Steve Stricker was headed for a solid, if not memorable, round until he reached No. 18, where he followed a poor shot with a spectacular one to give him hope heading into the final round today of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

After missing the green on his approach, Stricker pitched in with a lob wedge for a birdie-3 and a 2-under 68 for a 216 total after 54 holes.

"You don't expect to hole it, but I thought I could get it up closer to a 5-, 10-footer to try to get a par. What a way to finish," he said. "Icing on the cake for me, and [it] gives me a chance for going in tomorrow. I have a chance, I believe I do."

Furyk rebounds

Jim Furyk went from glum to giddy in two holes -- that's what consecutive birdies to end a round will do for a golfer.

Furyk rebounded from a three-putt bogey on No. 16 with birdies on 17 and 18 to finish at 216 and within sight of the leaders.

"It definitely took the sting out [of the round] birdieing the last two," he said. "The finish brightened up my day and made me feel like I'm back in the thick of things. I'm in a heck of a lot better mood with a lot more positive outlook."

Odd man out

Matthew Goggin was alone, but he wasn't lonely when he was the first group off the tee at 10:05 a.m. yesterday.

"I was totally shocked at how many people were out here," said Goggin, who played the third round by himself and took just 2 hours and 57 minutes to shoot 4-over 74 for a 224 total. "It was shocking to me to be wandering around and all the bleachers absolutely packed for the first three or four holes. They're all excited just to have anyone come along, I think."

Steelers Nation

Clad in bright yellow pants, black shirt and a yellow cap, Ian Poulter strode down the fairways yesterday to a common chorus from fans in these parts: "Here we go Steelers, here we go Steelers!"

"They were chanting everywhere. It was cool," said Poulter, who is known for his outlandish attire. He said showing up in Steelers colors was a coincidence.

Tough day for Johnson

Masters champion Zach Johnson shot himself out of contention with a 76 for a 226 total and then took a shot at the diabolical Oakmont layout. "My game's been pretty good. My biggest headache is just the course setup. It's just hard, I mean the golf course is the story this week. Or the way the USGA sets it up, one of the two."

Gubernatorial visit

Flanked by three security guards, Gov. Ed Rendell stood alongside the ninth green yesterday afternoon, taking in much of the action, including Tiger Woods' group making the turn.

Asked what he would shoot on the treacherous course at Oakmont, Rendell laughed before saying, "Oh, I'm a miniature golfer. You wouldn't find me out there."

He then pointed to his wife, Marjorie, and said: "She's the golfer. Had she started playing just a little bit earlier, she would have been the Michelle Wie of her time."