Key events
Bob MacIntyre scrambles a par in the Lowry style from the back of 9. He remains at -12, while his playing partner Justin Rose rakes in a 25-footer to rise to -13.
Shane Lowry starts to run hot at the par-five 7th. He misclubs and sends his second over the back of the green, then tries to get too cute with his chip and leaves it in the cabbage. But after stomping around in a fury for a while, and flinging his towel around like Linus Van Pelt on PCP, he simmers down and chips up to ten feet, before rolling in a par saver that could prove priceless by the end of the day. He remains at -15.
Another birdie for Scottie Scheffler. This one at 16, and the crowd are loving it. He’s -13, as is Thomas Detry, whose birdie at 12 keeps the Belgian’s slim hopes alive. Rory McIlroy gets back to -11 after the mini-disaster at the island-green 13th with birdie at 14.
This is a daft old tournament. Billy Horschel drains a 35-footer for eagle at the last, and he’s come back in 31 strokes! He signs for a 64 and is the new clubhouse leader at -13. For a player of the 2014 FedEx Cup winner’s ability, his record in the majors is appalling, a tie for fourth at the 2013 US Open the 37-year-old Floridian’s only top-ten finish. He’s currently tied for seventh at -13.
Bryson DeChambeau at the par-five 7th is a thundering disappointment. A slightly mishit drive. An approach sent into thick rubbish down the right, forcing a lob over a bunker into the heart of the green, nowhere near the flag. He nearly drains the long birdie putt, but that’s a disappointing par. Meanwhile a walk-in birdie putt for Viktor Hovland, who thought he’d passed up his opportunity for birdie with a thinned bunker shot. Over on 6, Xander Schauffele is happy to make par after only just getting his first putt up onto the green from the bottom of a swale, and suddenly things are bunching up real tight at the top!
-17: Schauffele (6)
-16: DeChambeau (7), Hovland (7)
-15: Lowry (6), Morikawa (6)
-14: Hodges (9)
Scottie Scheffler is going out in style! More birdies, at 13 and now 15, and the world number one is -12. Meanwhile another birdie for Lee Hodges! A third in a row, at 9, and he turns in 31! He’s -14 and celebrates by punching the air a few times in the come-on fashion. This is turning into a completely unpredictable tournament, and it’s wonderful.
He’s not getting much in the way of televised attention, because he’s not much of a name. Yet. But the 28-year-old Alabaman Lee Hodges has birdied 4, 7 and 8 to rise to -13. The PGA has thrown up plenty of leftfield winners in its time – Keegan Bradley, YE Yang, Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem and a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson since the turn of the century alone. Another wild story coming up?
Xander Schauffele sends a gap wedge from 140 yards (!) over the flag at 5 to six feet. A huge chance to lengthen his lead, but he prods conservatively at the birdie putt, and it’s always dying to the left and stopping short. Disappointing.
-17: Schauffele (5)
-16: DeChambeau (6)
-15: Hovland (6), Lowry (5), Morikawa (5)
You’d imagine Rory McIlroy, who needs a miracle to win, would go for the driveable island green at 13. He doesn’t, then mishits his chip in, the ball caroming off the island and into the drink. What a balls-up. He drops another rock and spins this one to kick-in distance, exactly the intention behind the first attempt. A bogey knocks him back to -10, and he looks sickened. Meanwhile up on 18, par for Alex Noren. A final round of 65 and he’s the new clubhouse leader at -12.
Bryson DeChambeau takes putter from the bottom of a swale at 6 … and rakes home the big right-to-left swinger! He then embarks on a brief sprint of celebration, clenched fist bobbing around in the summer breeze. Shades of his crowd-pleasing antics upon chipping in at 18 last night! He’s a showman all right. He’s followed in for birdie by his partner Viktor Hovland, reward for lovely arrow from 220 yards to four feet! They’re -16 and -15 respectively.
Sahith Theegala sends a wild drive down the left of 5. He’s always out of position and it eventually costs him another shot. He slips to -13. Theegala’s playing partner Shane Lowry overclubs with his approach and files both flag and green, but manages to get up and down from the back to scramble his par. He stays at -15. Birdie meanwhile for Rory McIlroy at 12 and he’s now -11. Regrets, he’ll have a few.
Collin Morikawa wedges his second at 4 from 80 yards to eight feet. His putter then lets him down. It’s a costly mistake, too, because Xander Schauffele, out of position in thick rough on the right, and with a downhill lie, could easily take a flyer through the green … but with an absurd mixture of power and precision, whooshes his club through the rough, lands his ball on the front of the green, and rolls it out to six feet. In goes the birdie putt, and that’s a proper matchplay-style blow delivered by Schauffele to Morikawa. Bogey meanwhile for Justin Rose at 6, punishment for carving an approach from the middle of the fairway into the gallery.
-17: Schauffele (4)
-15: DeChambeau (5), Lowry (4), Morikawa (4)
The easiest of birdies for Bryson DeChambeau at 5. A 350-yard drive. A wedge from 107 yards to four feet. In goes the putt. Well it sounds simple at least.
-16: Schauffele (3)
-15: DeChambeau (5), Lowry (4), Morikawa (3)
-14; Hovland (5), Theegala (4)
-13: Rose (5)
Alex Noren keeps things going by draining a long par saver on 17. He remains at -12. Meanwhile another long putt, this time for eagle by Russell Henley on 10, moves the 35-year-old Georgian to -11. And a rake across 5 for Viktor Hovland, and that’s his first birdie of the day. He’s right in this at -14!
Xander Schauffele fires a gorgeous dart at the par-three 3rd to six feet. But he pushes his birdie putt wide right, and the opportunity to extend his lead over Collin Morikawa to two is gone. Meanwhile another birdie for Scottie Scheffler, this time at 13. He’s -11, and we’re all starting to think about it, but no. Surely not. And then Shane Lowry’s chip from the front of 4 clatters into the flagstick but stubbornly refuses to drop. That was travelling a bit, so it’s up to you to call that lucky or unlucky. Perhaps something in the middle. He taps in for a second birdie in a row, and all of a sudden the 2019 Open champ is a shot off the lead!
-16: Schauffele (3)
-15: Lowry (4), Morikawa (3)
-14: DeChambeau (4), Theegala (4)
-13: Rose (5), Hovland (4)
You’d expect Bryson DeChambeau to take advantage of the drivable par-four 4th. But he flays his tee shot into the thick cabbage to the right of the green, and can’t get anywhere close with the swish out. Two putts later and that’s par, not exactly a disaster, but with the hole playing at an average of 3.6, he knows he’s given a little something back to the field. He remains at -14. Earlier on, Tony Finau had repaired the damage of that careless three-putt on 3 by threading his drive through the two bunkers guarding the front and making birdie. He’s now -10 through 6.
Alex Noren holes a long right-to-left swinger from the back of 16. Yet another birdie for the Swede, his sixth of the day, and he moves to -12. Meanwhile Shane Lowry, who missed an easy birdie putt on 1, makes no mistake on 3 after sending his tee shot to eight feet. He’s -14.
Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele take turns to yank their tee shots at 2 down the grassy bank to the left. Morikawa can only take a medicine-flavoured wedge back out onto the fairway … but then chips spectacularly from 90 yards to a couple of feet! Schauffele meanwhile is able to play the percentages and lash towards the bunker to the right of the green. He splashes – and nearly holes – out, and what we have here is a couple of wonder par scrambles by the leading duo!
Since describing Scottie Scheffler’s fourth round as underwhelming, he’s birdied 8, 10 and now 12 to rise to -10. Pulitzer, please! He’ll not be winning today, but a very respectable finish under these extreme circumstances is suddenly on. Someone who is very much in the mix, however, is Justin Rose, and his birdie at the short par-four 4th moves him into a share of fifth at -13.
-16: Schauffele (1)
-15: Morikawa (1)
-14: DeChambeau (3), Theegala (2)
-13: Rose (4), Hovland (3), Lowry (2)
It’s three birdies in a row for Rory McIlroy! This one comes at 9, and another futile belated Sunday charge up the leaderboard is on. He’s -10. He’s also turning into the modern Matt Kuchar. Meanwhile another par for Shane Lowry, at 2, but his playing partner Sahith Theegala hands back his birdie immediately, three-putting after leaving a long birdie effort a good 15 feet short. He’s -14 again.
Sahith Theegala is now seven under par through his last 11 holes of golf. It’s not a bad time to tap into a rich vein of form like that. Can the 26-year-old Californian keep it going for another 17? It’s quite the ask, but there it is. Coming behind, Collin Morikawa, whose second into 1 isn’t all that, and he’s left with a huge right-to-left putt that swings over the top of a greenside bunker. He lags it up sensationally and taps in for par … but even more sensationally, Xander Schauffele walks in a monster, like Theegala before him, and he’s back in the lead on his own! Birdie for Bryson at 2 meanwhile.
-16: Schauffele (1)
-15: Theegala (1), Morikawa (1)
-14: DeChambeau (2)
-13: Hovland (2), Lowry (1)
-12: Rose (3)
Rory McIlroy steers in a left-to-right slider on 8 for birdie. It follows birdie at 7, but he doesn’t bother celebrating the back-to-back achievement, wearing instead the look of a man who knows he’s let another good situation slip. He’s -9. A step backwards meanwhile for Bob MacIntyre, who takes three putts from just off the right of 2; he falls back to -11. But there are wild celebrations on 1, as Sahith Theegala drains a monster from downtown, having come up a club short with his approach. He punches the air, the gallery whoop, and the whole scene rattles Shane Lowry, who having sent his second from 186 yards to five feet, lets his birdie putt die weakly to the right. Just a par. We now have a three-way lead! Expect quite a bit to change along the way, with everyone so closely packed together.
-15: Theegala (1), Morikawa, Schauffele
-13: Hovland (1), DeChambeau (1), Lowry (1)
-12: Rose (2)
-11: Noren (14), Eckroat (5), Thomas (4), MacIntyre (2)
The final match of the 106th PGA Championship arrives at the 1st tee. Xander Schauffele is told by someone in the gallery to “light the gas”, so fires one into the semi-rough down the right. Collin Morikawa splits the fairway, and everyone’s now out and about, so here we go!
Alex Noren has been going along steadily all week. An opening 67 followed by a pair of 70s. He’s scampering up the standings this afternoon; a wedge to four feet at 13 leads to his fifth birdie of the day. No blemishes on his card so far, and the veteran Swede is -11. Another birdie for the aforementioned Kirt Kitayama, too, this time at 15. He’s -10. Such a shame about that near-albatross on 10, though. Had that ball not turned left at the last, Kitayama would have become only the fourth man to make an albatross at the PGA Championship, following Darrell Kestner at Inverness Club in 1993, Per-Ulrik Johansson at Riviera two years later, and Joey Sindelar at Medinah in 2006.
The penultimate pairing takes to the 1st tee. Sahith Theegala’s drive squeaks into the first cut down the right, but should be fine; yesterday’s Mr 62, Shane Lowry, splits the fairway. Further up the hole, a weak chip from the fringe looks to have done for Viktor Hovland, but he rams in the ten-footer that remains and stays put at -13. He’s happier with his par than Bryson DeChambeau, who clips his second to eight feet but misreads the putt. The 2020 US Open champ is -13 as well.
Local boy Justin Thomas has the entire gallery on his shoulder. He repays their extremely vocal support by holing out from sand at the par-three 3rd for birdie! A careless three-putt bogey for his playing partner Tony Finau, though, and the pair move in opposite directions, JT to -11, Finau to -9.
We’re getting to the final few matches now. Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland take turns to batter their opening drives down the middle. Further up the 1st hole, Justin Rose, having been forced to take his medicine after an errant drive, wedges his third from 60 yards to three feet. He’s really pleased with that scramble; it augurs well for a calm mind. A two-putt par for Rose’s playing partner Bob MacIntyre. England and Scotland’s finest remain at -12.
A final round of 74 for the Philly club pro Braden Shattuck. He ends the week at -1, seven shots ahead of Jeremy Wells, the only other one of the 21 PGA club pros who competed this week to make the cut. None of the drama provided by last year’s low club pro, but what happened to Michael Block 12 months ago was outrageous and quite special. (As if to illustrate, Block began his tournament this year bogey-quadruple bogey, and missed the cut. Golf!)
Par down the last for Brooks Koepka, who ends the defence of his title with a staunch 66. He finishes the week at -9. Meanwhile a dismal start for Harris English, the Georgian sending his opening tee shot into thick rough on the left, from which he could only find more on the other side of the hole. After a visit to a bunker, a double-bogey was the inevitable result. He clatters down the standings to -8 in short order.
Another birdie for Keegan Bradley. This one thanks to a 30-foot rake across 4. The 2011 champion – still the last man to win a major on debut, and only the third in history behind Francis Ouimet (1913 US Open) and Ben Curtis (2003 Open) – moves up to -11. It’s probably time to get some leaderboard on.
-15: Morikawa, Schauffele
-14: Theegala
-13: Lowry, DeChambeau, Hovland
-12: Rose, MacIntyre
-11: Bradley (4), Burmester
-10: Detry (3), Eckroat (2), Finau (1), Thomas (1), Hodges
Looking back, it should have been pretty obvious that Scottie Scheffler wasn’t going to win after the surreal incident with the peelers on Friday morning. He got back to Valhalla in time to card a jaw-droppingly dogged 66, but the mental cost must have been immense, and yesterday’s 73 was a bit of a low-energy fiasco that could have been a whole lot worse. He’s not really shifting the needle today; bogey at 1, birdie at 5, and he remains where he started at -7 through seven underwhelming holes. Time to recharge the batteries by spending some time at home with the new arrival … and OK, I’ve not quite thought that through, but you get the general gist. He’ll be back and firing on all cylinders again soon enough. Watch out Pinehurst!
It wasn’t to be for poor old Rory this week (pt XXXVIII in an ongoing series). McIlroy takes a shy at the short par-four 4th from the tee, but ends up on a grassy knoll to the side of the green. He whips out, his ball sailing through the green and over the other side, into more thick stuff, where he finds himself shortsided. But then he stabs delightfully out to three feet, such a fine mixture of power and delicacy, and scrambles his par. He remains at -7, and thoughts will already be turning to Pinehurst next month.
A slight lull in the action as we wait for the leading players to hit the course. Time, then, to pay our respects to the week’s breakout star: Li’l Tort! Just look at him. He loves you. We love him. Natural history enthusiast Peter Alliss would have got at least 20 minutes of solid riffing out of this little dude. There’ll never be another, you know.
Tommy Fleetwood only just made the cut on Friday evening. A birdie on 16 and eagle on 18 meant he was through to the weekend by the skin of his teeth. Anyway, he’s taken advantage of the opportunity afforded to him by the last two rounds, following up yesterday’s 69 with a fantastic 65 today. He ends the week on -9. A fine effort, and he’s the new clubhouse leader. But that maiden victory in the USA, never mind at a major, still eludes him.
A fast start for the 2011 champion Keegan Bradley. He whistles his approach at 1 pin high, and strokes in a confident 12-footer for an opening birdie. He’s -10 and probably too far back … but then there’s certainly a very low score out there today, a fact Kurt Kitayama is currently demonstrating. Having just made four birdies in his previous six holes, the 34-year-old Californian, who tied for fourth last year, very nearly makes an albatross on the par-five 10th! He creams a fairway wood into the green, the ball seemingly rolling straight into the cup, only to turn a little to the left at the last. Wow. That would have been something else. Sadly the ball rolls eight feet past, and he can’t make the eagle putt coming back, but he’s still four under for his round today and -9 overall.
Rory McIlroy started the day with an extremely slim chance of storming to the top this afternoon. He’s now shifted into pipe-dream territory, having failed to get up and down from a bunker at 1 to slip back to -7. He’s been overtaken on the leaderboard by the defending champion Brooks Koepka, who is finishing the defence of his trophy in style; five birdies and just one bogey through 15, and he’s currently -8 for the week. Yesterday’s shoddy 74, and an uncharacteristically wild seven on the 10th on Friday, have cost him dear.
Yep, there should be some low scoring out there today. It’s warm and calm, and they’re happening on a course that’s been there for the taking pretty much all week. Grayson Murray, who yesterday came so close to making an albatross hole-in-one on the truncated par-four 4th, has finished his week with a 67; Dustin Johnson went one better by shooting 66. Both end the week at -6 overall.
One of the highlights of Jordan Smith’s round was an eagle at 13. That came about by holing out from 111 yards. But it’s worth noting that they’ve moved the tee box up on that hole, making it a risk-reward par-four. Alejandro Tosti showed the rest of the field that fortune can favour the brave, driving the green in spectacular style to set up an eagle of his own. The 27-year-old Argentinian ended the day with a 68 and finishes his debut major at level par.
We’ve already had a couple of 62s this week. We’ve now had a second 64. Justin Rose shot one yesterday; this morning it’s another Englishman, Jordan Smith, who comes back in 31 strokes to post a round of seven under. He ends his week on -7 as well, and is the early clubhouse leader. The 31-year-old from Bath, who finished tied for ninth on his PGA Championship debut in 2017, won’t stay at the top of course, but that’s earned him a few extra pennies today. One of the rounds of the week!
Preamble
Going into the final round of the 1978 PGA Championship, John Mahaffey was seven shots back. He still managed to overhaul Tom Watson to lift the Wanamaker Trophy, still the greatest comeback in tournament history to date. Using that as a benchmark, all of the following players are in with a shout of victory at Valhalla this afternoon:
-15: Morikawa, Schauffele
-14: Theegala
-13: Lowry, DeChambeau, Hovland
-12: Rose, MacIntyre
-11: Burmester
-10: Detry, Eckroat, English, Finau, Thomas, Hodges
-9: Moore, Bradley, Herbert
-8: Matsuyama, Kim, McIlroy, Henley, Spieth
The outliers among them realistically have little chance … but then again there have already been two record-breaking 62s this week, so if someone posts low early doors, you just never know. In any case, it’s been a while since we’ve gone into the Sunday of a major with so many players in with a genuine shout. This promises to be a final round for the ages, maybe even with a play-off tacked onto the end of it. Note to all competitors: NO PROCESSION PLEASE. THANK YOU! Today’s starting times are here. It’s on!
