HONORARY Weymouth Golf Club member and two-time former junior champion Paul Casey heads into the third round of the US Open at Erin Hills in a four-way tie for the lead.

Casey, who broke 100 for the first time on the Dorset course as a youngster, recovered from a triple-bogey on his fifth hole of the day yesterday to add a 71 to his opening 66 and set a clubhouse target of seven-under-par, which was later matched by Tommy Fleetwood and American duo Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman.

Casey's opening 66 had left him a shot off the pace and he swiftly joined Fowler in the lead with a birdie from close range on the 11th, his second hole of the day, only to bogey the next and run up a triple-bogey on the 14th.

The 39-year-old was only able to move his fourth shot a matter of inches in heavy rough over the back of the green on the par five, before hacking out sideways and taking three putts from just off the green.

However, after dropping another shot on the 15th, Casey regained his composure superbly to birdie the 17th and 18th, the latter being the second longest hole in major history at 676 yards.

And the former Ryder Cup player then made it five birdies in succession - just one short of the US Open record equalled by Adam Hadwin on Thursday - by picking up shots on the first, second and third.

"It feels good," said Casey, who has recorded three consecutive top-six finishes in the Masters but whose sole top-10 finish in 13 US Open appearances came at Oakmont a decade ago.

"It's not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an eight on the card, but I'm a pretty happy man.

"It was a good display, all my own fault, of what can happen if you get out of position on this golf course. Even just trying to take my medicine is very, very difficult. It's a good eight in the end.

"I lost a bit of skin out there. I got out of position, but it's the attitude, it's the grit that matters at the end of the week.

"I had been swinging it well and it felt really, really good a couple holes later to be picking the ball out of the hole for a birdie. Then clawed all the way back and actually picked up one more to the good by the time we were finished."

Asked if he would have been able to recover from such a mistake earlier in his career, Casey added: "In my good seasons, yes, but there have been times when I struggled, so probably not!

"I was upset with the score I had made, but it did not have any effect on my attitude or how I was going to then approach the rest of the round or the next shot. Part of that is just age and part I'll give credit to Johnny McLaren (his caddie), credit to my wife and my little boy."