Hideki Matsuyama goes safe with a three-wood off the 14th tee, a 603-yard par-five. Jon Rahm follows his lead and also finds the centre of the fairway.

How are your nerves Rickie Fowler? He's out with a two-iron. It appears to be his plan on this hole because he chose the same club yesterday. He's on the fairway, but as we've seen, his problems have been on the putting surface.

Are the wheels coming off for Rickie Fowler? He has raced his birdie putt a good eight feet past the hole. Surely he needed to cosy that down to the holeside?

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Jon Rahm across the slope and down the hill from 30 feet. A much better putt and a tap-in par for the Spaniard.

How aggressive is Hideki Matsuyama feeling? He has 28 feet and two inches to go. What a monster. Right in the heart of the cup. He tries to walk off with as much nonchalance as possible but you know his heart is booming right now. Seven birdies on the day and just three off the lead on five under.

Back to Fowler. One of the wheels has definitely dropped off the cart. A third successive bogey for the overnight leader.

Matsuyama started the day nine shots behind Fowler. He's now just one back. Sensational.

Lee Westwood had a start to forget but he's hanging in. Level par for the tournament after 11 which means he has given three back to this course today.

Hang on a minute, drama on 13....

Image source, Reuters

On to the par-three 13th they go. Jon Rahm has the honour and hits an eight-iron. This hole is 198 yards and there is no wind. An eight-iron to pin high, Rahm telling it to pull up. He needs three birdies in the next six holes with the projected cut at +1.

Hideki Matsuyama also out with an eight. Towering. Front edge. Can Rickie Fowler get in close? He's going with a seven-iron. He is slightly long, the ball sliding a few inches back towards the hole but he'll be looking at a decent two-putt par from there to stop the rot.

(All US unless stated)

-8 B Koepka*

-7 P Casey (Eng)*, T Fleetwood (Eng), R Fowler

-6 B Harman

-5 X Schauffele, S W Kim (Kor)*, C Champ (a), P Reed, C Hoffman

-4 B Steele, B Haas, M Leishman (Aus)*, H English*, B Snedeker*, C Reavie*, H Matsuyama (Jpn), JB Holmes*

-3 W McGirt, R Henley*, S Garcia (Spa)*, B Wiesberger (Aut), J Lovemark, E Els (SA)*

-2 S Kodairia (Jpn), A Johnston (Eng)*, A Hadwin (Can), J Thomas*, J Randolph*, Y Miyazato (Jpn), Z Johnson, S Jaeger (Ger)

Selected others: -1 J Maguire*, E Pepperell (Eng)*, M Laird (Sco)*, M Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth, E, L Oosthuizen (SA)*, Lee Westwood (Eng) +1,D Johnson, +2,J Rose (Eng)*, Richie Ramsey (Sco), +3, Henrik Stenson (Swe)

*Tee off from 10th hole, (a) Amateur

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Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Erin Hills

Isn't it interesting to have gone all that time without dropping a shot and then Fowler drops one at the 11th and at the 12th. I will resist the London bus cliche. Isn't it funny that when one thing goes against you it can sew that seed of doubt after no doubt feeling invincible.

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Rickie Fowler responds to that bogey by mullering his drive down the 12th. 300 yards done, 130 to go. Hideki Matsuyama is a little longer. And wider.

It is the Japanese to play first and he can't stop his ball on the green. How about Fowler? That's a big miss from the American. His ball is short and left.

Matsuyama, putting over the side of the Matterhorn send his ball 20 feet left of the hole and his ball scurries a dozen feet by. This is straight up the hill and straight in the middle. Par saved.

Fowler up the green doesn't hit his but his par putt is half the distance. It lips out. Back-to-back bogeys and Brooks Koepka is sole leader.

Meanwhile, Jon Rahm is chuntering to himself again as his ball somehow fails to drop for birdie.

Anyone for some dunks?

Tommy Fleetwood showing super touch again with a birdie putt on 13 which lips out. He is right on the heels here. Remember he has only ever made the cut in a major once before.

Martin Kaymer has a birdie to dance about on the ninth. Six off the pace.

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Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Erin Hills

He's like a Beef Willy Wonka...

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Chris Latchem
BBC Radio 5 live commentator at Erin Hills

Image source, .

Beefmania looks set to continue onto The Open at Royal Birkdale next month.

This week Team Beef have been handing out five pairs of all expenses paid trips to US fans to join him in Southport next month.

No wonder they shout his name so loud.

The back of the invite explains the lucky person holding it gets to bring a friend on the trip and reads: "Super fans like you have made me feel right at home and I'd like to return the favour."

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Andrew Beef Johnston speaks to BBC Sport's Chris Latchem: "Decent day, two mistakes. Overall I played really solid. You want to be in these positions and I'm looking forward to the weekend.

"I think it's a fair test. If you drive well and hit the fairways you can score. Off line can be a bit of trouble. I drove the ball really well today. I think I only missed one fairway so I was very happy."

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Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka have faltered a touch so Tommy Fleetwood kicks away at the door. His judgment on the 12th green is cracking as he curls a putt home from 12-15ft. That takes him to seven under, level with Paul Casey.

The top four is America, America, England, England.

Rickie Fowler has a rare fallible moment. His chip on 11 is wayward and he is staring his first bogey of the tournament squarely in the face.

He hits a confident putt from a dozen feet but his par putt stays up. Tap-in bogey to drop back to a share of the lead with Brooks Koepka on eight under.

Hideki Matsuyama, from a bit closer in than I initially thought. Four feet for birdie. Noooooo. It's horse-shoed another four feet away. In for par though.

Image source, Getty Images

Birdie chance, birdie chance and birdie chance opened up for Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer and Dustin Johnston on the eighth. DJ... misses left. Spieth, settles into his stance... misses left. Kaymer has to settle for par too.

Some drama up on 11... Rickie Fowler...

Rickie Fowler, from the first cut of rough off the left side of the 11th fairway is firing at the pin. He's getting no action on his ball from that lie though and it skips through and off the back.

The advantage of playing off the fairway? Hideki Matsuyama hammers it home, nailing his wedge to six feet.

Patrick Reed making it rain joy on nine. The 153 yards off the tee are navigated with aplomb. A foot or two left for the birdie. Stunner.