Jason Day shares U.S. Open lead with three others

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Jordan Spieth was three shots clear of the U.S. Open field after rolling in a pair of early 30-plus-foot birdie putts. About 90 minutes later, he trailed Dustin Johnson by two.

Contenders scaled the leaderboard in both directions, but nobody got back up more impressively than Jason Day, the vertigo-stricken Australian who made headlines Friday when he collapsed near the ninth green and picked up legions of fans Saturday by constructing a gritty 2-under 68.

Spieth (71), Dustin Johnson (70) and Branden Grace (70) managed to weather Chambers Bay’s inevitable give-and-take and joined Day as co-leaders at 4-under 206 through 54 holes. Shane Lowry (70), J.B. Holmes (71), Cameron Smith (69) and Louis Oosthuizen, who was 9 over after 20 holes but responded with consecutive 66s, are three shots behind at 209.

It was Day who stole the show. He said he felt groggy on the front side from the effects of his vertigo medication. Taking extra time to tee up his ball and remove it from the cup, Day turned in 2-over 37.

His vertigo symptoms returned on the 13th tee box. His caddy said Day considered quitting three times on the back nine. Day continued on and finished with dramatic birdies on 15, 17 and 18 to polish off a 4-under 31.

“I started shaking on the 16 tee box and then just tried to get it in, really,” Day said.

Day, forced to withdraw from the Byron Nelson earlier this year and at Firestone last year for health reasons, felt nauseous most of the afternoon.

“This one was worse,” he said. “I think the goal was just to go through (the round) and see how it goes.”

Day, Johnson and Grace are pursuing their first major championships. Spieth, who had his streak of six straight under-par rounds in majors snapped, won the Masters in April.

In typical U.S. Open fashion, scores are soaring with each passing day. The sun-baked, links-style course showed its teeth as only six players broke par, compared to 25 on Thursday and 18 on Friday. The only obstruction to the blue skies Saturday was a plume of smoke filtering above the course from a fire at a nearby marina repair facility.

Spieth took command early, draining long putts on second and third holes to move to 7 under. Then it was Johnson’s turn, recovering from two early bogeys to play the final five holes in 3 under. When he rolled an 18-footer for birdie at the ninth hole and playing partner Grace bogeyed, Johnson took over the top spot by one stroke.

Johnson, who said he hit every fairway for the first time in his career, drove the short, par-4 12th and two-putted for birdie. His two-shot lead vanished when he doubled 13 following an errant 7-iron approach.

“That was really the only bad swing that I felt I made,” said Johnson, who joins Day in the final twosome. “I’m right where I want to be.”

Spieth made five bogeys in an eight-hole span, but regained some footing by playing the last seven holes in 1 under. His driving was so-so and his putter ran hot or cold.

“The course was still getable enough to where I could have played even par from the fourth hole on (when he was 7 under),” Spieth said. “I didn’t drive the ball extremely well. I had two eagle putts that I three-putted. That’s going to happen out there but two of them were unforced and shouldn’t have happened.”

Spieth hopes to draw on his experience from the Masters in today’s final round.

“It’s not like I’m a veteran at this by any means,” the 21-year-old said. “But by the time we tee off, if I can convince myself that I’m free-rolling, I’ve got one of these and the other guys are trying to chase their first. I know how hard it is to chase your first and close it out. If we can use that winning formula we had back in April, mentally, then all it comes down to is, can I just pull off the shots and it’s all on execution.”

Grace, 27, was steady with three birdies and three bogeys.

“I’m stoked, I can’t wait,” Grace said. “This is what we play golf for.”