JJ Spaun and Viktor Hovland both save their pars on the fourth but then both hit errant tee shots down the fifth.

More sand on the agenda for Hovland, while his playing partner is in the gnarly stuff.

A brilliant finish from Spain's Jon Rahm, who ends up at three under for the day thanks to a run of three consecutive birdies through 16 to 18.

The two-time major winner is one of only five players to shoot below 70 so far today.

The clubhouse leader. Does he hang around for a while?

Nice touch from Tyrrell Hatton as he is chipping from the fringe on the fifth.

Nudges it close and pockets a par.

He's very much in this, as is partner Carlos Ortiz who also cards a four to stay at one over.

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Consecutive pars for Scottie Scheffler who gave himself long birdie try on the monster 301-yard, par-three eighth hole of about 30 feet, but couldn't find the hole.

Scheffler missed from 11 feet for birdie on the seventh as well. It's a weird round so far as he's playing OK but just lacking that spark, which given it's the US Open and he's still in striking distance, is odd.

He is seven shots off the lead, but just five shots off second so if he could pick up a couple of quick birdies he'd be right in the thick of things.

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JJ Spaun bounced off the flagstick on the second and now hits a a rake on the fourth to leave himself with a horrible second shot stood in the Church Pew bunker but playing from the rough above his feet.

He adopts an almost baseball style stance and knocks his ball across the fairway into the sand to the right of the green.

He is getting a full dose of US Open misfortune on one of the toughest golf courses in the world.

Viktor Hovland is all over the show as well, he takes his medicine afterfinding the famous sandtrap on the fourth from the tee but then punts his third into the left greenside bunker. He'll do well to save par from there.

Three holes completed and the leading quartet are only heading in one direction.

This is anyone's tournament at the moment.

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Another shot goes begging for Adam Scott after finding the fairway bunker on the third, and then not doing so great with his third shot after his escape, only wedging it to 30 feet when he had barely 50 yards to the hole.

Sam Burns gets a par, and that's just fine as he sees his lead increase as his main challengers all seem to be struggling so far.

Argh, Tyrrell, that's slid by. A birdie feels like scant consolation after that barely believable second shot.

Still, he's tracking in the right direction.

It's so close to a birdie for playing partner Carlos Ortiz. One more revolution and he'd have been back at level par.

Ah, that's a shame for Cameron Young who slices his tee shot on the five wildly and ends up having to take a penalty drop it was so far right.

He plays a nice third shot but the ball just rolls onto the fringe so he needs to chip-in to rescue his par, but this time he can't get away with it and he drops his first shot of the day.

Rory McIlroy says next month's Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland is another mountain to climb after scaling his career "Everest" at the Masters two months ago.

"I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you've got to look for another mountain to climb," he said, after a final round of 67 at the US Open.

"An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those."

His results since completing the career at Grand Slam at Augusta have been patchy and he hopes a return home will revitalise his season.

"If I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me," he said. "I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks.

"Getting home and having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again."

You can certainly put those Tyrrell Hatton obituaries to one side.

What a shot at the fourth as he whips his second on the long par-five hole inside 10 feet. He'll have that for eagle!

Just brilliant from the Englishman.

JJ Spaun's head must be spinning after consecutive bogeys to start. The American needs to reset mentally but can't knock in a putt from 20 feet that breaks right and then left.

That was for a par and his round is trending in completely the wrong direction.

Viktor Hovland has a par putt from four feet but he's shunted it right. That's a complete misread.

The Norwegian is yet to click into gear and if anything is in reverse with back-to-back bogeys.

Robert MacIntyre ends up with bogeys on the first and third but with all looking lost he then rattles in a 58-footer for eagle on the fourth.

That was travelling and his ball might have ended up in Maryland had it not disappeared.

All of a sudden one of Scotland's finest is back in contention.

Sam Burns is one of the best putters in the business but even he can't get down in two from 60 feet away on the second green so he drops his first shot of the day.

Adam Scott makes par and the lead is back down to one again.

Scottie Scheffler has hit back with two birdies in three holes seeing him claw his way back to four over - where he started the day - after that earlier double.

That's eight shots off the lead though.

I can't even see Viktor Hovland's ball but he somehow gets up and out of the rough and over the banking by the green and into around eight feet.

A scrambling par save would be ideal but the Norwegian shoves his putt right.

JJ Spaun is also trying to deliver an incredible up and down to secure his par but his putt goes the same way as Hovland's after he clips in to around six feet.

That was a brutal break for the American with his second shot.

The birdie putt for Tyrrell Hatton is much longer than he had at the last hole and he's pushed it left.

He'll have to settle for another par.

Cameron Young escapes with a par on the fourth after failing to get out of the greenside rough, hoisting his shot in the air but getting nowhere near the distance.

Take two is better, it's brilliant in fact, and leaves six feet which he cleans up for a five - and breathe.

Sam Burns pushes his tee shot on the second into the rough, but Adam Scott hits a beauty right down the pipe.

The Australian has always had one of the best looking swings in the game and that's still the case - a good looking guy with a good looking swing - even his shot tracers look good...