Jason, Justin, Branden and Jordan. All their christian names end in 'n' and with that it's time for us to go. We'll be back on Sunday from 22:00 BST with the final round.
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That all means that the final pairing on the final round will be Jason Day and one of Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson - whoever of those two handed in their card first.
Jordan Spieth will be in the penultimate duo.
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A poser from Iain Carter as he signs off the Radio 5 live commentary...
...what do all of our leaders have in common? Answer shortly...
Spieth ends on -4 and share of lead
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Right then. Patrick Reed's honour on the final green.
Twelve feet for a birdie, but that one is staying up for the evening.
Jordan Spieth is following along a similar line and he was certainly making notes on his playing partner's efforts.
Off it goes, on its way and.... Off line. Eighteen inches to deal with. Spieth calls in his caddy for a second opinion. "Right centre?" Right centre." All agreed and down she goes.
Reed taps in and is one over overnight after a six over round.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
I think you've got to be under par at the close of today to be in with a chance of winning on Sunday. Let's not forget the winner often comes out of the final group.
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Jordan Spieth has a long, deep and meaningful with his caddy as the pair consider his third shot into the last green.
It's good to talk.
One hundred and twenty seven yards to the pin turns to about seven feet as he nails his short iron perfectly.
Sublime. And he will have his next putt for the solo overnight lead.
Grace and Johnson finish on -4
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Dustin Johnson's second actually found the sand, but a graceful sweep with his third puts him up to within 20 feet.
Branden Grace's birdie attempt from way down town is good but not quite there.
Johnson's turn to have a bash. Agonising. Just short. Both sign off with pars.
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Dustin Johnson's second at the par-five last is not quite long enough. It might be alright though, it all depends on the lie.
Branden Grace, who has taken a sideways swipe to rescue a wayward tee shot and get within 154 yards, pitches up close the flag. One of the gullies on the green partially abducts his ball, dragging it off towards the sand, but the brakes kick in just in time to stay on the green.
Spieth is safely off the tee behind them. I believe he has found the fairway.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Every player inside the top 10 is under 32 and that means golf is in a great state.
Spieth stays on -4
Jordan Spieth allows himself a hop of frustration.
His birdie putt on 17, skirts around the rim, but doesn't take a final turn south and down.
He will have to make do with a par.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
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Jason Day provided one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. It reminded me of 2008 when Tiger Woods won the US Open with a broken leg. Golf is a game but I think it was a heroic effort.
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Jordan Spieth chances his arm on the par-three 17th and has come up triple cherries.
Attacking the front bunker, he clears the sand by a fine margin and gets his reward as the ball hops on and to within 10 feet.
A birdie chance and if he converts he is the sole leader.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Spieth is fighting tooth and nail when he doesn't have his best game today. I bet he'll be on the range tonight trying to work this out.
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"Be lucky" shouts Branden Grace after his tee shot on 18. He will have to wait and see whether his instruction has been obeyed. The ball is off wide somewhere. The secret will all be in the lie.
Dustin Johnson's tee shot - a particularly fine creature - is plum centre. Lovely stuff.
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Argh!
Jordan Spieth leaves another shot out on the course as his birdie putt refuses to fall. He could have has a comfy cushion of a lead to rest on. Only a par.
Dustin Johnson has his par at 17. Brandan Grace has a better chance of birdie though. His 30-footer takes a good look the hole but decides not to buy.
No change at the top.
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Jordan Spieth trying to read the runes of the 16th green, heading up a slope and dealing with a right-to-left break.
And he should have given it a little more muscle. The slope gets its claws into the ball as its momentum stalls and Spieth will have a tricky eight feet or so for birdie.
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Onto the par-three 17 and Branden Grace walks the tightrope between over-eager and too conservative perfectly.
His tee shot stays well clear of the bunker guarding the front pin position, but nestles up nicely 20 feet away.
Dustin Johnson is more erratic. His ball rolls back down onto the lower deck of the two-tier green.
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Dustin Johnson goes all around the houses to try and land his eagle putt on 16, hitting up the slope and then finding that there was not the borrow that he hoped there was in that.
He is taking an age to line up his six-foot birdie putt. It would put him into the lead solo-style. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are being kept waiting on the tee.
The ball dribbles wide when he does come to take on the putt. Just the par then.
Branden Grace has his own chance for a birdie. His putt stubbornly refuses to break though and we are as you were at the top.
As they depart, Spieth has just bashed a fine drive up to within 20 feet. That is a slim eagle chance for him.
Spieth moves to -4, Reed to level par
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And then there were four.
Jordan Spieth is back into a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-three 15th.
Playing partner and fellow overnight leader Patrick Reed has had an iffy day, but he makes his birdie, shooting straight down Spieth's line to move back to level par overall.
Holmes done on -1
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Dustin Johnson plucks his driver out of the bag on the 372 yard par-four 16. It looks a little bit aggressive. It does skip though, but sticks on the green just about at the back.
JB Holmes meanwhile is scrapping around for a par at 18th as his third shot from the hay at the back of the green rolls all the way through and back into a bunker.
In the end it takes a gutsy ten-footer to preserve his one-under status.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Jason Day has never held a 54-hole lead in a major. He is in the clubhouse tied for the lead on four under.
Grace to -4 and share of the lead
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Branden Grace's arms are swinging a little less freely.
But the South African gives his birdie putt enough of a poke to stuff it away on the 15th.
We have a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard with Dustin Johnson and Jason Day also residing on four under.
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Branden Grace has tickled a lovely tee-shot to within five feet at the par-three 15th.
Jordan Spieth has suffered a bad break on 14 with his approach going walkabout after he had placed it carefully close to the pin.
The young American rescues his par with a bold putter that rattles right in,
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JB Holmes is too strong for his own good on the par-five 18th, banging a fairway wood though the back of the green with his second shot.
It was right on line as well. Unlucky.
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Shane Lowry after a level-par 70: "The greens are not 100% but the golf course is still a good golf course. When I got here on Monday and played 36 holes practise. I thought it was a bit funky but the more I play it the more I like it. Most of the shots are there in front of you."
What a brave performance. The story of the day. Jason Day with a brilliant birdie-birdie finish to get to four under par and a share of the lead. We didn't even think he would be playing today.
Day up to -4 and share of lead
Pin a medal on that man's chest.
Jason Day, who has been swallowing and blinking like a new-born pup for most of the day as he keeps his vertigo under control, is now joint leader.
His birdie on the last bring the 6,000-strong grandstand to their feet and moves him up alongside Dustin Johnson at the top of the leaderboard.
Johnson is only heading south at the moment as well.
Holmes back to -1
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Jason Day with an absolute peach of a shot on 18, finding the sweet spot in the centre of the club and a helpful slope. He will have a great chance to pull up alongside leader Dustin Johnson with a birdie chance from five foot to come,
Branden Grace makes par on 14 with a long worming putt. He stays at three under.
JB Holmes gives a shot back on 17 to move back to one under though.
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Branden Grace has dropped a shot on 13th. It is all going off.
So let's take a moment and have a little mini run-down on what's going on:
-4: D Johnson
-3: Day, Grace, Speith.
-2: Holmes
-1: Oosthuizen, Smith Lowry, Luiten
And they are the only men under par for the tournament,
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Lowry done on -1
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Ireland's Shane Lowry is done and dusted with a quietly effective round keeping him right in the hunt.
Level par for the day and one under overall. That is a platform for a final-day push if ever I saw one.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
It's a great course for a major championship because you don't know what's going to happen next. You might not like the course but you cannot deny the excitement.
Holmes to -2
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JB Holmes, welcome to the equation.
The American, who like Jason Day drove the 370-yard green and watched his ball trickle into the sand, splashes out from the greenside bunker at 16, running the ball up the hill and then watching as it rolls back down and right onto the bullseye for an eagle two.
Sensational shot and the frat-boy shouters in the crowd enjoyed that. Holmes is two under and hot on the heels of the leaders.
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Chris Jones
BBC Radio 5 live commentator at Chambers Bay
This is turning into a famously gutsy effort by Jason Day.
Johnson back to -4, Day to -3
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It is getting mighty cramped in here.
Dustin Johnson comes pinging back to the pack with a double bogey on the 13th.
A massive roar over on 17 where Jason Day's ball as trickled down the pipe for a birdie. He is now back to three under and within a shot of Johnson and Branden Grace.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
The pressure is getting greater. Nothing is ever straightforward. That's why it is compelling watching.
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Dustin Johnson is tapping around the 13th green to little effect.
He now faces a tricky seven or eight footer downhill for a bogey.
Playing partner Branden Grace misses his own par putt as well.
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Jason Day is soldiering on in fine style. He steps back from his tee shot at the par-three 17th apparently suffering from some of the effects of his vertigo.
When he does hit it, it is a beat, dotting down for a 12-foot birdie putt. The Australian has to take a knee as he retrieves his tee out of the ground.
Jordan Spieth is off 12 with a par by the way,
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Leader Dustin Johnson is in a bit of bother on 13th. His third from the bunker flops tamely into the middle of the green and he has some considerable lumps and bumps to negotiate if he is to get off here with a par.
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Jordan Spieth at 12 hits a lovely little bit of draw off the tee - but he doesn't get the kick off the apron that he wanted. He is short by a good 30 yards.
Jason Day caught a flier at the 16th by the way. His tee shot came streaking through the green registering 370-odd yards. Monster. He looked like he may have pulled a leg muscle crashing out that shot.
He limps down to check his lie and manages to smuggle out a par, with his birdie putt coming up just short. He stays two under.
Grace to -4
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Branden Grace's score is dented by a bogey at 12. He is back to four under and suddenly playing partner Dustin Johnson has a two-shot lead.
This stock market has got very jumpy.
Johnson to -6 and sole lead, Spieth to -3
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Dustin Johnson picks up his birdie at 12 to move to six under and take exclusive control for the lead.
Jordan Spieth's wayward tee shot on 11 has landed him with a bogey that takes him to three under.
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Jordon Spieth with a lovely touch to land his second on the 11th green.
Meanwhile Branden Grace on the par-four 12th has a roller-coaster green to negotiate for a birdie.
But he has been cowed by the fear of hitting past. That is nowhere near and he has 12-15 feet to make for par.
Dustin Johnson also a little limp with his eagle putt. The greens are releasing gremlins in these players' brains.
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Thanks Peter.
We join Branden Grace who has strapped on his crampons to clamber down one of Chamber Bay's vertiginous banks.
He ends up standing below the ball, gripping the club about halfway down the shaft and punching out a decent recovery onto the green. That was his second on the par-four 12th.
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Jason Day with a carbon-copy of Shane Lowry on 15. Can the Australian knock in a birdie?
Lowry is already teeing off on the 16th and he's pushed that into the long fescue grass down the left.
Jordan Spieth crashes a drive down the 11th and straight into a fluffy mound or rough that sits right in the middle of the fairway. A few yards left or right and he would have been fine.
Branden Grace in trouble down the right of 12, asking his ball to "get lucky". It doesn't.
It's all getting a little nervy out there and here's Mike Henson to take you through to the close of play...
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Shane Lowry's birdie putt doesn't want to drop so it's only a par on the 15th for the Irishman.
Dustin Johnson's par putt stays on the 11th green, while Patrick Reed's 33-footer on 10 is also still visible. He then pushes his bogey putt. A third double of the round for young Patrick who goes to +1.
Jordan Spieth trundles in for par to 10 to stay four under.
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Patrick Reed from a horrible spot up in the long grass to the left of the 10th green and it's all he can do to hack out on to the far side of the green.
Up on 11 and Dustin Johnson is playing his third with a wedge from off the green. The ball bites a little too quickly and he's got a testing 10-footer for par. Branden Grace from a similar spot gets more roll and he finishes an inch away. They could well be level in a couple of minutes.
Back on 10, Jordan Spieth from 47 feet and he's knocked that three feet by.
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Shane Lowry on 250-yard par-three 15th is imploring his ball to fly. It listens and for added good measure takes in a slope at the back of the green and comes to rest eight feet from the pin. An immediate chance to get back to three under for the Irishman.
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Branden Grace hits a low drive down the 11th towards the black smoke from the fire which is smudging the blue sky.
Patrick Reed has found his ball on the 10th and he's deep in conversation with his caddie, trying to pick the right club and strategy because this a completely blind shot.
"Oh no, that's fat and left," says Reed as his ball disappears into more trouble.
From the other side here's Spieth with the ball well below his stance. His ball ricochets off some shrubbery to the left of the green and flicks across to the right but it stays on the short stuff. Think you'd call that a member's bounce.
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Dustin Johnson crunched another drive down the par-four 10th but finds a bit of greenside sand with his approach to the green. Careless that. But a superb splash out to a foot and he's staying six under.
Patrick Reed goes way right off the tee on 10, Jordan Spieth is left.
Shane Lowry lags up to six feet but cannot hole the par putt on 14 and he's dropping to two under.
Spieth -4; Reed -1
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Shane Lowry is ticking along nicely. Another par on 13 to stay three under. He's through the back of 14 and will need a good up and down from there.
Back on nine and Jordan Spieth found the sand with his tee shot. He splashes out to about 10 feet and he'll have a similar one to Branden Grace which drifted right late on. That was a complete mis-read from Spieth and he is dropping to four under. A real up and down front nine.
Patrick Reed from the middle of the green and he is short of pace up the hill from 20 feet. A 12-inch par-putt for a four-over opening nine.
Latest scores
-6 D Johnson (US) 9; -5 J Speith (US) 7,B Grace (SA) 9; -3 S Lowry (Ire) 13, -2 J Luiten (Ned) 9.
Selected others +4 P Casey (Eng) 15, R McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F; J Rose (Eng) F; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, L Donald (Eng) F, L Westwood (Eng) F; +10 P Mickelson (US) F
There's a big fire at the Marina a couple of miles down the coast and there's a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the air and heading Chambers Bay way.
Dustin Johnson finds the dancefloor on the short ninth and he nonchalantly rolls in for birdie to get to six under par - two under for his front nine.
Branden Grace is struggling after missing the green and leaving his second 10 feet from the cup. His effort is centimetres wide and he drops back to five under.
Dustin Johnson is our new leader folks.
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Patrick Reed chops his ball up on to the green and he uses the slope at the back to get the ball to roll back towards the flag but it's not stopping and he'll have a 20-footer for birdie. He nudges that a couple of feet past.
Spieth's chip up leaves him four feet for par but he doesn't set that out far enough right and that's just a par.
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Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed both leak their approaches to the eighth out right. Spieth is not quite so wild and he will have a chip from the short stuff. Reed is chuntering to himself as his heads down towards Dustin Johnson country.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
The players have been less than complimentary about Chambers Bay but Jay Townsend is sticking up for the course: "There is a lot of ego involved.
"If the players played this course a lot more and played the US Open here again the reactions would be a lot different they would know what to prepare for and know what to expect.
"I think that if they don't come back to Chambers Bay because of the greens they will never go back to Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines again either."
Grace takes the lead
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Shane Lowry with a decent two-putt for par on 11, while back on eight and Branden Grace lags his eagle putt to three feet. He could go top of the shop on his own shortly.
Dustin Johnson takes a couple of long looks at his six-footer but he still doesn't get the read. Safe par to remain five under.
Up steps Grace and that is slap, bang right in the middle of the cup. We have a new leader.
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Dustin Johnson gets free relief for a reason I don't fully understand. But, under the close guidance of a rules official, he is allowed to pick up and drop no nearer the hole. He is directed towards the side of a hill and after two drops that predictably dribble away from him, he is allowed to place his ball.
He dinks his chip 30 feet over the pin and the slope does the rest. Short birdie attempt coming up after all that kerfuffle.
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Up on eight and Dustin Johnson overcooks his mid-iron approach to the par-five green. It ends up back right but doesn't fancy the view so trundles off down a cart path and is only halted by a muddy, sandy concoction. Big error from the big hitter.
Over on the driveable par-four 12th and Shane Lowry plays a sensible lay-up but then comes up short with his wedge into the green and he's left with a 40-footer for birdie.
Spieth -5; Reed -1
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Back on seven and Jordan Spieth is a touch aggressive with his birdie putt. That sails six feet by and he tugs the return. Three birdies and three bogeys in his opening seven holes and the Masters champion is back to where he started on five under.
Patrick Reed for bogey and that horseshoes out. Double trouble for the American who is four over through seven and at one over.
Rose-y finish
A quick flick up to the 18th green to see England's 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose finish his round in fine style with a birdie. That's a two-over-par 72 and a four over total.
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Patrick Reed sets his roller-coaster putt on its way and it pulls up just short of being perfect and then rolls way back down to the right of the seventh green and is almost as far away as when he started. He'll be playing again.
And here he is - bit straighter this one but he doesn't hit it and he's got a four-footer for bogey.
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Dutchman Joost Luiten dropped a shot on the seventh, his first bogey of the day after seven pars but he has an immediate chance to make amends on the par-five eighth after hitting the green in two.
Over on the 11th Shane Lowry's lengthy birdie putt doesn't trouble the hole but he's got a tap-in par.
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Shane Lowry into the heart of the 11th green with his second, outside birdie chance there.
Dustin Johnson and and Branden Grace are in for pars on seven to stay five under, one behind Jordan Spieth, who fires out of the rough, down the left and onto the green, almost to the pin, 25 feet left. Patrick Reed's effort pulls up short, 50 feet short.
Latest scores
-6 J Speith (US) 6; -5 B Grace (SA) 6, D Johnson (US) 6; -3 S Lowry (Ire) 10, P Reed (US) 6,-2 J Luiten (Ned) 7.
Selected others +4 P Casey (Eng) 13, R McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F; +5 J Rose (Eng) 74; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, L Donald (Eng) F, L Westwood (Eng); +10 P Mickelson (US) F
Up on seven and Branden Grace smashes his ball out of the rough and the ball zips up the hill and on to the green, 30 feet short of the pin. Dustin Johnson from much closer in and from the benefit of the fairway ends up in the same place.
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed both cut a little off the corner of the dog-leg right seventh from the tee. Spieth ends up where Grace was but does not get the luck of a decent lie, while Reed is on the short stuff.
Spieth -6; Reed -3
Patrick Reed joins the birdie party, knocking in a curling downhill effort on six to get back to three under.
Can Jordan Spieth follow him in? Yes he can. And the young American is our sole leader again on six under.
Lowry looking good
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Hello. What have we got going on here? Shane Lowry rolling in a birdie putt on the 10th green, to add to his two on the par-three ninth and the big bearded Irishman is two off the lead on three under par.
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Of course, I welcome all mums and non parents out there too!
Here's Jordan Spieth in the middle of the sixth fairway and he pulls out of his swing after being distracted by an over-enthusiastic punter in the gallery. He regains his composure and fires pin-high, 15 feet to the right.
Patrick Reed's effort from similar distance is right at the flag but his bounces beyond and is 20 feet left.
Up on the seventh tee Branden Grace booms his drive through the fairway and into the rough but the ball is sitting up.
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Evening all. And a very happy father's day to all you dads out there. And what better way to spend the early hours of your day than with the culmination of round three of the US Open?
I join you as we get a three-way tie for the lead and what looked like it might become a Jordan Spieth procession half an hour ago has suddenly become a lot more interesting...
Johnson to -5 and share of the lead
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And Dustin Johnson joins the party at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie at six.
It is him, Jordan Spieth and Branden Grace up the top. Grace salvages par from six to stay in the VIP enclosure as well.
Delicately poised and Peter Scrivener is here to take you through the next instalment.
Spieth to -5 and Reed to -2
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed have both taken a bit of medicine there. Bogeys for both at five and Spieth drops back alongside Branden Grace at the top of the leaderboard.
Grace himself has a cheeky little approach into six, the ball tracking back like a ball-bearing drawn towards a magnet. He has been in trouble earlier in the the hole though and has some scorecard damage stored up.
He won't be level with Spieth for long.
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Football focus presenter Dan Walker on Twitter: "The green on the 4th at #ChambersBay is a complete shambles. Like a municipal pitch & putt #USOpen."
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Patrick Reed's second on the par-four fifth has far too much sauce on it, disappearing out the back of the green.
Jordan Spieth's attempt takes the scenic route, skirting along the edge of the fairway and running up onto an area of trampled grass, That looks like the better spot to me.
Dustin Johnson is still clubbing his tee shots, he has blasted that one out beyond the horizon on six.
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Jenna: Is Chambers Bay any worse than Carnoustie was in 1999? #USOpen
Andrew Priestley: I know it's VERY early to be talking about it (but just to throw it out there) could we be witnessing the '2015 Spieth Grand Slam'?
Grace to -5 and second
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Branden Grace has been steady as she blows so far today.
Four pars to open up and his first dip into the coloured numbers is a birdie on five, sealed with a two-foot tap.
He is on his own in second place.
Get involved via #bbcgolf
BBC Match of the Day presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker: Jordan Spieth is putting the lights out. #USOpen
Latest scores
-6 J Spieth (US); -4 B Grace (SA) D Johnson (US); -3 P Reed (US), J Luiten (Ned), -2 JB Holmes (US), Tony Finau (US).
Selected others +4 P Casey (Eng) 11, R McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F; +6 J Rose (Eng) 14; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, L Donald (Eng) F, L Westwood (Eng); +10 P Mickelson (US)
Facing a downhill slope that Franz Klammer might feel a little nervy about, Jordan Spieth three-putts on four to slip back to six under.
But, one under for the day so far and with confidence fuelled by those two birdies, he is in a good place.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Jordan Spieth may be clear at the top of the leaderboard but former Jay Townsend thinks there is still a long way to go.
He said: "Especially on this golf course when just a bad bounce or a little mental lapse can lead to a double bogey. There is nothing in three shots."
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Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed aim their second shots into a fourth green that is banked like a Daytona corner.
Jordan Spieth lands closer to the flag. But that is only half the story round Chambers Bay.
It is Reed who ends up with the shorter putt as his approach - further up the sloped green - runs back down past Spieth's ball and to within eight feet.
Johnson back to -3
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Dustin Johnson's par putt on four is not feet or yards, but inches and millimetres.
It just won't stay down though, popping out and up like fat off off a hot pan.
A groan from the crowd and similar from Johnson himself.
He slips back to three under in Spieth's slipstream.
More from McIlroy
Northern Ireland's McIlroy was also asked on BBC 5 live whether his putting or the Chambers Bay surfaces have checked his progress.
He said: "Both. I missed a few, obviously the greens aren't perfect but then it gets into your head, and I started making tentative strokes, but more me than the greens."
The 26-year-old added: "Every year the US Open is frustrating, apart from 2011 (the year of his win in Maryland).
"I came off and said to JP, (McIlroy's caddie JP Fitzgerald) thank god I have got one of these. I am glad I have got my name on the trophy."
I'm still in it - McIlroy
World number one Rory McIlroy is four over after a level-par 70 today but hasn't ruled out his chances of winning a second US Open title.
The 2011 champion told BBC Radio 5 live: "Maybe. Depending on the guys today, if I can go out there, get to even for tournament you never know what could happen.
"I need something spectacular tomorrow. If I have one of my best ever putting rounds I have a chance."
While new American great hope Jordan Spieth is tearing up trees, Mickelson is finishing up with a bogey on 18 to finish on a seven-over 77. He is 10 over overall and his wait goes on for at least another 12 months.
Reed stays at -3
Patrick Reed comes close with his birdie punt, just as he did with his bogey attempt on the previous green.
But close don't climb the leaderboard.
He taps back for par. But he is playing in the shade of a virtuoso start from Jordan Spieth
The gallery's applause is almost sympathetic.
Spieth to -7
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Oh my!
Jordan Spieth has the momentum of one of the frieght trains that comes trundling through Chambers Bay.
Another whopping putt sinks south and he has picked up another shot.
Reed to follow from closer in.
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Tee shots at par-three third and both Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are safe and sound off the pegs.
Spieth has a tricky uphill putt for his birdie, Reed is a little close.
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Right, time to take stock.
This is what the top of the leaderboard looks like now. Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace are now the closest in pursuit of Jordan Spieth.
-6: Spieth
-4: D. Johnson, B. Grace
-3: J.Luiten, P.Reed
Spieth to -6, Reed to -3
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On the other hand.
Jordan Spieth is the Jekyll to Patrick Reed's Hyde. His putting is touched with greatness right now. He cosies a 15-foot birdie putt right up to the hole, judging the right to left break perfectly. The ball tipples in to move him to six under.
Reed almost salvages a bogey. But his long-ranger stays up. A three-stroke swing in the leading group.
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Oh dear Patrick Reed.
He has only a couple of yards of run-off to land the ball on with the flag close to the fringe.
But he has shaved too much off his attempted escape from the back of the bunker. He lobs up the ball high, but not far enough and it plunges back into the sand.
Is it plugged? Reed digs it out if so, but that is his fourth shot and he is looking at a double bogey here.
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Jason Day is looking queasy as a ferry passenger, smiling weakly between some deep, deep breaths.
He only really looks comfortable standing over the ball and a solid par putt on five disappears. He is still level par.
Jordan Spieth's second on two is into the heart of the green. Patrick Reed, with a hint of rough to deal with, is less accurate, running up into the bunker.
USGA defends Chambers Bay
USGA executive director Mike Davis, the man responsible for the Chambers Bay set up, has responded to criticism of the greens.
"It wouldn't be a US Open if there wasn't a little muttering," he said, adding the putting surfaces are "better than they look".
He says the mixture of fine fescue and poa annua grasses leave them looking splotchy, and that the poa annua tends to get bumpy later in the day.
He insists a lot of it "is your eye telling you it doesn't look like it's going to be smooth".
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The leaders are putting as carefully as if the greens were ice-covered concrete.
Jordan Spieth's tentative prod disappears down for a par on the first first, following Patrick Reed's trend. Onto the second...
Cauliflower greens
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Rory McIlroy added a new vegetable into the mix when describing the Chambers Bay greens after a level-par 70 to stay four over.
The world number one, who missed more than half a dozen makeable putts, said: "I don't think they're as green as broccoli. I think they're more like cauliflower.
However, he diplomatically added: "They are what they are. Everyone has to putt on them. It's all mental. But it is disappointing that they're not in better shape.''
Latest scores
-5 J Spieth (US), P Reed (US); -4 B Grace (SA); -3 D Johnson (US) J Luiten (Ned), JB Holmes (US).
Selected others +1 P Casey (Eng) 8; +4 McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F ; +5 J Rose (Eng) 11; +7 C Montgomerie, L Donald (Eng) F, (Sco) F, L Westwood (Eng) , +10 P Mickelson (US) 16.
Englishman Ian Poulter has had his say (or not) on the Chambers Bay course after his one-under-par 69 that lifted him to four over for the tournament.
He said: "I've got to know the course, it's unique in its kind. I have understood what the challenges are in front of me. I have executed shots I'd like to have done, poor shots have cost me not anything else.
Poulter added: "We all know you can't say, what you would really like to say, because there is no benefit in that. It is hard to express yourself."
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If the breaks even out, then Chambers Bay owes Ben Martin big time.
He has a birdie putt on two. If he makes it, he moves joint top of the leaderboard.
His effort skims just wide. It is a mite heavy, but it doesn't deserve what happens next. The ball is almost stopped dead, before teetering, accelerating and running off the green and into a bunker.
A cruel mistress this links.
Oosthuizen to -1
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Amid all the understandable wailing and whining, Louis Oosthuizen is making Chambers Bay look like a stroll.
The South African deciphers the riddle of the 13th green, guiding his ball through the backroads and byways for another birdie.
He is now four under for the day and one under for the event. His card is a picture as well five birdies and just the one bogey amid the pars.
Five holes left for him.
More from Monty
Colin Montgomerie, the three-time US Open runner-up was asked by BBC Radio 5 live if the views around Chambers Bay make up for the "disappointing" greens.
He replied: "No, we can go to Fiji for that, views of the ocean. There are a number of islands in the Pacific we could go. Chambers Bay is dramatic and ridiculous at the same time.
"I don't think it is good for spectators either. $125 a round. My wife saw 15 shots yesterday and they were from a long way away.
"It's not really a spectator course at all. Holes one, 10 and 18 you can't see at all but it's a beautiful spot and it's a pleasure to be here. We are lucky to be here."
Poulter done on +4
There have not been many better than England's Ian Poulter today.
He has come home one under par for the day, signing off on a card that featured six birdies.
He will begin his final round at four over.
Day stays -1, Martin to -4
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Jason Day is not going to die wondering out on the third green. His birdie putt is a bolshy little blighter, barrelling up from 10 feet before riding around the rim and staying north.
Ben Martin has made a strong start out. A birdie on the first move him to four under and share of third place with Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson, just a shot off the leaders.
Passionate Player
South Africa's nine-time major champion Gary Player has just been on BBC Radio 5 live and boy was he in the mood for a rant.
On Chambers Bay he said: "I love to see golf courses tough. But professionals are hitting putts from 20 feet and aiming 20 feet right. It's abnormal. I'm not against undulating greens but these greens are unplayable.
He also echoed Colin Montgomerie's comments on the difficulties for spectators. "The whole place is inundated with all these mounds," he continued. "One woman struggled to see more than three or four shots of her own son's round and she got lost trying to watch him playing in the US Open. That's not right. Are you not seeing this?"
However, he thought it was tournament organiser Mike Davis' prerogative to alter hole lengths if he wished - such as changing the first and 18th from par four to five and vice versa. "As my hero Winston Churchill said, change is the price of survival," said Player.
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Yesterday Henrik Stenson compared the surface of the Chambers Bay greens to broccoli.
The good news for the organisers is that Rory McIlroy disagrees.
The bad news for them is his only issue is what vegetable is the best comparison.
"I don't think they're as green as broccoli -more like cauliflower," he said after his level-par third round.
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Jason Day's tee-shot at the par-three third is a humdinger, hopping on like a spring bunny to within ten feet.
The Australian looks like he is consciously trying to keep his head as still as possible between shots to ward off a recurrence of vertigo.
Could that little game actually help him keep his mind off the scoreboard and the associated pressure?
Monty's moan
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Colin Montgomerie dropped to seven over par after carding a two-over 72 today and the Scot told BBC Radio 5 live: "That is some golf course, 72 is okay.
"I feel under par, you take the three-puts away and you've almost played perfectly.
"It's hard, very very hard. It's a long walk as well, 4000 yards for the front nine yesterday I mean come on."
On the state of the Chambers Bay greens he added: "The greens are the disappointing thing, the surface of the greens. The ball doesn't run true and in this day in age it should be something we come to expect."
Day back to -1
Kevin Kisner has a little more life about him that those cookie-cutter college-fresh American pros.
Well, he might need a stiffener after three-putting at two to slip back to one under.
Playing partner Jason Day similarly struggled to get the job done on the green. He bogies to slip back to one under as well.
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You guys....
Definite shorts weather at Chambers Bay today, just perhaps not these shorts specifically.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
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"Rory had a good day today. He hit the ball really well tee to green but his putter is holding him back. If he's going to get on a hot streak again he's going to have to get his putter going again. His chances of winning this week are out."
McIlroy done on +4
Rory McIlroy has been given a runaround by an 18th green with more peaks and valleys than the Appalachians.
From looking good for a possible eagle three, he finally drains a real wobbler for par.
His look of exasperation as he finishes his round is classic. If there are any easily offended lip readers watching, I hope they weren't.
All done for the world number one. Level par for the day, four over for the day.
The Australian looked very wobbly on his feet then, but he has been very sure-footed along the first.
Good tee-shot, good approach, a very decent attempt for a 15-footer par putt, just short. He remains at two under.
But that is a promising opening.
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Rob in London: Can we get a petition going to rename these putting surfaces 'browns'? Not much green anywhere to be seen!
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There are not a lot of Europeans bothering those rigging up the on-course scoreboards.
Dutchman Joost Luiten, on three under, will begin his round at 22:28 BST, but Alexander Levy has begun his day with a birdie to mover to two under and a share of ninth.
This is only the 24-year-olds's second Major after last year's USPGA.
Latest scores
-5 J Spieth (US), P Reed (US); -4 B Grace (SA), D Johnson (US); -3 J Luiten (Ned), T Finau (US), D Summerhays (US), B Martin (US)
Selected others E P Casey (Eng) 4; +4 McIlroy (NI) 16, L Donald (Eng) 13, I Poulter (Eng) F ; +6 J Rose (Eng) 6, L Westwood (Eng) 6; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, P Mickelson (US) 11
Phil Mickelson's putter belatedly gets warm - sinking a giant slipperyeel of a putt for a birdie on 11.
The gallery roar their approval, but it is going to take more than that to get Mickelson - back to seven over - to start believing.
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Louis Oosthuizen with a very presentable chance for birdie at nine after that heat-seeker of a tee shot at the par three.
It is not quite the gimme that I thought it was though and he slides by.
The ball stays upstairs and the South African can look back on a three-under front nine and wonder if it could have been something even better.
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Phil Mickelson is not having much fun either.
The US Open is the only major missing from the American's mantelpiece. But he is not going to fill that gap this weekend.
He was five-over for the front nine today and is now eight over and surely out of contention.
Not so sweet for Rose
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Justin Rose has been snared by Robert Trent Jones Jr's mantrap of a course.
The Englishman - a US Open winner two years ago - has opened up with a dropped-shot sandwich - bogies on three and six with a two-over six on five for filling.
That puts him up at six over. Ugly scenes and his next round and a half are effectively going to be glorified practice, barring barnstorming run.
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Drop and roll! Drop and roll!
Louis Oosthuizen is a man on fire.
The South African arrows a four iron straight at the pin on the par-three ninth. It locks on like an exocet, but is just going a little too fast, hopping out via the flagpole.
That is surely a birdie in the post though and a pass to one under for the tournament.
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Louis Oosthuizen stands over a very makeable birdie putt at eight. If this goes down he will move to four under for the day and one under for the tournament.
It trails just wide of the chute from four feet.
But his round is showing that good scoring is possible today.
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Jenni in Newtownards: There are a couple of pairings that could get each other going and put together a low round and make a serge up the leaderboard on 'Moving Day' at the US Open. Els/Snedeker, Molinari/Scott and Dufner/Kuchar look like the most likely to make a positive move.
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So, who is going to come out of the pack to mount a challenge today?
Never mind if they are going to win it or not, it is all about the glory of burning bright even if you then fade away.
The Englishman - who has been vocal in his criticism of the course set-up and the fluctuating yardage and pars on holes - has bogied the first, second and fourth.
He lies five over after five holes today.
Tee times
American duo Matt Kuchar and Jason Dufner have just got their rounds under way off the first tee.
Some of the big names still to come include:
Henrik Stenson (-1) at 21:33 BST
Jason Day (-2) at 21:55 BST
Dustin Johnson (-4) at 22:39 BST
and, at five under, joint leaders Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed at 22:50 BST.
Latest scores
-5 Spieth (US), Reed (US), -4 Grace (SA), D Johnson (US) -3 Luiten (Ned), Finau (US), Summerhays (US), Martin (US)
Selected others E P Casey (Eng) 1, +3 Rose (Eng) 4, McIlroy (NI) 14 +4 Donald (Eng) 11, +5 Westwood (Eng) 4; Poulter (Eng) 17 +7:Mickelson (US) 8, Montgomerie (Sco) F.
The top players are tracked from the car park into the complex by television cameras - some do a bit of clowning, most raise at least a hand and token smile.
He strides in, earphones firmly in place and female companion trailing in his wake, showing not even a flicker of emotion.
He and fell joint leader Jordan Speith get their rounds under way at 22:50 BST.
Movers and shakers
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So, who in the words of Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie is "movin' on up" and "getting out of the darkness" of mid-field.
Well, world number one Rory McIlroy, beginning the day on +4, nibbled back a couple of shots on the front nine to get the imagination churning. But he has slipped back to +3 with five holes to go.
The lowest score on the course right now is South African 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen. His -3 day - with only six holes played - has shunted him to level par overall.
Those -5 leading marks of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are looking like an excellent couple of day's work.
Hosepipe ban lifted
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And it is a day for the early birds.
The backmarkers have got the first use of Chambers Bay today, with joint leaders Jordon Spieth and Patrick Reed not out until 22:50 BST.
The greenkeepers have been busy, splashing some much-needed water about the course overnight.
The greens are more responsive, the awkward bounces are less pronounced and the putts are less breakneck.
The field is already tightly packed. We may be in for a grandstand massed finish on Sunday if the conditions play out as we expect.
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You have signed on the dotted line (in the scorer's hut).
You've loaded up your bag (with the regulation 14 clubs).
Now, it is time to find out which of these likely-looking characters is going to going to swipe the USGA's family silver.
Live Reporting
Mike Henson
All times stated are UK
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Latest PostPost update
Before we head off for the hills though, lets have a look at the only stats that matter.
-4: Day, Johnson, Grace, Spieth
-1: Oosthuizen, Smith, Lowry, Holmes
+1: Snedeker, Romero, Stenson, Finau, Luiten, Reed
Surely it is one of those 14 names that will be carved onto the US Open trophy come tomorrow evening.
I say tomorrow, the prospect of an 18-hole play-off on Monday looms very large.
Join me tomorrow and we'll find out for certain. Bye for now.
Post update
Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on Radio 5 live sport
Jason, Justin, Branden and Jordan. All their christian names end in 'n' and with that it's time for us to go. We'll be back on Sunday from 22:00 BST with the final round.
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That all means that the final pairing on the final round will be Jason Day and one of Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson - whoever of those two handed in their card first.
Jordan Spieth will be in the penultimate duo.
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A poser from Iain Carter as he signs off the Radio 5 live commentary...
...what do all of our leaders have in common? Answer shortly...
Spieth ends on -4 and share of lead
Right then. Patrick Reed's honour on the final green.
Twelve feet for a birdie, but that one is staying up for the evening.
Jordan Spieth is following along a similar line and he was certainly making notes on his playing partner's efforts.
Off it goes, on its way and.... Off line. Eighteen inches to deal with. Spieth calls in his caddy for a second opinion. "Right centre?" Right centre." All agreed and down she goes.
Reed taps in and is one over overnight after a six over round.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
I think you've got to be under par at the close of today to be in with a chance of winning on Sunday. Let's not forget the winner often comes out of the final group.
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Jordan Spieth has a long, deep and meaningful with his caddy as the pair consider his third shot into the last green.
It's good to talk.
One hundred and twenty seven yards to the pin turns to about seven feet as he nails his short iron perfectly.
Sublime. And he will have his next putt for the solo overnight lead.
Grace and Johnson finish on -4
Dustin Johnson's second actually found the sand, but a graceful sweep with his third puts him up to within 20 feet.
Branden Grace's birdie attempt from way down town is good but not quite there.
Johnson's turn to have a bash. Agonising. Just short. Both sign off with pars.
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Dustin Johnson's second at the par-five last is not quite long enough. It might be alright though, it all depends on the lie.
Branden Grace, who has taken a sideways swipe to rescue a wayward tee shot and get within 154 yards, pitches up close the flag. One of the gullies on the green partially abducts his ball, dragging it off towards the sand, but the brakes kick in just in time to stay on the green.
Spieth is safely off the tee behind them. I believe he has found the fairway.
Post update
Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Every player inside the top 10 is under 32 and that means golf is in a great state.
Spieth stays on -4
Jordan Spieth allows himself a hop of frustration.
His birdie putt on 17, skirts around the rim, but doesn't take a final turn south and down.
He will have to make do with a par.
Post update
Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Jason Day provided one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. It reminded me of 2008 when Tiger Woods won the US Open with a broken leg. Golf is a game but I think it was a heroic effort.
Post update
Jordan Spieth chances his arm on the par-three 17th and has come up triple cherries.
Attacking the front bunker, he clears the sand by a fine margin and gets his reward as the ball hops on and to within 10 feet.
A birdie chance and if he converts he is the sole leader.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Spieth is fighting tooth and nail when he doesn't have his best game today. I bet he'll be on the range tonight trying to work this out.
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"Be lucky" shouts Branden Grace after his tee shot on 18. He will have to wait and see whether his instruction has been obeyed. The ball is off wide somewhere. The secret will all be in the lie.
Dustin Johnson's tee shot - a particularly fine creature - is plum centre. Lovely stuff.
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Argh!
Jordan Spieth leaves another shot out on the course as his birdie putt refuses to fall. He could have has a comfy cushion of a lead to rest on. Only a par.
Dustin Johnson has his par at 17. Brandan Grace has a better chance of birdie though. His 30-footer takes a good look the hole but decides not to buy.
No change at the top.
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Jordan Spieth trying to read the runes of the 16th green, heading up a slope and dealing with a right-to-left break.
And he should have given it a little more muscle. The slope gets its claws into the ball as its momentum stalls and Spieth will have a tricky eight feet or so for birdie.
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Onto the par-three 17 and Branden Grace walks the tightrope between over-eager and too conservative perfectly.
His tee shot stays well clear of the bunker guarding the front pin position, but nestles up nicely 20 feet away.
Dustin Johnson is more erratic. His ball rolls back down onto the lower deck of the two-tier green.
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Dustin Johnson goes all around the houses to try and land his eagle putt on 16, hitting up the slope and then finding that there was not the borrow that he hoped there was in that.
He is taking an age to line up his six-foot birdie putt. It would put him into the lead solo-style. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are being kept waiting on the tee.
The ball dribbles wide when he does come to take on the putt. Just the par then.
Branden Grace has his own chance for a birdie. His putt stubbornly refuses to break though and we are as you were at the top.
As they depart, Spieth has just bashed a fine drive up to within 20 feet. That is a slim eagle chance for him.
Spieth moves to -4, Reed to level par
And then there were four.
Jordan Spieth is back into a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-three 15th.
Playing partner and fellow overnight leader Patrick Reed has had an iffy day, but he makes his birdie, shooting straight down Spieth's line to move back to level par overall.
Holmes done on -1
Dustin Johnson plucks his driver out of the bag on the 372 yard par-four 16. It looks a little bit aggressive. It does skip though, but sticks on the green just about at the back.
JB Holmes meanwhile is scrapping around for a par at 18th as his third shot from the hay at the back of the green rolls all the way through and back into a bunker.
In the end it takes a gutsy ten-footer to preserve his one-under status.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Jason Day has never held a 54-hole lead in a major. He is in the clubhouse tied for the lead on four under.
Grace to -4 and share of the lead
Branden Grace's arms are swinging a little less freely.
But the South African gives his birdie putt enough of a poke to stuff it away on the 15th.
We have a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard with Dustin Johnson and Jason Day also residing on four under.
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Branden Grace has tickled a lovely tee-shot to within five feet at the par-three 15th.
Jordan Spieth has suffered a bad break on 14 with his approach going walkabout after he had placed it carefully close to the pin.
The young American rescues his par with a bold putter that rattles right in,
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JB Holmes is too strong for his own good on the par-five 18th, banging a fairway wood though the back of the green with his second shot.
It was right on line as well. Unlucky.
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Shane Lowry after a level-par 70: "The greens are not 100% but the golf course is still a good golf course. When I got here on Monday and played 36 holes practise. I thought it was a bit funky but the more I play it the more I like it. Most of the shots are there in front of you."
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The Icelandic ash cloud of 2010. The Hemel Hempstead depot cloud of 2005. Might the Chambers Bay fug of 2015 be one of the all-time great clouds?
Promising form and colour from the new comer.
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Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on Radio 5 live sport
What a brave performance. The story of the day. Jason Day with a brilliant birdie-birdie finish to get to four under par and a share of the lead. We didn't even think he would be playing today.
Day up to -4 and share of lead
Pin a medal on that man's chest.
Jason Day, who has been swallowing and blinking like a new-born pup for most of the day as he keeps his vertigo under control, is now joint leader.
His birdie on the last bring the 6,000-strong grandstand to their feet and moves him up alongside Dustin Johnson at the top of the leaderboard.
Johnson is only heading south at the moment as well.
Holmes back to -1
Jason Day with an absolute peach of a shot on 18, finding the sweet spot in the centre of the club and a helpful slope. He will have a great chance to pull up alongside leader Dustin Johnson with a birdie chance from five foot to come,
Branden Grace makes par on 14 with a long worming putt. He stays at three under.
JB Holmes gives a shot back on 17 to move back to one under though.
Post update
Branden Grace has dropped a shot on 13th. It is all going off.
So let's take a moment and have a little mini run-down on what's going on:
-4: D Johnson
-3: Day, Grace, Speith.
-2: Holmes
-1: Oosthuizen, Smith Lowry, Luiten
And they are the only men under par for the tournament,
Post update
Lowry done on -1
Ireland's Shane Lowry is done and dusted with a quietly effective round keeping him right in the hunt.
Level par for the day and one under overall. That is a platform for a final-day push if ever I saw one.
Post update
Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
It's a great course for a major championship because you don't know what's going to happen next. You might not like the course but you cannot deny the excitement.
Holmes to -2
JB Holmes, welcome to the equation.
The American, who like Jason Day drove the 370-yard green and watched his ball trickle into the sand, splashes out from the greenside bunker at 16, running the ball up the hill and then watching as it rolls back down and right onto the bullseye for an eagle two.
Sensational shot and the frat-boy shouters in the crowd enjoyed that. Holmes is two under and hot on the heels of the leaders.
Post update
Chris Jones
BBC Radio 5 live commentator at Chambers Bay
This is turning into a famously gutsy effort by Jason Day.
Johnson back to -4, Day to -3
It is getting mighty cramped in here.
Dustin Johnson comes pinging back to the pack with a double bogey on the 13th.
A massive roar over on 17 where Jason Day's ball as trickled down the pipe for a birdie. He is now back to three under and within a shot of Johnson and Branden Grace.
Post update
Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
The pressure is getting greater. Nothing is ever straightforward. That's why it is compelling watching.
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Dustin Johnson is tapping around the 13th green to little effect.
He now faces a tricky seven or eight footer downhill for a bogey.
Playing partner Branden Grace misses his own par putt as well.
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Jason Day is soldiering on in fine style. He steps back from his tee shot at the par-three 17th apparently suffering from some of the effects of his vertigo.
When he does hit it, it is a beat, dotting down for a 12-foot birdie putt. The Australian has to take a knee as he retrieves his tee out of the ground.
Jordan Spieth is off 12 with a par by the way,
Post update
Leader Dustin Johnson is in a bit of bother on 13th. His third from the bunker flops tamely into the middle of the green and he has some considerable lumps and bumps to negotiate if he is to get off here with a par.
Post update
Jordan Spieth at 12 hits a lovely little bit of draw off the tee - but he doesn't get the kick off the apron that he wanted. He is short by a good 30 yards.
Jason Day caught a flier at the 16th by the way. His tee shot came streaking through the green registering 370-odd yards. Monster. He looked like he may have pulled a leg muscle crashing out that shot.
He limps down to check his lie and manages to smuggle out a par, with his birdie putt coming up just short. He stays two under.
Grace to -4
Branden Grace's score is dented by a bogey at 12. He is back to four under and suddenly playing partner Dustin Johnson has a two-shot lead.
This stock market has got very jumpy.
Johnson to -6 and sole lead, Spieth to -3
Dustin Johnson picks up his birdie at 12 to move to six under and take exclusive control for the lead.
Jordan Spieth's wayward tee shot on 11 has landed him with a bogey that takes him to three under.
Post update
Jordon Spieth with a lovely touch to land his second on the 11th green.
Meanwhile Branden Grace on the par-four 12th has a roller-coaster green to negotiate for a birdie.
But he has been cowed by the fear of hitting past. That is nowhere near and he has 12-15 feet to make for par.
Dustin Johnson also a little limp with his eagle putt. The greens are releasing gremlins in these players' brains.
Post update
Thanks Peter.
We join Branden Grace who has strapped on his crampons to clamber down one of Chamber Bay's vertiginous banks.
He ends up standing below the ball, gripping the club about halfway down the shaft and punching out a decent recovery onto the green. That was his second on the par-four 12th.
Post update
Jason Day with a carbon-copy of Shane Lowry on 15. Can the Australian knock in a birdie?
Lowry is already teeing off on the 16th and he's pushed that into the long fescue grass down the left.
Jordan Spieth crashes a drive down the 11th and straight into a fluffy mound or rough that sits right in the middle of the fairway. A few yards left or right and he would have been fine.
Branden Grace in trouble down the right of 12, asking his ball to "get lucky". It doesn't.
It's all getting a little nervy out there and here's Mike Henson to take you through to the close of play...
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Shane Lowry's birdie putt doesn't want to drop so it's only a par on the 15th for the Irishman.
Dustin Johnson's par putt stays on the 11th green, while Patrick Reed's 33-footer on 10 is also still visible. He then pushes his bogey putt. A third double of the round for young Patrick who goes to +1.
Jordan Spieth trundles in for par to 10 to stay four under.
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Patrick Reed from a horrible spot up in the long grass to the left of the 10th green and it's all he can do to hack out on to the far side of the green.
Up on 11 and Dustin Johnson is playing his third with a wedge from off the green. The ball bites a little too quickly and he's got a testing 10-footer for par. Branden Grace from a similar spot gets more roll and he finishes an inch away. They could well be level in a couple of minutes.
Back on 10, Jordan Spieth from 47 feet and he's knocked that three feet by.
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Shane Lowry on 250-yard par-three 15th is imploring his ball to fly. It listens and for added good measure takes in a slope at the back of the green and comes to rest eight feet from the pin. An immediate chance to get back to three under for the Irishman.
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Branden Grace hits a low drive down the 11th towards the black smoke from the fire which is smudging the blue sky.
Patrick Reed has found his ball on the 10th and he's deep in conversation with his caddie, trying to pick the right club and strategy because this a completely blind shot.
"Oh no, that's fat and left," says Reed as his ball disappears into more trouble.
From the other side here's Spieth with the ball well below his stance. His ball ricochets off some shrubbery to the left of the green and flicks across to the right but it stays on the short stuff. Think you'd call that a member's bounce.
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Dustin Johnson crunched another drive down the par-four 10th but finds a bit of greenside sand with his approach to the green. Careless that. But a superb splash out to a foot and he's staying six under.
Patrick Reed goes way right off the tee on 10, Jordan Spieth is left.
Shane Lowry lags up to six feet but cannot hole the par putt on 14 and he's dropping to two under.
Spieth -4; Reed -1
Shane Lowry is ticking along nicely. Another par on 13 to stay three under. He's through the back of 14 and will need a good up and down from there.
Back on nine and Jordan Spieth found the sand with his tee shot. He splashes out to about 10 feet and he'll have a similar one to Branden Grace which drifted right late on. That was a complete mis-read from Spieth and he is dropping to four under. A real up and down front nine.
Patrick Reed from the middle of the green and he is short of pace up the hill from 20 feet. A 12-inch par-putt for a four-over opening nine.
Latest scores
-6 D Johnson (US) 9; -5 J Speith (US) 7,B Grace (SA) 9; -3 S Lowry (Ire) 13, -2 J Luiten (Ned) 9.
Selected others +4 P Casey (Eng) 15, R McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F; J Rose (Eng) F; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, L Donald (Eng) F, L Westwood (Eng) F; +10 P Mickelson (US) F
For a full leaderboard, click this way.
Johnson takes the lead
There's a big fire at the Marina a couple of miles down the coast and there's a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the air and heading Chambers Bay way.
Dustin Johnson finds the dancefloor on the short ninth and he nonchalantly rolls in for birdie to get to six under par - two under for his front nine.
Branden Grace is struggling after missing the green and leaving his second 10 feet from the cup. His effort is centimetres wide and he drops back to five under.
Dustin Johnson is our new leader folks.
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Patrick Reed chops his ball up on to the green and he uses the slope at the back to get the ball to roll back towards the flag but it's not stopping and he'll have a 20-footer for birdie. He nudges that a couple of feet past.
Spieth's chip up leaves him four feet for par but he doesn't set that out far enough right and that's just a par.
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Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed both leak their approaches to the eighth out right. Spieth is not quite so wild and he will have a chip from the short stuff. Reed is chuntering to himself as his heads down towards Dustin Johnson country.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
The players have been less than complimentary about Chambers Bay but Jay Townsend is sticking up for the course: "There is a lot of ego involved.
"If the players played this course a lot more and played the US Open here again the reactions would be a lot different they would know what to prepare for and know what to expect.
"I think that if they don't come back to Chambers Bay because of the greens they will never go back to Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines again either."
Grace takes the lead
Shane Lowry with a decent two-putt for par on 11, while back on eight and Branden Grace lags his eagle putt to three feet. He could go top of the shop on his own shortly.
Dustin Johnson takes a couple of long looks at his six-footer but he still doesn't get the read. Safe par to remain five under.
Up steps Grace and that is slap, bang right in the middle of the cup. We have a new leader.
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Dustin Johnson gets free relief for a reason I don't fully understand. But, under the close guidance of a rules official, he is allowed to pick up and drop no nearer the hole. He is directed towards the side of a hill and after two drops that predictably dribble away from him, he is allowed to place his ball.
He dinks his chip 30 feet over the pin and the slope does the rest. Short birdie attempt coming up after all that kerfuffle.
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Up on eight and Dustin Johnson overcooks his mid-iron approach to the par-five green. It ends up back right but doesn't fancy the view so trundles off down a cart path and is only halted by a muddy, sandy concoction. Big error from the big hitter.
Over on the driveable par-four 12th and Shane Lowry plays a sensible lay-up but then comes up short with his wedge into the green and he's left with a 40-footer for birdie.
Spieth -5; Reed -1
Back on seven and Jordan Spieth is a touch aggressive with his birdie putt. That sails six feet by and he tugs the return. Three birdies and three bogeys in his opening seven holes and the Masters champion is back to where he started on five under.
Patrick Reed for bogey and that horseshoes out. Double trouble for the American who is four over through seven and at one over.
Rose-y finish
A quick flick up to the 18th green to see England's 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose finish his round in fine style with a birdie. That's a two-over-par 72 and a four over total.
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Patrick Reed sets his roller-coaster putt on its way and it pulls up just short of being perfect and then rolls way back down to the right of the seventh green and is almost as far away as when he started. He'll be playing again.
And here he is - bit straighter this one but he doesn't hit it and he's got a four-footer for bogey.
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Dutchman Joost Luiten dropped a shot on the seventh, his first bogey of the day after seven pars but he has an immediate chance to make amends on the par-five eighth after hitting the green in two.
Over on the 11th Shane Lowry's lengthy birdie putt doesn't trouble the hole but he's got a tap-in par.
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Shane Lowry into the heart of the 11th green with his second, outside birdie chance there.
Dustin Johnson and and Branden Grace are in for pars on seven to stay five under, one behind Jordan Spieth, who fires out of the rough, down the left and onto the green, almost to the pin, 25 feet left. Patrick Reed's effort pulls up short, 50 feet short.
Latest scores
-6 J Speith (US) 6; -5 B Grace (SA) 6, D Johnson (US) 6; -3 S Lowry (Ire) 10, P Reed (US) 6,-2 J Luiten (Ned) 7.
Selected others +4 P Casey (Eng) 13, R McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F; +5 J Rose (Eng) 74; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, L Donald (Eng) F, L Westwood (Eng); +10 P Mickelson (US) F
For a full leaderboard, click this way.
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Up on seven and Branden Grace smashes his ball out of the rough and the ball zips up the hill and on to the green, 30 feet short of the pin. Dustin Johnson from much closer in and from the benefit of the fairway ends up in the same place.
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed both cut a little off the corner of the dog-leg right seventh from the tee. Spieth ends up where Grace was but does not get the luck of a decent lie, while Reed is on the short stuff.
Spieth -6; Reed -3
Patrick Reed joins the birdie party, knocking in a curling downhill effort on six to get back to three under.
Can Jordan Spieth follow him in? Yes he can. And the young American is our sole leader again on six under.
Lowry looking good
Hello. What have we got going on here? Shane Lowry rolling in a birdie putt on the 10th green, to add to his two on the par-three ninth and the big bearded Irishman is two off the lead on three under par.
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Of course, I welcome all mums and non parents out there too!
Here's Jordan Spieth in the middle of the sixth fairway and he pulls out of his swing after being distracted by an over-enthusiastic punter in the gallery. He regains his composure and fires pin-high, 15 feet to the right.
Patrick Reed's effort from similar distance is right at the flag but his bounces beyond and is 20 feet left.
Up on the seventh tee Branden Grace booms his drive through the fairway and into the rough but the ball is sitting up.
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Evening all. And a very happy father's day to all you dads out there. And what better way to spend the early hours of your day than with the culmination of round three of the US Open?
I join you as we get a three-way tie for the lead and what looked like it might become a Jordan Spieth procession half an hour ago has suddenly become a lot more interesting...
Johnson to -5 and share of the lead
And Dustin Johnson joins the party at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie at six.
It is him, Jordan Spieth and Branden Grace up the top. Grace salvages par from six to stay in the VIP enclosure as well.
Delicately poised and Peter Scrivener is here to take you through the next instalment.
Spieth to -5 and Reed to -2
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed have both taken a bit of medicine there. Bogeys for both at five and Spieth drops back alongside Branden Grace at the top of the leaderboard.
Grace himself has a cheeky little approach into six, the ball tracking back like a ball-bearing drawn towards a magnet. He has been in trouble earlier in the the hole though and has some scorecard damage stored up.
He won't be level with Spieth for long.
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Football focus presenter Dan Walker on Twitter: "The green on the 4th at #ChambersBay is a complete shambles. Like a municipal pitch & putt #USOpen."
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Patrick Reed's second on the par-four fifth has far too much sauce on it, disappearing out the back of the green.
Jordan Spieth's attempt takes the scenic route, skirting along the edge of the fairway and running up onto an area of trampled grass, That looks like the better spot to me.
Dustin Johnson is still clubbing his tee shots, he has blasted that one out beyond the horizon on six.
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Jenna: Is Chambers Bay any worse than Carnoustie was in 1999? #USOpen
Andrew Priestley: I know it's VERY early to be talking about it (but just to throw it out there) could we be witnessing the '2015 Spieth Grand Slam'?
Grace to -5 and second
Branden Grace has been steady as she blows so far today.
Four pars to open up and his first dip into the coloured numbers is a birdie on five, sealed with a two-foot tap.
He is on his own in second place.
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BBC Match of the Day presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker: Jordan Spieth is putting the lights out. #USOpen
Latest scores
-6 J Spieth (US); -4 B Grace (SA) D Johnson (US); -3 P Reed (US), J Luiten (Ned), -2 JB Holmes (US), Tony Finau (US).
Selected others +4 P Casey (Eng) 11, R McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F; +6 J Rose (Eng) 14; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, L Donald (Eng) F, L Westwood (Eng); +10 P Mickelson (US)
For a full leaderboard, click this way.
Spieth back to -6
Facing a downhill slope that Franz Klammer might feel a little nervy about, Jordan Spieth three-putts on four to slip back to six under.
But, one under for the day so far and with confidence fuelled by those two birdies, he is in a good place.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Jordan Spieth may be clear at the top of the leaderboard but former Jay Townsend thinks there is still a long way to go.
He said: "Especially on this golf course when just a bad bounce or a little mental lapse can lead to a double bogey. There is nothing in three shots."
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Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed aim their second shots into a fourth green that is banked like a Daytona corner.
Jordan Spieth lands closer to the flag. But that is only half the story round Chambers Bay.
It is Reed who ends up with the shorter putt as his approach - further up the sloped green - runs back down past Spieth's ball and to within eight feet.
Johnson back to -3
Dustin Johnson's par putt on four is not feet or yards, but inches and millimetres.
It just won't stay down though, popping out and up like fat off off a hot pan.
A groan from the crowd and similar from Johnson himself.
He slips back to three under in Spieth's slipstream.
More from McIlroy
Northern Ireland's McIlroy was also asked on BBC 5 live whether his putting or the Chambers Bay surfaces have checked his progress.
He said: "Both. I missed a few, obviously the greens aren't perfect but then it gets into your head, and I started making tentative strokes, but more me than the greens."
The 26-year-old added: "Every year the US Open is frustrating, apart from 2011 (the year of his win in Maryland).
"I came off and said to JP, (McIlroy's caddie JP Fitzgerald) thank god I have got one of these. I am glad I have got my name on the trophy."
I'm still in it - McIlroy
World number one Rory McIlroy is four over after a level-par 70 today but hasn't ruled out his chances of winning a second US Open title.
The 2011 champion told BBC Radio 5 live: "Maybe. Depending on the guys today, if I can go out there, get to even for tournament you never know what could happen.
"I need something spectacular tomorrow. If I have one of my best ever putting rounds I have a chance."
Mickelson finishes on +10
"You used to be the future once."
One of the great House of Commons put-downs and Phil Mickelson's might be feeling the sting of David Cameron's zinger.
While new American great hope Jordan Spieth is tearing up trees, Mickelson is finishing up with a bogey on 18 to finish on a seven-over 77. He is 10 over overall and his wait goes on for at least another 12 months.
Reed stays at -3
Patrick Reed comes close with his birdie punt, just as he did with his bogey attempt on the previous green.
But close don't climb the leaderboard.
He taps back for par. But he is playing in the shade of a virtuoso start from Jordan Spieth
The gallery's applause is almost sympathetic.
Spieth to -7
Oh my!
Jordan Spieth has the momentum of one of the frieght trains that comes trundling through Chambers Bay.
Another whopping putt sinks south and he has picked up another shot.
Reed to follow from closer in.
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Tee shots at par-three third and both Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are safe and sound off the pegs.
Spieth has a tricky uphill putt for his birdie, Reed is a little close.
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Right, time to take stock.
This is what the top of the leaderboard looks like now. Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace are now the closest in pursuit of Jordan Spieth.
-6: Spieth
-4: D. Johnson, B. Grace
-3: J.Luiten, P.Reed
Spieth to -6, Reed to -3
On the other hand.
Jordan Spieth is the Jekyll to Patrick Reed's Hyde. His putting is touched with greatness right now. He cosies a 15-foot birdie putt right up to the hole, judging the right to left break perfectly. The ball tipples in to move him to six under.
Reed almost salvages a bogey. But his long-ranger stays up. A three-stroke swing in the leading group.
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Oh dear Patrick Reed.
He has only a couple of yards of run-off to land the ball on with the flag close to the fringe.
But he has shaved too much off his attempted escape from the back of the bunker. He lobs up the ball high, but not far enough and it plunges back into the sand.
Is it plugged? Reed digs it out if so, but that is his fourth shot and he is looking at a double bogey here.
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Jason Day is looking queasy as a ferry passenger, smiling weakly between some deep, deep breaths.
He only really looks comfortable standing over the ball and a solid par putt on five disappears. He is still level par.
Jordan Spieth's second on two is into the heart of the green. Patrick Reed, with a hint of rough to deal with, is less accurate, running up into the bunker.
USGA defends Chambers Bay
USGA executive director Mike Davis, the man responsible for the Chambers Bay set up, has responded to criticism of the greens.
"It wouldn't be a US Open if there wasn't a little muttering," he said, adding the putting surfaces are "better than they look".
He says the mixture of fine fescue and poa annua grasses leave them looking splotchy, and that the poa annua tends to get bumpy later in the day.
He insists a lot of it "is your eye telling you it doesn't look like it's going to be smooth".
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The leaders are putting as carefully as if the greens were ice-covered concrete.
Jordan Spieth's tentative prod disappears down for a par on the first first, following Patrick Reed's trend. Onto the second...
Cauliflower greens
Rory McIlroy added a new vegetable into the mix when describing the Chambers Bay greens after a level-par 70 to stay four over.
The world number one, who missed more than half a dozen makeable putts, said: "I don't think they're as green as broccoli. I think they're more like cauliflower.
However, he diplomatically added: "They are what they are. Everyone has to putt on them. It's all mental. But it is disappointing that they're not in better shape.''
Latest scores
-5 J Spieth (US), P Reed (US); -4 B Grace (SA); -3 D Johnson (US) J Luiten (Ned), JB Holmes (US).
Selected others +1 P Casey (Eng) 8; +4 McIlroy (NI) F, I Poulter (Eng) F ; +5 J Rose (Eng) 11; +7 C Montgomerie, L Donald (Eng) F, (Sco) F, L Westwood (Eng) , +10 P Mickelson (US) 16.
For a full leaderboard, click this way.
Day back to level par
You are feeling a little groggy, trying to keep your head together after a bout of vertigo yesterday and your so-called supporters do this.
Let's hope Jason Day doesn't spot three giant copies of his own face bobbing around behind the rope.
The Australian has dropped another shot with a bogey on four setting him back to level par.
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Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan on Twitter:
"Officially the worst ever #USOpen Course of all time.....#Fact"
Spieth & Reed up and running
So, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed get their rounds underway with their lead at the top of the standings still intact.
Not the best opening shots, both spraying their tee shots left and into the wild and straggly stuff.
An interesting stat from the Golf Channel's Justin Ray.
"This is the fifth time Spieth/Reed grouped together on PGA Tour last 2 seasons. Cumulative scores in those rounds: Spieth -24, Reed -4."
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live
Jordan Spieth is the youngest player to hold the 36-hole lead at the US Open since Walter Hagen in 1914.
Hagen went on to win the first of his two US Open titles by one shot.
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BBC Radio 5 live
Englishman Ian Poulter has had his say (or not) on the Chambers Bay course after his one-under-par 69 that lifted him to four over for the tournament.
He said: "I've got to know the course, it's unique in its kind. I have understood what the challenges are in front of me. I have executed shots I'd like to have done, poor shots have cost me not anything else.
Poulter added: "We all know you can't say, what you would really like to say, because there is no benefit in that. It is hard to express yourself."
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If the breaks even out, then Chambers Bay owes Ben Martin big time.
He has a birdie putt on two. If he makes it, he moves joint top of the leaderboard.
His effort skims just wide. It is a mite heavy, but it doesn't deserve what happens next. The ball is almost stopped dead, before teetering, accelerating and running off the green and into a bunker.
A cruel mistress this links.
Oosthuizen to -1
Amid all the understandable wailing and whining, Louis Oosthuizen is making Chambers Bay look like a stroll.
The South African deciphers the riddle of the 13th green, guiding his ball through the backroads and byways for another birdie.
He is now four under for the day and one under for the event. His card is a picture as well five birdies and just the one bogey amid the pars.
Five holes left for him.
More from Monty
Colin Montgomerie, the three-time US Open runner-up was asked by BBC Radio 5 live if the views around Chambers Bay make up for the "disappointing" greens.
He replied: "No, we can go to Fiji for that, views of the ocean. There are a number of islands in the Pacific we could go. Chambers Bay is dramatic and ridiculous at the same time.
"I don't think it is good for spectators either. $125 a round. My wife saw 15 shots yesterday and they were from a long way away.
"It's not really a spectator course at all. Holes one, 10 and 18 you can't see at all but it's a beautiful spot and it's a pleasure to be here. We are lucky to be here."
Poulter done on +4
There have not been many better than England's Ian Poulter today.
He has come home one under par for the day, signing off on a card that featured six birdies.
He will begin his final round at four over.
Day stays -1, Martin to -4
Jason Day is not going to die wondering out on the third green. His birdie putt is a bolshy little blighter, barrelling up from 10 feet before riding around the rim and staying north.
Ben Martin has made a strong start out. A birdie on the first move him to four under and share of third place with Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson, just a shot off the leaders.
Passionate Player
South Africa's nine-time major champion Gary Player has just been on BBC Radio 5 live and boy was he in the mood for a rant.
On Chambers Bay he said: "I love to see golf courses tough. But professionals are hitting putts from 20 feet and aiming 20 feet right. It's abnormal. I'm not against undulating greens but these greens are unplayable.
He also echoed Colin Montgomerie's comments on the difficulties for spectators. "The whole place is inundated with all these mounds," he continued. "One woman struggled to see more than three or four shots of her own son's round and she got lost trying to watch him playing in the US Open. That's not right. Are you not seeing this?"
However, he thought it was tournament organiser Mike Davis' prerogative to alter hole lengths if he wished - such as changing the first and 18th from par four to five and vice versa. "As my hero Winston Churchill said, change is the price of survival," said Player.
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Yesterday Henrik Stenson compared the surface of the Chambers Bay greens to broccoli.
The good news for the organisers is that Rory McIlroy disagrees.
The bad news for them is his only issue is what vegetable is the best comparison.
"I don't think they're as green as broccoli -more like cauliflower," he said after his level-par third round.
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Jason Day's tee-shot at the par-three third is a humdinger, hopping on like a spring bunny to within ten feet.
The Australian looks like he is consciously trying to keep his head as still as possible between shots to ward off a recurrence of vertigo.
Could that little game actually help him keep his mind off the scoreboard and the associated pressure?
Monty's moan
Colin Montgomerie dropped to seven over par after carding a two-over 72 today and the Scot told BBC Radio 5 live: "That is some golf course, 72 is okay.
"I feel under par, you take the three-puts away and you've almost played perfectly.
"It's hard, very very hard. It's a long walk as well, 4000 yards for the front nine yesterday I mean come on."
On the state of the Chambers Bay greens he added: "The greens are the disappointing thing, the surface of the greens. The ball doesn't run true and in this day in age it should be something we come to expect."
Day back to -1
Kevin Kisner has a little more life about him that those cookie-cutter college-fresh American pros.
Asked about how he got over two recent play-off defeats earlier this year, he provided a one-word answer: "Drank."
Well, he might need a stiffener after three-putting at two to slip back to one under.
Playing partner Jason Day similarly struggled to get the job done on the green. He bogies to slip back to one under as well.
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You guys....
Definite shorts weather at Chambers Bay today, just perhaps not these shorts specifically.
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Jay Townsend
Former American professional golfer on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"Rory had a good day today. He hit the ball really well tee to green but his putter is holding him back. If he's going to get on a hot streak again he's going to have to get his putter going again. His chances of winning this week are out."
McIlroy done on +4
Rory McIlroy has been given a runaround by an 18th green with more peaks and valleys than the Appalachians.
From looking good for a possible eagle three, he finally drains a real wobbler for par.
His look of exasperation as he finishes his round is classic. If there are any easily offended lip readers watching, I hope they weren't.
All done for the world number one. Level par for the day, four over for the day.
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Jason Day suffered a fall yesterday as a result of his vertigo.
The Australian looked very wobbly on his feet then, but he has been very sure-footed along the first.
Good tee-shot, good approach, a very decent attempt for a 15-footer par putt, just short. He remains at two under.
But that is a promising opening.
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Rob in London: Can we get a petition going to rename these putting surfaces 'browns'? Not much green anywhere to be seen!
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There are not a lot of Europeans bothering those rigging up the on-course scoreboards.
Dutchman Joost Luiten, on three under, will begin his round at 22:28 BST, but Alexander Levy has begun his day with a birdie to mover to two under and a share of ninth.
This is only the 24-year-olds's second Major after last year's USPGA.
Latest scores
-5 J Spieth (US), P Reed (US); -4 B Grace (SA), D Johnson (US); -3 J Luiten (Ned), T Finau (US), D Summerhays (US), B Martin (US)
Selected others E P Casey (Eng) 4; +4 McIlroy (NI) 16, L Donald (Eng) 13, I Poulter (Eng) F ; +6 J Rose (Eng) 6, L Westwood (Eng) 6; +7 C Montgomerie (Sco) F, P Mickelson (US) 11
For a full leaderboard, click this way.
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Phil Mickelson's putter belatedly gets warm - sinking a giant slipperyeel of a putt for a birdie on 11.
The gallery roar their approval, but it is going to take more than that to get Mickelson - back to seven over - to start believing.
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Louis Oosthuizen with a very presentable chance for birdie at nine after that heat-seeker of a tee shot at the par three.
It is not quite the gimme that I thought it was though and he slides by.
The ball stays upstairs and the South African can look back on a three-under front nine and wonder if it could have been something even better.
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Phil Mickelson is not having much fun either.
The US Open is the only major missing from the American's mantelpiece. But he is not going to fill that gap this weekend.
He was five-over for the front nine today and is now eight over and surely out of contention.
Not so sweet for Rose
Justin Rose has been snared by Robert Trent Jones Jr's mantrap of a course.
The Englishman - a US Open winner two years ago - has opened up with a dropped-shot sandwich - bogies on three and six with a two-over six on five for filling.
That puts him up at six over. Ugly scenes and his next round and a half are effectively going to be glorified practice, barring barnstorming run.
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Drop and roll! Drop and roll!
Louis Oosthuizen is a man on fire.
The South African arrows a four iron straight at the pin on the par-three ninth. It locks on like an exocet, but is just going a little too fast, hopping out via the flagpole.
That is surely a birdie in the post though and a pass to one under for the tournament.
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Louis Oosthuizen stands over a very makeable birdie putt at eight. If this goes down he will move to four under for the day and one under for the tournament.
It trails just wide of the chute from four feet.
But his round is showing that good scoring is possible today.
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Jenni in Newtownards: There are a couple of pairings that could get each other going and put together a low round and make a serge up the leaderboard on 'Moving Day' at the US Open. Els/Snedeker, Molinari/Scott and Dufner/Kuchar look like the most likely to make a positive move.
Get involved via #bbcgolf
So, who is going to come out of the pack to mount a challenge today?
Never mind if they are going to win it or not, it is all about the glory of burning bright even if you then fade away.
Let us know via #bbcgolf, 81111 on text from UK phones and the BBC Sport Facebook page.
Westwood going south
Lee Westwood is stuck in reverse at the moment.
The Englishman - who has been vocal in his criticism of the course set-up and the fluctuating yardage and pars on holes - has bogied the first, second and fourth.
He lies five over after five holes today.
Tee times
American duo Matt Kuchar and Jason Dufner have just got their rounds under way off the first tee.
Some of the big names still to come include:
Henrik Stenson (-1) at 21:33 BST
Jason Day (-2) at 21:55 BST
Dustin Johnson (-4) at 22:39 BST
and, at five under, joint leaders Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed at 22:50 BST.
Latest scores
-5 Spieth (US), Reed (US), -4 Grace (SA), D Johnson (US) -3 Luiten (Ned), Finau (US), Summerhays (US), Martin (US)
Selected others E P Casey (Eng) 1, +3 Rose (Eng) 4, McIlroy (NI) 14 +4 Donald (Eng) 11, +5 Westwood (Eng) 4; Poulter (Eng) 17 +7:Mickelson (US) 8, Montgomerie (Sco) F.
For a full leaderboard, click this way.
Reed means business
Patrick Reed has arrived at Chambers Bay.
The top players are tracked from the car park into the complex by television cameras - some do a bit of clowning, most raise at least a hand and token smile.
Not Reed.
The San Antonio native is keeping to his home state's motto "Don't Mess with Texas".
He strides in, earphones firmly in place and female companion trailing in his wake, showing not even a flicker of emotion.
He and fell joint leader Jordan Speith get their rounds under way at 22:50 BST.
Movers and shakers
So, who in the words of Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie is "movin' on up" and "getting out of the darkness" of mid-field.
Well, world number one Rory McIlroy, beginning the day on +4, nibbled back a couple of shots on the front nine to get the imagination churning. But he has slipped back to +3 with five holes to go.
The lowest score on the course right now is South African 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen. His -3 day - with only six holes played - has shunted him to level par overall.
Those -5 leading marks of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are looking like an excellent couple of day's work.
Hosepipe ban lifted
And it is a day for the early birds.
The backmarkers have got the first use of Chambers Bay today, with joint leaders Jordon Spieth and Patrick Reed not out until 22:50 BST.
The greenkeepers have been busy, splashing some much-needed water about the course overnight.
The greens are more responsive, the awkward bounces are less pronounced and the putts are less breakneck.
The field is already tightly packed. We may be in for a grandstand massed finish on Sunday if the conditions play out as we expect.
Post update
You have signed on the dotted line (in the scorer's hut).
You've loaded up your bag (with the regulation 14 clubs).
Now, it is time to find out which of these likely-looking characters is going to going to swipe the USGA's family silver.
Welcome to moving day.