American golfer Keegan Bradley:, external "Eric Compton winning today would probably be the best story in the history of sports."

The best story doesn't always win, though, as Compton, tied for second on two under, is six shots off the lead.

The American, the man on his third heart after undergoing two transplants, has become a firm favourite across the Pond. He has never before made the cut in a major.

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The 12th is officially the least generous hole on Pinehurst No.2 today, with only two players scoring better than par, three taking double bogey and one hapless hacker even more than that.

A par 4 playing 484 yards, the difficulty is caused by the need for a precise approach shot, dramatic drop-off behind the green and subtlety undulating putting surface.

Ten players are under par in this round, but just three are in the red for the tournament. Erik Compton's challenge is fading quickly as he bogeys the 12th to join Dustin Johnson on -2 for the tournament and, just like that, Martin Kaymer's lead extends to six!

On the 11th, Martin Kaymer has a birdie chance... A gentle tap and the ball stops a few inches short of the hole. A par though will do and that's another hole safely negotiated. The German takes another step towards his second major.

Phil Mickelson still believes he will complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors despite a lacklustre week at Pinehurst. The six-time runner-up, who turns 44 on Monday, ended with a 72 to finish seven over.

"I'm not upset or disappointed, I believe in the next five years I'm going to have three or four really good chances, and I do believe I will get it," he said.

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"Given the way I have been playing heading into this tournament, it was really a long shot. You can't get by with scraping it around, you have to have it all firing."

A nerve-settling tee shot for Martin Kaymer on the 11th and he should come away from this par-four hole with a birdie. Justin Rose has found a trap on the 14th but he does well, finding the green, although his putt rolls beyond the cup and he will have to settle for par.

How will life change for Martin Kaymer should he hold the trophy aloft in a few hours? According to Graeme McDowell he will probably feel like he's morphed into the Tasmanian Devil and spend the next 12 months whirling around the globe at outrageous speeds.

"From the second that my putt dropped to win the US Open in 2010 my life became a blur, probably for the next 14 months," says Graeme McDowell in his latest BBC Sport column.

"Naturally, I've enjoyed everything that came with the win at Pebble Beach, but at the time it was a very surreal, almost out of body, experience. You are thrust into a life with which you are not familiar."

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Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Pinehurst

If you were trying to describe this course, you'd perhaps think of a hard-baked Sunningdale or Royal Melbourne in Australia.

It's a shame Erik Compton has been unable to make the most of his chances because, if he had, we could have been set for a knee-knocking finale. As it is, Kaymer continues to have a healthy five-shot advantage over his nearest challenger. A bogey for the American on the 11th and he drops to -3 overall.

What's this? Cue jaws music. Der-dum, der-dum. The 10th has got its teeth out and is biting back as Kaymer's putt rolls into longish hay on the edge of the dancefloor. He's back down to -8 for the tournament after taking six shots on the par-five hole.

Kaymer's on the edge of the bunker and he's taken the wedge out of his bag. The German chips it, he should find the pin from here, but - yikes - the ball flies off the green. He's left himself with a monster of a putt for par.

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Martin Walker, external: Hoping for a nice return on my Kaymer (40/1) and D Johnson (33/1) e/w bets coming in later this evening.

Paulo Brand, external: Super putt by #MartinKaymer. 6 shot lead into the back nine!

James Richards, external: Fowler posted top 5 at Masters earlier this year. Potentially another top 5 here. Good bet each way for The Open I reckon

Kaymer, then, on the 10th, and he hooks his tee shot from right to left and the ball is resting on a dusty strip of land. It gets worse for the leader, though, as he hoicks his second into some native land and he will have to negotiate his way out of some weeds to reach the green. He's got oodles of shots to play with, though. Well, five.

American golfer Billy Horschel on Twitter:, external "Solid week at the US Open. Pinehurst was a very fair test. Was just a little off this week. But lots of positive things from the last 3 weeks!"

Horschel shot six over for the week - a mark currently good enough for tied 28th.

Lee Westwood on Twitter, external: Good luck to all playing in the amateur this week at Royal Portrush. played one there a few years ago. Met @DarrenClarke60 there for 1st time

Thanks Luke. Aimee here again to take you through the back nine and Martin Kaymer is proving to be a fine example of German engineering. The 29-year-old leading by five shots and unlikely to break down on these final few laps.

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The 10th is playing as the easiest hole on the course today, with 29 birdies, 33 pars and just three dropped shots.

Given it is a 617-yard monster, it makes sense for Kaymer to turn it into a three-shot par 5 but it does offer the opportunity for those in the chasing pack to take on the green in two in an attempt to make up a stroke.

It feels significant as Martin Kaymer follows up a stunning tee shot to the par three ninth hole with a well judged birdie putt.

He reads the break perfectly and from 10 feet, opens up a six-shot lead. All over? Not quite, as Compton taps in for birdie on the 10th and the advantage is back to five.

Ian Poulter is in the clubhouse on four over for the tournament.

The 38-year-old could not break par all week, but currently tied 17th will scoop a hefty sum from the $8m (£4.7m) purse.

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Kevin Na, prominent on Saturday, is three over but with a flick of his wedge from the scrub he holes out to draw cheers from the typically vocal American crowd. Back to plus two for Kevin. He high fives his caddy.