Despite everything that stablemate Lee Westwood could throw at him - a brilliant 65, no less - Rory McIlroy remains poised to become the youngest winner of the US Open Championship since Bobby Jones in 1923.
The 22 year old from Northern Ireland will take an incredible eight shot lead over Korean Y E Yang into the final round at Congressional Country Club.
McIlroy continued his record-breaking week, his three under par 68 taking him to 199, 14 under, and therefore knocking one off the previous lowest three round aggregate in the event.
McIlroy's lead has also been bettered only three times in all Majors. Tiger Woods and Henry Cotton were ten in front at the 2000 US Open Championship and 1934 Open Championship and Woods nine ahead at the 1997 Masters Tournament.
Westwood and Australian Jason Day are one further back in third with American Robert Garrigus, Westwood after a remarkable climbed up from 84th after his opening 75.
Since the very first Open Championship in 1860 nobody has ever lost such an advantage after 54 holes of a Major.
The biggest lead surrendered was Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters Tournament. He was six clear and lost to Nick Faldo by five.
Not that Westwood should totally give up the chase yet. At the 1966 US Open Championship Billy Casper was seven adrift of Arnold Palmer with nine to play and won in a play-off.
McIlroy, having already established the lowest halfway total in the championship's history with rounds of 65 and 66 despite finishing his second round with a double bogey, did well to get through the first four holes in level par.
On the third he had to play a 100 yard pitch to three feet after chipping out of the rough and on the next he was bunkered by the green, but splashed out to a foot.
A 12 footer at the fifth was the boost he wanted, but finding more rough meant he had to settle for pars at the reachable par five sixth and almost driveable eighth.
With others going birdie crazy finding the green in two at the long ninth was a real settler for him, but it had nothing on what came at the 494 yard 11th.
On the hole before he had failed to get up and down from the back bunker for his first bogey of the week and driving into rough down the next raised the pressure bar.
But, fortunate to get a decent lie, he hit a towering iron to 14 feet, read it beautifully and gave a fist-pump that said a lot.
It gave him renewed belief that this is going to be the greatest week of his career so far and an approach to five feet three holes later took him nine clear and to 14 under, previously unchartered territory a tournament renowned as the toughest Major.
He was relieved to see the lead trimmed by only one at the long 16th, Yang missing a seven foot eagle chance, and he had to hole from eight feet for his par at the next after charging his long birdie attempt.
But the 18th, playing only 476 yards rather than 523 on this occasion, did not cause him the same problems it had in the second round and he almost repeated his first day birdie from 15 feet.
Westwood had still been deep in the pack at two over after six, but birdied the next two, had three more in a row from the 13th and followed that with a 20 footer for eagle at the 16th.
Westwood said: “I drove the ball really well. I think I missed one fairway and one green.
"I put myself in position to be able to attack the flags. If you drive the ball well around this golf course it's scoreable."
Westwood's day had not begun well, though. His horse "Hoof It" was a favourite at Royal Ascot, but came in only seventh.
"I knew you were going to bring the horse up," he added with a smile. "Fortunately, I performed a bit better than the horse."
Champion Graeme McDowell's 69 put him joint 21st on level par, Padraig Harrington shot 72 for three over and a tired-looking Robert Rock - who only arrived at 3.30am on Thursday following visa problems - 76 for four over.
World Number One Luke Donald carded 74 for seven over and Phil Mickelson 77 to be on the same mark.
“I knew that I was going to feel a little bit of pressure and a little bit of nerves, and it took me a few holes to get into the round,” said McIlroy. “But I think the up and down on three from 90 yards was huge. That gave me a little bit of momentum - I sort of found my rhythm quite quickly after that.
“But very pleased again. Played really, really solid golf on the back nine, and just that little blemish on the tenth, but I hit a really good shot in there, just was a couple yards too big. Overall, I'm really happy with the way I played today and I just need to do that for 18 more holes.
“I thought today would be a really good indication on how I was going to fare over the whole weekend because going out in the last group with the lead - obviously having a big lead can come with its own pressures. You want to try and keep the lead and try and push on.
“But I felt very, very comfortable out there today. As I said, the first couple of holes just took me a bit of time to get into the round.”
