Rory McIlroy completed the third round of his debut U.S. Open on Sunday afternoon, carding a two over par 72 to go four over par for the tournament.

The Irishman was two over par after completing five holes of his third round on Saturday evening before inclement weather and darkness forced organizers to suspend play for the day at 7.09 p.m. local time.

Before the end of play Saturday, McIlroy began his round on the back nine and rattled off five straight pars, including a great save on 12.

"I was a good 225 (yards) to the hole and had a long par putt. I hit it pretty hard, but it found the back of the hole. It was a nice par. Obviously in the U.S. Open you are going to struggle to make some pars, especially with conditions like today, so it is nice when you can save them. I was pretty pleased with how I played today, to be able to come in even par and get a couple holes behind me," said McIlroy on Saturday night.

Out just before noon to pick up on the 15th, McIlroy stumbled to a bogey on his first hole on Sunday.  A par/bogey/par result on 16,17 and 18 meant that McIlroy covered his third round back nine in 37 strokes.  

McIlory, who seemed to strike up a good rapport with playing partner Anthony Kim, shook off the bad start on the front nine with two birdies (on the first and fourth) in the opening four holes to claw back to even for the day and two over for the tournament.

However, consecutive bogeys on 5 and 6 (putting both approach shots to 70 feet and three-putting each time) pegged him back to four over par.

Three pars on 7, 8  and 9 closed out the round for a 72 and a tie for 33rd position, 12 shots behind the leader Ricky Barnes, who carded a level par 70 for his third round.

"I played very solidly, but it is tough to make birdies," McIlroy told press after the round, adding that though the the course is soft, it is still playing long, which makes for difficult second shots.

McIlory went on to say that he "really enjoyed paying with Anthony Kim," and that between Kim's Ryder Cup reputation and the Irish following in the crowd that there was a good gallery following the two.

In regards to the the erratic nature of play as a result of the wet weather, McIlroy said he did not let it get to him. "I go with the flow, and when I am told to go out I go out."

Despite behind well behind the leaders McIlroy seemed content with how his debut U.S. Open is going. "It is my first and I am going well, and it would be nice to finish off with a good round."

Barnes leads Lucas Glover by one shot, and David Duval and Ross Fisher are tied for third place at five under par.