( CNN ) -- They 've mirrored each other at Merion . And now it looks like both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy wo n't be in contention on the final day of the U.S. Open . Woods shot a six-over-par 76 Saturday on Merion 's unforgiving East Course and McIlroy , second only to Woods in the world rankings , carded a 75 . They were paired together for the third straight day , hitting identical 73s in first round and 70s in the second . While the top-ranked duo were only four shots behind co-leaders Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel through two rounds , McIlroy had slipped a further two shots behind the clubhouse leader , Australia 's Jason Day , and Woods was seven shots behind Day . It got worse after Mickelson , a five-time U.S. Open runner-up , completed his round and took a one-stroke overall advantage . McIlroy drifted to nine shots behind and Woods 10 . It means Woods ' wait to end his five-year drought at majors appears set to continue . Woods , bothered by a left arm injury he sustained en route to winning The Players Championship last month , raised hopes among his fans when he struck a birdie on the first hole . Woods , though , would n't hit another birdie for the rest of the round . Instead he registered seven bogeys . McIlroy , in search of a third major , was n't much better , hitting one more birdie than Woods . The low scores at Merion have failed to materialize , and Sergio Garcia needed 10 shots to complete the par-4 15th hole . Despite the disastrous hole , he still managed to match McIlroy and shoot a 75 which left him tied for 44th with defending champion Webb Simpson . Garcia said he was heckled in the first round and a fan blurted out , `` fried chicken '' before he teed off at his first hole Saturday . It was a reference to the `` fried chicken '' jibe Garcia directed at Woods last month . Garcia issued a public apology and left Woods a note this week leading into the tournament . Day , the 2011 runner-up , ended the third round in eighth place after a two-under-par 68 . He was overtaken by the late groupings as Mickelson carded 70 to be one-under 209 after 54 holes . Mickelson finished birdie-bogey , having dropped shots at 3 and 5 before recovering them at 10-11 . `` I 've had opportunities in years past , and it has been so fun , even though it 's been heart-breaking to come so close a number of times and let it slide , '' said the four-time major winner , who turns 43 on Sunday . `` But I feel better equipped than I have ever felt heading into the final round of a U.S. Open . My ball striking is better than it 's ever been . My putting is better than it has been in years , and I feel very comfortable on this golf course . I love it . '' His fellow veteran Stricker matched that 70 to be tied for second alongside Ryder Cup teammate Hunter Mahan and South Africa 's 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel , who both shot 69 . Former world No . 1 Luke Donald had been in the lead but the Englishman dropped a shot at 17 and double-bogeyed the final hole to fall back to 211 alongside compatriot Justin Rose -- who matched his 71 -- and Horschel . Horschel , playing his first major as a pro having missed the cut as an amateur back in 2006 , played the difficult closing holes in par to sign for a 72 . American Rickie Fowler carded the best round of the day , a four-birdie 67 which moved him up to ninth -- one shot ahead of leading amateur Michael Kim . Kim , born in South Korea but raised in San Diego , had been in a tie for third after firing four birdies in six holes but a horrendous finish -- bogey , double bogey , bogey -- meant he ended with a 71 , five shots behind Mickelson . He is seeking to become the first amateur to finish in the top 10 since 1971 , and the first to win the U.S. Open since 1933 .
Tiger Woods cards a six - over - par 76 to fall further behind the leader at the US Open . Rory McIlroy was one shot better than Woods as he played alongside the world No . 1 . Sergio Garcia was heckled by a fan and later needed two shots to complete a hole . Five - time runner - up Phil Mickelson leads by one shot going into final round .