Chris Jones
BBC Radio 5 live commentator at Pinehurst

"As he's done throughout the four days, Martin Kaymer has managed to judge the pace of these greens to perfection."

Fowler has 25 feet for Birdie on eight, it looks good, perfectly weighted, measured, but agonisingly wide. The ball just hangs an inch or so from the cup and Fowler's Saturday charge looks meaningless.

Kaymer taps in for par and leads by five from Compton.

Where is the challenge going to come from? Erik Compton leaves himself 30 feet for par on the ninth...close but no cigar - it's bogey.

Stenson holes out for par but at one under, the world-number two will surely not be moving back to the top of golf's rankings.

Adam Scott will remain in that spot - he is currently tied 13th on three over for the week.

Neil Smith, external: Had a cheeky 3quid each way bet on kaymer at 40/1. I would like a drama-free borefest tonight please

Sascha Koehler:, external Kaymer vs Kaymer and nobody else, I hope! To inspire the German team in Brazil!

Kaymer crashes his tee shot on the eighth into the scrub and it looks like his ball rests up against an inconveniently placed tuft of shrubbery.

Image source, Getty Images

The eighth has cost more double bogeys than any other hole today, with four players enduring a terrible time on the 502-yard par 4.

It might look like a couple of straightforward hefty, straight blows would do the trick, but the pronounced fairway slopes can take a marginally misjudged drive skittering into the scrub, while a slightly over-cooked second shot will cause the ball to disappear down a nine-foot deep gully.

And so the lead is down to four shots.

Kaymer cannot convert his long par attempt on seven and up ahead, Erik Compton makes birdie on the par-four eighth.

Gutsy stuff from Compton after bogey on seven. He needs more of that.

How many times have you played your local course and your head says take the safe chip, but the devil in your mind says go for it?

Martin Kaymer is managing that devil. He is putting around the sand trap on seven and will leave 20 feet or more for par.

No dicing with death for the leader.

Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live summariser at Pinehurst

"When you have a one or two-shot lead, you know you have to keep pressing because people can overtake you. But, when you've got a big lead, you're caught in two minds between attacking or playing safe."

Leader Martin Kaymer is in trouble on seven as he pumps his iron through some vegetation growing in the scrub to lift his ball left of the green. A horrid chip awaits and he needs to get up and down for par.

Image source, Getty Images

Only twice in the last 20 years of the US Open has the 54-hole leader managed to break par in the final round.

Both were runaway winners. Rory McIlroy had an eight-shot lead at rain-softened Congressional in 2011 and closed with a 69. Tiger Woods (pictured) had a 10-shot lead at Pebble Beach in 2000 and closed with a 67.

Kaymer may not need heroics as things stand. History it seems says they are hard to come by.

Ian Poulter chips in on 17 for a fourth birdie of the day.

Three bogeys have quashed his hopes of breaking par and the Englishman, still awaiting a first major win, is three over. It's enough for a share of 15th place with a group of players including Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk as things stand.

This one will hurt. Erik Compton - in a Tiger Woods-esque black pants and red polo shirt - putts for birdie, misses, then pushes the return past. From birdie to bogey and Martin Kaymer's lead is six again.

No one wants to catch him. He won't care.

A shout out for the man with the biggest score of the day so far - Bo Van Pelt.

He may not have plummeted to the 18 over carded by Toru Taniguchi on Saturday, but three double bogeys did some serious damage to the American's colourful card of 79.

Bo finished 18 over for the four days. Still, that's one better than Boo Weekley and 11 better than Taniguchi-san.

-9 Martin Kaymer; -4 Erik Compton; -2 Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler; Level Brooks Koepka; +1 Keegan Bradley, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar.

Selected others: +2 Adam Scott, Jason Day; +4 Ian Poulter; +5 Rory McIlroy; +7 Graeme McDowell

Full leaderboard from the US Open website, external

He made double-bogey six on the fourth and follows it up with a birdie four on the next drag. A display of will from Rickie Fowler.

The American said on Saturday that if Martin Kaymer reaches 10 under, the rest of the field are playing for second. The German dribbles a putt for that mark past the cup. He stays nine below par, Fowler is seven shots back.

Image source, Getty Images

The sixth hole is proving a tough test again today. Of the 64 players who have gone through the 245-yard par three, only two have scored better than par.

Both Henrik Stenson and Erik Compton escape with their cards undamaged. Kaymer and Fowler take it on next. Deep breaths guys.

Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live summariser at Pinehurst

"Phil Mickelson was pretty candid in his comments following round two. He had a hard time dealing with the three putts and they then affected his game.

"Phil has no chance of defending his Open title. He's got three weeks to work on his putting. He's got some technical issues in his putting stroke, and no-one wins major championships putting to the level he's putting right now."

The Open starts at Royal Liverpool on 17 July.

The wait goes on for Mickelson.

Image source, Reuters

Three Masters titles, an Open and a US PGA Championship to his name, this is the only major honour to elude him.

'Lefty' finishes seven over at Pinehurst and could not break par all week. The clean sweep will have to wait until next year,

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Pinehurst

"Erik Compton really has been embraced by the American public and that's why there will be huge TV audiences today."

Compton, 34, has undergone two heart transplants and has never made it past the cut in a major. He is five off the lead, giving chase in this one man show of a US Open.

Image source, Getty Images

The par five fifth has been the most accommodating hole by some distance at Pinehurst this week, remarkably yielding 17 of the 22 eagles recorded in the tournament.

Erik Compton, a fans' favourite, walks off its green with a birdie and puffs out his chest. Four under.

Kaymer and Fowler next up on this stretch. Only the 572 yards to negotiate.

It is a six for Fowler and without a monster putt, it would have been a lot worse. His mood won't match the blinding nature of his attire.

What must Kaymer be thinking as he taps in for par? Nerves? What nerves?