US Open Golf 2018: Dustin Johnson in 4-Way Tie for Lead After 3rd Round

Despite struggling to a seven-over 77 in the third round of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, on Saturday, Dustin Johnson will enter Sunday's final round in a four-way tie for the lead.

Johnson began the day with a four-shot advantage, however, he came back to the field largely because he played the front nine six over.

Here is a look at the leaderboard after three rounds:

T1. Dustin Johnson: +3 (77)

T1. Brooks Koepka: +3 (72)

T1. Daniel Berger: +3 (66)

T1. Tony Finau: +3 (66)

5. Justin Rose: +4 (73)

6. Henrik Stenson: +5 (74)

T7. Kiradech Aphibarnrat: +6 (68)

T7. Patrick Reed: +6 (71)

T7. Jim Furyk: +6 (72)

*Full leaderboard available at USOpen.com.

While many of the golfers who were near the top of the leaderboard entering the third round had a difficult time Saturday, Tony Finau and Daniel Berger played their way into contention with matching rounds of four-under 66.

Treacherous Shinnecock Hills Yields Just 3 Under-Par Scorecards in 3rd Round

Shinnecock Hills has played tough throughout the 2018 U.S. Open, but Saturday was a true grind for nearly all involved.

Johnson was the only golfer to shoot a pair of under-par rounds in the first and second; however, he ran into trouble early and often.

After double-bogeying the par-three second, Johnson barely missed a par putt on the fourth to drop to one-under for the tournament:

The worst was yet to come, as he reeled off three straight bogeys from No. 6 through No. 9 and saw his once-big lead evaporate.

As Jason Sobel of The Action Network pointed out, DJ was on pace for a brutal round after the opening nine holes:

Johnson was able to stabilize, though, and despite only playing the back nine at one-over, it was enough to get back into a tie for the lead.

His lone birdie of the day came on the par-three 11th, as he slid home a tricky putt to stop the bleeding he incurred on the front nine:

Johnson did bogey the par-four 15th as well as No. 18, but he parred everything else, and the fact that most of his closest competition faltered down the stretch aided him.

The only three players who didn't finish even or worse Saturday were Finau, Berger and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Finau and Berger were both four-under and are tied for the lead, while Aphibarnrat shot a two-under 68 and is three shots back.

In particular, Finau finished his third round with a bang, as he made a long birdie putt on No. 18:

Both Finau and Berger were tied for 45th place and trailed by 11 strokes when the day began, but they will play in the final pairing on Sunday.

Defending U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka is the fourth part of the leading equation, as he shot a respectable two-over 72.

Although he had two birdies in the round, Koepka's most impressive make was a 61-footer to save par on the 14th:

The difficulty of the course was a hot-button issue among many players, and USGA Executive Director Mike Davis admitted after the round that the setup was unfair to some degree, according to ESPN.com's Bob Harig:

"We missed it with the wind. It blew harder than we thought it was going to blow. The greens got fast, and it was too much for the wind we had. At 15, you were seeing shots well-played, and they weren't rewarded. We would say it was a very tough test, but it was too tough this afternoon.

"You saw some really low scores this morning, but when it got so dry like this and the wind got up, it didn't work. This golf course will get slowed down tonight."

Phil Mickelson is highly unlikely to factor into the mix on Sunday after shooting an 11-over 81 in the third round, but he found a way to make headlines.

On No. 13, Mickelson hit a putt while the ball was still moving, and he was assessed a two-stroke penalty:

Per Sobel, Mickelson explained his decision to hit a moving ball, saying, "I used the rule to my advantage. ... I just took two shots and moved on because I didn't want to keep hitting it. I didn't mean it to be disrespectful."

Mickelson is now 17-over for the tournament, which is just one stroke behind Rickie Fowler, who shot a disastrous 14-over 84 in the third round.

Among those who dropped back after being near the top of the leaderboard prior to the third round were Ian Poulter (six-over 76) and Charley Hoffman (seven-over 77).

Tight Field and Brutal Course Promise Final-Round Madness

Unpredictability has been king throughout the U.S. Open, and it should make for a wild final round on Sunday.

Few could have predicted after the second round that Finau and Berger would play their way into the final pairing.

According to Sean Martin of PGATour.com, both golfers will have a chance to play their way into the history book with a win on Sunday:

Finau and Berger took advantage of slightly easier conditions during the morning and early afternoon, allowing them to watch the leaders fall back to them later on.

Edward Egros of Fox 4 News put their move up the leaderboard into perspective:

Despite their great play Saturday, Finau and Berger will be underdogs in the final round because of the number of major champions surrounding them.

Two of them are tied with Finau and Berger (Johnson and Koepka), Justin Rose is one shot back, Henrik Stenson is two shots behind, and both Patrick Reed and Jim Furyk trail by three.

Although huge names like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day failed to make the cut, there will be no shortage of championship experience vying for a U.S. Open win on Sunday.

A unique mix of well-known and unheralded golfers, coupled with one of the toughest major courses in recent memory, promises to yield a final round that will come down to the wire and potentially even require sudden death to decide.

What's Next?

The fourth and final round of the 2018 U.S. Open will take place Sunday at Shinnecock Hills with Finau and Berger comprising the final pairing.