June 21--Meanwhile, at the U.S. Open a fire has broken out.
Not really, but nearby there appears to be a warehouse engulfed in flames, sending a thick cloud of black smoke into the sky near the site of the 115th U.S. Open.
On the course, which is unaffected, Brendan Grace is now the leader at Chambers Bay at six-under with Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson now tied for second through eight and seven holes, respectively.
Grace is two-under through eight holes after shooting two birdies in Saturday's round. He also had an eagle in both the first and second rounds.
Spieth followed his back-to-back birdies from earlier with back-to-back bogeys. A 16-foot birdie putt put him back in control, but he needed an extra shot on the seventh hole. Back and forth he goes.
Johnson maintained his position by saving par on No. 8 after an errant shot rolled off the course, down a hill. Each time it appeared to be coming to a stop it just kept going.
Eventually, he was granted a drop and was able to get the ball back onto the green and two-putt to par.
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Jordan Spieth began pulling away from the field Saturday afternoon at Chambers Bay as soon as his third round began.
Spieth, who entered the weekend tied for first with Patrick Reed after 36 holes of golf at the U.S. Open, opened with birdies on three holes to move to seven-under.
The Masters champion sank birdie putts of 38 and 41-feet on the second and third holes.
Reed didn't fare as well on No. 2.
He carded a double-bogey there after sending his tee shot into the rough on the left side of the fairway. He then found the frontside bunker on his next shot and after that, the rear one.
Reed is now three-under, tied for third with Joost Luiten of Netherlands (par through five holes) and Dustin Johnson (one-over through four).
Brendan Grace of South Africa is also shooting par through four holes which leaves him at four-under, and in second place behind Spieth.
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Louis Oosthuizen is trying to stage a comeback at the U.S. Open.
Oosthuizen was nine-over par through the first 20 holes of the tournament, which included a first-round 77. Since then, the 2010 British Open champion has been nine under. Through 12 holes Saturday, he sat five strokes behind the leaders.
He almost moved to under par for the tournament on the ninth when he nearly made a hole-in-one. His 226-yard shot rolled across the hole and bounced off the flag. He then needed two putts to bridge the gap from the nine-foot ricochet.
But he hit a setback on 530-yard, par-4 11th, misjudging a six-foot putt for his first bogey on the day. He made up for it by sinking a birdie on the 12th hole.
Rory McIlroy's attempt to climb the leaderboard faded as he struggled to tame the greens on the back nine. He finished the round with an even-par 70 to remain at four over for the tournament.
Phil Mickelson is five over on the day through 12 and Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters Champion, is even after seven holes to stay at one over.
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Rory McIlroy's smooth start to the round hit turbulence on the 10th and 11th holes.
McIlroy, ranked No. 1 in the world, settled for par on 10 after missing a seemingly straightforward four-foot putt. He then bogeyed the par-5 11th after needing three putts to bridge the 46-foot gap from his approach shot. He stands at one under through 12 holes and three over for the tournament.
Louis Oosthuizen, who shot a first-round 77 playing alongside Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler, is off to a strong start after his 66 on Friday. The South African is at three under through seven holes to move to within five strokes of leaders Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Oosthuizen is nine under through his last 22 holes.
Of course, not everyone is finding cause for optimism on Chambers Bay's crispy links and greens. Sergio Garcia renewed his criticism of the Chambers Bay course after completing an even-par 70 to remain at five over.
"It's like playing [the] NBA Finals on a court with holes and slopes and no backboards," Garcia told Fox Sports.
Phil Mickelson is at four over on the day through seven holes and Angel Cabrera, the 2007 U.S. Open champion, moved to nine over with a round of 74.
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Rory McIlroy is trying to climb back into contention.
The 2011 U.S. Open winner, who is targeting his fourth-career major title, moved to two-over par for the tournament after completing the front nine at Chambers Bay at two under. He's still seven shots behind of the leaders.
Phil Mickelson, however, continues to fade, bogeying two of his first three holes to move to five over. Mickelson has struggled since a strong opening round as he looks to complete a career Grand Slam by winning a U.S. Open title.
Former U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson fell further out of contention. He finished the round with a one-over-par 71 to move to six over for the tournament.
Jason Day, who collapsed on the course Friday after suffering from a case of vertigo, said he will play Saturday. Day finished the second round after being treated by medical workers on the final hole. He enters the third round tied for ninth at two under.
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Jordan Spieth's dominant win at the Masters in April raised questions as to whether the 21-year-old wunderkind was poised to be the next great American golfer.
Through 36 holes at the U.S. Open, Spieth has lived up to his budding, yet bold reputation as one of golf's elite players.
Spieth shares the lead with Patrick Reed at five-under par heading into Saturday's third round at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash. Spieth vaulted to the top of the leaderboard Friday after finishing with a three-under 67 to tie for the day's second-best round. He made six birdies on the day.
Still, it won't be easy for Spieth to maintain his quest to win the second leg of golf's single-season Grand Slam.
Reed has put together two strong rounds, posting a 66 on Thursday and 69 on Friday to stay at the front. Just behind them are Branden Grace (-4) and Dustin Johnson (-4).
Other notables include Jason Day (-2), Henrik Stenson (-1), Jason Dufner (even), Adam Scott (+1), Ernie Els (+2), Phil Mickelson (+3) and Rory McIlroy (+4).
The third round of the U.S. Open started at 8:03 a.m. PDT. The leaders won't take the course until 2:50 p.m.
Be sure to check back here for live updates Saturday afternoon.
