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World number 519 Ricky Barnes steadied himself after a mid-round wobble to stay ahead of the chasing pack at eight under par after the third round of the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black.

And Barnes's fellow American Lucas Glover also stayed strong through adversity to end up in second place at seven under par.

England's Ross Fisher shot a beautiful round of 69 - despite missing a mind-boggling stream of birdie putts earned by sublime ball striking - to put himself in third place at three under par and in with a clear chance of earning a maiden Major victory.

Also still in contention was world number two Phil Mickelson, whose challenge seemed to have faded before four birdies in his final six holes - including a pair of outlandish putts on the 16th and 18th holes - got him back to two under par, and with every chance of winning a fourth Major championship.

First round leader Mike Weir struggled after a promising start that saw him one under for his round after five holes, recording five bogeys in a 74 - yet at two under par, the 2004 Masters champion still remains in with a chance.

Also staying in the hunt was 2001 Open champion and former world number one David Duval, whose years of struggling for form - he is currently 882nd in the world rankings - finally appear to be easing with his performance on Long Island.

Duval birdied the final hole for a round of 70 that left him three under par and sharing third place with Fisher.

World number one Tiger Woods struggled with his ball striking early on until a fluked chip-in birdie on the 17th - his eight hole - seemed to spur him on.

Two further birdies contributed to a 68, but Woods saw half a dozen putts burn the right edge of the hole - and at one over par only a miraculous final round will be enough for him to challenge.

After overnight rain caused a delay of several hours on Sunday morning, leader Barnes got off to a stunning start, with a birdie at the second and a stunning eagle at the par-5 fourth getting him to 11 under par.

That fast start, together with a wobble from Glover that saw him drop four shots in three holes from the sixth, saw Barnes's lead extended to half a dozen shots at one stage.

Yet the former US Amateur champion seemed to lose his swing mid-round, and he was lucky to drop only three shots as he consistently sprayed the ball towards deep bunkers and thick rough.

Both Barnes and Glover fought back, however, with Glover recording birdies on 10, 11 and 16 while Barnes grabbed a pitch-and-putt birdie on the par-5 13th and added another with a 40ft putt on the par-3 17th.

The final round of the championship will get under way later on Sunday evening, with the conclusion - and any potential play-off - scheduled for Monday.

Toby Keel / Eurosport