Pinehurst No. 2 yielded just two sub-par rounds on moving day at the U.S. Open, while second-round leader Martin Kaymer grinded to post a Saturday 72 and will carry a five-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.

A firmer, faster No. 2 Course boosted Saturday’s scoring average to its highest of the week at 73.82 and cut the number of players under-par in the field from 13 to just six entering Sunday.

“I felt like today if you had 25 feet or 30 feet on every green, you’ve done well,” Kaymer said after the round. “I made a couple of bad swings on the first nine, put myself in bad positions, but I only made bogey, which is okay. Only one birdie and one eagle, but I’m happy. Eight-under-par after three rounds is a good score.”

Click here to see the clubs Kaymer has in the bag at Pinehurst No. 2.

Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton — who each began the day at even par and 10 shots behind Kaymer — fired third-round 67s, finishing the day at 3-under for the day and for the tournament as Kaymer’s nearest competitors.

Kaymer began the day with a six-shot spread. It appeared as if he may let a group of his fellow competitors back into the contest following bogeys at Nos. 2 and 4 and a wayward drive into the native grass on No. 5, but an outstanding approach shot into the par-5 fifth hole set up the eighth eagle of the day on the hole and righted Kaymer’s round.

The 530-yard 5th played as the easiest on the course Saturday at more than 0.5-shots under par and played shorter than the par-4 4th (542 yd) and 16th (531 yd) holes. Kaymer also hit an off-target drive on No. 4 resulting in an unplayable lie, a drop in the pine straw and a punch out down the fairway. The German calmly struck his approach to 15 feet and knocked in the bogey save.

Kaymer scattered three more bogeys in his round on Nos. 6, 13, and 15, but laced a drive on the par-4 18th to set up a closing birdie and a 72 for the day.

Fowler, who will play in the final pairing with Kaymer on Sunday, used a hot flat-stick Saturday to jump up the leaderboard. He took just 24 putts on the challenging Donald Ross greens and rolled in five birdie bids to just a pair of squares on the card.

Compton — rightfully well-known for undergoing a pair of heart transplants — made the most of his first weekend at a major with his own 67. The Columbus, Ohio, sectional qualifier eagled No. 5 and also rolled in five birdies on the day, including four in the five-hole stretch of Nos. 7-11. With no one being immune to bogeys, Compton carded four on the day.

Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson each carded even-par 70s and sit at 2-under for the tournament. The two join Fowler as the only players without an over-par round this week.

Brandt Snedeker is the final player in the red, after a 72 leaves him at 1-under entering Sunday.

Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka and Kevin Na are all at even-par for the tournament, posting rounds of 71, 72, and 73, respectively.

Na threatened to be Kaymer’s closest competitor, but double bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 dropped him back to even. Brendon De Jonge reached 4-under on two occasions Saturday, but played the final seven holes in 5-over to fall off the pace.

Brendon Todd played in the final group with Kaymer, but a 79 dropped him into a tie for 30th at 5-over after the round. Phil Mickelson also sits tied for 30th after his third-round 72, making it apparent that his bid for the grand slam will be unsuccessful this week.

2013 U.S. Senior Open champion Kenny Perry provided the shot of the day, holing out a 220-yard shot from the ‘stuff’ on the par-4 14th hole. Perry reiterated the challenge of the course on Saturday, saying it is the hardest setup of any major he’s ever played.

Sporting his five-shot edge entering the final round, Kaymer will look to become the eighth wire-to-wire winner at the U.S. Open, joining Tiger Woods (2000, 2002) and Rory McIlroy (2011) as the only to do so in the last 40 years.

Already with a win at The Players Championship this year, Kaymer could become the first player to ever pair a Players title with a U.S. Open victory in the same year. Just three times has a Players champion won a major in the same year: Tiger Woods (2001 Masters), Hal Sutton (1983 PGA Championship) and Jack Nicklaus (1978 Open Championship).

But, as with any major championship, anything is possible on Sunday afternoon. At Pinehurst in the 2005 U.S. Open, Retief Goosen — who is also T-30 through three rounds this year — shot a final-round 81 to finish 11th. Michael Campbell shot 1-under 69 to claim the victory and was the only player in the final two groups to break 80.