Lowry in control at US Open

Lowry has never finished higher than ninth in majors, although he did win a World Golf Championship event a year ago.

“I know I’m four back, but with this golf course, that can change in a hurry”. “It affects more the softness of the greens, and that makes it a little easier, especially for these pros, to get the ball closer to the hole”. The four holes he played Sunday morning to wrap up the third round were all about setting the stage for the afternoon. I was just trying to push forward today.

Lowry, who began the final round with a four-shot lead, finished on one-under par, three shots behind Johnson, but the Offaly man can be rightly proud of an incredible week’s golf in hugely hard conditions which earned him his best ever finish at a major.

Asked how he coped with the uncertainty of the situation, Johnson said: “I knew I was swinging well and I just kept thinking it’s just me and the course”. In May, he also won the Players Championship, the next best thing to a major. He made eagle on the par-5 12th and a birdie on the par-3 13th to get to 1 under, still four shots behind. It’s an extreme mental test and the US Open is the toughest one for that.

Garcia holed out from a greenside bunker to move to 2 under for the tournament and three shots behind leader Shane Lowry.

Still, he expects there to be some fun and games when the 67 players who made the cut play the final round. Much like Masters champion Danny Willett, he’s been building a rep across the pond and arrives in the United States ready and able to capture any major.

He’s still got an uphill slog to win, but this is the U.S. Open and this is Oakmont. “A lot of fairways, a lot of greens”. I’m going to have to play a good, solid round of golf, though.

The top 10 players are exempt into the U.S. Open next year at Erin Hills. The most memorable failure was a year ago at Chambers Bay in the U.S. Open, when he was 12 feet away from winning and three-putted to finish one behind Jordan Spieth.

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) – Dustin Johnson took the lead going to the back nine of the U.S. Open on Sunday, with plenty of doubts about a potential penalty on the fifth hole. Day had a 69-66 on Saturday in the second and third rounds and at one point got within four shots of the lead.

The most intriguing character is Johnson because of his long list of heartache in the majors, particularly past year at Chambers Bay in the U.S. Open when he was 12 feet away from winning and took three putts to finish one shot behind Spieth. Branden Grace is at one-under with Sergio García and Scott Piercy at even par.

None of the top eight on the leaderboard, who are the only players at par or better after three rounds, have won one of golf’s four majors.

After heavy rains caused long delays on the tournament’s first day on Thursday, Lowry’s five-under-par score comes through 14 holes of his third round after play was called due to darkness on Saturday.

Despite finding the rough off the 17th tee, Lowry got up and down to hole from 10 feet and go back to four strokes ahead, before making a par save from a similar distance at the last to close a five-under 65.