US Open 2014: third round live!

Martin Kaymer leads after posting record 36-hole total
Official live scores from Pinehurst No2
Kaymers resurgence no surprise to friends on the Tour
The Joy of Six: Scott on US Open golfing glory
And feel free to email scott.murray@theguardian.com

3.20pm ET

Stenson ends up with a one-putt bogey after chipping a few feet past the flag. Kuchar manages the same. Not bad considering. Spieth scrambles a stunning par from a deep bunker to the front right of 4. On 1, Dustin Johnson sends his approach bounding through the green and down the back, makes a mess of the chip up, and then drains a 20-foot par saver. I love watching this man play golf. Though I say that because I never have any money riding on what he is going to do.

3.14pm ET

Rickie Fowler is motoring. A birdie at the 5th - the most generous hole on the course this week - and he's suddenly -2 for the tournament. On 3, terrible fortune for McIlroy, who looks to have stuck his second ten feet from the flag, but the ball suddenly takes one turn backwards and slowly picks up momentum, before falling off the green. What looked like a fine birdie chance now seems a bogey at best. That's the sort of outcome the US Open's detractors whip out as evidence before letting smug smiles play across their coupons. And more komik kutz on 2, where Stenson, playing three from the side of the green, chips up and then takes a step to the right to meet his ball, which is heading straight back down to meet him. Then Kuchar does exactly the same thing! So much so that he hits Stenson's ball. What a pair! To be fair to the USGA, that's poor execution more than anything else. But Rory's got legitimate grounds to grizzle.

3.04pm ET

A poor start too for Rory McIlroy. He saved par well on the opening hole with an as-nails putt, but he three-putts the 2nd and falls back to level par. Shiv Kapur, at one point -2 for his round and within a dimple of another birdie at 11, has bogeyed 12 and now 14, and he's level for his round again, and +3 overall. Shot of the day for the veteran US star Kenny Perry, meanwhile: he's in utter filth down the right of 14, behind a small tree. No matter, he batters his ball greenwards, guiding it round Mother Nature, then rolling it up onto the putting surface and into the cup. Eagle! He's been having a pretty miserable day otherwise, so that put a huge smile on his face. After a couple of double bogeys and three other dropped shots, he springs upwards to +8.

2.59pm ET

I can't concentrate until I tie up the loose end tagged 'Sergio'. He came back in 37 shots, dropping strokes at 13, 15 and 16. He was a turn away from birdie at the last, but the ball didn't drop, and there he was, looking as confused and pained as Iker Casillas. But never mind all that. On 1, Henrik Stenson appears to have come out in determined mood. He's found the middle of the green in two, then rattled in a 20-foot birdie putt. He's -3, the first to force an adjustment at the very top of the leaderboard. His playing partner Kucher, hassled by foliage, can only chip 20 feet past the hole, and fails to knock in the par putt. A poor start by the popular American.

2.54pm ET

The pin on the par-three 9th is positioned on the edge of a cliff. Pretty much. G-Mac hasn't been playing well, but he doesn't deserve this, landing his ball pin high, then watching as it falls off the back and miles from the green. He can't get up and down, and that's four bogeys on the bounce: he's +6 now. Back on 1, Matt Kuchar's out. He drives into the sand down the left, then flies his second straight through the green and into some real trouble at the back. His ball might be wedged under some shrub or other. He'll be keeping his fingers crossed. Meanwhile some better news: another par for Fowler on 4 that will feel like a birdie, rolled in from 20 feet. He remains at -1.

2.49pm ET

The thin lines between success, failure and Stuff Being Reasonably OK are on display down 1. Adam Scott goes aggressively for the flag, on the left of the green, but he dumps his shot in the sand. He only just gets out, the ball threatening to roll back into the bunker but stopping, Fred Couples at 12 in the 1992 Masters style. Then he rakes in the par saver from 20 feet! Par. Followed by another at 2. A steady start by last year's Masters champion. His playing partner Jordan Spieth hits a chip from the side of 2 straight through the green, and drops back to level par, alongside Scott.

2.44pm ET

Hello again, dear One Reader Who Isn't Out Drinking Heavily In Advance Of Tonight's Soccer. Sorry for the lack of recent communication: Nick's had to go away and smash a recalcitrant computer into pieces so small you could sieve it through a sock. I see he was riffing on clothing. Well, to continue that theme, Rickie Fowler's not just a pretty clothes horse. He's just birdied 3, a gorgeous approach to a couple of feet. G-Mac, also resplendent in shirt, trousers and shoes, isn't having such a good time of it. Putting onto the green at 7, his ball took a massive break to the left, and skittered off at an embarrassing angle, miles from the pin. Bogey, his second on the bounce, and one that was soon followed by another at 8, where he dumped a drive into the scrub, then topped his second. It's been a very forgettable 15 minutes or so for

the Guardian Sport IT desk
the 2010 champion.

2.21pm ET

In more clothing news, Kaymer is limbering up for a solid day's winning in a shocking pink top, a far cry from yesterday's more sombre black number.

As for the golf, Phil Mickelson recovers well from a very iffy spot on the 10th with a nice chip onto the green after over-shooting in a big way on his approach, then putting nicely to salvage a par, while Stuart Cink, erm, sinks one from just in the rough on 12 to take a birdie and edge up to +1.

2.15pm ET

Victor Dubuisson, clad in a pair of outrageous red trousers that wouldn't look out of place at Lord's today, holes for an eagle after a splendid approach that bally well near went in itself. Pip pip! The Frenchman joins Kapur as the only man under for the day, +1 for the tournament.

2.11pm ET

Evening. Nick Miller here to guide you through however long it takes Scott to wipe his lasagne off his boot soles and eat it. Or prepare an alternative meal. Hopefully the latter.

They showed an aerial shot of Pinehurst a bit ago, and the undulating fairways looked a little like a four-armed man shrugging. Or the cover from acid jazz (RIP) opus 'The Return Of The Space Cowboy' by Jamiroquai.

2.05pm ET

Right now, Shiv Kapur is the only player under par today. One way or another, this promises to be an entertaining third round. They call Saturday 'Moving Day'. Well, there's going to be a fair bit of movement all right. Just not all of it in the correct direction.

Anyway, before things get serious at Pinehurst No2, I'm going to throw my feet up on the desk for a few minutes. I'll suffer for my indolence, because my dinner - a homage to some stramash going on in Manaus later this evening - is sitting on that desk. Meawhile, Nick Miller's your man!

1.56pm ET

Mickelson holes out from three feet! It's only for par, at 8, and he's well off the pace at +3, but you know as well as I do that it's worthy of comment.

1.53pm ET

A fourth birdie of the day for Shiv Kapur, this time at 9. He's out in 33 strokes, and that after a bogey-bogey start. If anyone's showing the field that inroads can be made into Martin Kaymer's huge lead, it's Kapur. They'll need help from Kaymer, of course. Problem is, the television companies have just transmitted pictures of Kaymer making his way towards the player hospitality suite. He's not so much walking as hovering. It's not even a saunter. What coolness. Hoy, Martin! Field over here requiring a few shots chucking their way! Throw them a bone! A minor display of mild tremor will suffice!

1.47pm ET

A stunning scramble by Aaron Baddeley on 2, getting up and down from what looked like the surface of the moon. Par-par start for him, and he's still +1. No top-ten finish in any major for Baddeley, though he came close in the 2007 US Open at Oakmont. Leading by two from Tiger Woods going into the final round, he double-bogeyed the opening hole, then tripled the 7th. He ended the day with an 80, tied for 13th. Angel Cabrera won his first major, for the record, then ate a large steak and smoked a couple of packets of tasty cigarettes.

1.39pm ET

A birdie for Mickelson! He's waited 22 holes for that. He nearly drives the green at 7, but sends his ball the wrong side of a bunker. No matter, he clips it over with force, then uses spin to apply the breaks, a couple of feet from the hole. He's back to +3 for the tournament.

1.36pm ET

Sergio sees his three-foot par putt at 13 horseshoe out. Good lord. He's back to +4. I wonder how many majors he'd have won if he could putt? And had a different brain and head, with properly functioning connecting wires in it? Meanwhile Graeme McDowell dropped a shot at 2, but he's pearled a lovely fairway wood into 4, allowing the bank of the green to gather his ball towards the hole. He rams in the birdie putt from 15 feet, and that's a magnificent birdie. He's +2.

1.25pm ET

Patrick Reed from the middle of 5. He swishes a long iron to the front of the green. It hops onto the putting surface, and curls round to the left, where the pin is. It keeps going, and keeps going, and stops four feet from the cup. There's not been a prettier approach hit all week. He rattles in the eagle putt, and suddenly he's only +2. Later starters take note, this is how to worry Martin Kaymer.

1.23pm ET

We already know it's not Phil Mickelson's week, but if you were desperately clinging onto straws, let go now. It'll be OK. He got up and down from an awkward position in the dust to the left of 5 to save his par, a trademark Mickelson flop doing the business there, but now he's taken two to get out of the bunker at 6, and he's back to +4. Meanwhile it's been a difficult day for Paul Casey, who had dropped to +8 through 14, but he's just raked in a monster on 15 for birdie. He looks fairly happy with himself after that, and so he should: his game's not quite there yet, but there have been flashes this week, and it might not be long before he's back competing properly for major titles again.

1.15pm ET

The trials and tribulations of Toru Taniguchi continue apace. The Japanese veteran went out in a painful 44 strokes, and the back nine's not treating him much better. Another pair of bogeys, another pair of doubles. He's doubled 3, 7, 8, 13 and 14 so far. Let us cleanse ourselves with news of successes. Sergio stays in the red today with a magnificent up and down from a green bank to the side of 11. There are three other players also under par for their rounds right now: the 22-year-old Dane, Lucas Bjerregaard, who birdied the opening hole to move to +1. Cody Gribble is -1 through 11 today and, like Sergio, +3 for the tournament. And Shiv Kapur started with a pair of bogeys, but has just embarked on a magnificent run, picking up strokes at 4, 5 and 6. He's +2 overall.

1.04pm ET

A tedious bit of admin hanging over from yesterday. You'll recall Matt Kuchar, in contention and playing 6, addressing his ball only to pull away in horror, the ball having moved. Did he ground the club? Turns out that he didn't, so there's no retrospective penalty for him. He remains at -1, a mere nine shots behind Kaymer. "So the German leads in the VW golf?" quips Gary Naylor, with reference to the Beetlesque greens of Pinehurst. "Is this Le Mans?"

[Gary Naylor's topical email has not been vetted, cleared or approved by Volkswagen stablemates and 12-time Le Mans winers Audi]

12.50pm ET

Somebody's under par for their round! And it's Sergio!!! Marvellous. He's raked in a huge left-to-right breaker on 9, then carded another birdie at 10. This is some effort, actually, because true to form he'd made life difficult for himself from the off, with back-to-back bogeys at 2 and 3, but a birdie at 5, and now this pair at 9 and 10, sees him climb to +3 for the tournament. Just because this course is difficult, it doesn't mean it's impossible. Can someone higher up the leaderboard than Sergio get something going that'll give Kaymer pause for thought?

12.42pm ET

The only player out there who was under par, Nicholas Lindheim, is now +2 for his round, having double bogeyed 16 and dropped another at 17. Today promises to be pretty interesting / amusing / entertaining / irritating, depending on your view of punitive US Open golf. Personally, I love it, seeing you didn't ask and don't care; it makes a refreshing change from the usual birdie-fests of the year-round Tour. But each to their own. Phil Mickelson demonstrates just how irritating / entertaining this sort of thing can be on 2. The pin's right at the back, a stride or so away from a slope that leads the more aggressive / inaccurate golfer down into a world of pain. Sure enough, Mickelson is a bounce too long, and his ball is sent packing. But he putts up the hill, an almost perfect lag, and saves his par. That's a majestic scramble. Then on 3 he's clipped a gorgeous shot into the heart of the green to 15 feet, but can't make the birdie putt. A chance spurned, but proof birdies are there if the approach play is accurate enough. The putter's really let Lefty down this week: five three putts yesterday, some tiddlers missed that could be measured in inches.

12.23pm ET

History can be Martin Kaymer's friend. Here are the largest leads after 36 holes in US Open history:

6
Martin Kaymer (2014, Pinehurst No2)
Rory McIlroy (2011, Congressional)
Tiger Woods (2000, Pebble Beach)
5
Willie Anderson (1903, Baltusrol)
4
Jim Barnes (1921, Columbia)
Tom McNamara (1909, Englewood)

12.13pm ET

Here's why No2 is giving the players gyp. The USGA have pushed a few of the tees back, while the course hasn't had a drop of water sprayed on it. No hose, no sprinklers. And no rain: there were thunderstorms over North Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday night, but not last night. The course is as firm as it's been all week, and only likely to get even firmer as the day gets longer. And the wind's picked up a wee bit. Gulp, oo-er, cripes, lummee, etc. This is going to be a test, even for Martin Kaymer.

12.06pm ET

Kevin Stadler came home in 32 strokes yesterday, with birdie at 10 and eagle at 13 - pitching in from distance - and carded a very creditable 68. In doing so, he made the cut by a single shot. But he must be wondering why he bothered. An eight at today's opening hole - a quadruple-bogey eight - followed by a bogey at the next. Then pars all the way to the turn, but he's unlikely to feel much better about that. He's +10. This course appears to be playing hard in the good old-fashioned US Open style today.

11.54am ET

As for suffering, well, we're into the business half of the US Open, so there's already been plenty of that today. The Japanese veteran Toru Taniguchi is having a hellish time of it. He's propping up the entire field, in some style it must be said, at +14, having gone out in 44 strokes. He's +9 for the day already, with three bogeys and three double bogeys on his card. And there's him starting so well with a par at the 1st, too. Matthew Fitzpatrick, the 19-year-old amateur from Sheffield, appears a wee bit whacked out after his brave effort to make the cut: a couple of doubles on his card today already as he slips to +9, but the young man's a fighter, and true to form there's a birdie on there too, at Pinehurst's friendly 5th. Whatever happens to him this weekend, he's the low amateur at the 2014 US Open. What a way to end your amateur career before turning pro. I'd say he was one to keep an eye out for, only you've already all spotted him.

11.47am ET

The early scoring would suggest the USGA have decided to pull up the drawbridge. There are 23 players out there right now, and only one is under par. A round of applause please for Nicholas Lindheim. The American is playing in his first US Open, and making a decent fist of it, that much needs to be said. He's -1 through 12 holes, having sandwiched a bogey at 4 with birdies at 3 and 5. He's +4 for the tournament right now, the cut having last night sent home players at +6 or worse. Good news for Martin Kaymer, you'd have thought, although it's early of course to be drawing any daft conclusions. That Lindheim has a couple of birdies today is no surprise: as things stand, only eight players have made more this week: Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, the amateur Hunter Stewart, Scott Langley, Danny Willett and Paul Casey (who has a couple himself today, too).

11.29am ET

Who'd have thought we'd see the likes of the Procession at Congressional again, any time soon? Not me. Not you, I'm guessing. And certainly not the USGA, I'll be bound. In 2011, Rory McIlroy broke the US Open 36-hole scoring record with rounds of 65 and 66. A mere 131 shots, which bested the mark set by Ricky Barnes at Bethpage Black in 2009 by one stroke, and the scoring of Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh at Olympia Fields in 2003 by three. It was astonishing. Prodigious. Homeric.

And then yesterday, Martin Kaymer came along.

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