If it wasn’t already, the Australian challenge for US Open golf glory is officially over for another year.
The required third-round charges from Min Woo Lee, Cameron Smith and Adam Scott never materialised as all three Australians to make the halfway cut slumped further off the pace in North Carolina.
After starting moving day seven shots behind halfway front-runner Ludvig Aberg, Lee could only manage a two-over-par 72 to slip 10 strokes adrift of new on-course leader Matthieu Pavon.
Smith is a further shot back at five over for the championship after also posting a 72 at penal Pinehurst No.2.
Scott’s third-round 76 left the former world No.1 at eight over, a distant 14 shots off the lead in his 92nd consecutive major championship appearance.
Frenchman Pavon picked up three shots in his opening nine holes on Saturday to turn a two-stroke overnight deficit into a one-shot buffer over Aberg.
No Australian has won the US Open, golf’s most gruelling major, since Geoff Oglivy joined David Graham (1981) on the honour board in 2006.
Two-time runner-up Jason Day, along with Cam Davis and Jason Scrivener, missed the cut this week.