Here we go then, the final pair tee off at the first tee. I know what you're thinking, bit late isn't it? Well, yes it is, and it's been mentioned quite a bit about them teeing off at 15:45 local time.

Anyway, off they go with Wyndham Clark finding the fairway and Matt Fitzpatrick just popping into the left rough.

"FORE LEFT!"

A wild hook from Sam Stevens leaves him beside a hospitality tent. But how about that for a strike?! A glorious second goes dancing around the flag and he'll have a seven-footer for birdie.

And he pours it in! What an opening three that is. He moves into second on his own.

Par for Xander Schauffele.

Oh Rosey! Justin Rose is in a decent spot on the 10th off the tee but then ends up rolling into the greenside bunker with his approach. It's a huge error and when he leaves himself with a 20 footer for par he is punished with a bogey.

As if trying to make immediate amends he goes aggressive into the 11th flag that Robert MacIntyre was having a whinge about earlier and zips into 10 inches, to reclaim that lost stroke.

Rory McIlroy has 15 feet up the hill for birdie at the par-three seventh.

Plenty of break from the right. Makes it! Three in a row and he's up to two under.

A big move.

Image source, Getty Images

The final pairing today are previous US Open winners just 12 months apart, with Matt Fitzpatrick lifting the trophy in 2022 at Brookline and Wyndham Clark succeeding him at LA Country Club in 2023.

Clark was one shot behind Rickie Fowler after two rounds while Fitzpatrick was out of the frame but shot 68 to end up leading after the third round.

Clark has been in a league of his own so far this week, but he had a few lucky breaks yesterday after some wayward drives, so will want to tighten up, while it's just more of the same for Fitzpatrick - who started yesterday with 10 straight pars.

They're both fierce competitors so this should be a good battle tonight.

Par starts for Collin Morikawa and Tom Kim.

Morikawa missed the fairway and green but tidies up with aplomb, while Kim drains an early tester after going long with his second.

Nial Foster
BBC Sport NI at Shinnecock Hills

Justin Thomas has fully embraced the Hamptons with the salmon pink trousers.

While everyone else is worrying about the wind, JT looks ready for a tee-time followed by a table overlooking Hampton Bays.

They’re certainly easier to spot than some tee shots.

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Murray
Former European Tour winner on 5 Live

What a putt that was!

That was ridiculous.

Twelve foot of break, up and over the slope - absolutely dead centre and deadweight. Incredible stuff.

Image source, Getty Images

WOW.

Rory McIlroy has just drained a 66-footer for a second straight birdie on the sixth.

From just off the green, the Masters champion starts his ball way out to the right and judges the break perfectly, watching on as it drops dead weight into the front of cup.

A sensational moment.

Bogey for Maverick McNealy, so these two swap positions in the most unlikely fashion.

Remember how I said JT and Harry Higgs bogeyed the first?

They've just bogeyed the second too.

How many more entries is this live text going to give them?

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

The USGA wants to have players thinking like Bob does there [20:24 BST]. That it's unfair and ridiculous.

The guy who sets up these courses, John Bodenhammer, says he wants players to get every club in the bag dirty and the 15th, the one in their head.

The winner of the US Open is the one who copes best in adversity. That's what it is.

Image source, Getty Images

No surprise to see Mr US Open Xander Schauffele contending this week. He's finished in the top 15 in all nine of his previous starts and could be a big factor this weekend.

A brilliant 66 yesterday has put the former world number two firmly in contention and, having won the Open Championship in 2024, he won't be fazed by the blustery conditions.

He's alongside unheralded American Sam Stevens. He's yet to win on the PGA Tour but went 68-69 over the first two days to vault himself into big-time company.

Image source, Getty Images

It is fair to say Wyndham Clark has brought his best with every club so far. He's ranked in the top 16 for all metrics.

Matt Fitzpatrick's all-round game has been excellent too, bar one glaring exception. He is ranked far lower off the tee than he is for everything else.

Can he get that sorted in round three?

OK, fairway found for Rory McIlroy at the par-five fifth. 365 yards down there, too, but he underclubs for his second and comes up just shy of the putting surface.

Putter in hand for his third, he shows excellent speed judgement up the slope and knocks in the three-footer for his first birdie of the day.

Continuing his fine start, Maverick McNealy hits a beauty and has 20 feet for eagle to jump into a tie for second. This one doesn't drop but it's a second straight birdie and he moves five back.

Oh great. My group have both bogeyed the first to slip further away from leader Wyndham Clark.

It'll be Harry Higgs that is most furious about that - he missed from three and a half feet for par.

Far from an ideal start.

Justin Rose shrugs his shoulders as birdie putt just tails off on the ninth green. That was from no more than 12 feet but the Englishman really struggled to judge the pace of that.

With the more gettable stretch of the course out of the way, he now needs to find at least a couple of shots on the back nine - which is not playing that easy at all - to get back in the mix.

Image source, Getty Images

Collin Morikawa has been struggling with a back injury recently, but he looked wonderfully unencumbered yesterday, shooting 65 for the low round of the day.

Already a two-time major winner, Morikawa also has two top-five finishes in the US Open and has the dead-eyed iron game to tame Shinnecock today.

Morikawa is alongside the resurgent Tom Kim today. The South Korean finished off an excellent 67 in the fading light last night to firmly enter the conversation.

Previously ranked 11th in the world, Kim has slipped to 141st and has just two PGA Tour top-10s since the start of the 2025, so it's good to see him back.

Fair to say that Scotland's Robert MacIntyre is unimpressed with what he's faced out there at Shinnecock Hills. Speaking to BBC Sport NI, he reflected on his three-over 73:

"How long has it taken me to play a two-ball? Four hours 40. That can tell you all you need to know.

"If we’re playing an Open Championship, which it starts getting like out here, some of the pin positions are a bit ridiculous.

"On 11, that is only a pin position if it’s calm enough. It’s blowing 30 mph across that green so the scoring average on that one hole par three is going to be over four. The best golfers in the world are playing here - and it’s carnage.

"I asked them in there if would water greens in there. They said they don’t want to but might have to. My weather forecast was for it to be breezy but start dying down. They’ve got to hope it starts dying down or it will be carnage.

"If this place gets firm and this wind is up, it’s going to get silly."

I'll agree with Andrew given we are seeing a lot of over-par scores from those who have been out on the course so far.

It doesn't seem a day for making a score - more one for clinging on tightly to what you've got.

So what will the number be after 54 holes?

Andrew Murray
Former European Tour winner on 5 Live

I can’t think Wyndham Clark is going to run away from the field with so many good players behind him.

Is four under/five under going to be leading at the end of today?

Anything around level par is going to be fairly close.