US Open Golf 2016: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Saturday

Shane Lowry is in the lead at the 2016 U.S. Open after Saturday's marathon session that saw players finish their second rounds early and start their third rounds late in the afternoon. 

Of the players who wound up making the cut, 37 were unable to finish the third round before darkness set in and forced play to be suspended, so there will be another full day of action at Oakmont to determine who will walk away with the year's second major championship.

Here's the leaderboard after everyone went into the clubhouse Saturday:

At five under par overall, Lowry is the surprising leader entering Sunday. The 29-year-old does not have a long track record at the U.S. Open, but he did tie for ninth last year.

A birdie putt on the seventh hole pushed Lowry into the lead in Round 3, via U.S. Open Golf:

In case anyone thinks Lowry is a flash in the pan who is going to fall apart Sunday, ESPN.com's Jason Sobel provided a big reason to believe in him:

Lowry's position looks strong, though it could have been better if not for a fluke moment that led to a one-stroke penalty.

Per Sean Martin of the PGA Tour's official website, Lowry's ball moved after he addressed it at the 16th hole during the second round. It doesn't look like a big deal at the moment but could turn into one if he falls off the lead Sunday.

Andrew Landry, who sits alone in second place at three under par, might be an even bigger shock. The Texas native made just four of 11 cuts in PGA Tour events prior to the U.S. Open. 

There's also this little tidbit about Landry, per Golf Channel:

This has been one of the most unusual and unpredictable events in a long time, so a potential final pairing of Lowry and Landry would be par for the course. 

Right behind Landry is a trio featuring Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson at two under par. Johnson continues to disappoint in the third round, as he was two over through 12 holes before play was stopped.

The third round has been where things fall apart for Johnson this season. He has an average score of 70.58 in third rounds, which ranks 77th on the PGA Tour. 

This came after Johnson was brilliant in the first two rounds and did something rare at Oakmont, per ESPN Stats & Info:

For historical purposes, though, Johnson's slide down the leaderboard is appropriate, because neither Hale Irwin nor Tom Watson won his respective tournament after opening with consecutive scores in the 60s at Oakmont.

Westwood and Garcia will be the sentimental favorites as they seek to end career-long major droughts, per PGA Tour Media:

Jordan Spieth has been unable to make a move thus far. He finished the first 36 holes at four over par, which was good enough to make the cut.

There was a brief moment early in the third round when Spieth appeared to be finding his groove, via the USGA's official Twitter account:

All of that work was undone after Spieth made the turn, when he shot a double bogey on his 11th hole followed by a bogey on his 12th hole. He did get one shot back on the next hole with a birdie, but the damage was done.

Spieth was able to finish his third round with an even-par 70, but he will have to make up nine shots Sunday if he wants to repeat as the U.S Open champion. 

Among the key players to miss the cut, Phil Mickelson (seven over) and Rory McIlroy (eight over) were unable to turn it around after slow starts in the first round.

McIlroy tried to put together a run in the second round, shooting a 31 on his first nine holes that featured four birdies and no bogeys, but a 40 over the final nine holes that included a double bogey on No. 9 sealed his fate. 

Per SportsCenter, this marks the first missed cut for McIlroy at a major since the 2013 British Open. The U.S. Open has not been kind to the 27-year-old over the last four years, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Mickelson can take some solace in knowing that he's not the only marquee player to miss the cut at both of this year's majors, per Ryan Lavner of Golf Channel:

Rickie Fowler, who finished 11 over par, is just 27 years old and will have plenty more chances to challenge for a U.S. Open title. Mickelson continues to be haunted by this tournament and doesn't figure to have a lot of years competing at a high level ahead of him at the age of 46. 

The volume of golf that was played Saturday and will have to be played Sunday means the U.S. Open is far from over. Stamina is more important than ever with most of the key players having to play more than 18 holes tomorrow.

Adding to the drama is the unknown factor involving Lowry and Landry. They have been able to make it through the tournament while hiding from the spotlight thus far, but all of the cameras will be focused squarely on them from the start tomorrow.

The door remains wide-open for Westwood, Garcia, Johnson and Branden Grace to walk out of Pennsylvania victorious. 

Post-Round Reaction

"We all know that this course can jump up and bite you in a split second," Lowry said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "So yeah, I'm two ahead with 22 holes left. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. These are the best golfers in the world behind me. I have to go out there and do what I've been doing all week."

However, Lowry did cite his win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational a year ago as a source of confidence entering Sunday. 

"I beat a field of this quality already," Lowry said, per PGATour.com's Mike McAllister. "So there’s no reason I can’t go out and do it again tomorrow."

Spieth, meanwhile, wasn't pleased with his effort overall. 

"I played three holes at 4 over today with a wedge in my hand from the middle of the fairway and it’s just kind of a bummer," Spieth said, per McAllister. "You’re not going to be able do anything at a U.S. Open if you get the wedge opportunities and you play them over par."

Finally, Mickelson commented on his inability to play into the weekend following a disappointing conclusion to his second round. 

"I actually thought I played really well, except I let four or five par putts kind of slide, and all of a sudden I'd be 2 over and right in it," Mickelson said, per the Associated Press (via the Tampa Bay Times). "You can't do that (at Oakmont) because you don't have those birdie opportunities to offset those mistakes."

Stats and information per PGATour.com.