Moving Day at the 2021 U.S. Open lived up to its name as the leaderboard after Saturday's third round includes 13 golfers within four strokes of the lead. Featured among them are some of the biggest names in the sport.
However, it's Mackenzie Hughes, Louis Oosthuizen and Russell Henley who share the 54-hole lead at 5 under for the championship with Hughes going low for the second day in a row while Oosthuizen and Henley held pace. The lead got to 6 under a few times with Henley, but a bogey every couple of holes kept him from running away from the chase pack.
Oosthuizen had four bogeys on the day himself but provided one of the day's most dramatic and impactful highlights with a chip-in eagle on No. 18 that took him under par for the round and gave him a share of the lead. Oosthuizen has a strong U.S. Open track record and his own proven major success as an Open Championship winner. He also feels due for a win after coming in T2 at the PGA Championship last month. Oosthuizen has top 10s at each of the last two U.S. Opens as well with a third-place finish in 2020.
Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson all shot 68 or better on Moving Day with Rory's 67 matching Paul Casey for the best round of the day. The seven major championships between the trio plus the presence of Oosthuizen at the top of the leaderboard provides a unique pressure on Hughes and Henley, and how they handle that pressure will be one of the defining storylines of Sunday's final round.
In terms of who lost ground on Saturday, Matthew Wolff (73) and Jon Rahm (72) both shot in the 70s for the first time this week. Those over-par rounds haven't bounced either from contention as they sit still in striking distance at T6, but it's forced the issue for what needs to happen on Sunday.
Here's how the leaderboard is looking heading into Sunday's final round.
T1. Louis Oosthuizen, Mackenzie Hughes, Russell Henley (-5): Each of these men is thinking about the score they need on Sunday to win. It's only a two-stroke lead at the U.S. Open where 58 of the last 60 winners have come within the four-stroke window heading into Sunday. The group at 3 under are capable of 67 or better, so the answer might be a two-under par round of 69. The pressure is on two fronts for this group, first against each other and then against the chase pack.
T4. Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau (-3): The headline of Saturday's action was the moves made by these former U.S. Open winners, one looking to win his second at this event 10 years after his first the other looking to go back-to-back for the first time since Brooks Koepka did it in 2017-18. Either is a threat to win after both had their best rounds of the week on Saturday. McIlroy has either finished in the top 10 or missed the cut in his last six U.S. Opens, and he's looking to end a major drought that has plagued him since 2014.
T6. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Matthew Wolff (-2): While Rahm and Wolff were sliding back on Saturday, Scheffler turned in his second-straight under-par round thanks to a couple of birdies on the back nine. This whole group includes golfers aiming to win a first major, and Rahm was the betting favorite both entering the event and after 18 and 36 holes.
T9. Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Xander Schauffele, Kevin Streelman (-1): D.J.'s 68 stands out among this group, which otherwise played within a stroke of par here in the third round. It's a disappointing round for Schauffele as it marks a continued rise in his scores over the week while Morikawa found some balance with a 70 after going low on Friday.
T14. Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Francesco Molinari, Sungjae Im, Harris English (E): Brooks and J.T. each had their chances but just didn't make enough putts to make a move up the leaderboard after starting the day at even par. Casey tied Rory for the round of the day, Poulter was among the seven best rounds with his 68, and both Im and Molinari improved from over-par rounds on Friday to shoot 69 on Saturday and get inside the top 20.
CBS Sports updated this story with scores and highlights from the U.S. Open. Check out a more detailed leaderboard and our complete viewer's guide for how to watch on Sunday.
Rick Gehman is joined by Mark Immelman to break down and react to Saturday's third round at the U.S. Open. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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2021 U.S. Open leaderboard breakdown: Louis Oosthuizen in three-way tie for first as stars lurk after Round 3 - CBSSports.com
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