US Open heads for pulsating finish

FARMINGDALE, New York – Halfway through his third round, Ricky Barnes had a six-shot lead and a smile to match in the US Open. Ten holes later, with darkness gathering, he couldn’t get off Bethpage Black fast enough.

The final few hours Sunday changed everything in a start-and-stop US Open headed for a Monday finish.

Barnes became only the fourth player to reach double digits under par, reaching minus 11 in the third round, but had to settle for an even-par 70 and a one-shot lead over Lucas Glover.

In the one hole he completed in the fourth round, Barnes chopped his way to a bogey and fell into a tie. He followed that by hooking his tee shot into gnarly clumps of native grass on a hill left of the second fairway, putting him in more trouble.

When the horn sounded to suspend the final round because of darkness, he quickly marked his ball and headed for the clubhouse.

Barnes and Glover were at 7 under par, still five shots clear of everyone else.

Neither of them has ever faced major championship pressure – Glover had never even made the cut in a US Open before – and they still had a long way to go.

“It’s going to be pressure-packed tomorrow,” Glover said. “I’ll sleep fine. If not, I guess I’ll be tired.”

 Phil Mickelson, determined to bring a fairy-tale finish to a US Open career filled with disappointment, made seven birdies in his third round of 69 that left him six shots behind. He has been the runner-up four times in the US Open – three times in New York – and is desperate to bring a silver trophy of cheer home to a wife who is battling breast cancer.

“I’m one good round away,” Mickelson said, excited at the possibilities.

He played two holes, narrowly missing birdie putts on both, and was five shots behind at 2 under.

David Duval, another unlikely contender having slipped to No. 882 in the world ranking, also was in the group at 2 under that included Hunter Mahan and Ross Fisher of England.

Tiger Woods at least left Bethpage Black in good spirits. (AP)