Martin Kaymer proved he was human after all as a round of two-over par 72 reduced his advantage going into the final day of the US Open to five shots.
A combination of firm greens, which lost the moisture from Thursday night’s rain, and some devilish pin positions made it an extremely difficult day for scoring, and there were just two sub-par rounds – matching three-under par 67s by Rickie Fowler and qualifier Erik Compton, who is lucky to be playing the game after undergoing two heart transplants.
Kaymer produced a grandstand finish with a birdie on the last hole and finished on eight-under par 202 after 54 holes, with both Fowler and Compton at 207.
Big-hitting Swede Henrik Stenson and American Dustin Johnson shot similar rounds for the third consecutive day – 69, 69 and 70 – to be tied fourth at two-under par 208.
World No1 Adam Scott slipped to three-over on the back nine to be 11 shots behind Kaymer on 213, the same as world No6 and 2012 champion Rory McIlroy (74). Defending champion Justin Rose (70) was tied 10th at 211.
Starting the day at 10-under par, the 29-year-old started with two bogeys in his first four holes, needing a 20- foot putt at the fourth just to salvage a bogey.
At the par-5 fifth, Kaymer blasted his tee shot into the sandy area lurking beyond the fairway, but then muscled his approach shot to five feet from the pin and made the eagle putt.
At the sixth, he rolled a 50- foot birdie attempt past the hole and off the far side of the turtlebacked green, then made an up and down for bogey.
On the back nine, bogeys on 13th and 15th holes gave further hope to the rest of the field.
Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson’s dream of a first-ever US Open in 24 attempts was all but over after a third-round two-over par 72 did not improve his position much.
Mickelson was even par for the day until bogeys at 14 and 16, and he said: “Pins were very difficult. The only birdie pin I thought was easy was 18. But the greens were receptive; it wasn’t unfair.
“I kept waiting. Well, I can’t get to this one, I’ll get to maybe the next hole. Finally, we got to the 18th and I’m like, ‘I can get to the pin’.”
But the American, who has finished runner-up six times in US Opens, did not lose his sense of humour and said: “If I hit it better and make some putts, I think I can shoot 4- or 5-under par, end around even and finish second again!”
