McIlroy remains in the US Open hunt as Rickie Fowler leads

Rory McIlroy endured a frustrating third round at the 123rd US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, but he remains just one shot behind third-round leaders Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark.

Final pairing Fowler and Clark exchanged the lead a number of times as the course firmed up for the later starters with only 19 players finishing the day under par, but it was the local Californian Fowler who looked set to hold the sole lead with one round remaining heading down the last before some late drama.

The day finally received a much-needed spark when Fowler holed from 70 feet for an improbable birdie on the 13th, followed moments later by Clark holing from 12 feet for his first birdie since the third.

Fowler, chasing his first ever Major, followed it up with a beautiful approach to 14, but his birdie attempt hit the side of the hole and rolled away.

Pars were the currency mostly from there, but Clark made a big error on 17, leaking right and taking a drop to fall to nine under with a bogey, but he provided a brilliant birdie response at 18 to move to 10 under and denying McIlroy a spot in the final group.

It looked like that birdie would mean that Clark would trail Fowler by one starting Sunday, but his rival made a rare mistake with the putter to bogey 18 and move back to 10 under.

Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, holed an incredible eagle at the 17th from 196 yards to get back into contention, the world number one finishing on seven under after a closing birdie.

After a bright start that saw McIlroy birdie two of his first three holes, the County Down golfer struggled to make any progress from there with his putter going cold despite some promising approach play.

McIlroy finally ended his streak of pars but in unwelcome fashion, a first