Scottie Scheffler had a challenging 30ft putt to take a share of the lead on the 16th.

He came close, but not close enough and taps in for par. Two holes left to make his move.

Matt Fitzpatrick is smiling up on the 15th tee.

He blasts his tee shot well right but gets a huge break as it lands into an area that has been trampled down by the army of fans occupying that area to the side of the fairway.

Has he got lucky there?

Will Zalatoris is also heading right but his ball disappears into the second cut of rough.

The crowd loves McIlroy's shot onto the 17th green.

It lands pin high about 10ft from the hole. Another birdie to come?

Zane Scotland
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live

Rory will absolutely be thinking about finishing birdie-birdie. It will be the only thing in his mind right now.

Rory McIlroy takes out an iron on the 17th and bats the ball down the middle of the fairway.

Two more birdies needed before the end surely.

Scottie Scheffler was putting some hefty pressure on the rest of the field when he led earlier, but those times are long gone now.

The world number one is cruising his way through with a fourth par in a row on the 15th to stay one behind leaders Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick.

It was touch and go, but Rory McIlroy makes his par putt.

The ball looks tempted to stay up on the left, but is convinced at the last second and loops into the cup.

Two holes to go, three shots off the leaders.

Gav: My late father was never sporty, but when I told him I was going (or had been) golfing, he'd sing me a little rhyme, which was prob from an old Scottish music hall song, 'Gowfin gowfin, that's the game for me, On the green in 17 down in 23'.

Image source, @giveittosilva

Are we heading for a play-off? If we do end up that way, it's a two-hole affair, aggregate score on holes 17 and 18. And if still a tie, we're into sudden death.

A mate of mine, Chris, has just messaged me - and I'll paraphrase because he used a word I can't repeat on here - how can anyone think golf is boring?

McIlroy did at least end up in the flat part of the bunker on the 16th.

And his shot out of it was almost as special as it needed to be. He goes for the flag, but slips past it on the left. It looks like it will be an alright par putt.

Will Zalatoris tucks his approach into 10 feet. What can Matt Fitzpatrick do in response...?

Erm not a great deal, he leaves his effort 25 feet short. A touch of nerves perhaps.

The Englishman putts first and rolls it three feet past to leave a little tickler back down the slope. This is all getting tense but Zalatoris can't make birdie either. Pars for both players with Fitzpatrick doing well to confidently make his five.

If you plotted the hope of McIlroy fans on a graph it would go up and down like a mountain range...

It looks like he's straight in the bunker off the 16th tee. It's a par three so another birdie would take something extremely special.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris have been trading great golf shots pretty much since the American belatedly kick-started his final round after struggling over the first three or four holes.

Both in prime position with wedge shots coming into the 625-yard par-five 14th.

You barely see a flicker of emotion from the Englishman but this was him back on the 13th green.

It's happening! Is it happening...?

Rory McIlroy claims a second birdie in a row on the 15th.

An excellent second shot on the par four stopped 11ft from the hole and McIlroy popped it in from there.

He may have left it too late, but what if he hasn't? Five birdies in a row on the final day at the US Open - easy.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 live

Everyone in here thinks I'm completely biased because they can only hear me commentating on Fitzpatrick and couldn't hear Kat commentating on Zalatoris back in Salford. They think I'm only focused on the British player. I just had to go for a quick pit-stop and it was such an embarrassing walk with everyone looking at me.

There are about 150 people in here and every single one of them heard that Fitzpatrick birdie.

All these people on written deadlines and I'm Mr Noisy radio man at the back of the room.

Scheffler left himself just six feet for birdie on the long par-five 14th to get to five under and join the leaders, but he misses!

He manages to make the par putt coming back but that's a huge miss with holes now just starting to run out.

Zane Scotland
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live

They've got keep an eye on world number one Scottie Scheffler who is still right there. They have to calm themselves down a little bit after that.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 live

I'm in the media centre and I kind of lost it a bit there with that Fitzpatrick birdie and everyone in here started applauding me.

Matt Fitzpatrick splits the 13th fairway and whips his second on to the green with Will Zalatoris in all sorts of mither off the tee.

The American takes his medicine and hacks out sideways but overcooks his shot which runs across the fairway into the rough.

Door slightly ajar for Fitzpatrick? The Englishman opens it wide open with a 40-foot plus putt down the slope. Wow.

What a response mind, Zalatoris clips onto the green from a horrid lie and drops in a par from 12 feet or so.

Here we go. Five birdies in a row for Rory McIlroy starting NOW.

Maybe that's a bit optimistic... But the four-time major champion has scraped one back on the 14th at least.

He's back in the red after taking advantage of the par five. Chants of "Rory, Rory, Rory" ring round.