Rory McIlroy is in the running to clinch the elusive fifth major title at the US Open, a feat that has so far escaped the Northern Irish golfer.
McIlroy, who previously triumphed at the US Open at Congressional Country Club in 2011, successfully navigated the notoriously challenging Pinehurst No. 2, scoring a two-under 68.
This was one of the superior scores on Saturday as conditions, referred to by Shane Lowry as 'torture', kept scores high.
After a bogey on the par-three sixth, McIlroy managed three birdies in his next eight holes before his tee shot at 15 landed in the bunker. He failed to recover smoothly, losing another shot before repeating the same on the 17th.
Despite this, McIlroy's performance remained promising. Bryson DeChambeau currently leads heading into the final day, with the LIV Golf star aiming for his second major title following an impressive performance.
The American has shown excellent form at the majors this year, narrowly missing out on another title at Valhalla last month when Xander Schauffele held his nerve to win by a single shot.
The American seemed to have injured his right hip but quickly recovered with consecutive birdies as he excelled down the back nine. Meanwhile, McIlroy is determined to fight until the end.
McIlroy, following his third round, expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating: "It was difficult, but overall I felt like I gave a really good account of myself. I played really well, most of my game was firing... with a couple of loose iron shots towards the end of the round."
McIlroy continued: "Overall, I would have taken one-under-par on the first tee today. It's a grind. The US Open feels like you play two golf tournaments in one week. I'm going to try to recover as good as I can tonight and get ready for one more day of grinding tomorrow."
He further added: "I love the test that Pinehurst is presenting, and you've got to focus and concentrate on every single shot out there. It's what a U.S. Open should be like. It's obviously great to be in the mix."
McIlroy had hoped to be within striking distance of the leader if not leading himself with 18 holes left to play. He is just three strokes behind DeChambeau, who celebrated his way to a joint-US Open record six birdies in a single round.
McIlroy is tied with Ryder Cup rival Patrick Cantlay and French star Matthieu Pavon. Hideki Matsuyama and DeChambeau's playing partner Ludvig Aberg are two-under.
