Live updates with Tiger Woods Saturday

7:30 p.m. - Woods frustrated at another lost major opportunity

Tiger Woods said likely failing again to win a major "certainly is frustrating." At 9-over for the championship, Woods would need a near miracle to catch up to the leaders. He is currently 11 strokes back.

"I just didn't make the putts I needed to make," Woods said. "The first two days I had three three-putts, and I was four shots off the lead. And I missed a boatload of putts from 10 feet. So I wasn't that far off. If I clean up the round and I don't three-putt I'm one shot back going into today.

"Playing well enough to do it and unfortunately just haven't gotten it done." - Zach Helfand

7:05 p.m. - The torture finally ends

This won't be a Saturday that Tiger Woods will want to remember. Merion took a big bite out of the world's No. 1 ranked player and ended his chances for a fourth U.S. Open championship and first since 2008.

Woods made seven bogeys -- including one on the 18 -- after a birdie on the first hole and finished 6-over 76 for the day.

Woods is plus-9 for the tournament, his highest score through 54 holes in a U.S. Open. At the moment, that puts him 11 strokes behind co-leaders Hunter Mahan and Charl Schwartzel.

Woods' playing partner, Rory McIlroy, did not do much better. The No. 2 ranked player shot a 5-over par 78. He is plus-8 for the tournament. - Tim McManus

6:32 p.m. - Short par putt missed

Tiger Woods continues to be let down by his putter. Or maybe Woods is letting down his putter.

Woods missed a short par putt on the par-4 16th to post his sixth bogey of the round. He's at 8-over for the tournament. - Tim McManus

6:20 p.m. - Three pars in a row

Tiger Woods has posted three pars in a row on the back nine, but that's not what he needs right now.

Woods latest came on the par-4 15th. He is plus-4 for the day and plus-7 for the tournament. - Tim McManus

5:30 p.m. - Safe haven on the 13th

Tiger Woods finally found a safe haven on the unforgiving Merion course. He made par on the easy par-3 13th to end a stretch in which he bogeyed two out of three holes. - Tim McManus

5:30 p.m. - Scuffling again

Tiger Woods bogeyed the par-4 12th, his second bogey in the last three holes.

Woods has five bogeys on the round and has fallen to plus-4 for the day and 7-over for the championship.

His hopes are fading in a hurry. - Tim McManus

5:05 p.m. - Another step back

Tiger Woods appeared headed to his fourth straight par on when he missed a putt from about four feet away on the 10th hole.

After laying up from the tee, he three-putted to card a bogey 5. He has 18 putts on 10 holes and has slipped to 3-over on the day.

Woods is in danger of falling out of touch with the leaders, and many difficult holes await on the back nine. - Tim McManus

4:45 p.m. - Make it three straight

Tiger Woods grinded out another par on the par-3 ninth hole. That's his third straight as he holds steady at 2-over for the round and 5-over for the tournament.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is actually outplaying his heralded playing partners. He's 1-over for the round and 4-over for the Open.

Rory McIlroy bogeyed the ninth and is 3-over for the day. - Tim McManus

4:33 p.m. -  Another par on the card

Woods has settled down after a stretch of three bogeys in four holes. He made par on the eighth hole, his second straight par.

Woods remains 5-over for the championship, and he is letting some scoring opportunities pass. He'll take the pars on No. 7 and 8, but they are among the easiest holes on the course. The leaders are six strokes ahead. - Zach Helfand

4:15 p.m. - A needed par

Tiger Woods didn't need to chip on the seventh hole, and the way things are going for him in that department, that's probably a good thing.

Woods just missed a birdie putt from 15 to 20 feet away and tapped in for a much-needed par. He had bogeyed three of the previous four holes.

Woods is at 2-over for the round and 5-over for the tournament. - Tim McManus

3:56 p.m. - Chipping woes persist

Tiger Woods went up and down on the sixth hole, it was just the wrong type of up and down. With a short chip just below the green, Woods flubbed a chip, which rolled right back down the ridge, maybe even farther away from where the ball started. He bogeyed for the second straight hole.

Woods has had trouble around the green, but this is the first time he has mishit a chip from the fairway. Woods now has three bogeys on the round, and he's all the way down to 5-over. - Zach Helfand

3:40 p.m. - A bogey on No. 6

With his second bogey in three holes, Tiger Woods has fallen to 4-over for the tournament. Woods left his second shot on the par-4 fifth hole just off the green, and his putt from the fringe was short of the hole as well. His hard-breaking par putt narrowly curled around the hole.

Rory McIlroy shot a five on No. 5, too. He is 2-over on the round and 5-over for the tournament. - Mike Still

3:15 p.m. - Par from a familiar place

Tiger Woods knows his way out of the rough on the par-5 fourth hole.

Friday, he made his way from that position to make birdie. He didn't do quite so well Saturday, but still managed to convert par after hooking his driver into the tough stuff.

Woods made a short par putt to stay even for the day and plus-3 for the Open. - Tim McManus

2:49 p.m.- Similar bogeys

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy played follow the leader on the par-3 third. Woods' tee shot was well short; McIlroy's tee shot was well short.

Both chipped but left themselves work to do. Then it was McIlroy's turn: he missed a par putt, and so did Woods. Each one managed a bogey. McIlroy dropped to 4-over. Woods is back to 3-over. - Zach Helfand

2:35 p.m. All's well that ends well

The second hole couldn't have  started much worse for Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. McIlroy hit a driver out of bounds on the par-5, and Woods yanked his into the rough.

McIlroy rebounded to make bogey -- five strokes after his penalty -- and Woods made par.

Woods played his second shot from the rough without showing any signs of pain. He has been favoring his left arm or elbow during the play this week, and it has been particularly noticeable on those types of shots.

Woods made it to the front of the green in three and made a difficult two-putt to save par. Woods remains at 2-over for the tournament, tied for ninth. - Tim McManus

2:15 p.m. - A pair of birdies on No. 1

Tiger Woods has ground to make up to catch co-leaders Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel. He got started on that right away Saturday.

Woods birdied No. 1 to begin his third round, moving to 2-over on the tournament and is now three strokes back of the lead. After leaving his approach shot about eight feet from the hole, Woods sunk a difficult putt that broke heavily from left to right.

The birdie was Woods' first this week on Merion's first hole. Playing partner Rory McIlroy also made birdie, draining a 15-footer with ease. McIlroy is even with Woods at 2-over.

However, the two are in trouble on No. 2. McIlroy's tee shot was out-of-bounds, and Woods' found the rough. Woods has birdied two twice this week, while McIlroy has two pars. - Mike Still

1:50 p.m. - A critical round about to begin 

Tiger Woods will begin his second round in about five minutes with a familiar playing partner -- Rory McIlroy.

The two golfers played a practice round together earlier in the week and were paired for the first two championship rounds. Rory and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano will also be in the group today.

All three players enter the day in contention at 3-over for the tournament. They are tied for 13 place, four shots back of co-leaders Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel, who tee off at 2:40 p.m.

With scoring conditions perhaps a bit more favorable than Friday, this will be a critical day for one of these golfers to make a move.  - Tim McManus