Takeaways from Day 3 of the U.S. Open

Bryson DeChambeau.

On moving day at Pinehurst No. 2, a dominant Bryson DeChambeau took the solo lead heading into the final round of the U.S. Open. Here are three takeaways from Saturday's action.

Dialed-in DeChambeau threatening to run away from the field 

DeChambeau began Saturday tied for second (-4), but walked into the clubhouse with an overwhelming lead. The 2020 U.S. Open Champion shined in round three, shooting a 67 to finish the day -7 and take a three-shot advantage atop the leaderboard.

Methodically attacking one of the sport's most challenging courses, DeChambeau birdied six holes and showed fight, overcoming a hiccup late to keep distance between himself and the field. Leading by four strokes, he double-bogey at No. 16, but avoided a meltdown, responding with a birdie on No. 17 and par on No. 18.

DeChambeau was also battling a hip injury, which needed treatment during play. Nevertheless, he put on a show, and the odds indicate that he'll have a decent shot at closing things out on Sunday. According to Justin Ray of The Athletic, players entering the final round of the U.S. Open with a three-stroke lead have gone on to win 22 out of 34 times.

Ludvig Aberg had a rough round 

Aberg stunned the golf world on Friday, grabbing the solo lead after a fantastic performance in round two. The 24-year-old showed poise beyond his years playing in his first U.S. Open through two days, but looked more like he was playing not to lose on Saturday, and it came back to bite him.

He entered the day at five under par but struggled in the third round, shooting a 73 to fall to -2. After posting six birdies a day ago, Aberg had only three on Saturday. Meanwhile, he had five bogeys, two on the back nine, including a triple bogey at No. 13.

Aberg will enter the final round five strokes off the pace, tied for fifth, trailing Cantlay (-4), Rory McIlroy (-4), Matthieu Pavon (-4) and DeChambeau (-7).

Pinehurst ate on Saturday

After taking the early lead on Thursday, Patrick Cantlay said that conditions at Pinehurst No. 2 would become tougher going into the weekend. That prediction proved to be prophetic.

It might not be a secret that the fabled course gets more challenging as the rounds get later and later. However, it still wreaked havoc on countless golfers' scores Saturday.

Heading into the final round, only eight golfers remain under par, two of which (Tyrrell Hatton and Tony Finau) are only a stroke ahead of even.

Want more articles like this? Follow Yardbarker on MSN to see more of our exclusive golf content.

More must-reads:

Trending slideshow: The best golfers who never won at the Masters (Provided by Yardbarker)