MacIntyre

Open champion Scheffler showed his mettle and class – despite a few uncharacteristic slips – on his way to a three-under-par 67, taking him to 15 under for the week.

MacIntyre, runner-up at the US Open and tied for seventh at the Open, had been 16 under on Saturday evening after rounds of 62, 64 and 68.

The Scotsman denied he was rattled by his playing partner’s consistency, while he chose not to comment on apparent heckling from the galleries.

Asked what he needs to improve, he replied: “Right now, not a clue. Right now I want to go and smash up my golf clubs, to be honest with you.”

There was a glimmer of hope for an out-of-sorts MacIntyre when he moved to within a shot after the 12th, Scheffler missing a routine par putt.

But the Scotsman crashed an eight iron off the tee at the 13th to go over the green and a fourth bogey soon followed, only for Scheffler to make a mess of the next.

At the 15th, the American rolled in a birdie after watching MacIntyre miss his attempt but the roles were then reversed at the 16th.

Scheffler saved his best for the 17th, with an incredible chip-in from the greenside that rolled serenely into the hole to send the partisan crowd wild, giving himself breathing space for an 18th PGA Tour success.

Soggy conditions changed the dynamic of the course but not the difficulty as Burns and Spaun traded blows in the final group.

Both are winners on the PGA Tour but they also share play-off defeats this season – Spaun at The Players Championship by Rory McIlroy in March and Burns only last week on the fourth play-off hole as Ryan Fox won the Canadian Open.

The two briefly swapped places at the beginning of the round but were level for the majority of Saturday and both picked up birdies on the 17th to move clear of Scott on four under.

But Spaun, who still boasts the only bogey-free round of the week on Thursday, hit an erratic tee shot at the 18th. That led to a bogey and cost him a place in Sunday’s final group.

That spot alongside Burns will be filled by Scott, who is making his 96th consecutive appearance at a major championship.

His second shot at the 14th was sublime, landing a foot from the pin, and his fist-pump celebration to raucous cheers after making birdie on 17 showed his heart – and popularity – remain undimmed.

On Friday, Scott said a second major title would “go a long way” in fulfilling himself. He is well placed to make that happen on Sunday and has the added bonus of being the only player in contention to have contested the 2007 and 2016 US Opens at Oakmont.

“I was less overwhelmed coming to Oakmont this time, and that’s not a knock on the golf course, but maybe just a couple trips around the U.S. Open here, I knew what to expect,” said Scott, who missed the cut in 2007 and finished joint 18th in 2016.

And do not discount Hovland, who despite coming within inches of hitting his opening drive out of bounds, retained his composure to produce a typically swashbuckling round that featured three birdies and three bogeys.

“I’m well aware that I’ve got a chance, and if I shoot a low round of golf then anything can happen,” he said of his chances of winning a first major on Sunday.