DARLINGTON golfer Callum Tarren has produced the round of his life to take the joint lead of the US Open at Brookline.

Tarren, who is based in the United States as he is a member of the PGA tour, carded a three under par round of 67 in his second appearance at a US Open.

Having started his round on the tenth hole, the North-Easterner actually began with a bogey.

Eight successive pars meant he reached the turn in one over, and while he birdied his tenth hole, another bogey on the following hole meant he slipped back to one over.

He got back to level par with a birdie three on his 14th, and picked up another shot with a three on his 16th.

Things got even better on the par five eighth - his 17th hole - as he played a brilliant approach shot from 200 yards before rolling in an eagle three.

A par on the last meant he finished with a 67, and he is currently in a tie for the tournament lead with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Swede David Lingmerth.

Tarren, who studied at Darlington's Eastbourne Comprehensive and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form, first took up golf playing at Dinsdale Spa.

He earned a place at the US Open by finishing in the top three at the USGA Qualifier earlier this month.

The 32-year-old is currently ranked number 445 in the world, having secured his PGA Tour card via the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour last season. He missed the cut in seven of his first eight starts and was disqualified from the other for signing an incorrect scorecard.