McDowell shares lead at US Open (From Western Telegraph)

McDowell shares lead at US Open

4:15am Sunday 17th June 2012 in National Sport © Press Association 2013

Graeme McDowell was California dreaming again after moving into a tie for the lead with Jim Furyk with a round to go at the United States Open.

Winner at Pebble Beach two years ago, the 32-year-old Northern Irishman birdied the final hole of his third round for a superb 68 over the treacherous Olympic Club in San Francisco.

The added bonus was that Tiger Woods gave a really poor performance in his pursuit of a 15th major.

Joint leader at halfway with Furyk and David Toms, Woods was nothing like the impressive figure of the opening 36 holes and with a five-over-par 75 dropped into a tie for 14th.

Only Toms with a 76 scored worse in the top 60 players. He is now five back and will need no reminding that he has never won a major from behind on the final day.

Among those who came past him was Lee Westwood. A 67 that matched the low score of the round lifted the world number three all the way from 29th into a tie for fourth.

The Worksop 39-year-old, making his 57th attempt to land a major and with a record-equalling seven top-three finishes behind him, will tee off again only three behind.

McDowell, trying to make it a third Northern Irish win in a row following his own success and Rory McIlroy's runaway victory in Washington last year, followed eight opening pars with a bogey on the 449-yard ninth.

But the back nine is where most of the birdie chances come and he holed putts of four feet on the 10th, 10 feet at the short 13th and then another four-footer on the last.