U.S. Open set for thrilling finale in LA

Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark will share the lead heading into the final round of the U.S. Open but they have Rory McIlroy and World Number One Scottie Scheffler breathing down their necks at The Los Angeles Country Club.

Fowler entered day three with a one-shot lead over Clark and extended that to two stood on the final tee but a dramatic two-shot swing on the 18th meant they will both go in search of a maiden Major Championship at ten under.

Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex leader McIlroy was then at nine under, two shots clear of Scheffler.

The North Course had seen record low scores early in the week but they were a thing of the past as the layout dried out, with Scheffler carding a 68, McIlroy and Clark a pair of 69s and Fowler - who is seeking a wire-to-wire victory - a level-par 70.

The California native has some pedigree in golf's four biggest events, finishing in the top five in all of them in 2014, but dropped to 185th in the Official World Golf Ranking nine months ago before climbing back into the top 50.

A victory for the man who won the PLAYERS Championship in 2015 would be a third on the DP World Tour and first worldwide since 2019, while Clark won his maiden PGA TOUR title just last month at the Wells Fargo Championship.

"To win would be huge," said Fowler. "It would be great. Especially being here in Southern California, having a lot of people, family and friends that are out here this week.

"We have a chance tomorrow. After going through the last few years, I'm not scared to fail. I've dealt with that. We're just going to go have fun, continue to try to execute, leave it all out there, see where we stand on 18.

"I would say this week, this is the best I've felt all year and definitely in a long time. This is the best I've felt, let alone in a normal tournament but especially a Major, and I would say really ever in my career."

Fowler made an impressive two-putt birdie from off the green at the par-five first but he dropped a shot after a poor tee-shot on the second and was soon in a three-way tie for the lead.

Clark had made a two-putt birdie on the first to get into double figures, with McIlroy also birdieing the hole after a booming 388-yard drive and then adding another gain with a 12 foot left-to-righter on the third.

A stunning approach to seven feet handed Clark the solo lead at the third and with McIlroy and Fowler dropping shots at the fourth and fifth respectively, the advantage was two shots.

Fowler made a brilliant 36-footer on the seventh to get back within one and when the leader dropped shots on consecutive holes, finding sand off the tee on the 11th and getting in trouble down the left on the 12th, Fowler was back in front.

McIlroy three-putted the 13th to drop two back and moments later on the same green, Fowler holed a remarkable 69-footer from the fringe before Clark followed him in from a fifth of that distance.

A smart up-and-down on the 14th had McIlroy two off the top and Clark dropped alongside him after a poor second led to a drop on the 17th.

But a stunning approach to six feet at the 18th saw Clark pick the shot straight back up, while a Fowler three-putt left us tied at the top.

"I wanted to be in the final group," said Clark. "Every shot matters out here. And on top of it, we couldn't see. So just the fact making it when we were kind of just feeling it and didn't really have the clearest of reads - there's a lot of emotion. It's a U.S. Open and I wanted to be in that final group.

"I played really good. The front nine I kind of had it going. A couple of loose shots on six, not getting up and down there for birdie and then not birdieing the par five

"But I felt like I handled all of it really well. I had two back-to-back bogeys which were unfortunate but followed it up with birdie, and then birdieing at the end I felt like I handled all the adversity and I feel like my best round is still out there."

Scheffler took advantage of the par-five first and 14th, while also adding a birdie from six feet on the sixth but bogeys on the second, fifth, 13th and 16th had him a long way off the lead.

A moment of brilliance followed as he holed out from 196 yards for an eagle on the 17th and a 22-footer on the last meant he was in a strong position to challenge for a second Major.

Harris English was at six under, a shot clear of Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele and two clear of Japan's Ryutaro Nagano.

South Korea's Tom Kim was then in the group at nine under after a 66 that saw him turn in 29 - matching the U.S. Open record.