Amateur Hossler, 17, in hunt after even-par 70

SAN FRANCISCO -- Beau Hossler should know better.

When you're 17 years old and playing the weekend at the U.S. Open, you don't rebound. You don't make bogeys early in the day, then come back to stay in contention. And you certainly don't lock up a late-afternoon tee time for the final round of the year's second major.

Yet that's exactly what the future Texas Longhorn did at The Olympic Club.

After each of the four bogeys he made Saturday, Hossler bounced back with a birdie each time, carding his second even-par 70 in three days. He stands at 3 over and is tied for eighth place.

When asked if he could become the first amateur to win the U.S. Open since Johnny Goodman in 1933, Hossler told reporters, "Absolutely. There's not a doubt in my mind. Got to go out there and do everything right mentally and physically, but it's definitely out there for me."

Hossler, who's playing in his second straight U.S. Open after qualifying for the field at Congressional last year, could have gone even lower but he missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th hole. He's the first amateur to finish 54 holes in the top 10 since Matt Kuchar was tied for 10th through three rounds at Olympic in 1998.