An interesting bit of gardening on the green by Wyndham Clark before he holed that eagle putt. He's allowed to tap down and repair spike marks between his ball and the hole but the American seemed to be finding an inordinate amount of them.

I'm not suggesting he's done anything wrong but the rules officials may be wanting to take another look at how much work he was doing, banging his putter into a surface that has become more crusty and uneven as the day has worn on.

Well, the chasing pack need a miracle, but Sam Stevens and Xander Schauffele have to settle for par threes at the 17th.

Don't look at the leaderboard, lads.

Image source, Getty Images

He missed a shorty on the last but not here, as Wyndham Clark rolls in an eagle putt on 16 to move to eight under, one under for his round and now incredibly seven shots in front at the US Open.

He's turning it into a procession at Shinnecock Hills.

Image source, Getty Images

Wyndham Clark is doing a brilliant job of sucking the life out of this tournament with a round still to play.

Shades of Martin Kaymer's bloodless performance at the 2014 US Open. He led by six after two rounds, five after three and eventually won by eight.

A rueful look from Tom Kim as his second shot skips onto the green and bounces off the back.

He'll have a tricky two-putt for par from there.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

Forty three inches from the cup, beating Scottie Scheffler's 13 feet from earlier, which was the previous closest.

We've not had an eagle the entire week at 16.

Hitting into the lowering sun, Sam Stevens and Xander Schauffele are safely on board the green at the par-three 17th.

They need to make those with what Clark's just done.

James Gregg
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator

Image source, Getty Images

That could put one hand on the US Open trophy.

Unbelievable stuff from Wyndham Clark, who has a hefty lead but is still attacking, taking a three wood out on the 16th fairway to go for the green in two on the par five.

Who picks it off the turf perfectly and plays a huge high cut that drops just a foot or so from the bunker then bounces up the green to about four feet from the flag.

That putt for an eagle!

Hmmm, a tad heavy-handed from Xander Schauffele as he bumps his third 12 feet past the hole at the par-five 16th.

Tricky putt, left-to-right down the hill. Ohhh, it just misses on the right. Chance gone, you'd have to say.

Sam Stevens showed deft touch out of the bunker to set up a seven-footer for birdie. But he doesn't start it high enough. Stevens has missed so many putts today.

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Kim may as well have bought his flip flops given how much time he's spent in sand on this back nine.

He's got himself out of trouble again on the 17th though, getting it to three-and-a-half feet and tidying up for par.

It's a three for Collin Morikawa too and he stays at one over.

Andrew Murray
Former European Tour winner on 5 Live

I did say that was a tricky putt for Wyndham Clark.

The chip shot wasn't as good as we thought it was. It left him on the high side and as the sun dips, the greens are looking very ropey now.

Wyndham Clark has got up and down 12 of 15 times this week and looks to have done it again with a delicate chip on the 15th leaving just three feet for par - but it's a miss!

You'd have put your house on Clark making that as he's been nailing everything on the greens, but that's a shot gone as he cleans up from four feet coming back - that was a tester too!

It's still not a massive issue and weather conditions are still good but Clark will not want any further shots to be lost coming in - and he does have the par five next to try and get an immediate bounce back.

Image source, Getty Images

A couple of striped drives down the 16th from the penultimate pairing.

Can they scare the flag a la Scheffler?

Well, Sam Stevens goes left but it's a valiant effort from Xander Schauffele. He cuts one into the throat of the green. It trickles back down the slope but he'll be thinking birdie from there.

Really good response from Tom Kim at the par-five 16th, the only hole on the back nine offering scoring opportunities.

Onto the green in two and then a nifty two-putt from range to secure a birdie and goes back under par.

Collin Morikawa does the hard work to set up four feet for birdie but spoons his putt and only shoots par.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottie Scheffler speaking to Sky Sports about whether the career Grand Slam chance on Sunday increases the pressure: "Any time you are trying to win a major championship, it is as intense situation. It is why we practice as hard as we do - we want these opportunities.

"I am looking forward to the challenge of trying to go out on a difficult course to win a golf tournament.

"But I'm five shots back at the moment, so we will see how the rest of the day shakes out."

Image source, Getty Images

Fine finish for Sahith Theegala who we've not really mentioned today but has been plotting his way around Shinnecock today with no little skill.

His birdie at the last cancels out the solitary bogey on his card to get him under par for the tournament and into a share of second.

One shot back is partner Sam Burns, who can't sink a 28-footer for birdie and closes at level par.

Sam Stevens takes a wild swipe out of the fescue at 15 and does well to find the front of the green, some 60 feet away from the hole.

He nudges it up to five feet and rolls it in to remain under par.

But here comes Xander! He picks up his second birdie in three holes and claws his way back to level par.

Not prepared to give up the fight just yet.

Andrew Murray
Former European Tour winner on 5 Live

Apart from a loose tee shot at the 13th where he tried to knock it on the green, Wyndham Clark has been so impressive.

That lead is starting to look insurmountable.

After battling for his life to save par over and over again, Wyndham Clark finally plays a full hole brilliantly well and it results in a birdie that puts him back on seven under where he started the day.

The difference though is that instead of a four-shot lead he's now six shots in front - only three players have ever had a bigger lead after 54 holes in US Open history.

Some golfing from Clark so far.