Scott Murray's Blog, page 135

To hell with history | World Cup Fiver

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The Fiver didn’t bother watching Monday night’s football, because, well, why would you? England always start big tournaments with a disappointing draw these days, was our rationale. But look! More fool The Fiver! So well done injury-time’s Harry Kane, and well done everyone else, too, with the possible exception of naughty Kyle Walker. That last-gasp winner’s got to augur well for the rest of the month in Russia, hasn’t it? Consider: when England registered their second-best showing in the biggest show on earth, reaching the semis in 1990, they played the Republic O’Ireland in their first game, and started out with a disappointing dr … OK, but when they won the World Cup in 1966 [subs, please check] they entertained Uruguay at Wembley in the opening match, which ended in a disappointing dra … ach! Oh Harry! How could you!

Related: Harry Kane keeps his head and England find a ray of sunshine | Barney Ronay

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Brooks Koepka wins US Open 2018 – as it happened

Brooks Koepka held off Tommy Fleetwood to retain his title at Shinnecock Hills with a performance of skill and nerve

Official US Open leaderboardMickelson’s mad moment suggests the US Open has him beaten

1.15am BST

Related: Brooks Koepka makes history in holding off Fleetwood to retain US Open title

12.02am BST

All that’s left is to post the leader board one last time ... and to thank you all for reading. Hope to see you in a month for the action at Carnoustie. Hey, if the pros thought Shinnecock Hills was tricky...

+1: Koepka
+2: Fleetwood
+3: D Johnson
+4: Reed
+5: Finau
+6: Shauffele, Hatton, Stenson, Berger
+7: Simpson, Rose
+8: Knox, Fitzpatrick, Z Johnson
+9: Aphibarnrat
+10: Matsuyama, Oosthuizen, Li, Casey

12.01am BST

The presentation ceremony ... and Brooks Koepka gets his trophy back! “I want to thank the USGA, they do a great job. [muted applause, followed by more platitudes] ... I would have taken five on 11 - hoo hoo hoo! I made an incredible four, I was dead ... to make those eight-to-ten foot par saves is sometimes better than making birdies ... to lag it up from 13 feet to win is tougher than it looks, I can tell you!”

11.53pm BST

The runner-up Tommy Fleetwood - fourth last year, second this - speaks! Again! And what a magnanimous interview he gives. “The time went quick, funnily enough. It was fine. I enjoyed watching the golf. As a fan, it was good watching, how he handled himself down the stretch ... as a player who was one behind him, it wasn’t great to watch, but I have nothing but respect for him and enjoyed watching how he did it. It was time well spent. All in all, it’s been a great day.”

11.48pm BST

All hail Brooks Koepka, then! The first man to retain the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1989, and the first to retain any major since Padraig Harrington kept hold of the Open jug in 2008. It’s a stellar achievement, which should in time help us forget the nonsense about the course set-up ... and Phil Mickelson’s rush of blood to the head. Koepka won this tournament with some brilliant all-round golf: he attacked, going on a birdie blitz in the second half of his second round to kick-start his bid, and today in the early stages of his round to earn himself a buffer; and he defended, out in the worst of it yesterday, and making some huge saving putts coming back today. It’s a comprehensive and well-deserved victory. He’s a major talent.

11.39pm BST

Par for Daniel Berger, who signs for a 73 and ends a fine week at +6. A double for Tony Finau, who ends the day with a 72 at +5. A sad end for Finau, but he can take succour in the fact that’s back-to-back top-ten finishes in the majors.

11.37pm BST

Finau had in fact sent his second into more filth, so hacks his third into sand. He splashes four onto the green. This is becoming an expensive denouement for Finau. Fleetwood will finish in second, a fitting reward for his final round of 63.

11.33pm BST

Down the hole, Finau bashes out of the rough. He’ll have to hole his third from the fairway to deny Tommy Fleetwood - a couple of turns of a ball away from a 62 and a play-off - second place on his own.

11.30pm BST

Brooks Koepka is the 2018 US Open champion! He tickles his first putt up to the lip, and taps in for a bogey. He ends with a 68 that was initially exhilarating, later steely. He’s become the first man to retain the title since Curtis Strange in 1989. Dustin gives him a big hug, as the crowd do their thing!

11.27pm BST

There’s a bunker between Koepka’s ball and the flag. Out comes the lob wedge. He doesn’t faff around, just hits it. No time for the nerves to overwhelm him. And it’s a great decision, because he lobs onto the far-left edge of the green, and allows the ball to turn right down the slope, finishing roughly pin high, but 15 feet the other side of the hole. That’s a sensational shot in the circumstances. He’ll have two putts from there for the title, because back on the tee, Finau has lashed his drive into thick muck. Before he can take them, Dustin rolls a birdie putt into the cup and signs for a 70.

11.23pm BST

“Oh no!” He sends a big hook towards the stand on the left! The ball takes a clatter off the hoardings, and bounces a few yards from the stand. So that’s a huge break, as it’s pinged back towards the green. But suddenly he’s become a little tense. With two shots in hand over Fleetwood - and Finau’s just missed his birdie chance on 17 - he’s got margin for error. But the pressure of winning a major championship, eh?

11.20pm BST

Justin Rose finishes the week with a 73, at +7. Henrik Stenson shoots 71, ending up at +6. Back down the hole, Brooks Koepka prepares to hit one of the shots of his life, and ...

11.17pm BST

Koepka sends his drive at 18 bouncing down the fairway. One more good shot, a couple of putts, and he’ll soon be crowned US Open champion again. Tony Finau knocks his tee shot at 17 to 15 feet, searching for a desperate birdie, just in case Koepka stumbles.

11.13pm BST

DJ takes another long look at a long putt. This one’s just over 60 feet, in fact. And he leaves a dreadful effort ten feet short. Koepka’s up next, and his 25-footer looks like it’s going to drop for birdie, but it breaks right near the end. Dustin can’t make his par putt, and his US Open is over. He’s +4. It’s been a miserable weekend for the world number one. Finally Koepka tidies up, and he’s got a two-shot lead going up 18. Finau can only par 16 - he stays at +3 - so this really is the reigning champion’s tournament to lose now.

11.06pm BST

Koepka looks in total control of his game and his emotions. He calmly sends his tee shot at 17 into the heart of the green. He’s 25 feet from the flag. DJ finds the green too, but he’s well short of the cup, facing a good 50 footer for a birdie that might apply a little pressure. Meanwhile up on 18, Reed’s brave bid dies: he can’t make his long birdie putt, and ends up carding a final-hole bogey after missing a tiddler. It’s a miserable end to a superb tilt at the title from the Masters champion. No grand slam of majors in 2018, then. A 68, and he ends the week at +4.

11.00pm BST

It’s do or die for Reed at 18. He reaches the green in regulation, but his ball thinks about toppling off the front. It doesn’t quite, but he’s left with a huge rake if he’s to join Fleetwood in the clubhouse lead.

10.59pm BST

Dustin’s 20-foot uphill putt is surely a must-make. He spends an age prowling around it, considering, contemplating. But he’s built it up too much, and pulls a nervous one left of the cup. Just a par. Meanwhile Koepka tips his little birdie putt into the centre of the hole, and this is beginning to look like his US Open! Meanwhile Finau can only par 15, while Berger, his race run, bogeys.

E: Koepka (16)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: Reed (17), D Johnson (16), Finau (15)
+5: Berger (15)

10.53pm BST

Dustin lifts his wedge in to 20 feet. He’ll have a good look at birdie. But Koepka will have a tiddler to go two clear at the top, because he pings a stunner of a chip to a couple of feet from 130 yards. That might just be the shot that won ... no, retained the US Open!

10.51pm BST

Reed’s birdie effort at 17 is always going right, and always stopping just short. He’ll make his par, but he’ll need a birdie up the last to retain any sort of chance. Finau wedges his second at 15 pin high; he’s in similar territory to DJ, who made birdie a few minutes ago. And on 16, Johnson and Koepka take turns to lay up with their second. Much depends on the wedge shots coming up ... especially if Koepka goes close.

10.47pm BST

Reed fires an iron at the par-three 17th straight at the flag ... but he’s a good 30 feet short. Back on 15, Finau smacks his tee shot down the middle. And on 16, DJ batters his drive down the centre of the fairway ... and Koepka follows.

+1: Koepka (15)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: Reed (16), D Johnson (15), Finau (14)
+4: Berger (14)

10.40pm BST

Reed wedges his third into the par-five 16th. It lands well short of the hole, and he can’t rake in the 45-footer for an outrageous birdie. Par, and he needs something at either 17 or 18 if he’s to tie Fleetwood and keep himself alive. A two-putt par for Koepka on 15, but DJ sends his second to seven feet and teases in the birdie putt. He’s back in business at +3! And back on 14, Berger races his first putt 12 feet past the hole, but nails the return to cling onto hope. He’s +4 still.

10.35pm BST

Tyrrell Hatton pars 18, and signs for an excellent final-day 69. He ends the week at +6; that’s a top-ten finish at the US Open to go with his top tens at the Open and PGA in 2016. Meanwhile Tony Finau bangs a 370-yard drive down 14, then wedges his second to kick-in distance from 140 yards. He’ll move to +3, and his bid is back on!

10.29pm BST

Koepka clips a fine chip at 14 eight feet past the pin. And he makes the par saver! He’s battled like hell since the 11th hole, his putter getting him out of some serious scrapes. And he’s still leading the tournament as a result! He’s within sight of becoming the first man to retain the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1989. But it’s slipping away from DJ, who leaves a 70-foot rake from the back of the green eight feet short, and pushes a timid par putt to the right. He’s going backwards at exactly the wrong time.

+1: Koepka (14)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: Reed (15)
+4: D Johnson (14), Finau (13), Berger (13)
+5: Stenson (14)

10.26pm BST

Ian Poulter doubles the last, and signs for a 75. he finishes the week well off the pace at +12, having once tussled with the leading pack. In retrospect, his bid fell apart around the 8th green on Friday night, when he bladed a bunker shot over the green and ran up a triple bogey. But it’s been another street-fighting showing from a fine player enjoying a late-career renaissance.

10.22pm BST

Koepka has a terrible lie, and can only blast his ball out, roughly 100 yards up the fairway. He’ll need to get up and down from 66 yards to save his par. Meanwhile Berger knocks his second at 13 to 12 feet, then watches in astonishment as his birdie putt horseshoes out at slow speed. And Reed rolls in a biggie across 15 to rise back to +3. It’s tight at the top!

10.18pm BST

Koepka sends his drive at 14 into the deep fescue on the right. That ball took a couple of bounces, then disappeared; his lie is in the lap of the golfing gods. DJ, spooked, smacks an iron down the track. Meanwhile it looks like the end of the road for Rose, who finds sand with his tee shot on 14, was forced to splash out sideways, and ends up missing a 15-footer for his par. He’s +6. His partner Stenson birdies to pass him going the other way: he’s +5.

10.13pm BST

The greens are getting bald, the greens are getting fast. And so Koepka’s right-to-left birdie putt, hit firmly, stays on the high side and dribbles four feet past. That’s a nervy one coming back, but in it pops. Par for Dustin, too. I wonder how fast the second hand on Tommy Fleetwood’s watch is going round right now?

+1: Koepka (13)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (13)
+4: Reed (14), Finau (12), Berger (12)
+5: Rose (13)

10.07pm BST

Reed drives into sand down the left of 14. Up against the face, he can only hoick out short of the green. But he bumps his chip up to three feet, and escapes with a par to remain at +4. Back on 13, Koepka puts an end to a couple of shaky holes, lifting a wedge over the flag to eight feet and setting up a birdie chance. And on 12, a three-putt bogey for Tony Finau. He had a wedge in his hand from the centre of the fairway, only to come up well short of the flag, at which point his woes began. He slips to +4 and he can’t afford that sort of silly mistake at this stage. A needless bogey.

9.59pm BST

More trouble for Koepka, who wings his tee shot at 12 into rough down the right, then sends a flyer through the green. But he whips a high lob back towards the flag, and will have a six-footer to save a brilliant par. In it goes. That’s the first time he’s avoided bogey on this hole this week; what a time to buck the trend! Dustin meanwhile sends his second to 16 feet ... but once again spurns a good chance, his putt sailing by, high on the left. Par. Rose lets a six-foot birdie chance tickle by on 14, too.

+1: Koepka (12)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (12), Finau (11)
+4: Reed (13), Berger (11)

9.53pm BST

Justin Rose started dismally: a double at 4 and a bogey at 5. But birdie at 6 meant he retained a faint glimmer of hope, and the lights have been turned up a further notch on 12, as he arrows his approach to three feet and tidies up for another birdie. He’s +5 and the 2013 champ will know nothing’s over quite yet. And here’s some illustration of that: Tony Finau rattles in a 40-footer up 11 for his third birdie in four holes! He’s +3. His partner Daniel Berger, who had gone close with his tee shot, sends his six-foot birdie putt to the right and remains at +4. Par meanwhile for Reed on 13.

9.48pm BST

Xander Schauffele pars the last and signs for a 68. After tying for fifth spot at Erin Hills last year, it looks like he’ll be finishing in the top ten at a US Open again. Not a bad record from two starts in the competition. Meanwhile Russell Knox was in with a 69; he ended the week at +8.

9.46pm BST

Koepka splashes out from the deep bunker, but only to 12 feet. He rattles in a stunning bogey putt, though. That was a big putt, and if it’ll not feel quite like a birdie, it’ll give him a boost considering the trouble he was in. Meanwhile DJ had sent his tee shot carefully into the centre of the green, perhaps spooked by the fate of his partner. He leaves his 30-footer for birdie six feet short - then yips the par putt. Oh Dustin! And not finished yet: Berger, who rakes a long birdie putt across 10. He’s +4, as is Finau, who pars. It’s all change at the top!

+1: Koepka (11)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (11)
+4: Reed (12), Finau (10), Berger (10)
+6: Rose (11), Schauffele (17), Hatton (14)
+7: Simpson (17), Stenson (11)

9.40pm BST

Reed bumps a lovely chip up 10 to six feet or so. He very nearly hit the flagstick again, but it misses and scoots past. He knocks in the return putt to limit his pain to bogey, but he’s +4. Meanwhile on 11, Koepka has to come out of the thick stuff and up the bank. He decides to punch up the hill ... and sends his ball flying through the green and into the sand on the other side. A new-look leader board coming up soon!

9.37pm BST

Koepka’s tee shot at the par-three 11th is abysmal. Off down the bank to the left it goes, and snags in the thick stuff. It’s where Reed was a few minutes ago, and he needed a huge stroke of fortune just to limit the damage to bogey. Speaking of Reed limiting the damage to bogey ... he can only punch his third out of the rough to the fairway in front of the green. Meanwhile Matt Fitzpatrick signs for a 70: he ends the week at +8.

9.34pm BST

Koepka makes his birdie putt, while Dustin only pars, and gets himself back to level. Meanwhile Reed flays his drive at 12 into thick oomska down the right, and can only hack further up the hole. He’s in danger of dropping a third shot in four holes.

E: Koepka (10)
+2: Fleetwood (F), D Johnson (10)
+3: Reed (11)
+4: Finau (9)

9.29pm BST

Patrick Reed very nearly curls his right-to-left putt in. But that’s him dropping back to +3. Some good news for Tommy Fleetwood. Not such good news: a simply delicious second at 10 by Brooks Koepka to five feet. And Tony Finau isn’t giving this up, either: after his awful start, he follows up birdie at 8 with another at 9, and he’s turning in 36. And this is instructive: the back-nine performances of four players looking to usurp Fleetwood as clubhouse leader. Koepka has played the back nine in +6, Reed +4, Dustin even par, and Finau -3. Place your bets! Because this is beginning to look as though anything could happen.

9.22pm BST

A big stroke of luck for Reed, who hits a hot chip up the bank at 11 and onto the green. It looks like bounding through and into the sand on the other side ... but twangs the flagstick and rebounds to the left, holding the green. He’ll have a 15-footer to complete an outrageous par save!

9.19pm BST

Reed is in an awful place on the par-three 11th. He pulls his tee shot left, and it bounds down the big swale and into the semi-rough. That’s going to be a test and a half. Meanwhile birdie on 8 for Tony Finau, who moves up to +5 alongside his playing partner Daniel Berger. Those two, bringing up the rear, are hanging onto the coat-tails of the leading quartet. Just about.

9.15pm BST

Koepka and Dustin swish their second shots into the heart of 9. Both have good looks at birdie from 15 feet or so. Koepka leaves his a couple of turns short. Par. He’s +1. Dustin has the chance of grabbing a share of Koepka’s lead from similar distance ... but lets that one bleed off to the left. Another par. Up on 10, Reed finds the dancefloor in regulation, and is left with a 26-footer. He’s not far away with his birdie effort, but he makes his par without fuss and stays at +2. “A par of 70 on a 7,000 yard course is a bit of a laugh,” suggests Hubert O’Hearn. “I say it’s par 72 and Fleetwood is in at -6. Anyone want to fight me on this?”

9.10pm BST

Tommy Fleetwood speaks to Sky! How does it feel to be joining some of the US Open greats with a final-round 63? “That was more on my mind than where we were with the tournament! It is very cool. It is something very special. I thought about the 62 after about six or seven holes. I knew I had to shoot something really good. Early on, it was getting back into the tournament. Coming down the stretch, the 62. I felt really good, I hit it great. I’d love to hit the putts again on 16 and 18, but I can’t take anything back. I wouldn’t really change anything. I hit the putt on 18 I wanted to hit, I thought I’d made it, but the green’s so steep. I don’t think I’ve got a chance, I think it’s going to be one or two short. Unfortunately I’ve got the best players in the world up in front! There’s nothing I can do now. The greens late in the day aren’t as easy, the wind might pick up ... but if it was yesterday’s conditions I might feel a lot more confident! We’ll see. We’ll just wait and see!”

9.01pm BST

Bounce-back birdie for Dustin Johnson at 8! He’s within one of the lead, because Brooks Koepka spurns a chance for a birdie of his own, lipping out from eight feet. His putter’s suddenly gone cold at the most inopportune time. And a three-putt bogey for Patrick Reed on 9. A first blemish on his card, though he’s still turning in 31. Meanwhile bogey for Finau at 7; Berger can only par. This is going to be a long two or three hours for Tommy Fleetwood, isn’t it.

+1: Koepka (8)
+2: Fleetwood (F), Reed (9), D Johnson (8)
+5: Berger (7)

8.55pm BST

And, y’know, it’s not easy out there. On 7, Koepka misses his short birdie putt, while Dustin fails to get up and down from the front. I wonder if the wind will pick up? Or if these greens dry out in the Saturday style? It’s not going to be easy out there. And Fleetwood’s in the clubhouse. With Reed, Koepka and Johnson all battling away, I guess the odds are against ... but you never know!

+1: Reed (8), Koepka (7)
+2: Fleetwood (F)
+3: D Johnson (7)

8.51pm BST

The Shinnecock Hills crowd gives Fleetwood a glorious ovation as he walks up to the green. The most popular Englishman in New York! An eight-foot, uphill, left-to-right slider. This is for the all-time low round in a US Open. He strides round the putt. Sizes it up. And ... it dies to the right at the death. Bah! But it’s still a stunning, superb, sensational 63! He looks disappointed right now, but soon enough he’ll realise how brilliant that was. He matches the best-ever US Open lowest rounds of Justin Thomas, Johnny Miller, Vijay Singh, Tom Weiskopf ... and Jack Nicklaus. Not bad company, huh? The crowd pour on the love. Whatever happens, he’s once again proved his world-class credentials. A fourth-place finish last year ... and what will happen today? He’s set a mark of 282, +2, and you never know. You just never know!

8.45pm BST

Fleetwood whip-cracks a 5-iron from 190 yards straight at the pin! He’s got an eight-foot uphill putt to tie the best-ever round in a major championship, the 62 set by Branden Grace at last year’s Open. There’d be a nice symmetry to the story if he manages it, seeing Grace set the mark on Fleetwood’s home course of Royal Birkdale. God speed, Tommy Fleetwood!

8.42pm BST

An appalling tee shot at 7 by Dustin Johnson. His iron lands on the front edge of the green, then topples back down the track. He’ll still have about 50 yards coming into this par three! Brooks Koepka makes no such mistake, clipping a wonderful shot to six feet, setting up a birdie chance. Meanwhile on 18, Tommy Fleetwood smashes his drive down the middle. A chip and a putt for a 62, then. No pressure!

8.40pm BST

Koepka sends his tee shot into the rough down the right of 6. He does well to get his second greenside, but half-duffs his wedge, leaving himself well short of the cup. The 15-footer shaves the right of the cup, and he slips back into a share of the lead with Reed ... who has just found the centre of 8 in regulation, setting up another birdie chance from 20 feet. And a birdie for Berger on the par-five 5th. He’s slowly turning his US Open bid around. Birdie for Finau, too.

+1: Reed (7), Koepka (6)
+2: Fleetwood (17), D Johnson (6)
+4: Berger (5)
+5: Finau (5)

8.35pm BST

Fleetwood whips his tee shot at 17 straight at the flagstick. The ball takes a hot bounce past, though, and he’s left with a 20-footer back up the hill. He can’t make it, but that’s another par, and if he makes a third in a row up 18, he’ll be signing for a 63. On the final day of a US Open!

8.34pm BST

Yet another birdie for the Masters champion Patrick Reed! He sends his tee shot at 7 to 12 feet, and the putt never looks like missing! Five in seven! He’s +1. It’d be something to see Reed win this tournament, partly because he’d be halfway to the grand slam, but also because he took a ludicrous amount of flak after his Masters win. People criticised the supposed stodgy nature of his final round, but ignored the three days of brilliant golf that preceded it, plus the fact he’d closed it out calmly when Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler came racing at him late on. It was a magnificent performance. As for the personal stuff, well, he ignores it so let’s do that too. He’s a top talent, and whatever happens today, will be a factor in the majors for quite some time.

8.27pm BST

Fleetwood’s second down 16 slips into the semi-rough down the left. But he swishes a wedge straight at the flag, leaving himself an uphill 12-footer for yet another birdie. But he doesn’t hit it. It was probably missing left anyway. That puts an end to his run of birdies. The first sign of nerves? Par meanwhile for Fitzpatrick on 13.

8.24pm BST

Koepka lags his 60-footer up to tap-in distance. Wonderfully judged. That’s his third birdie of the day. Dustin has a 22-footer for his eagle, but that’s never going in. Both men settle for birdies. Par for Reed on 6. This is hotting up beautifully ... but threatening to turn into a four-man race.

E: Koepka (5)
+2: Fleetwood (15), Reed (6), D Johnson (5)
+5: Fitzpatrick (13), Stenson (5), Berger (4)

8.20pm BST

Daniel Berger stops the rot with par at 4. He stays at +5. But his fellow traveller in the final group continues to slide: a third bogey in a row for Tony Finau, who slips to +6. Meanwhile four big booms down 5, and both Koepka and Dustin are on the par-five green with long eagle putts.

8.16pm BST

Justin Rose splashes out from sand at the side of five to four feet. He looks to have salvaged his par after playing the hole in the slapdash style ... but he pushes the short putt wide right, and he’s off in the wrong direction at pace. He’s +7.

8.13pm BST

Tommy Fleetwood hits an extremely average wedge into 15. It’s a rare mistake. But then he rattles in a 30-footer for his fourth birdie in a row! This is an astonishing run, and one which might stand him in very good stead if he can keep it going until the end. If he can post something low, and the sun and wind dry the greens out ... well, he could improve on last year’s fourth place at the very least. But let’s not tempt fate and get ahead of ourselves. God speed, though, Tommy! He’s +2, with the second par five to come!

8.11pm BST

A third bogey in five holes for Ian Poulter, this time at 8, and at +10 he’s toast. Meanwhile Justin Rose, who doubled 4, is now in all sorts of trouble, hacking his way down the right side of 5. And bogey for Matt Fitzpatrick on 12, the result of a wide flay left from the tee. Although he found the dancefloor, he was 50 feet from the pin, and raced his first putt well past the cup. He’s back to +5.

8.05pm BST

The final pairing are struggling. Tony Finau and Daniel Berger have followed up bogeys at 2 with bogeys at 3. They’re +5. Going the other way, though, is the Masters champ Patrick Reed. His second into 5 found the bunker, and his splash out wasn’t all that, but he’s sent the 20-foot birdie putt scampering into the cup, and the 118th US Open Championship, ladies and gentlemen, is on!

+1: Koepka (4)
+2: Reed (5)
+3: Fleetwood (14), D Johnson (4)

8.02pm BST

And in a flash, John is gone. Goodbye, John. And hello Tommy Fleetwood! He’s just raked one in from off the front of 14. That’s three birdies on the bounce, and suddenly Southport’s finest is tied for second! Matthew Fitzpatrick has the sniff of glory in his nostrils too, with birdie at 10.

+1: Koepka (3)
+3: Fleetwood (14), Reed (4), D Johnson (3)
+4: Fitzpatrick

7.56pm BST

Koepka’s next tee shot is wayward so work to do for him. The same will go for Johnson. Justin Rose ended up on the jaws between two bunkers from his drive and a bogey is the best he can hope for. His bump and run gives him a chance that he blows. Double bogey drops him to +6. Tommy Fleetwood’s charge on 14 might have been stopped by falling short of the green. Berger’s scramble shot to save himself on the third, having bogeyed the second, has him wringing his hands in agony. Reed finds a bunker, too. That lengthy sequence of goofs and poor luck is a reminder of just how tough this course remains.

7.47pm BST

Koepka is two clear now at +1 after holing from close in but Johnson’s good work from the rough is undone by a missed birdie putt. Up the course, charging Tommy Fleetwood is five under for the round and just two off the lead after birdie on 13th. Patrick Reed is excited, too excited and that weird swing of his, as if he was trying to take his jumper off, is exacerbated as his ball wangs into the wilderness. The bunker beckons.

7.42pm BST

Reed’s run come to its end with a putt on the fourth that squirts into a run away from the hole. Justin Rose’s putter is steady enough but not quite inspired. He will have to settle for par on the third. Dustin Johnson is out in Hazzard County in some thick rough but his saver shot, a low punch, is inspired. It gives him a fine chance for birdie. Koepka is just as close after a far more regulation effort.

7.37pm BST

Koepka has the lead at +2 after a birdie on the second. Johnson couldn’t match him. Off the third, Johnson worries some spectators with a wild tee shot while Koepka’s shot bounces along merrily into safety. Patrick Reed plays another pearler to set up the quadpot of birdies.

7.34pm BST

Further back in the field, Ian Poulter drops a shot on the par 5 fifth while Tommy Fleetwood on the 12th, has put himself within two of the lead. There are a huge amount of possibilities for the win and being a clubhouse leader might not be a bad state of affairs if, say, the wind picks up even more.

7.30pm BST

John McEnerney in Barcelona emails in: “Big Henrik has the last day Major win experience & he showed glimpses of his class yesterday. He’ll be there & thereabouts today but that putter of his needs to stay hot. Pin placements today should produce some low scoring.”

7.28pm BST

Reed now has a share of the lead after his third consecutive birdie. In the final pairing, Tony Finau and Daniel Berger are underway, with Finau going to first to stay safe off the tee, and the same for Berger, who landed the better angle. Justin Rose’s bunker shot is ambitious but is affected by a layer of sand that keeps him too short. But! He holes the par putt.

7.25pm BST

Dustin Johnson lays up on the first with a measured long putt and has a gimme for par. Koepka, meanwhile, has the chance to take the lead but his putt has too much purchase. He and Johnson stay levels, you devils. Elsewhere, Patrick Reed is on one hell of a charge. And he has got the locals hollering and yahooing with his stroke play. Another birdie looks likely on the third.

7.19pm BST

Stenson and Rose play that par 3 second. Stenson lands it on the green though has a way to go to make birdie. Rose, though, has plugged his in the sand. A rescue job required. Dustin Johnson’s wedge is topped a little from an unkind angle. He has two difficult putts to make par on the first.

7.15pm BST

Popular Patrick Reed birdies the second and is within a shot of the lead. Behind them Dustin Johnson, 2016’s champion of course, blamms a three iron to the left of the fairway. Brooks Koepka, defending champ, and playing with his mate here, drills one into a similar position, yet probably behind Johnson. Rose’s first putt falls short but a par should be his.

7.11pm BST

Rose’s second shot on the first lands on the green, and spins dead. Par looks on from that distance, though a birdie putt is far more of a problem. Stenson gave his shot a bit too much gas and narrowly avoided rolling on from the green. Rose has the better chance.

7.07pm BST

Patrick Reed holes out on the first for birdie and then sets up another with a fine tee shot off the second tee. Tyrell Hatton also lands a birdie on the ninth. The putts are flying in compared to yesterday’s crazy golf on a rollercoaster but Ian Poulter says, “You are kidding me” as his shot lips into the bunker.

7.04pm BST

Thank you, Scott. Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose go on the first tee. Stenson has the honour and the local yahoos acclaim a shot that booms into the centre of that mighty fairway. Justin’s effort is within yards of Stenson’s, though Rose, narrowly further behind, will play his wedge shot first.

6.59pm BST

After missing short birdie putts at 1 and 2, Ian Poulter nearly makes a 30-footer on 3. But that’s a third par in a row, on a day when he needs a fast start. He stays at +7. And Tommy Fleetwood can’t rescue himself from the side of 9; a bogey, and an underwhelming end to his front nine, though he’s still out in 32. He slips to +6, and in all probability, that was a slip he simply couldn’t afford if he was to post something special, early doors.

And with that slightly downbeat message, I’m off to chow down on a plate of Hamburger Helper, still the only MSG-flavored foodstuff to be marketed by a singing golf glove. Your pal and mine, John Brewin, takes up the reins!

6.52pm BST

Charley Hoffman goes the wrong way, a ten-foot left-to-right curler lipping out at 3. He’s back to +8. Paul Casey is back to where he started the day, after coming up short at 7 and dropping another stroke. He’s +9 again. And trouble for Tommy Fleetwood at 9, as he sends his approach to the right of the green, his ball nestling in some pretty thick stuff. He’ll have his work cut out getting up and down from there.

6.45pm BST

Ian Poulter responds to disappointment at missing out on birdie at 1 by creaming a long iron into the par-three 2nd. It rolls serenely up the green, sliding in from left to right, and stops four feet behind the cup. That’s a beauty. But another chance goes begging as he shoves his putt right of the hole. Par for Tommy Fleetwood at 8; he’d nearly made it three birdies in a row but his 25-foot putt stopped just short. He stays at +5. Par for Tyrrell Hatton at 1: he’s +7. And birdie for Matthew Fitzpatrick at 5; he joins the group at +6, just three off the lead.

6.35pm BST

Poulter whips his second at 1 straight at the pin, then pumps his chest in a show of determination. But he misses the birdie putt and stays at +7. Grace can’t save his par, always in trouble after that loose tee shot, and he drops to +8. Meanwhile another birdie for the 2012 winner Simpson, at 3. The leader board has had its first serious shake-up!

+3: Berger, Finau, Koepka, D Johnson
+4: Rose
+5: Fleetwood (7), Stenson
+6: Schauffele (3), Simpson (3), Aphibarnrat, Reed, Furyk

6.30pm BST

Another birdie for Tommy Fleetwood! He sends his tee shot at the tricky par-three 7th to ten feet, then guides home the left-to-right slider. He’s moving through the field at pace! He’s +5. Meanwhile Xander Schauffele lands his second at 3 pin high, but 20 feet left of the target. He can’t quite make the birdie putt, but that’s another drama-free hole for the young Californian.

6.21pm BST

Fleetwood sends a gentle high draw into 6. It lands softly by the flag, and stops within kick-in distance. He’ll surely make a birdie that will lift him to +6. A dropped shot for Paul Casey at 4, though; he slips back to +8. And Ian Poulter is out, clapping an iron down the middle of 1. Branden Grace however finds the thick semi-rough down the left and might be in a little trouble from the get-go.

6.15pm BST

Scott Piercy suffered terribly in the final group yesterday, shooting 79 as he and Dustin Johnson dragged each other down. He looks in much better nick today, though: birdies at 5 and 6 have sent him up the leader board to +7. A lot of red figures out there right now; there are birdies to be had out there. Hideki Matsuyama illustrates this point perfectly: he’s in with a 66, at +10 snatching the very early clubhouse lead from Rickie Fowler, who had posted that best-of-week 65 earlier today. One thing to note: most of Fowler and Matsuyama’s low scoring was done on the front nine. So it’s important to get a wriggle on quicksmart, Schauffele style.

6.10pm BST

The 2012 champion Webb Simpson came back to prominence last month with his stunning romp round Sawgrass to win the Players. He’s been grooving himself into form this week, following up an opening-day 76 with a couple of 71s. And he keeps that momentum going with birdie at 1 today: he’s +7. Ditto his playing partner Zach Johnson: the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open champ birdies 1, moves to +7. Meanwhile another birdie for Schauffele, who sends a low draw into the long par-three 2nd, then strokes home the 13-footer he’d left himself. The fastest start, and he’s +6, just three off the lead.

6.05pm BST

A lovely chip bumped up from the back of 2 by Matthew Fitzpatrick, and he’s saving his par. He remains at +7. But his playing partner Justin Thomas is heading the wrong way, missing a short par putt that drops him to +9. Joining Fitzpatrick at +7: Paul Casey, with his second birdie of the day at 3, and Xander Schauffele, who is a major winner in waiting, I’ll be bound, with birdie at 1.

6.00pm BST

Brooks Koepka is aiming to become the first player since Curtis Strange in 1989 to win back-to-back US Open titles. If the 28-year-old Floridian manages it, he’ll become only the seventh man in history to achieve the feat. And it’s quite an elite club: Willie Anderson, John McDermott, Bobby Jones, Ralph Guldahl, Ben Hogan and Strange. This sort of thing doesn’t happen often; we could be witnessing some rare golfing history today.

5.55pm BST

Fleetwood is this close to making it three birdies in a row, at 4. But his putt from 15 feet shaves the side of the hole. He’s got the par-five 5th, statistically the easiest hole of the week, coming up. Behind him, Matthew Fitzpatrick comes out of the blocks quickly, sending a gorgeous second into the 1st green to four feet. He makes his birdie to move to +7, though he’s a bit aggressive with his tee shot at the par-three 2nd, and his ball scoots past the flag and topples off the back. That’s not a pin position you can have a pop at the USGA for, given the length of the hole: it’s playing at 264 yards today.

5.50pm BST

A bad omen for Dustin Johnson. Whenever he’s held the lead after 54 holes of the US Open, he hasn’t converted his position to a victory. He led by three going into the 2010 edition at Pebble Beach, only to start duffing chips and winging drives onto the beach. He ended up shooting 82 as Graeme McDowell snatched the prize. Then in 2015 at Chambers Bay, he was tied going into the final day, but ended up missing a short birdie putt for the win, then yipping the one coming back to hand the trophy to Jordan Spieth. Third time lucky? Or is the 2016 champion somehow ill-starred in these particular situations?

5.40pm BST

Another birdie for Fleetwood, this time the result of a 20-footer across 3. He’s already risen to +7. Russell Knox follows his lead by raking in a monster on 2; he’s +8. An opening birdie for Paul Casey: he’s +8. And Patrick Rodgers is back in the clubhouse with a 67. There’s definitely a score out there right now. But who will seize the day? Justin Thomas, maybe, who shot 63 last year at Erin Hills. He’s out and about now. Expect a bit of upward movement on the leader board soon, as the later groups begin to take to the course.

5.35pm BST

A fast start for another links expert, Tommy Fleetwood. The son of Birkdale can only find the front fringe of the green at the long par-five 2nd, but rakes a 60-foot monster straight into the cup for his birdie. He smiles broadly, in the manner of a man who has decided he’s just going to go out and enjoy himself today. He’s +8. “I was dismayed at the greens yesterday,” begins Anthony O Connell. “They got so far out of control that I fear today will basically be a joke in the other direction. Someone could easily shoot a 63 looking at the early scores. The PGA tour sets up stupid easy courses then the USGA work in the complete opposite direction.”

5.27pm BST

Fowler was going round with Phil Mickelson today. Lefty scribbles his name on a 69, milks the applause from his loyal fans, and ends the week at +16. And with that, the circus leaves town.

5.25pm BST

Rickie Fowler sends his second at 18 to three feet, tidies up for birdie, and signs for a best-of-week 65. He finishes the week at +11 and will be ruing his total capitulation yesterday amid the carnage, when he shot 84. The plus side: Fowler is a links aficionado and this is all good preparation for the upcoming Open Championship. He really is due a major. Millions will be wishing him all the best at Carnoustie.

5.20pm BST

Some pre-action reading: “I’ve recently finished a blog about Ray Floyd’s win at Shinnecock Hills in 1986,” writes our man Steven Pye. “A triumph for the 43-year-old after an uncharacteristic collapse at the Westchester Classic the week before, and more disappointment for Greg Norman in the year of his Saturday Slam.”

5.15pm BST

With such a crowded leader board, there’s a fair chance this could end in a play-off. A reminder that, should it happen, we won’t be going to 18 holes on Monday, in the traditional style. The USGA have adopted a new format, and it’ll be a two-hole aggregate play-off on 17 and 18. Should the scores still be tied after that, they’ll keep playing 17 and 18 on a sudden-death loop. I have a feeling that this one is going all the way.

5.05pm BST

Anyone for some actual golf? Yay! First out today, with a marker, Andrew Johnston. Poor Beef had to put up with a lot yesterday, as Lefty lost it, and shot 82 as a whirlwind whipped around his bemused but highly amused head. “I looked at him and was like: ‘Is this actually happening?’ I said to him: ‘Sorry but I can’t help but laugh at that, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.’ I’ve never seen anything like it.”) Still, he’ll have some story to tell the grandkids. And he’s finished his third US Open in positive fashion, with birdies at 15 and 16. He’s back in the house with a 71, the gallery sending this popular man off with the ovation he deserves. He ends the week at +19. God speed, Beef.

4.55pm BST

Rich Beem, the 2002 PGA champion turned Sky commentator, reckons 17 out of 18 pin placements today are absolutely fine and dandy. The only one he’d question is 7, but there’s nothing you can do on that Redan green anyway, it’s a fault of the course architecture. Mike Davis of the USGA meanwhile has said his team were initially happy with the set-up yesterday, but it went wrong in the latter stages of the day because the wind got up more than they’d expected, drying the greens out. Hence all this preemptive action ahead of the final day’s play. And even if it does dry out in similar style this afternoon, the kinder placements should at least offer a little succour. Fingers crossed, then!

4.45pm BST

The USGA have also pumped “appropriate levels” of water - i.e. large quantities - onto the greens for “turf health and firmness”. Accordingly, they’re going to be on average “10 to 12 inches slower than rounds two and three”. They’ve also adjusted the pin positions according to “agronomic data”, so hopefully those won’t be as punitive today. In other news, Phil Mickelson told Butch Harmon this morning that he “kinda lost it” yesterday. He also reportedly offered to withdraw, but the USGA weren’t having it, though no doubt we’ll be hearing more from both sides down the line.

4.30pm BST

Do all these early birdies suggest the course is playing fairer today? Perhaps best to wait a while: it was giving up scores yesterday morning, too, and look how that panned out. The weather forecast is for sun and a bit of wind ... much like yesterday, then. But the pin placement on 15 doesn’t seem half as daft today, so that’s one in the bag from the get-go. Let’s see how this pans out.

4.21pm BST

Hideki Matsuyama, like Rickie, is surely going to become a major champion one day soon. Like Rickie, he’ll have to wait a bit longer, after a hope-shredding 79 amid the mayhem yesterday. The Japanese star initially went backwards today with bogey at 2, but then followed it up with four birdies on the bounce. Matsuyama either blows hot or cold with the putter; this morning he was on one of his sizzling streaks. Another birdie at 9, and he’s reached the turn in 31 strokes, too. He’s +10.

4.15pm BST

Mickelson was out in 32 this morning. Though he’s since bogeyed 11, he’s two under for his round through 12 right now, +15 for the championship. Also eating up the front nine this morning: Rickie Fowler. A disastrous 84 yesterday put paid to Rickie’s hopes of landing that elusive first major, but he’s going like the clappers today. Birdies at 5, 7, 8 and 9, and he’s reached the turn in 31 strokes. He’s +12 overall.

4.10pm BST

Here we go, then ... and where shall we start? How about [plucks random name from the ether] Phil Mickelson? You could make an argument that his slapshot on 13 yesterday afternoon is destined to become the defining shot of this US Open. Maybe. But this morning he’s made a more traditional application to the canon. From the centre of the par-five 5th fairway, he whipcracked a long iron from 275 yards to 18 inches, then tapped in for eagle. The gallery, needless to report, are still four-square behind Lefty, and celebrated accordingly. It was such a gorgeous shot, his ball landing just short of the green and trundling towards the flag in the links style. Shades of his Muirfield pomp. He might have lost it yesterday, but he’s not lost it.

1.24pm BST

Well, Moving Day sure escalated quickly. The US Open, folks! There’s not another tournament like it!

But how about that Phil Mickelson shot? No, not his hockey-puck slap on the 13th. The one on 18, off the back of a green everyone else had been tentatively nudging their ball down, lest it slide ten feet past the hole and they three-putt. He opened up his lob wedge, took a full-blooded swing, sent his ball a thousand miles into the air, and landed it softly by the flag. The ostentatious, showboating shot of a singular man who had nothing left to lose, had already made his grand statement, and fancied making another. If ever there was a middle finger to the USGA, it was surely that.

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US Open 2018: third round – as it happened

A topsy-turvy day at Shinnecock Hills, as Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson take turns to melt downOfficial US Open leader board

12.40am BST

“Jesus!” DJ taps lightly at his birdie putt, and it glides six feet by. The one coming back stays high on the left lip, and that’s a closing bogey. He signs for a 77: the 2016 champion will be out in the penultimate group tomorrow with the 2017 winner. Daniel Berger and Tony Finau, whose rounds finished a long, long, long time ago, are in the final group! Now that’s what I call Moving Day. Also: what about that Phil Mickelson, huh? See you tomorrow for more carnage‘n’thrills!

+3: Berger, Finau, Koepka, D Johnson
+4: Rose
+5: Stenson
+6: Aphibarnrat, Reed, Furyk
+7: Gay, Meyer, Hatton, Grace, Poulter, Hoffman
+8: Woodland, Simpson, Z Johnson, Schauffele, DeChambeau, Thomas, Fitzpatrick

12.31am BST

Dustin fires his second straight at the flag, and holds the pose. The ball bounces near the cup, and stops 15 feet past. It’ll be a tricky slider coming back, but he’ll have a putt for birdie, a 75 ... and a two-shot lead going into the final round.

12.28am BST

Tommy Fleetwood signs for a 78, quite a comedown after yesterday’s 66. He’s +9. His partner Charley Hoffman shot 77; he ends the day at +7. Back on the 18th tee, Dustin clatters his drive down the right side of the fairway, the perfect angle to come in. If he birdies, he’ll have a two-shot lead, and suddenly that early collapse won’t seem half as bad. But if he bogeys, the final group tomorrow will be Daniel Berger and Tony Finau!

12.22am BST

Dustin sends a wedge into 17. He’s left with an 18-foot uphill putt for birdie. He leaves it six inches short, but par will do. Of course par will do. You have to take your hat off to the big man: despite that horrific start, and going out in 41, he’s come back in level par so far. That’s while fighting both his demons and the conditions. If he wins his second US Open tomorrow, this stretch has been as crucial as his opening 69-67 salvo.

12.15am BST

Rose has a 30-footer coming back down the 18th green. He tickles it ... and it keeps on going ... and keeps on going ... and he’ll have a 15-footer back up for par! He gets a bit over-aggressive with that next one, the result of hours of frustration no doubt. But he’s left with a downhill three-feet tickler for bogey. In that goes, and he signs for a very creditable 73. He’s +4. Stenson can’t get up and down from the front, and he signs for a 74: he’s +5. Meanwhile a par for DJ on 16, though he nearly drained a 35-foot uphill putt after playing the hole sensibly and conservatively.

12.09am BST

Stenson’s second into 18 comes a cropper on the false front. Rose sends his a little left, into Koepka Country ... so while he’s on the very edge of the green, he’ll have an incredibly fast one coming back.

12.00am BST

Stenson splashes out of sand at 17 to six feet - then tickles in the par saver. Meanwhile Koepka finds the heart of the 18th in two - then sends his downhill birdie chance six feet past the cup. But he knocks in the return for a par and a 72. He’s in good position to become the first player to retain this trophy since Curtis Strange in 1989! Ian Poulter meanwhile signs for a 76; he’s stumbled to +7 and yet isn’t out of this by any means.

+2: D Johnson (15)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Koepka (F), Rose (17)
+4: Stenson (17)
+6: Aphibarnrat (F), Reed (F), Furyk (F), Hoffman (15)

11.55pm BST

DJ has a great run at his par putt on 15. But the ball is always staying up on the high, right side, a dimple away from dropping. That’s a bogey that drops him back to +2. Rose takes two putts from 20 feet for his par on 17.

11.50pm BST

Dustin takes his medicine on 15 and wedges back out onto the fairway. No messing, no attempt to snatch extra yards. He then gently lifts a wedge into the centre of the treacherous green. He’ll have a chance to save his par from 15 feet. Up on the par-three 17th, Stenson sends an 8-iron into the bunker front right of the green; Rose whistles a 9-iron straight at the flag, and though the ball topples back just off the front, it’s not miles from the cup.

11.46pm BST

A hideous misjudgement by Justin Rose, putting for birdie at 16 from the fringe. He leaves his 30-foot putt a good seven feet short, the ball also kinking off to the left alarmingly. A misread and a mishit, all rolled into one. He’s got a job on to save his par. He prods timidly at the putt, and hands back the shot he so brilliantly picked up on the previous hole. He’s +3. Stenson remains +4 with a drama-free par.

11.44pm BST

So having said Koepka was in control of his emotions ... he races his birdie effort at 17 ten feet past the hole. He can’t make the one coming back, and he slips to +3. That’s incredibly careless. All of a sudden, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau, who finished hours ago, are in a tie for third! Still a fair chance they could be in the lead by sundown.

+1: D Johnson (14)
+2: Rose (15)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Koepka (17)
+4: Stenson (15)

11.41pm BST

Charley Hoffman has a 25-footer up 15. His birdie putt slips by ... and nearly off the back. Somehow it clings onto the bank, but he doesn’t take advantage of the stroke of luck, missing the par effort coming back. He’s +6. Meanwhile back down the hole, Dustin flays a dreadful tee shot deep into filth down the right. Trouble ahoy.

11.37pm BST

Solid par for Koepka on 16, followed by a fuss-free tee shot into 17. He’s looking in control of his game and his emotions, unlike so many players around him. Par for Dustin on 14: he remains one clear of Koepka at +1.

11.33pm BST

DJ bounces his second into the heart of 14. Like Rose before him, he’s sussed out that you simply can’t go for the flags; you have to guide your ball into the green in the links style. Which is not to say these greens are always fair - the recent bunker shots of Koepka, Poulter and Stenson show that it’s patently not - but that quite a few players haven’t thought through their approach shots.

11.29pm BST

What a birdie by Justin Rose! He can’t have too positive a run at his putt, because anything too strong might race away from the cup on this ludicrous green, possibly even topping off. But he guides it in so delicately! That’s a precious birdie on a hole that’s taking shots off just about every player that comes through. His partner Stenson does extremely well to get up and down from the back. But that was simply fantastic by Rose ... who knows what it takes to grind out a US Open, having won one at Merion.

+1: D Johnson (13)
+2: Koepka (15), Rose (15)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F)
+4: Stenson (15)

11.25pm BST

Par for DJ at 13. More nonsense meanwhile on 15, with Stenson flicking a soft splash out of sand at the front of the green; it’s never staying on. Down the back it goes. That’s preposterous. The USGA will no doubt point to Justin Rose’s approach: a glorious shot bumped up into the middle of the green, from where he’ll have a good look at birdie from ten feet. But come on.

11.20pm BST

The 2003 champion Jim Furyk has just posted a 72. That goes with his first two rounds of 73 and 71: the 48-year-old veteran and US Ryder Cup captain is +6 and well in the hunt! As is Justin Thomas, who signs for a 74. He’s +8. Meanwhile a third bogey in five holes for Henrik Stenson, the result of coming up well short at 14.

+1: D Johnson (12)
+2: Koepka (15)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Rose (14), Stenson (14)
+5: Hoffman (13)

11.17pm BST

Koepka crashes a lovely drive down 15. But then aims his second too close to the flag, which is perched precariously near a bunker on the right. His ball’s swallowed up by the trap. Then he nearly holes out with a delicate splash ... only for his ball to slowly roll by, pick up speed, and nearly fall off the back of the green! In some respects, he’s very lucky that didn’t go all the way down the bank, as ridiculous as that would be. He lags up from 15 feet and taps in for bogey. This green is way too severe. Koepka’s partner Poulter splashes out from another bunker in similar fashion, goes very close, and suddenly finds himself at the bottom of the swale. He does well to get up and down for bogey too. Ever so slightly farcical. And Dustin Johnson’s back in the lead on his own!

11.06pm BST

Dustin wedges his second at 12 to ten feet. A chance to reclaim the lead on his own ... but he pulls a poor one to the left of the cup. Still, he appears to have recovered his mental equilibrium. Ian Poulter, however, hoicks a hybrid deep into the filth down the right of 15. That could be a lot of trouble.

11.00pm BST

Brooks Koepka sends a right-to-left slider into the cup at 14 from 60 feet! A monster rake, but one of those putts which somehow looked in the hole almost from the second it left the face of the putter. You know those kind. But what a par save that is! One of those moments where you wonder if his name’s on this trophy. Well, it already is, of course, but again, you know. That’s an astonishing escape. He looks in the mood to become the first man to retain the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1989.

10.57pm BST

A majestic up and down from sand at the side of 13 by Justin Rose. He remains at +3. But his partner Henrik Stenson can’t save his par from off the front. He drops out of the lead, to +2. On 12, a reinvigorated Dustin bangs a monster down the middle; behind that group, the USGA have the hoses out on the greens! It’s almost as though Phil Mickelson’s made his point.

10.55pm BST

Koepka tries to lash his second at 14 to the green, but the thick rough grabs his club and turns it over. The ball squirts off to the right, and there’s no going straight to the flag from there: the flag’s tucked behind a bunker on that side of the hole. Instead, he takes his medicine and bumps his third off to the left of the green, where he’ll have a 60-foot two-putt for bogey.

10.52pm BST

DJ’s putt might be short, but it isn’t a gimme. There’s plenty of right-to-left break on it. But he delicately guides it in, and pumps his fist in a mix of celebration and relief. He’s going in the right direction again at last! He joins Koepka and Stenson in the lead again. “Found a clip of Big Phil on the 13th earlier.” Please be upstanding, ladies and gentlemen, for sports satirist Gary Naylor.

+1: Koepka (13), Stenson (12), D Johnson (11)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Rose (12)
+4: Poulter (13), Hoffman (11)

10.46pm BST

Dustin Johnson finally relocates his mojo! He clips a delicious wedge into the par-three 11th, landing it pin high. He’ll have a five-footer for his first birdie of the day!

10.44pm BST

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson have been put on the clock. They both par 12, though arguably should have made birdies: after lovely approaches, Rose misjudges the pace of his eight-foot putt, while Stenson pulls a simple uphill six-footer. Poulter chunks one coming into 13, then watches in dismay as his wedge falls off the false front. He does very well to take two putts from the fairway, limiting the damage to a bogey. He’s +4 again. Par for Dustin Johnson on 10. And on 14, Koepka lashes his drive into the thick fescue down the left.

10.37pm BST

It’s beginning to unravel for poor Tommy Fleetwood. He’s just followed up three bogeys in four holes with a triple bogey at 10. All caused by a wild drive, a couple of hacks into deep rough, and a missed tiddler. He’s +7, and dreams of improving on last year’s fourth-placed finish are quickly evaporating.

10.32pm BST

I mean, this might not necessarily be the best way to showcase the skills of the world’s top golfing talent. But it is wonderfully entertaining.

10.30pm BST

On the par-three 11th, Stenson sends a gorgeous wedge in to eight feet. But he doesn’t give the birdie putt enough on the left, and it dies away to the right before it gets to the hole. A tap-in for par. Pars are usually not to be sniffed at around here, but that’s a poor miss. Still, he remains tied for the lead. Rose walks off the green happier, because he’d sent his tee shot into the thick stuff between two bunkers on the right, but chipped gracefully to four feet and tidied up.

+1: Koepka (12), Stenson (11)
+2: D Johnson (9)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Poulter (12), Rose (11), Hoffman (9)

10.26pm BST

Koepka can only bump his chip from the back of 12 to eight feet. And the par putt’s not going in. But Poulter had sent an easy second to similar distance, and in goes the putt for back-to-back birdies! He’s sprung back up to +3, which is now just two off Stenson and Koepka’s lead!

10.24pm BST

“If I hit it any harder, I go down the fuckin’ hill!” That’s Dustin’s response to leaving a 12-foot birdie chance short on the wind-whipped 9th green. A very uncharacteristic show of frustration by the usually placid big man. But at least it’s a par. The relaxing environs of Shinnecock Hills, ladies and gentlemen! In the meantime, Stenson makes his first bogey of the day. His putt on 10 slides off to the right. And Rose can’t save his par either. Berger and Finau leading after 54 holes? Don’t rule it out!

E: Koepka (11)
+1: Stenson (10)
+2: D Johnson (9)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Rose (10), Hoffman (9)

10.18pm BST

A third bogey in four holes for Tommy Fleetwood: 6, 8 and now 9. He slips to +4. Justin Rose joins his partner Henrik Stenson in difficulty at 10, sending his ball down the swale to the left. Stenson is first to chip up: he flips up a wedge to eight feet. Then Rose knocks his to a similar distance. They’ll have opportunities to save their pars. Meanwhile a little trouble for Koepka on 12: he finds the thick stuff down the right with his tee shot, and his wedge in takes a flyer through the green. He’ll have a tricky chip back up out of some light cabbage.

10.15pm BST

Brooks Koepka knocks in his birdie putt, and joins Henrik Stenson in the lead. He might have sole ownership of it soon, too, because the big Swede has just seen his approach to 10 topple back down the huge false front. Incidentally, Koepka’s partner Ian Poulter arrests his decline with birdie at 11 as well to return to +4. A pair of twos! Shinnecock difficult, they say?!?

E: Koepka (11), Stenson (9)
+2: Rose (9), D Johnson (8)

10.07pm BST

Dustin bumps his chip at 8 up to ten feet, but can’t guide in the left-to-right par putt he’s left himself. This is turning very ugly; he’s now +2 having started the day at -4. He’s yet to reach the turn! Meanwhile a gorgeous tee shot at the par-three 11th by the defending champion Brooks Koepka. He’s sent that straight at the flag: it stops four feet to the left of the cup. That’s sensational. He’ll have that for a share of the lead.

10.01pm BST

News of Rickie Fowler, who is having an absolute shocker today. Not necessarily of Mickelsonesque proportions, but still. Out in 41, after two bogeys and two doubles, he’s just trebled 10. He’s crashed down the standings to +11. Meanwhile on 9, Justin Rose comes up short, and leaves himself stuck on the bank, in sticky fescue. He punches up to six feet, but pushes his par saver to the right. He’s +2. Stenson pars to remain in the lead at level. And Dustin’s woes continue on 8: he’s crashed his drive down the centre of the fairway, but chipping into the wind, leaves his approach on the false front of the green, and his ball topples back down the fairway. Work to save his par.

9.55pm BST

So now it’s official: it’s Dustin Johnson meltdown time! He leaves his 50-foot uphill putt seven feet short, then pulls the par putt left. His four-shot lead at the halfway mark has gone within seven holes! Henrik Stenson is now the sole leader of the US Open. Meanwhile another dropped shot for Ian Poulter, who pushes a six-foot par putt wide right. He’s +5.

E: Stenson (8)
+1: Koepka (9), Rose (8), D Johnson (7)

9.50pm BST

Up on the 18th green, Patrick Reed signs for a 71. He’s in the clubhouse at +6; the Masters champion won’t be miles from the lead at the end of play tonight, the way things are going. He’s there alongside Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who shot 68 today, and three behind the clubhouse leaders Daniel Berger and Tony Finau. This is going to be a very interesting afternoon!

9.46pm BST

Justin Rose drops one at 8, the result of finding sand with his approach. He wasn’t far from making his 20-foot par saver, though. His partner Henrik Stenson makes another staunch par putt, though, and remains tied in the lead with Dustin, who has just sent his tee shot at 7 into the middle of the green.

9.43pm BST

DJ’s putt is pretty good, to be fair, but it slides by the left of the cup. He couldn’t have done any better without making it. But this is a dreadful start by the world number one. Another bogey, and he’s now in a three-way tie for the lead. His partner Piercy three-putts for bogey, and he slips to +4 again. The conditions out there are very testing for the late starters: the wind’s up and the greens are cooked. What price Daniel Berger and Tony Finau in the final pairing tomorrow?

E: Rose (7), Stenson (7), D Johnson (6)
+1: Koepka (8)
+2: Fleetwood (8)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F), Hoffman (7)

9.38pm BST

The good news for Dustin is, he’s got a lot of green to play with. The bad news, he lifts his third into the heart of the putting surface, but it doesn’t release towards the hole as he’d expect it to on these parched, hectic greens. He’s left with a 15-footer for his par. If he doesn’t make it, he’ll have given up his sole leadership of the 118th US Open in short order.

9.35pm BST

Dustin Johnson isn’t at the races today. He’s in the middle of the 6th fairway, and sends his 6-iron way to the right, the ball bounding into some thick greenside nonsense. On Sky, his worried but always straight-talking coach Butch Harmon says: “I can tell you that he is completely out of sorts.”

9.32pm BST

OK, Rose’s ball did topple into the bunker. He splashes out to eight feet. And in it goes! Another great up and down! He’s playing some majestic golf amid this war of attrition on an increasingly difficult Shinnecock Hills. He remains at level par. A missed par putt for Tommy Fleetwood on 6; he’s +2 now. Meanwhile difficulties again at 8 for Ian Poulter. He’s in the same bunker he thinned one out of last night. Today, he doesn’t really commit to his escape, and though he dinks the ball up on the green, it falls back down the false front and u-turns past the bunker. He’s further from the hole than he was. Poulter takes the putter out, and leaves his fourth eight feet short. The bogey putt curls to the right, and the double takes him back to +4. This hole has cost him five shots in the last 20 hours or so.

9.26pm BST

The Fox coverage is a bit erratic, isn’t it? They’ve just shown Justin Rose hitting into the par-three 7th. His ball was heading towards the bunkers on the left. It might have gone in. It might have stayed up in the fringe. No idea, because they cut away before the ball had stopped moving. “Evening Doctor Golf!” writes Hubert O’Hearn, who has the fever, is my diagnosis. “I finally got tired of the footy and thought I’d catch a bit of the golf. Was going to make a joke about watching a game where the ball isn’t moving when players strike it ... and the first thing I see in the hole-by-hole report is Phil attempting a volley. Oh Phil.”

9.22pm BST

DJ is momentarily rocking. He flays his drive at 5 into the deep stuff on the left. Anyone else is doing well to get that back out; DJ powers a wedge 100 yards down the fairway. Then he sends another wedge into the centre of the green. He’s got a 20-foot putt for birdie. But the wind is up, and the greens are parched now, and he’s having trouble placing his ball! He does amazingly well to dribble his putt to the side of the hole and take his par. When he was watching his drive sail into the fescue, he must have feared the worst. But that par save may have arrested his downward momentum. Meanwhile a birdie for his partner Piercy, who moves back to +3. And a fine 20-foot par saver for Stenson on 6.

9.16pm BST

Anyway, on 4, Dustin Johnson leaves a ten-foot par putt a couple of inches short. A great up-and-down by Justin Rose from the back of 5. And birdie for Henrik Stenson on 5. Throw in Charley Hoffman’s bogeys at 1 and 3 (+2) and Scott Piercy’s double bogey, bogey, bogey whammy on 2, 3 and 4 (+4) and the leader board looks very different now!

-1: D Johnson (4)
E: Rose (5), Stenson (5)
+1: Koepka (7), Fleetwood (5)
+2: Poulter (7), Hoffman (4)
+3: Berger (F), Finau (F)

9.10pm BST

Does it show disrespect to the championship? “It’s certainly not meant that way. It’s meant to take advantage of the rules as best you can. In that situation, I was just going back and forth, and I would gladly take the two shots rather than continue that display.”

Do you regret what you’ve done? “I’ve had an awesome day, the people here have been incredible, singing Happy Birthday, people here have made coming here an awesome experience. It’s a fun birthday. I don’t mean any disrespect, and if that’s the way people took it, I apologise to them, but that’s not the way it was taken. I took the two-shot penalty and moved on, and there’s not much more to say.”

9.07pm BST

Phil speaks! “Look. I don’t mean disrespect by anybody. I know it’s a two-shot penalty, at that time I just didn’t feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over. I took the two-shot penalty and moved on. It’s my understanding of the rules. I’ve had multiple times when I wanted to do that, I just finally did it. No question [the ball] was going to go down into the same spot behind the bunker and I wasn’t going to have a shot. I don’t know if I would have been able to save a shot or not. I do know it’s a two-shot penalty to hit a moving ball. I tried to hit it as close to the hole to make the next one. I took the two shots and moved on.”

9.03pm BST

Thanks to John. Phil’s about to talk to Curtis Strange, nominative determinism in full effect.

9.00pm BST

A wild hook off the fourth tee from Johnson gets caught in the wind, and drifts into what looks like heavy rough to the edge of the fairway. Rose has to play a rescue shot from a fairway bunker and has plenty to do on his next shot. This is a test, as dear, departed Graham Taylor might say. Windy and drying ground making for a deadly combination out there. Just ask Phil and Beef. Mickelson is currently doing some press calls so his version of events is imminent.

8.51pm BST

Johnson has a long one for birdie and again comes up short. He under-amped it, likely in the knowledge that any carry through would take the ball down dale. He settles for par. It might not help Johnson that Piercy, alongside him, is coming apart. Not quite Big Philly-style but he has dropped four shots already.

8.47pm BST

Dustin Johnson looks unruffled by the previous hole’s woes while Piercy, wild with both of his shots, continues to wobble. Plays a great drive and then a sand wedge off the fairway to set up a birdie. Rose’s third shot is much better, and a par putt is within his sights. He holes out calmly. Well done.

8.44pm BST

Justin Rose’s chance to put the hammer down not helped by two wayward shots on the fourth. His par is endangered. Ian Poulter, three over for the day, is trying to fight his way back with some long hitting.

8.40pm BST

Well well well. DJ has dropped two shots closer to his chasers after a nightmare on the second hole. Johnson takes his time over his par putt on a green that looks anything but that colour. This is a monster putt...but not nearly enough purchase and leaves him on a double bogey if he can’t drain a very missable fourth shot. Which he does miss...drama. Having watched Piercy make his own double bogey, Johnson steps up to putt. Those are the first two double bogeys of the day on the hole. Justin Rose on level par is in touch. In the tent, meanwhile, Beef has a wry grin on his face as he and Mickelson sign off their cards.

8.31pm BST

Justin Rose just holed a chip, a pearler of a shot, but the focus is on DJ, whose lie is not good at all on the dust track. He aims right of the flag and lands safely on the green. Bogey still looks likely after that tee shot, but at least he has shots in hand.

8.28pm BST

“C’mon wind,” begs Ian Poulter as he uses his driver on hole three. Charley Hoffman made a fine approach, and an even better putt to give himself the chance of a 3. Piercy plays a wild one; he looked bunker-bound but is actually in a worse lie than the sand. Now, DJ - “the man,” according to his fans - has whipped it to what looks like a patch of sandy road. Difficult next shot for him. Big Phil has just hit a beautiful shot on 18th, spinning the ball close. He puts for par and, er, 81. We await his post-match quotes.

8.20pm BST

Johnson putts downhill for birdie, from 12 yards or so, and looked to have judged the escarpment of the green superbly, only for a sudden change of direction. The par putt is not a gimme, but he rolls it. Piercy makes par with a decent chip to the green and pea-roller putt.

8.17pm BST

Nice shot by Piercy, who lands just short of the green and is unlucky to roll back. Johnson, nerveless, has given himself a decent birdie chance with his shot to the green.

8.15pm BST

Hoffman makes a saving shot to make bogey. Fleetwood’s birdie attempt limped by and he will have to settle for par. Disappointment for both.

8.14pm BST

Mickelson and the boy Beef are having quite a chat. Meanwhile, referee John Bodenhamer is explaining why Mickelson got given a 10 - for hitting a moving ball - and also why Phil is not going to be kicked out, even if he looks like he would rather be anywhere else. “We informed him and he said thank you and went on with his round. It was a short conversation.”

8.11pm BST

Dustin Johnson takes to the tee, the Stars & Stripes wafting in the breeze behind him. Ahead of him, Fleetwood has played a useful second shot to the first. Hoffman has a nightmare in the bunker and has a tough shot to make five after two attempts to get out of the sand. It’s Scott Piercy’s honour and that goes to the centre of the fairway. Jupiter’s Johnson hits a cut into the wind and goes a little to the left but no problem.

8.02pm BST

Welcome, one and all. While Scott’s in the clubhouse, I am watching Tommy Fleetwood taking his opening tee shot. The loud locals hail him in the style of the baddies in the karate kid - “C’mon, Tommy!”. Charley Hoffman gets a call of “San Diego”. Both hit drives that kept them out of trouble. And leave that loud lot behind. Meanwhile, Justin Rose saves par to stay at +1.

7.57pm BST

Right, I’m off to take a break before it all hots up. Hold on, it’s already boiled over, hasn’t it. Hey, well. Anyway, John Brewin is slipping into the hot seat, and I’ll see you all again soon.

7.55pm BST

A quick update on Mickelson. He’s parred 15 as well, as casually as you like. Meanwhile his score at 13 has now been updated to 10. So he’s +16. He may as well tee up an exploding ball on 16, and drive back to the clubhouse in a buggy with square wheels. His round has become a circus. As for his partner Beef, his current run of double bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey would be worthy of comment ... under normal circumstances. Oh Phil! I can’t wait to hear Lefty’s post-round interview.

7.51pm BST

The defending champ is out and about. Brooks Koepka knocks his approach at 1 into the sand, then gets too much on the ball with his splash out. It flies across the dancefloor and topples off the front. He refrains from sprinting after it and smacking it back in the general direction of the cup, a la Lefty. His putt up onto the green isn’t all that, left six feet short. But in goes the bogey putt, to limit the damage and ensure all yesterday’s good work isn’t ruined. He’s +2. Par for his playing partner Ian Poulter, meanwhile, who stays at +1.

7.43pm BST

Anyway, there is a serious golf tournament going on as well. And there are opening-hole birdies for both Marc Leishman and Russell Henley. A first excuse to update the leader board, and a chance for everyone to catch their breath and attempt to regain a little mental equilibrium:

-4: D Johnson
E: Piercy, Hoffman
-1: Henley (1), Fleetwood, Stenson, Rose, Koepka, Poulter
+2: Leishman (2), Fowler (1)
+3: Berger (F)

7.39pm BST

He’s +15 now, by the way. Oh Phil. ♫ ♯ Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lefty, happy birthday to you! ♭♬

7.38pm BST

Par for Mickelson on 14. He’s wandering around as though nothing has happened. A tip of the hat as the crowd cheer their hero anyway. You’ve got to hand it to Lefty, never a dull moment. And if he’s never to win a US Open, this is yet another way he’s made his mark on this famous old tournament. File along his six runner-up spots, though I concede this particular episode won’t be one for the purists.

7.31pm BST

All eyes on the birthday boy Phil Mickelson. Because this is very strange! On the 13th green, he overhit a putt, jogged after his ball, and as it was trundling off the green, hit it back towards the hole! Then he announced he was withdrawing, and walked off the course. But now he’s back, having been penalised for hitting a moving ball, and marked down for a quintuple-bogey 9. Nobody’s sure whether he’s injured, withdrawn, continuing, playing just so Beef has a marker ... or even protesting about the state of the course this week, as he’s been known to have his, er, beef with the USGA in the past. This is farcical.

7.23pm BST

Daniel Berger pars 18 and he’s in the clubhouse with a brilliant 66. That equals the aforementioned best-of-week rounds by Fleetwood and Koepka. He’s leading in the clubhouse at +3. Out on the course on that mark: Rafa Cabrera Bello and the 2003 champion Jim Furyk, who have both birdied the opening hole.

7.18pm BST

It’s been a good day for Kiradech Aphibarnrat. He’s the very early clubhouse leader at +6, in with a 68, one of the rounds of the week. It’s only been bettered by the 66s of Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka, and the 67s of Dustin Johnson and Tyler Duncan.

7.12pm BST

Calum Hill has bounced back nicely after that minor rush of blood to the noggin at 2. A couple of pars to steady the nerves, followed by birdie at the par-five 5th. He’s back where he started the day, at +4. Scotland has been waiting for a major winner since Paul Lawrie won the Open in 1999; this one’s a little bit too early for the 23-year-old from Kinross, surely, but this performance on US Open debut augurs well for the future. Mind you, maybe Russell Knox will beat him to it? The 32-year-old from Inverness is going backwards today, however: an opening-hole birdie has been followed by dropped shots at 2 and 3. He’s +5.

7.05pm BST

Justin Thomas nearly makes an outrageous par at the long par-three 2nd. He sends his tee shot into the sand high on the left. He faces a treacherous splash out, down the green ... and sends his ball whistling off the other side. Then he comes very close to chipping in the return. A bogey; it could have been worse. He’s +5.

7.02pm BST

Mickelson can only batter out of the sand at 11 to the fringe. He’s left with a long par saver; he can’t make it. He’s +10. Meanwhile trouble for Berger at 17: he slam-dunks his tee shot into the bunker front left of the green, and can only slash out away from the pin. He’s left with a 25-footer for his par. His ball makes it 24 feet of the way. Bogey. He’s +3. A par up the last and he’ll equal the best-of-week 66s made by Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka.

6.54pm BST

Berger passes up an opportunity to attack the flag at the par-five 16th. He’s five under for his round, so doesn’t fancy going over the back. Instead, he leaves himself a long birdie putt up from the front; two putts later, that’s a par that keeps him at +2. He wasn’t far away from draining that 30-footer, though. Meanwhile Patrick Reed’s round is becoming increasingly absurd: a wild tee shot at 6 leads to bogey. He slips back to +3 and he’s still not made par today.

6.47pm BST

It’s turning into an unhappy birthday for poor Phil Mickelson. He’s just carded three bogeys in a row, the latest at 10 the result of finding himself at the bottom of a big bank by the green, and failing to get close with his chip up. He’s +9 now - and possibly plugged in the face of a bunker to the right of the par-three 11th ... and shortsided.

6.42pm BST

Yes, there are scores out there today. And Patrick Reed still hasn’t made a par. He finds the par-five 5th in two big booms, then nearly drains a long eagle effort. No worries, that’s three birdies in a row, and the Masters champ is up to +2.

6.39pm BST

Berger gets up and down from the bank at the back of 14. That keeps his round going. And then a birdie putt from 25 feet on 15 brings him to +2! He’s on course for a best-of-week 65 right now. Tony Finau is on the charge, too: he’s birdied 10, 11 and now 12 to zip up the standings to +4. Meanwhile, like the Oscar Peterson Trio, we get requests. “Can you give a proud mention to my cousin, Cameron Wilson, please?” asks a very polite Tim Hoult. “To make the cut for the first time at the US Open when your fellow Stanford alum Tiger Woods doesn’t is a pretty huge achievement. Well done, Cam!” Yes, he’s done something plenty of the game’s big names couldn’t. Your cousin’s signing for a 76 today, Tim. Not sure what Tiger, Rory, Jason and Jordan have been up to. Watching the World Cup with a tinny on?

6.29pm BST

After shooting a 69 yesterday, Scotland’s 23-year-old US Open debutant Calum Hill could have been fooled into thinking he’s got Shinnecock Hills sussed. Then today he knocked his tee shot at the long, difficult par-three 2nd over the flag. Easy! But he was way too aggressive with his birdie effort coming back ... and nearly putted off the green. Two putts later, and that’s a bogey that drops him to +5. But the young man has been super-impressive this week so far, quietly going about his business and making the cut in his first major with ease. What greens here, though.

6.16pm BST

From stewing Beef to sizzling Berger: Daniel’s just rolled a 30-footer into the cup at 13 for another birdie. He’s now +3 for the tournament. A good tee shot down the middle of 14, too, though his long iron in falls down the bank at the back. Even so, he’s showing the late starters chasing Dustin Johnson what can be done. He’s also showing Dustin Johnson what can be done, but you get the general drift. Also at +3: Patrick Reed, who birdies 4 and still doesn’t have a par on his card today.

6.10pm BST

Beef is stewing. He’d already dropped a shot at 5, and now his tee shot lands on the notorious green at 7 and topples down the bank. It hadn’t pitched far from the flag, and gently too, but that’s the 7th for you. He needs two chips to get back up, and can’t guide in a 12-footer with a massive left-to-right break. A double, and he’s +9. Meanwhile Patrick Reed is still looking for a par: he finds the bunker to the right of the 3rd green ... and holes out with another display of soft-handed genius. He’s +4 again.

6.00pm BST

Berger bounces straight back to +4 with birdie at 12. He’s the only one of the early starters making any sort of move up the leader board: the aforementioned Kiradech Aphibarnrat has bogeyed 13 and 14 to slip back into the big pack at +7. These two chaps remain the only folk out there under par for their rounds today.

5.56pm BST

An astonishing wedge at the par-three 2nd by Patrick Reed. Having sent his tee shot into very thick oomska to the left, he power-feels a lob out of the mess to five feet. What touch! That escape registers a full 10 on the Seve-o-meter. And then he pushes the short par putt wide right, handing back the shot he’d picked up on 1. He’s +5 again. Paul Casey also follows birdie with bogey, at 5; he’s +6 again. And finally there’s a blemish on Daniel Berger’s card. His bogey at 11 drops him back to +5.

5.45pm BST

Mickelson can’t make his par putt on 5. He sends it sailing five feet behind the cup, and has a long, hard think about the one coming back. It was worth the time, and he limits the damage to bogey. He’s back where he started at +6. Meanwhile the new Masters champion Patrick Reed is out, and he’s played the opening hole in breezy fashion: a tee shot down the middle, a second straight at the flag, a five-footer into the cup. The birdie takes him up to +4.

5.40pm BST

Paul Casey went backwards at pace over the back nine last night. He came home in 40, slipping down the leader board from a very promising position to +6. He should have started with a bang this morning: a beauty of an approach into 1 set up a sure thing of a birdie ... but he missed the short putt he left himself. He’s finally got the birdie his tidy play so far today has deserved, at 4. He’s +5.

5.35pm BST

Mickelson is beginning to fashion a pig’s ear of this hole. His smash out of the thick rough leads to more trouble, as the grass strangles the hosel of his club; though he gets the ball out, it only squirts off to the right side of the hole again, nearly topping into a bunker. But it stays out, and Lefty will have a very awkward stance. He nevertheless manages to swish a wedge into the heart of the green from 135 yards. He’ll have a 30-footer to salvage an unlikely par.

5.30pm BST

Birdie for Phil! He rolls a 30-footer across 4 to rise to +5. But he’s just flashed his drive at the par-five 5th into a big bunker down the right, and with his ball nestling near the face of the bunker, he’ll most likely need to lay up with his second. The chance of back-to-back birdies not so likely now. Actually, scrub that: the chance is very unlikely, because he’s just followed that up with a rookie mistake, sending his next shot into the deep fescue on the other side of the hole in an attempt to snatch too many extra yards. God speed, birthday boy.

5.20pm BST

Kiradech Aphibarnrat is also going along very nicely. The big man from Thailand bogeyed the 3rd hole, but has since registered birdies at 4, 5, 8 and now 12. He’s zipped up the leader board to +5. We’re hoping for, if not quite expecting, a few good scores today: the sun is out, there’s not too much wind, there’s been a little rain so the course isn’t totally unresponsive, and the pin positions aren’t too prohibitive. Countering the early evidence provided by Berger and Aphibarnrat: the course is only going to dry out as the day goes on, and none of the other 31 players currently out on the course are under par.

5.10pm BST

Phil is now level par for his round through 3. The fast start he’d have been desperate for has instead been made by Daniel Berger. One of the USA’s many major-champions-in-waiting, though with only one top-ten finish at the Masters to his name so far, the 25-year-old from Florida has begun with birdies at 2, 4 and 6. That’s whisked him all the way up the standings to +4 and a tie for 14th.

5.05pm BST

The galleries are serenading Phil. A lovely touch. His playing partner, one Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston, has already given him a present: an IOU for a Philly cheesesteak, scrawled on the back of a golf towel. “Happy Birthday Phil, a beef and cheddar on me!” The other side of the towel was a picture of an awful lot of cow slathered in copious amounts of dairy product. Mmmhmm. Though it is Bloomsday today, too. Shouldn’t he have got him a gorgonzola sandwich?

4.55pm BST

♫ ♯ Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lefty, happy birthday to you! ♭♬ Phil Mickelson turns 48 today. Chasing that elusive US Open to complete his career slam, what he’d give for a low round to close the gap on Dustin Johnson. He starts ten shots adrift. If he can make three up, well, a seven-shot final-round chase has been completed before: all hail King Arnie, who made up seven strokes on Mike Souchak in 1960 (see below). He’s not started particularly quickly today, mind: a par on the opening hole, and he’s just dumped his tee shot at the long par-three 2nd into the bunker front-right. A lovely splash to six feet, and another par. Sixteen holes still to go, mind you. Plenty of time.

Related: The Joy of Six: US Open golf glory | Scott Murray

12.19pm BST

Shinnecock Hills is a wonderfully tough, old-school US Open test. How tough? Here are just a few of the players who have missed the cut: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer, Si Woo Kim, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell. It’s been carnage.

Then again, Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka shot 66s yesterday. Dustin Johnson, the leader, has posted 69-67. Keep it in the fairway, bring your A-game to the greens, show a bit of patience, rein it in when you need to, and the scores are there. It’s a US Open. Nobody said it had to be easy.

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Registering on The World Cup FiveЯ’s harbinger-o-meter

Sign up for our free email, daily from Monday, featuring the latest news, intrigue, analysis and blunders from the 32 competing nations

England are tackling Costa Rica on Thursday, hoping to make it two friendly wins out of two in their preparations for the Ethics World Cup. Hopefully it goes to plan, because if they lollop around Elland Road like 11 John Stones, no doubt there’ll be a big song and dance, the vapours, and a heat-to-light ratio that’s all out of whack. But would that meltdown be justified? Just how significant do these pre-tournament dry runs prove to be? Your ever-vigilant World Cup FiveЯ has taken a look back in time to find out!

Related: World Cup 2018: complete guide to all 736 players

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The Fiver | Armchair quackery doesn’t always result in a 100% accurate diagnosis

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Anyone who watched this year’s Big Cup final will have presumably come to the immediate conclusion, just like The Fiver, that Loris Karius played the game having necked a pre-match pint of isotonic sports beverage Night Nurse followed by a couple of large NyQuil chasers. And you’d have certainly hoped that analysis was correct, because at least that way the poor lad will have got himself a decent night’s sleep afterwards. But it turns out that armchair quackery doesn’t always result in a 100% accurate diagnosis. And so The Fiver has been shocked to discover that Karius in fact contested the majority of the second half in a concussed state, suffering from “visual spatial dysfunction”, an ailment which hinders a person’s ability to visually process where things are in space. Now, The Fiver might be a quack, but that can’t be positive news when the day job’s keeping goal, can it.

Related: Concussion may have led to Loris Karius’s calamities, says US hospital

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Football transfer rumours: Tottenham and Southampton in for Shaqiri?

Today’s rumours are back in the game

The race is on to become the first signing of the Unai Emery era at Arsenal. Sokratis Papastathopoulos is the favourite, as the big centre-back is on the verge of completing a £16m transfer from Borussia Dortmund. But coming up quickly on the rail is Marouane Fellaini, who might favour a move to London over Milan. Papastathopoulos has reportedly snubbed José Mourinho to join the Emery revolution, so Manchester United fans can file this whole bundle under Swings/Roundabouts.

Claude Puel is still at Leicester City. His last roll of the dice involves sanctioning the transfer of Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City, but only if he gets 21-year-old winger Patrick Roberts in return. Roberts, who has been hoovering up trophies in Scotland with Celtic, would cover £15m of Mahrez’s £75m price tag. The Foxes also want Abdulkadir Omur, an 18-year-old striker at Trabzonspor.

Related: Yaya Touré accuses Pep Guardiola of ‘having problems with Africans’

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The Fiver | To think some people accuse him of lacking self-awareness

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The Fiver talks about itself in the third person all the time. The Fiver says this. The Fiver thinks that. The Fiver’s down! The Fiver holds grudges! It’s a preposterous way of carrying on. So hats off to Joey Barton, who this morning copped on a mere three minutes and 56 seconds into his managerial career. “I’m starting to sound like Zlatan here,” he laughed, having listened to himself make reference to Joey Barton the player, Joey Barton the boss, and Joey Barton the social media celebrity during the opening exchanges of his unveiling at Fleetwood Town. And to think some people accuse him of lacking self-awareness. The Fiver, by comparison, has been going for nearly 20 years, and the Fiver’s still at it. The Fiver can’t stop now. The Fiver needs help. Poor Fiver’s a-cold!

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England 2-1 Nigeria: international friendly – as it happened

Gary Cahill and Harry Kane were on target as England tamed the Super Eagles at Wembley.

8.23pm BST

Dominic Fifield on Raheem Sterling:

Related: Raheem Sterling shrugs off week in spotlight to guide England to win | Dominic Fifield

7.32pm BST

So that completes our business in the MBM, on a decent if ultimately unspectacular evening for England. All that’s left is to say thanks for reading ... and to point you in the direction of Daniel Taylor’s match report from Wembley Stadium. Next stop Leeds, and Costa Rica on Thursday night!

Related: England blow hot and cold against Nigeria after Gary Cahill’s quick start

7.29pm BST

And now a word from Gareth Southgate. “I think we played really well, with the ball especially, and created a lot of good chances. Far more good situations than we’ve had in our recent games, so I was very pleased with that. Deserved lead a couple of goals to the good at half-time. It took us a little while to work out how to deal with the changes to their system, there was a seven or eight-minute period when we hadn’t quite worked out how to adjust. It meant there was a lift in the game that we had to deal with and manage, so that was a decent exercise for us, though of course you’d rather it was more comfortable. I thought Raheem Sterling played well. The front four looked a threat. Slightly better decision making in the final third, and we’d have scored more.”

7.19pm BST

The captain Harry Kane speaks. “It was a good win, they’re a tough side. First half, I thought we were excellent. We moved the ball quick, got in behind, created a lot of chances. Second half we had trouble, they changed their formation. They scored early, which always puts the pressure on. But we got used to it and we saw the game out well. I feel I’m at my best, feel really good. Getting on the scoresheet is always nice as striker. Costa Rica on Thursday will be another tough one, another test. But I’m looking forward to it, and the next month.”

7.16pm BST

All in all, a good day at the office for England. They were highly impressive in the first half, thoroughly deserving of their two-goal lead; it probably should have been more, but calmness in front of goal came at a premium. Nigeria however were awful during that opening 45. But the visitors came back strongly in the second half, showing more of the verve that took them past Cameroon in the qualifiers and did for Argentina recently. England then lost their way a bit. So it’s one of those matches: both teams have something positive to take away with them. England more so, obviously, having won the match, but you get the general drift.

7.10pm BST

And that’s that. England’s preparations for the World Cup have started well. Very well in the first half, perhaps not so well in the second. But a win’s a win’s a win. Polite applause ripples around Wembley accordingly.

7.09pm BST

90 min +3: Ebuehi accidentally studs Rose in the knee. Thankfully, after the initial sting of contact, Rose springs back into action.

7.08pm BST

90 min +2: Welbeck races into a lot of space down the right. He’s got Rashford free in the middle, but opts to go it alone, stumbles slightly, and all momentum is lost.

7.07pm BST

90 min +1: Musa curls a cross in from the left. Iheanacho is lurking, but Cahill batters a header away from danger.

7.06pm BST

90 min: Nigeria see a lot of the ball, but England hold firm and the visitors can do little with it. There will be four added minutes.

7.04pm BST

88 min: Mikel embarks on an intricate run down the middle of the park. He lays off for Musa, who nearly breaks into the box. Not quite. The ball’s recycled and a hail-mary is sent down the centre. Pickford comes out to punch. Mikel clatters into him, and that’s a free kick for England. What a delicious dribble by Mikel, though.

7.02pm BST

86 min: Delph, quarterbacking from deep, lifts a pass down the inside-right channel for Rashford, who attempts to guide a first-time header over Uzoho and into the top left. It goes over the bar, but a decent effort all round.

7.01pm BST

85 min: This match is beginning to peter out. England are quite content to sit back and stroke it around, killing the clock.

6.59pm BST

84 min: Now it’s Nigeria’s turn to ping the ball around nicely. Mikel and then Iheanacho threaten to cause England a bit of bother as they press towards the box, but the home side hold their shape and there’s no way through. Nigeria are forced to turn back upfield.

6.57pm BST

82 min: Alli departs to those pantomime boos from the Nigeria fans. Delph takes his place.

6.56pm BST

80 min: A period of England possession out on the left. Some crisp passing. It ends when Rashford looks for the bottom left from distance. He drags his shot well wide.

6.54pm BST

79 min: The corner is a complete waste of time.

6.54pm BST

78 min: Welbeck turns on the jets and makes down the inside-right channel. He cocks his leg to shoot as he enters the box, but Ekong slides in to deny him. Corner.

6.53pm BST

77 min: Musa is booked for flipping Loftus-Cheek over with a sliding tackle from behind.

6.52pm BST

76 min: Iheanacho, who scored a pearler here for Leicester City against Spurs on the last day of the Premier League season, comes on for Ighalo.

6.51pm BST

75 min: For the second time this evening, two Nigerians accidentally head-butt each other. This time it’s Etebo and Omeruo. Play stops as they receive treatment. This has got very bitty, as the second halves of friendlies so often do.

6.49pm BST

73 min: The captain Kane is replaced by Welbeck, while Sterling makes way for Rashford.

6.48pm BST

72 min: Speaking of fluids, everyone stops for a drink.

6.47pm BST

71 min: Trippier and Loftus-Cheek combine neatly down the right, the latter skittering into space. Loftus-Cheek dinks one into the box, but it files over the head of Kane, who was waiting patiently to head that one home. A nice idea, though, and a nostalgic reminder of England’s first-half fluidity.

6.45pm BST

69 min: Musa beats Walker in a foot race down the left, then pulls back in the hope of finding Iwobi. Stones clears, after a fashion, slipping on the seat of his pants as he does so. Mikel regains possession and has a blast for the bottom right from distance. Pickford’s not going to be beaten from there.

6.44pm BST

68 min: Dier and Walker take turns to slice wild clearances into the air. Ighalo’s shove on Stones gets England out of a spot of self-inflicted bother.

6.43pm BST

67 min: England make a double change. Rose and Loftus-Cheek take the place of Lingard and Young.

6.42pm BST

66 min: A nod to the 1980s as Stones, of all people, blooters the ball straight down the middle of the pitch. He very nearly releases Sterling, but Uzoho reaches the edge of his box first to claim.

6.40pm BST

64 min: Ighalo is crumped by Walker, and that’s a free kick out on the Nigerian left. Etebo curls it into the loaded England box, where it’s headed confidently away by Dier.

6.38pm BST

63 min: Musa comes on for Moses.

6.38pm BST

62 min: Lingard feeds Alli down the left, and England win a corner. Young takes. It’s a brilliant whip towards the near post. Dier rises and flashes a header across the face of goal and out for a goal kick. What a chance ... and what a corner by Young.

6.37pm BST

61 min: Idowu looks for Moses with a long, looping pass down the left. Moses didn’t anticipate it. A shame for Nigeria. England need to wake up.

6.35pm BST

59 min: Ogu earns a corner down the right. Then from the set piece, he misplaces a pass and Sterling is nearly allowed to zip up the other end. Idowu puts a stop to his gallop with a fine tackle.

6.34pm BST

58 min: Lingard buzzes in from the left and tries a one-two with Kane. It doesn’t come off, and Kane cocks his head back to scream in frustration. England have misplaced their first-half mojo.

6.32pm BST

56 min: Alli cuts in from the left and rolls a pass down the centre for Lingard. The ball’s a step behind Lingard, who can’t take it with him. A few centimetres the other way, and Lingard was clean through. Nigeria go up the other end, Moses blootering a wild - and wildly ambitious - effort miles over the bar from a silly distance. A real sense that this match isn’t going to end 2-1.

6.30pm BST

54 min: Mikel is given an absurd amount of room in the midfield. He strides with great intent towards the England box, but with the hosts on the retreat clanks an awful pass straight into a white shirt, with plenty of his attacking team-mates offering options.

6.29pm BST

52 min: Lingard slips a pass down the inside-right channel, hoping to find the scampering Sterling. Uzoho comes out to smother. Sterling buckles his knees and starts falling before he clatters into the keeper ... and is booked for diving. It’s the correct decision, and his week isn’t getting any better.

6.26pm BST

50 min: But Nigeria come straight back at England and earn another corner down the left. The resulting set piece isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s fair to say Nigeria look a totally different side already. England are still in the dressing room.

6.25pm BST

49 min: Ighalo works his way down the left and earns a corner. On the bench, Southgate looks concerned. The set piece is headed vaguely goalwards by Iwobi, but cleared by Cahill.

6.24pm BST

Well this is a game-changer! Iwobi drops deep and sends Ighalo haring towards the England box with a cute dink down the inside right. Ighalo creams a fine shot off the left-hand post; it rebounds to Iwobi, who slams home. What a fine goal that was!

6.21pm BST

And we’re off again! It’s as you were for England, but Nigeria make four changes: Onazi, Obi, Shehu and Balogun are off; Etebo, Ogu, Omeruo and Ebuehi come on. This won’t be an end of it, either, will it.

6.10pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Earlier this week, Viv Anderson picked his all-time England World Cup XI. Thanks to the power of modern, interactive, time-frittering internet technology, you can have a go yourself! Select a spine of Sam Hardy, Bob Crompton, Duncan Edwards and George Camsell, and take it from there.

Related: England's all-time World Cup XI: create your own

6.04pm BST

That’s been a no-nonsense 45 minutes from Gareth Southgate’s side. Some of their attacking play was very easy on the eye. Nigeria will maybe take heart from those late bursts by Victor Moses ... but otherwise they’ve not threatened England at all.

6.03pm BST

45 min: Moses has clearly had enough of his team’s bluntness in attack. He has another romp down the left himself, twisting and turning, and finally sending a rasper towards the bottom left. Pickford gathers again.

6.01pm BST

44 min: Moses tries to make something happen, picking up his heels and skedaddling down the left. But Dier blocks the route in unceremonious fashion.

6.00pm BST

43 min: England play a bit of keep-ball, just because they can. As poor as Nigeria have been, the hosts have looked very impressive. They’re in total control.

5.58pm BST

41 min: This scoreline doesn’t flatter England at all. Nigeria, by contrast, have been dreadful.

5.57pm BST

Kane had done very little. But that was never going to last, was it. He makes good down the inside-left channel, then tees up Sterling to the right of the D. Sterling can’t sort his feet to shoot, so returns the favour. Kane sends an immediate slapshot goalwards. Uzoho makes an awful hash of it, the ball going right through him and into the bottom left.

5.55pm BST

37 min: Kane loops long down the middle for Alli. He cushions the ball down for Sterling on the edge of the box. Sterling sends a rising drive inches over the bar. Not far away from planting that one into Cahill Corner.

5.54pm BST

36 min: Iwobi strides down the right, then pulls a low cross back across the face of the England box. Moses shapes to shoot, but is confused by the presence of Idowu, and to the amusement of the crowd, both men miss it. The ball flies away harmlessly. Ighalo comes again down the inside-left, and whistles a low shot towards the bottom left. Pickford gathers easily.

5.52pm BST

35 min: Alli and Lingard take turns to shoot at goal from the middle of a melee on the edge of the Nigerian box. The ball deflects out for a corner. From the set piece, Dier is penalised for a shove in the back of Shehu.

5.51pm BST

33 min: England are romping down the wings with ease. Young cuts in from the left before slipping a pass down the channel for Sterling, who tries to find Trippier, racing in from the other side, with a cross. Uzoho parries, and a great chance is gone. “I really, really like this England squad,” writes Hubert O’Hearn. “It’s probably my favourite since 1996 (whose kit I’m wearing). Except for Kane there are no stars and that is all the best. Young players and two old gunslingers in Cahill and Young, honest graft, and very capable of fluid interchange. I see the potential there for Klopp-ball or Pocchetino-ball and that should get us to the quarters anyway, which I’d call a success. In short, they’re kinda lovable. Summer entertainment: sorted!”

5.48pm BST

31 min: Trippier rolls a pass down the right for Lingard, who enters the area and tries to set up Sterling with a tap-in, rolling the ball across the front of goal. The ball’s cleared, and Kane looks a little miffed that Lingard didn’t set him up with a pull-back instead.

5.46pm BST

29 min: Alli spins down the right wing and curls a low cross towards the near post. Lingard hopes to flick the ball home, but Uzoho gets in the road. Corner, from which nothing of note occurs.

5.45pm BST

27 min: Nigeria force England into defence for the first time. Ighalo cuts in from the right; Iwobi joins in, and their presence causes Stones a bit of panic. He eventually clears.

5.42pm BST

25 min: Mikel slips a ball down the inside-left channel in the hope of releasing Ighalo into the box. It’s too hard a pass, and flies through to Pickford. That’s fortunate for England, who were snoozing a bit there.

5.41pm BST

23 min: Something of a lull. The referee takes the opportunity to wander off to the touchline, to get his VAR kit re-strapped to his arm.

5.39pm BST

21 min: A free kick for England out on the left. Young’s delivery isn’t all that, and Nigeria clear. Alli picks up possession on the right, and sends another high ball into the box. Uzoho collects.

5.38pm BST

19 min: England look lively and fresh. Sterling scampers into acres down the left, and with the ball bouncing in front of him, has an opportunity to attempt a spectacular pelt from the edge of the box. But he opts to reach the byline and pull one back for Young instead. Young should really score from six yards, but takes a touch, allowing Idowu to slide in and block.

5.36pm BST

18 min: Sterling and Alli nearly open up Nigeria with a cute combination down the left. Not quite. Then Trippier strides down the other flank and curls one in. Balogun rises to clank a header back out of the box. The ball drops to Trippier again, who is upended by Ekong, but England don’t get the free kick.

5.34pm BST

17 min: A bit of space for Shehu down the right. He sends a high cross into the England box. Pickford, squinting into the early-evening sun, rises and plucks the ball from the sky with ease. That’s the furthest Nigeria have got up the pitch so far.

5.32pm BST

15 min: Kane hasn’t had a sniff up front yet, but that’s not stopped him getting involved. From a deep position on the right, he very nearly releases Young on the left with an ambitious raking pass. Just a little too much juice on it; Young can’t reach it. Nice try, though.

5.31pm BST

13 min: Alli turns infield from the left and slips a pass down the channel to release Sterling into the box. Sterling has the run on Ekong, but his attempt to score with a chip over Uzoho floats across the face of goal and out to the right of the target. England are playing some very nice stuff here.

5.29pm BST

12 min: England work the corner back down the left wing. Young curls one into the box, starting a game of pinball. The ball nearly ricochets to the feet of Stones, six yards out, but Uzoho in the Nigerian goal snaffles. That’s three excellent England set pieces out of three.

5.28pm BST

11 min: The Alli panto continues. He gets pelters as he makes good down the left and earns a corner off Ekong. Young takes. Cahill wins another header, peeling off at the far post. But he can’t get anything on target. England keep the pressure up, though, Sterling cutting in from the left and having a whack that’s deflected out for another corner.

5.26pm BST

9 min: Nigeria haven’t strung many passes together so far. Obi and Mikel combine a couple of times in the middle of the park in the hope of finally getting something going for the visitors, but England are pressing hard and there’s not much room for them to work.

5.25pm BST

The set piece is swung into the mixer by Trippier. Cahill, on the penalty spot, rises above Mikel and plants an unstoppable header over Onazi on the line and into the top right! That’s a beauty.

5.24pm BST

6 min: A free kick for England just to the right of the D. Trippier looks for the top right, and gets his effort over the wall, but Uzoho palms the ball round the post for a corner in a gloriously spectacular style.

5.22pm BST

5 min: Obi and Balogun both rise to make a simple headed clearance - and bang each other flush on the nut. Ooyah, oof, that’s gotta hurt. Lingard immediately calls for the referee to stop the game. Balogun looks pretty dazed.

5.20pm BST

3 min: Alli’s seeing a lot of the ball in the early stages, so it’s panto season all right. He very nearly has the last laugh, bursting down the left into plenty of space. His low cross isn’t up to much, though, and it’s cut out by Ekong.

5.19pm BST

And we’re off! England get the ball rolling. A party atmosphere with both sets of fans giving it plenty. Alli is getting a bit of pantomime stick from the Nigerian fans, having turned down the chance to play for the Super Eagles in the past.

5.16pm BST

But before kick-off, there’s time for quiet reflection and warm applause, in memory of Ray Wilkins and the 1966 World Cup winner Ray Wilson. A couple of very popular players, genuine England legends both. A poignant moment. RIP.

5.13pm BST

The teams are out! It’s a gloriously sunny day at Wembley. The anthems have been sung, and we’ll be off in a minute.

5.11pm BST

Gareth Southgate speaks to Independent Television. “Jordan Pickford is the number one today. Of course when you’re in control of the shirt that’s important, so it’s a good opportunity for him today.” Then he’s asked whether he considered dropping Raheem Sterling. “Maybe ten days ago. I had a good discussion with him, and my initial instinct was what’s right for the whole team. But then as the week’s gone on, he’s come under fire, and I think it was important for me to protect him, and have faith in him, and I’m looking forward to seeing him play today.” Will the fuss get to the player? “No, he’s strong. He’s desperate to play football, he wants to get on with his game. His attitude and approach to training has been excellent. I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”

4.53pm BST

Whatever happens in the match, the Super Eagles have already made their impression on London town today. A queue of punters snaked down Oxford Street this morning, desirous of entry into Nike’s flagship store, with a view to picking up Nigeria’s snazzy new shirt.

Related: Nigeria World Cup football shirts capture public imagination

4.43pm BST

It’s good to see that Gareth Southgate has Raheem Sterling’s back. The Manchester City winger has had a tough week, and deserves a break. He’s in the starting XI despite rocking up late to camp. Here’s our man Andy Hunter on a world-class talent.

Related: Raheem Sterling: the mother’s boy from Jamaica who became a man | Andy Hunter

4.27pm BST

No great surprises there. Gareth Southgate continues with the three-centre-back tactic that worked pretty well in March against Holland and Italy. Jordan Pickford gets the nod in goal. The rest of the team is very much on the front foot, with captain Harry Kane leading the attack.

Plenty of star quality in the Nigerian XI. Alex Iwobi of Arsenal shares attacking duties with Odion Ighalo, once of Watford; former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel captains; the dependably excellent Victor Moses will patrol the right flank. And Brighton fans will be looking forward to running the rule over their new centre half Leon Balogun.

4.18pm BST

England: Pickford, Trippier, Young, Walker, Stones, Cahill, Lingard, Dier, Kane, Sterling, Alli.
Subs: Pope, Heaton, Rose, Butland, Maguire, Delph, Livermore, Loftus-Cheek, Lallana, Vardy, Rashford, Welbeck.

Nigeria: Uzoho, Idowu, Troost-Ekong, Balogun, Onazi, Mikel, Obi, Abdullahi, Ighalo, Moses, Iwobi.
Subs: Akpeyi, Ezenwa, Aina, Echiejile, Omeruo, Musa, Etebo, Ndidi, Iheanacho, Simy, Ogu, Awaziem, Ebuehi, Agu.

1.51pm BST

As Harold Wilson apparently once said, a week is a long time in politics. Much the same applies to football: this time seven days ago, Mo Salah was dreaming of getting the better of Sergio Ramos, Zinedine Zidane was the manager of Real Madrid, and Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were merely pundits on BT Sport. A different world already, huh.

It’s still 16 days until England face Tunisia in their first World Cup match. Goodness knows what will happen between now and then. We know England play two warm-up games, against Nigeria at Wembley today, and Costa Rica at Elland Road on Thursday. Then they’re off to Russia. Other than that? Perhaps someone will do themselves a mischief during one of these friendlies, or in a training session. Maybe a player on the fringe of the squad will force themselves into the first-team reckoning with a couple of eye-catching performances. Perhaps someone else will lose their place after necking one too many bottles of In-Flight Steadier. The possibilities are endless.

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You can only work with the raw materials you’ve got | The Fiver

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Four days have passed now, so it’s probably time to cut Loris Karius a little slack. After all, he’s not exactly the first keeper to make a howling mistake in the biggest game of his life. There’s Sven Ulreich only last month in the Big Cup semi-finals. Oliver Khan in the 2002 World Cup final. Peter Bonetti at Mexico 70. And the Fiver’s personal favourite, Laurent Di Lorto, in goal for France against Italy in the quarter-finals of the 1938 World Cup, volleyballing a soft shot into his net, then running beak-first into the post. At least Loris didn’t suffer that slapstick indignity upon spiking Gareth Bale’s exploratory waft into the onion bag last Saturday. Then again, Laurent only made the one career-defining error during the 90 minutes. And he was never captured on film shanking a goal kick out for a corner, either. Hmm, this defence of Liverpool’s custodian isn’t going so well, is it. But you can only work with the raw materials you’ve got.

Related: Brazil's all-time World Cup XI: create your own

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Football transfer rumours: Liverpool keeper Loris Karius off to Serie C?

Today’s tell-all is a riddle trapped inside an enigma

It was only a matter of time before a move away from the harsh glare of the spotlight was mooted for poor old Loris Karius. He’s been offered a season-long loan deal by newly promoted Serie C side Rimini. Their president has dressed it up as a present for the Liverpool keeper’s upcoming 25th birthday, and a chance for the jittery soul to “rediscover his serenity and self-esteem” in the arms of “a large family”. And to think just four days ago Karius was dreaming of becoming a European champion.

Liverpool meanwhile are wondering whether to spend the best part of £80m on Roma stopper Alisson. At some point during the post-Reina era, they’re going to have to bite the bullet.

Related: José Mourinho targets Porto full-back Diogo Dalot for Manchester United

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