South Africa’s Branden Grace will take a share of the lead into the final round of the US Open Championship after a fascinating third round at Chambers Bay.
The six-time European Tour winner carded a level par 70 to remain four under par, and was joined by Masters Tournament champion Jordan Spieth, his fellow American Dustin Johnson and Australia’s Jason Day.
Day’s inclusion in the leading pack was all the more remarkable as he had collapsed with vertigo during his second round.
The 27 year old Grace hit a stunning fairway bunker shot to three feet for birdie on the fifth.
Another gain on the eighth was cancelled out by a dropped shot on the ninth, and a wild drive at the 12th heralded back-to-back bogeys.
However, Grace – a winner on home soil and in Qatar already this year – fired his tee shot close at the 15th to repair the damage.
“I actually played some great golf and the concentration slipped a little bit around the turn,” said Grace.
“I'm still happy; I'm still in a good position, I'm grinding away. It was a good day out there, but it was tough and I'm looking forward to see what tomorrow has in store for us.
“We all dream of this and we all practice for this, so it's a matter of fact if you grab it or you don't. I played really good today under the pressure.
“Going one behind going into the third round, moving day, was a tough one. I think I'm in a good frame of mind after today going into tomorrow.
“Tomorrow is just going to be another tough grind. The course really firmed up towards the end and played really bouncy and tricky. It was a tough grind. I'm just happy I'm still in a good position.
“I'm stoked. I can't wait. Tomorrow is going to be a good one.
“It's my dream to lead a tournament or tying the lead. To go into a tournament like the US Open, having a chance to win my first major is something special.”
A day after collapsing on the course, Day produced a remarkable performance.
Day was walking from the elevated tee on the par-three ninth - his final hole - on Friday when he suddenly fell to the ground, the 27 year old needing several minutes of treatment before unsteadily getting to his feet and completing his round.
The World Number Ten, who underwent a range of tests after withdrawing from a US PGA Tour event due to severe dizziness three weeks ago, was later diagnosed as suffering from Benign Positional Vertigo and visibly struggled during Saturday's round.
However, after covering the front nine in 37 to fall seven shots off the pace, Day carded five birdies and one bogey to come home in 31 and set the clubhouse target of four under par.
Day, who finished second on his US Open debut in 2011, joint second in 2013 and fourth last year, said: "I didn't feel that great coming out early, I felt pretty groggy on the front nine just from the drugs that I had in my system, then kind of flushed that out on the back nine.
"But then the vertigo came back a little bit on the 13th tee box, and then I felt nauseous all day. I started shaking on the 16th tee box and then just tried to get it in, really.
"Last year I didn't play the round after I had vertigo (at the Bridgestone Invitational) and this one was worse. I think the goal was just to go through today and see how it goes."
Caddie Col Swatton said Day had almost retired three times but added: "He has played well in the US Open before and is playing well in this one. He just dug deeper than he ever dug before. It was really, really impressive."
Day's performance recalled memories of Ken Venturi's victory in the 1964 US Open, the last year the final 36 holes were played in one day.
In oppressive heat, Venturi showed signs of dehydration after a third round of 66 and a doctor recommended he stop playing because it could be fatal. However, Venturi ignored the advice and shot a closing 70 to win his only major title.
Spieth had initially wasted little time taking charge of matters, the World Number Two holing from 35 feet on the second and 40 feet on the third to move to seven under par and into a three-shot lead.
But Spieth's lead disappeared as quickly as it had been established, the Masters Tournament winner three-putting the fourth and dropping another shot on the next after a wayward approach.
Johnson then led when he had a fourth birdie at the ninth to turn in 33, and after a bogey on the 11th went two clear when he drove the 12th green and birdied.
But a double bogey from the bunker at the 13th saw him relinquish his advantage.
Former Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen broke the aggregate scoring record for round two and three with a second successive 66 to join Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Australian Cameron Smith and American JB Holmes in fifth on one under.
