Rory McIlroy has gone on to win three of the previous four majors in which he has opened with three rounds in the 60sRory McIlroy heads into Sunday's final round of the US Open one shot behind joint leaders Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark at the Los Angeles Country Club.
The Northern Irishman, who won the last of his four major titles in 2014, shot a one-under 69 to move to nine under.
Fowler, who is chasing his first major, bogeyed the last to shoot a 70 and join fellow American Clark on 10 under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is three shots back after holing from 196 yards for an eagle on the 17th.
Scheffler also birdied the last to send out an ominous warning as he attempts to become only the second player after Tiger Woods to win the US Open while sitting at the top of the world rankings, which were introduced in 1986.
And it also came despite another relatively mediocre round on the greens, with Scheffler only 27th out of the 65-man field on strokes gained putting.
A day of fluctuating fortunes
Earlier on Saturday Tom Kim's birdie blitz to surge up the leaderboard gave an indication of what could be possible, particularly on the more favourable front nine holes of the north course.
The South Korean equalled the lowest nine-hole score in US Open history, taking 29 strokes to the turn and a birdie on the 10th saw him move to seven under for the round before he eventually signed for a 66 after dropping shots at the 13th, 15th and 16th.
And that was a precursor to a day of fluctuating fortunes at the top of the leaderboard, with a late twist ensuring that a Fowler and Clark final pairing would return on Sunday.
While Fowler, who had led by two heading up the 18th went close with a long birdie putt, he saw the return lip out as Clark made amends for a wild approach that cost him a shot on the 17th, by rolling in a birdie of his own.
Along with McIlroy both made birdies on the first hole but Fowler's bogey on the second and a birdie from the Northern Irishman on the third briefly ensured a three-way tie for the lead.
Clark who missed the cut in his two previous US Open appearances and has never finished better than in a tie for 75th in six previous majors also hit the front before stumbling with back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th.
And until the late drama, Fowler's sensational 70-foot putt on the 13th looked as though it would ensure he had the upper hand heading into Sunday.
Harris English is four shots back while his fellow American Dustin Johnson, who won the title at Oakmont in 2016, is on five under alongside Xander Schauffele, who endured a dreadful start to his round needing three attempts to get out of a fairway bunker as he bogeyed the first and then went on to drop shots on the third and fifth holes.
They are a stroke ahead of Japanese qualifier Ryutaro Nagano, whose two-under 68 took him to four under.
More to follow.
