer for birdie on the 11th brings in-form Ben Griffin back to one over par for the championship.

Keegan Bradley made three bogeys in five holes to start his back nine, but with his round slipping away he found a great response with birdies on 16 and 17 to get back to four over.

He’s one over for the day so another birdie on the last would do nicely.

Problems for Tyrrell Hatton, whose second shot to the 15th green goes right.

The Englishman can’t limit the damage – a double-bogey six sends him plummeting back to two over and undoes some of the work he produced earlier on the back nine that got him into contention.

Back-to-back birdies for Viktor Hovland now as he kicks off his back nine by rolling in an 18 footer for a three on the 10th to get back under par for the tournament.

He’s now in a tie for third and heading back in the right direction.

Surely this birdie putt at 13 is going in for Brooks?

Nope, it’s shaved the edge.

Koepka puts his hands on his knees. One of those days.

JJ Spaun is one under for his first nine holes, while Sam Burns has reached the halfway point in level par.

They remain in a share of first place at the 125th US Open.

Jon Rahm’s hopes of a third major championship may well be over.

A double-bogey six on the 15th and a bogey on the last mean he ends the day seven over, 10 shots off the lead.

Copy and paste 22:27 BST post for Brooks Koepka.

Par at the 12th.

I still can’t believe Scottie Scheffler missed a two-foot putt today, but after plenty of ups and downs he ends up right back where he started after a level-par round of 70 sees him on four over.

He played pretty nicely overall other than on the greens, but at seven shots back is he too far behind to challenge tomorrow?

Let your thumbs tell us whether you think he can make a challenge tomorrow or if he’s too far back?

Viktor Hovland takes advantage of that aggressive approach by knocking in the birdie putt on nine to end the first half of his round in positive fashion.

It was a dodgy start but he’s been pretty good since then, but just not taken advantage of the chances he’s been giving himself on the greens.

Still, he’s back to level par, one over for the round, and alongside playing partner Adam Scott in a tie for fourth.

JJ Spaun is the top of the field for strokes gained putting this week, so it’s no surprise to see him competing towards the top of the leaderboard.

A tremendous lag putt from long distance on the eighth helps to secure a par which keeps him level with Sam Burns, who makes a three of his own.