LOS ANGELES: Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark head into the final round of the U.S. Open tied atop the leaderboard after the two Americans battled it out at the Los Angeles Country Club on Saturday. After an up-and-down front nine, Fowler settled into a groove on the back nine and would have had the outright lead if his par putt on 18 hadn’t lipped out, leading to a frustrating bogey. Fan favorite Fowler and lesser-known Clark are knotted at 10-under par with Rory McIlroy one stroke back at nine-under and Scottie Scheffler lurking three off the lead. Southern California native Fowler’s round included a perfectly measured 69-foot birdie putt on 13 that sent the crowd into a frenzy under sunny skies in LA, and he will be gunning for a breakthrough first major title on Sunday. The confident Clark, who beat a stacked field at Quail Hollow for his first PGA Tour victory last month, went bogey free with two birdies through his first nine holes to take the outright lead. But he wobbled with back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12 and another on 17 before finishing with a birdie on 18th to regain momentum. World number three McIlroy had a solid round of 69 where he mixed three birdies with two bogeys to keep his hopes of ending a nine-year major championship drought alive. World number one Scheffler finished his round with a flourish, holing out from the 17th fairway from 197 yards for eagle. He caused the crowd to erupt once again on the par-four 18th when he drilled a long birdie putt, pumping his fist after carding a round of 68.