Leading the way is Hiroyuki Fujita, Steve Stricker lurking in the US Senior Open

NEWPORT, RI — The wind at Newport Country Club couldn’t slow down Hiroyuki Fujita at the US Senior Open.

Maybe the rain will stop him.

The Japanese Tour veteran shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to improve to 14 under in pursuit of a wire-to-wire win and his first victory on American soil. He’ll have to deal with a thunderous forecast for the final round and the offense of 2019 champion Steve Stricker, who made back-to-back birdies at No. in the middle.

“Conditions should get worse, from what I hear, tomorrow,” Fujita said. “I don’t have a long distance at my club, so I will go into difficult places. I will focus on the fact that I am playing on the last day in the last group. And I will focus on the fact that I am lucky to be here.”

Richard Green shot 69 to stay at minus-11, Richard Bland (69) at 9 under and Bob Estes (66) at 8 under.

Players came out early and threesomes on both nines Saturday trying to finish before the fog rolled in on the 7,024-yard, par-70 course at the mouth of Narragansett Bay. Rest times increased again for the final round on Sunday, when rain and lightning were forecast for the afternoon.

“This place is meant to be kind of tight and fast and kind of linksy in feel. If it stays like this, blows a little wind, and tightens up a little bit, it could be a really tough test tomorrow,” said 2021 winner Jim Furyk. said.

“If it rains a little bit, I think you’re going to see guys who can score, where it’s easier to keep it on the fairway, it’s easier to get balls on the green, and maybe it’s a little bit harder,” he said. “If it’s wet, if it rains, someone will come out and chase it away.”

Fujita, who had never broken 70 in a 50-plus tour, made it a third straight day when he posted Saturday’s only bogey-free round. He has one bogey in the first 54 holes and missed one fairway in the tournament.

“He didn’t miss a shot everywhere. He hasn’t changed,” said Stricker, who finished second in the tournament two years ago. “We’re going to have to go out and have a good round to try and catch him. He seems to be in control of what’s going on with his game and his emotions.”

Fujita had three birdies earlier on Saturday to open up a big lead at 14 under before making nine straight pars on the back nine.

“He didn’t make a mistake,” Green said. “If he plays like this tomorrow, it’s going to take a good round from the guys coming from behind to catch him. You never know with the pressure of the US Open at the end of the week what can happen. But I’ll just play my game and see where it ends up.”

Stricker fell four strokes back with a bogey on the par-3 13th but then got a stroke back on No. 16. He holed a 40-foot putt on the 17th before Fujita missed a birdie putt from about 12 feet.

Stricker, who finished second by two strokes to Padraig Harrington in 2022 and one shot behind Bernhard Langer last year, posted a 33 over the six nine-hole rounds of the tournament.

“You’ve got Greenie, obviously who’s playing well at the minute. Steve Stricker has been there, done it,” Bland said. “I don’t know much about the guy in front, but he’s been in the lead all week.”