UNITED STATES OPEN GOES INTO MONDAY

Ricky Barnes comes back to the field

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Ricky Barnes showed signs of cracking under final-round pressure at
Bethpage Black on Sunday evening local time as he lost the outright
lead of the US Open at Bethpage Black, New York.
Barnes had led the field by six shots early in his third round but
ended it with a one-shot lead. Then, as the players went straight back
out to start their final rounds, errant driving saw him give that up,
leaving him to go into Monday's final holes level at seven under par
with Lucas Glover and in thick rough on the second hole.
Barnes and Glover both shot third-round, level-par 70s, the former to
stay at eight under par for 54 holes, one clear of his rival and five
ahead of England's Ross Fisher and American former Open champion David
Duval.
Both Fisher and Duval bogeyed their opening holes to keep the lead at
five shots as play was suspended for the day due to bad light, US Open
officials being forced to move their championship into a Monday for
regulation play for the first time since 1983. Barnes had threatened to
set more records after shooting the lowest 36-hole total in US Open
history, 132, after a 65 on Saturday, holding a six-shot lead at 10
under par at the turn of his third round and was going the right way
about emulating 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis in making his maiden
professional victory a major success.
A long-range eagle putt at the fourth hole sent the 28-year-old to 11
under par, the first man to move into double digits at the US Open
since Jim Furyk in the third round at Olympia Fields en route to his
victory in 2003.
Yet he unravelled over the back nine to fall back to eight under, with
Glover also shooting a 70 to return the leaderboard to the status quo.
Fisher finished strongly, the Englishman sinking a 10-foot birdie putt
at 18 for a 69 to move to three under ahead of the re-pairing for the
final round, which will see him play with Duval, who also closed with a
birdie for a 70 to join him in a tie for third.
That plan did not pan out as Fisher found right rough off the first
tee, Duval veering left as both dropped a shot to slip to two under.
Canada's Mike Weir fell back to two under with a 74, where he was met
coming the other way by American duo Hunter Mahan, with a 68, and world
number two Phil Mickelson, who delighted his big following of fans by
sinking a 38-foot birdie putt at the 18th for a 69.
The American's status had not changed after playing two holes but Weir
had dropped another shot with a bogey at the third