Bryson DeChambeau moves ahead at U.S. Open

Bryson DeChambeau will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the U.S. Open after carding a 67 on a testing Moving Day at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.

The No. 2 Course is always a daunting challenge but on a day with more wind than rounds one and two, just seven players broke 70 as DeChambeau moved to seven under.

Rory McIlroy and Matthieu Pavon were among them, signing for rounds of 69 to sit alongside Patrick Cantlay, who stayed at four under after a 70.

Swede Ludvig Åberg carded a 73 to sit five shots off the lead alongside Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who recorded a 70.

DeChambeau won this title in 2020 and is continuing a fine run of form in the Majors in 2024, having finished sixth at the Masters and second at the US PGA Championship.

"I made a lot of great putts today, I'll tell you that," said the home favourite. "Pleased with how I struck it for the most part. 

"Got to work on that just a little bit but I feel pretty confident over the tee-shots.

"I'm just going to say it, tomorrow it's the same quote I've said all week: Trying to have boring golf. 

"Middle of the greens never moves, so I am going to try and hit a lot of the greens, give myself some good looks on some holes and two-putt a lot."

The third was playing just 316 yards on day three and Åberg drove up to the side of the green and holed from 28 feet to get up and down and extend his one-shot overnight lead to two.

A poor second at the next led to a bogey and Pavon took the opportunity to leapfrog his way into the lead.

After putting an approach to six feet at the first and making a two-putt birdie at the par-five fifth, the Frenchman holed from 21 feet at the seventh to jump ahead but three putts from just off the front of the 11th dropped him into a four-way tie.

Åberg fell out of that bunch when he saw a bunker shot roll off the ninth green but he picked the stroke straight back up on the par-five next after missing a nine-footer for eagle.

Playing partner DeChambeau had missed from four feet for birdie on the third and bogeyed the next but he got up and down from the sand on the fifth and put an approach to 12 feet at the seventh.

He called for the physio around the turn but looked in fine fettle as another up-and-down from the sand on a par five at the tenth handed him the lead and a nerveless 13-footer on the next had him two ahead.

McIlroy played an excellent bunker shot on the third to set up a birdie but three-putted the sixth and was treading water until he put a tee-shot to eight feet on the par-three ninth.

A beautiful approach to ten feet at the 12th was followed by a tap-in at the 14th to leave him one back and when DeChambeau hit a poor tee-shot into the bunker on the 13th, all the momentum looked to be with the Northern Irishman.

But he bogeyed the par-three 15th after finding sand off the tee himself and DeChambeau played a brilliant second to help save par and lead by two again.

Åberg played over the 13th green twice to surrender a triple-bogey and with Pavon dropping a shot on the 16th, the challengers were beginning to get spread out.

DeChambeau gave a big fist-pumping celebration as he holed a nine-foot putt for birdie on the 14th, stretching his lead to four as McIlroy found a bunker off the tee again at the par-three 17th.

The leader had been relentless but he came up short at the 16th and saw his third roll off the green as he gave up a double-bogey, only to birdie the 17th after a brilliant tee-shot to 12 feet.

American Cantlay made two birdies and two bogeys, while Matsuyama had four of each to sit a shot ahead of another American in Tony Finau and England's Tyrrell Hatton.

Collin Morikawa cared the lowest round of the day with a 66 to sit at level par alongside Canadian Corey Conners and South Korea's Tom Kim.