US Open Golf 2022: Rory McIlroy stays alive after losing ground as Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick share lead

Rory McIlroy lost ground but kept his US Open hopes alive on a day when the Country Club at Brookline bared its teeth. Three-under was the best round of the day, which catapulted Will Zalatoris to the top of the leaderboard at four-under, as a host of players were shown exactly how taxing a test this famous layout is. Ad/> McIlroy was one to suffer, and paid the price for some errant shots that were few and far between on days one and two.

But he kept scrambling and will go into the final day three shots off the lead. U.S. Open'I'm playing as good as I've played in a long time' — McIlroy delighted to be in US Open mix16 HOURS AGO Matt Fitzpatrick, who has fond memories of the course after winning the US Amateur in 2013, will be in the final group on Sunday alongside Zalatoris after posting a round of 68.

He would have had the lead on his own but for a bogey on 18. With the Country Club sure to be a test once again on Sunday, a host of players well down the leaderboard will fancy their chances if they start well and post a decent number. The second green was extremely fiery and McIlroy’s excellent tee shot went into the rough, through no fault of his own, and he failed to scramble a par as his putt stopped on the edge of the hole.

The look of bewilderment on the Irishman’s face told the story, as the ball looked certain to drop only to hang over the edge. 'I'm playing as good as I've played in a long time' — McIlroy delighted to be in US Open mix Mickelson's wild play sees him miss US Open cut and apologise after spectator hit with ball While the bogey on the second was no fault of his own, the one on three was. A poor second shot and a heavy-handed chip left him with a 12-footer for par.