US Open Golf 2022: Rory McIlroy stays alive after losing ground as Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick share lead

Rory McIlroy lost ground but kept his US Open hopes alive on a day when the Country Club at Brookline bared its teeth.

Three-under was the best round of the day, which catapulted Will Zalatoris to the top of the leaderboard at four-under, as a host of players were shown exactly how taxing a test this famous layout is.

McIlroy was one to suffer, and paid the price for some errant shots that were few and far between on days one and two. But he kept scrambling and will go into the final day three shots off the lead.

Matt Fitzpatrick, who has fond memories of the course after winning the US Amateur in 2013, will be in the final group on Sunday alongside Zalatoris after posting a round of 68. He would have had the lead on his own but for a bogey on 18.

With the Country Club sure to be a test once again on Sunday, a host of players well down the leaderboard will fancy their chances if they start well and post a decent number.

The second green was extremely fiery and McIlroy’s excellent tee shot went into the rough, through no fault of his own, and he failed to scramble a par as his putt stopped on the edge of the hole. The look of bewilderment on the Irishman’s face told the story, as the ball looked certain to drop only to hang over the edge.

While the bogey on the second was no fault of his own, the one on three was. A poor second shot and a heavy-handed chip left him with a 12-footer for par. He’s been rock solid all week, but the ball slid across the front of the hole for back-to-back bogeys.

He missed a decent birdie opportunity at four before a wild tee shot on six cost him another shot.

McIlroy’s putting had been so good on Thursday and Friday, but he missed a makeable birdie putt on eight as his frustrations continued.

It looked like he would turn in four-over but rescued a par on nine with an excellent putt that hit the heart of the cup at a nice pace – which was a positive sign heading for the back nine.

The picturesque, but fiendishly difficult, 11th was a challenge for the players on Saturday – with the pin at the back of the green. Many players came up short, but McIlroy flew his wedge all the way to the back tier and was rewarded with a birdie. And with others faltering, he was back within two of the lead.

McIlroy sloppily gave a shot back on 12, but a fist pump greeted a par save on 13. He made a string of impressive par saves on the way home to get round in 73 to sit at one-under.

Defending champion Jon Rahm stood on the 18th tee with a one-shot lead. He walked off the green one adrift of Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick after a double-bogey.

The problems started when his tee shot found the bunker, but he compounded the error by being too greedy with the second and left it in the sand. The third found a plugged lie in the front bunker and three more shots resulted in a round of 71, for a three-under par score.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler held a two-shot lead at one stage after holing from the middle of the fairway on the eighth for an eagle three.

But just as it looked like the world No. 1 was set to engage overdrive and pull away, as he did at the Masters, he made a total mess of the 11th. An errant tee shot left him in the hazard and he took two swipes to reach the green. Two putts resulted in an ugly double-bogey to undo the good work of the eighth – and he slipped down the leaderboard to finish on two-under.

Zalatoris is fashioning a reputation as a big-event player and he carded a three-under 67 to propel himself to four-under and a share of the lead.

“67 feels like a 61 or 62 in my book,” Zalatoris told Sky Sports. “That was probably some of the most solid golf I have played, maybe ever.

“Every time I made a mistake I was able to get back on the horse and correct it, so really pleased.”

Keegan Bradley, who went to university in Massachusetts, will have the crowd with him on Sunday – and he is well placed at two-under after a round of 69.

Collin Morikawa started the day at the top of the leaderboard, but two double-bogeys were the lowlights of a scrappy round of 77. The two-time major winner is still in the mix at two-over and will fancy his chances – as will a host of players