Sawt Falasteen - Fowler, Clark lead McIlroy as US Open promises blockbuster ending

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, trying to lift one of golf's biggest trophies for the first time in nine years, was just one stroke back and world number one Scottie Scheffler was three off the lead.

Those within seven shots included two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele, former US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith.

"(Sunday) is when the tournament starts," said Fowler, whose bogey at 18 on Saturday -- as Clark birdied -- set the stage for a tense final-round battle.

The drama in the fading light was just another plot twist in the US Open's return to Los Angeles for the first time in 75 years.

Los Angels Country Club's North Course is hosting the championship for the first time ever after members of the exclusive club hemmed in by the mansions of Beverly Hills were at last persuaded to share it with the wider golf world.

Results and reviews through the first three rounds have been mixed.

Fowler torched the course with 10 birdies in an eight-under par 62 on Thursday -- both records for a US Open round.

Schauffele stunningly matched that score less than half an hour later, and Fowler would add eight more birdies on Friday on the way to the halfway lead.

The low scores seemed far from the rugged test of skill and stoicism long associated with the US Open, but when the Southern California sun finally broke through to dry and firm the course, the challenge was clear and South Korean Tom Kim's four-under was the lowest score on Saturday.

Regardless of conditions, the course -- which was a mystery to most of the field when they arrived this week -- has divided opinion.

"I just think the golf course is interesting, to be polite," said defending US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who won at Brookline last year.

"There's just too many holes for me where you've got blind tee shots and then you've got fairways that don't hold the ball. There's too much slope... not my cup of tea."

Brooks Koepka, a two-time US Open winner who earned a fifth major title at the PGA Championship last month, was also "not a fan" of the blind tee shots and Norway's Viktor Hovland wasn't overly impressed.

"I think there's some good holes," Hovland said. "I don't think there's any great holes."

For the leaders, assessing the quality of the course will have to come later, after Sunday's task at hand.

"It has been such a long time since I've done it," McIlroy said of winning a major.

"I'm going out there to try to execute a game plan, and I feel like over the last three days I've executed that game plan really, really well.

"I just need to do that for one more day."

H.Jarrar--SF-PST