So here’s how it stands going into the final round, after a mesmeric day’s play. A 66 for Jason Day. 65s for Jordan Spieth and Martin Kaymer. And a 64 for Branden Grace. Justin Rose’s excellent 68 looks positively average by comparison. But all five men could win tomorrow. And then some others. It promises to be a classic. You can’t afford to miss it. Please join us as these sharp-shooting geniuses take their final shots at glory. Nighty night!
-15: Day
-13: Spieth
-12: Grace, Rose
-11: Kaymer
-10: Finau, Jones
-9: D Johnson, Lahiri
-8: Kuchar, Horschel, Holmes
-7: Koepka, Snedeker, Henley, Coetzee
Day’s birdie putt shaves the left-hand edge of the cup, and he’ll have to settle for par at the last. A spin of frustration, and he doesn’t look particularly happy having come so close to a birdie that’d have given him a three-shot lead going into the final round. But he’s shot 66, leads by two from Jordan Spieth, and it could have been a hell of a lot worse after that double on 14.
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Jones isn’t far away from holing a huge left-to-right breaker from the front of the green. He taps in for a par, and a fairly depressing 73. He’s one of only two players in the top 24 to shoot an over-par round - Brendan Steele was the other. He’s -10, and not out of it. But realistically, he is out of it.
Back on the tee, Day whistles his drive into the setting sun. He’s down the left of the fairway. Jones is down the right, and he sends his second onto the fringe at the front of the green. Could be worse. But it could be better, as Day lifts a controlled 9-iron pin high to 12 feet. He receives a huge reception from the Whistling Straits gallery.
Rose, from the middle of the 18th fairway, misclubs. His approach is short, and he’ll do well to get up and down from the rough front-left of the green. He bumps up to eight feet. But the par putt slides to the right. He’s signing for a 68, and ends the day at -12. His playing partner David Lingmerth finishes up, having shot a miserable 75. He’s out of it at -4.
And the clubhouse didn’t come into view quickly enough for Tony Finau either. After that bogey at 17, he’s just missed a tiddler for par on 18, pulling a putt to the left from a couple of feet. He ends bogey-bogey, and he’s back in 37, the 25-year-old’s inexperience betraying him a little there. But that’s a decent 69 nonetheless, and he’s -10 going into the final round.
What a game-changer this could be! Jason Day had really lost momentum, but he curls in a huge right-to-left breaker from 25 feet on 17 for birdie! It was clearly on its way, and just before it dropped Day went walking after it, Jack Nicklaus style, in celebration. When it eventually dropped he clenched his fist and screamed a hearty YES. He knows what that means, after the double at 15, the par at the gimme-birdie 16th, and the antics of Jordan Spieth. He’s -15 again, a fine bounce back! Jones however can’t roll in his short putt, and it’s a double bogey. He’s back to -10, and his head’s gone.
-15: Day (17)
-13: Spieth (F), Rose (17)
-12: Grace (F)
-11: Kaymer (F), Finau (17)
This is going horribly wrong for Matt Jones. Like Finau before him, he fails to get his chip up onto the green. He batters his ball into the side of the bank. But then a fantastic lob, spanked up onto the green in a mixture of desperation, exasperation and impatience. It lands five feet from the hole! Like Finau before him, he’ll have a chance to escape with bogey!
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Par for Rose on 17. Coming behind, Jones hooks his tee shot into Finau Country down the ridge to the left of the green. Day finds the middle of the green.
-14: Day (16)
-13: Spieth (F), Rose (17)
-12: Grace (F), Jones (17)
-11: Kaymer (F), Finau (17)
-10: Lahiri (17)
-9: D Johnson (F)
Day’s ball on 16 had just rolled into the thick stuff at the back - but it’s buried, and can only be punched out to 15 feet. He can’t roll in the birdie effort, and it’s a par that’ll feel like a dropped shot. Especially when he finds out what Spieth’s been up to. Six threes in a row for Day, and he’s followed it up 6-5. He still leads by one stroke from Spieth and Rose - but not Jones, who can’t get up and down from the rough, and cards a second bogey in a row. He’s back to -12, and wears the look of a man who knows his chances of winning an unlikely major have reduced significantly today.
Spieth makes his birdie putt on 18! It was never going anywhere but into the centre of the cup! As he punches the air and bounds around in the youthful style, the galleries descend into bedlam, in celebration of his 65. Back in 30 strokes, a blemish-free round that raises him to -13, one off the lead! What a wonderful, wonderful player Jordan Spieth is. He’s something else. Nothing was going for him on the front nine, but he kept plugging away, and eventually exploded into action. A talent - and an attitude - beyond compare.
-14: Day (15)
-13: Spieth (F), Rose (16), Jones (15)
Day smashes his second straight through the back of 16. His ball’s resting against the collar of rough running round the green. Jones could only hack up further down the right of the hole, then sends his third straight through the green and into the aforementioned collar. Up on 17, Finau gets his second chip up the bank to 15 feet, then rams home the bogey putt. That’s a stunning four, really, given how he threatened to melt down for a second there. Finau’s not for melting down! He drops back to -11, but that’s something of an escape after that dreadful tee shot and half-baked attempt to chip up.
Rose skelps his second into the front of 16. He’s 50 feet from the flag. His putt travels 49 feet and six inches, and that’s a birdie that moves him to within a shot of Day’s lead at -13. Back down the hole, Day splits the fairway, while Jones - whose driving has got pretty tatty - finds himself in the rough down the right. Meanwhile Finau’s tee shot at 17 disappears down the cliff to the left of the green. He’s got a terrible lie, and mishits horribly, the ball only squirting halfway up the bank. All of a sudden, Spieth is the only player out here looking in complete control of his emotions. And he splits the fairway at 18, before arrowing his second pin high to eight feet. That’s an astonishing shot even by his astonishing standards! This third round keeps twisting and turning. Goodness knows what’s going to happen tomorrow!
Day takes two putts, as expected. And double bogeys, as expected. Jones should save his par, but pushes a straight putt to the right. Nerves kicking in, it would seem. And not just on 15. Finau, to the right of the 16th green, sends a crisp chip out of thick rough to four feet. He’ll have that for birdie. But he leaves it out to the right. He stays at -12. Look at this leaderboard now!
-14: Day (15)
-13: Jones (15)
-12: Grace (F), Spieth (17), Finau (16), Rose (15)
-11: Kaymer (F)
On 15, Jones splashes out to eight feet. But Day can’t get his ball out. He splashes, gives up on the swing, and the ball stays in the bunker. Before he can have another go, up on 17, Spieth rolls in his birdie effort, and the gallery goes wild! That’s five birdies in the last seven holes for Spieth, who had been the forgotten man for large chunks of this afternoon’s play! He’s -12. And currently four off Day’s lead. But Day - who escapes second time around - is almost certainly about to double bogey. What a dramatic turnaround this is!
Day creams his drive down the middle of 15. Jones loses his a little to the right, but seems to have a decent enough lie. Up on 16, Spieth rolls his 100-foot eagle putt up to two or three feet, an astonishing touch. In goes the birdie effort, and he’s -11. And then he draws a gorgeous iron into 17, the ball gently curling right to left to 15 feet. Maybe 12. If that goes in, the leaderboard may have quite a different look about it. Especially as Day and Jones have both pulled their approaches at 15 into a bunker!
Day slaps down his second at 14 a mere 18 inches from the hole. It spins four feet back, but he’ll surely make birdie from there. Jones flirts with the bunker front-right of the green. His ball rests on the fringe. And he rattles in the birdie putt from 18 feet! What an effort! He moves to -14. He’s still two behind, though, as Day knocks in his putt for yet another birdie. He’s seven under for his round. He’s just carded six threes in a row: 3-3-3-3-3-3! He’s -16. Meanwhile up on hole 16, Spieth’s second looks like drifting left into the rough, but takes a huge lucky bounce off a sprinkler head at a right-angle and nestles on the green. A long two putts for birdie, but it’s better than the alternative. Par for Finau at 15 but bogey for Lahiri. And on 18, Dustin Johnson pars for a 68, and ends his day at -9.
-16: Day (14)
-14: Jones (14)
-12: Grace (F), Finau (15), Rose (14)
-11: Kaymer (F)
-10: Spieth (15)
A very decent two-putt for Spieth on 15 from 90 feet. That’s a par that keeps him in decent nick. Yes, he’s five behind the lead. But supposing things stay roughly like this: anyone going out a few groups earlier, and rattling in a few early statement birdies, may put the fear into whoever’s leading. Quite a few people will fancy their chances tomorrow. And of course there’s still time to effect a change today. Spieth’s just crunched a monster drive down the par-five 16th. An eagle here would cause a few ripples up the leaderboard.
Finau responds to that three-putt bogey at 13 by wedging his second to three feet at 14. This just doesn’t stop. In it goes, and he’s back to -12. On 13, Rose sees a downhill 20-foot right-to-left slider drift by the high side. Par. Jones misses the fairway down the left of 13, and sends his ball into the portion of the green from which Finau three-putted a few moments earlier. Day doesn’t go particularly close either. Jones gets up and down for par. But from 17 feet, Day smoothly works a right-to-left drifter into the centre of the cup. Always going in! A birdie that takes him to -15, two shots clear at the top! Meanwhile Rose wedges to six feet at 14, and this time he’s not missing the short putt. Birdie, and he’s -12.
-15: Day (13)
-13: Jones (13)
-12: Grace (F), Finau (14), Rose (14)
-11: Kaymer (F)
-10: Spieth (14), Lahiri (14)
Jones is faced with a long two putt up 12 to save his par. He lags the first one up brilliantly. “Good putt,” Day tells his compatriot. In the heat of this crazy battle, that’s a lovely touch. Jones taps in for par. Day has stuck his tee shot 15 feet from the flag. Day again: “I had a good line but I didn’t hit it.” Another par. And another birdie for Dustin Johnson, at 16; he’s -9, and not out of this at all.
It is, to quote Danny Boon, all happening. For the record, Rose was faced with a four-footer on 12 to save his par. Not ideal after that miss on 11. But he tapped it in to stay at -11. Finau three-putts 13, and drops to -11. It wasn’t so long ago that he was in the lead; now he’s three back. Spieth pulls his approach to 14, but then so nearly steers in a 25-footer for a fourth birdie in a row. But he stays at -10. This is golfing insanity. It’s as good as it gets. Meanwhile here are some golfing monickers, courtesy of Simon McMahon: “Golf nicknames (1). Tony ‘Phenom’ Finau. Golf Nicknames (2). Jason ‘Beautiful’ Day. Golf nicknames (3). Jordan ‘Special’ Speith. Golf nicknames (4). Sergio ‘More crushing though not entirely unexpected disappointment’ Garcia.”
Day blooters a mammoth drive down 11. Then he Justin Roses one pin high to six feet. He’ll have a wonderful look at eagle. Jones is through the back in two. He chips up to two feet and taps in for eagle. He leads at -13 again. But only for a few seconds, because Day guides in a gentle right-to-left slider for his eagle, and he’s -14! The new leader! This is one of the greatest days of major-championship golf in years!
-14: Day (11)
-13: Jones (11)
-12: Grace (F), Finau (12)
-11: Kaymer (F), Rose (12)
-10: Spieth (13), Lahiri (12)
This is a simply astonishing day’s golf. Finau duffs his chip from the side of 12, then rattles in the 20-foot par saver. Lahiri makes his birdie to move to -10. Coetzee birdies 11 to move to -9. Dustin Johnson has been mounting a quiet comeback, with birdies at 6, 11 and recently 14: he’s -8. And on 13, right now, Spieth gets the ball screeching to a halt six feet from the cup. He’ll have a short one for a third birdie in a row. And it’s in! He’s -10! A super-surge from the man looking to become the first player to win all three US-based majors in the same calendar year! That putt Rose missed, though. Dear me. Two feet, if that.
Grace splashes out from the bunker and sends his ball scampering into the cup! A birdie at the last, and he’s signing for a 64! He’s the co-leader now, too, at -12! He’s met there by Jason Day, who sends an average chip into 10, but rolls the 20-footer back in to the cup for birdie! Justin Rose should move to that mark as well, but it’s the miss of the week, a short prod for eagle lipping out. So careless. Birdie, and he moves to -11, but he’ll feel like he’s dropped one. And such a stunning approach, too. Finally, the last line of an insane rat-a-tat chapter: two putts for Kaymer from 30 feet, and he secures par and a 65. He’s -11, one off the lead. Grace and Kaymer clasp hands warmly as they congratulate each other.
Something pretty big for Justin Rose on 11. He’s battered a huge drive down the middle of the fairway, then lashed a three-bounce long iron pin high to two feet. He’ll have that for eagle, and a share of the lead! Lahiri clips his tee shot at the short par-three 12th to eight feet. Finau has ballooned his wedge through the green. Kaymer and Grace split the fairway at 18. Kaymer fizzes his second into the green, and will have a putt for a 64. But Grace has left his second short, and could be in trouble there, the ball dumped into a bunker at the front. He’ll do well to get up and down from that. Or so you’d think ...
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So did you think Jordan Spieth was out of this? Of course you didn’t! And after all those pars, he’s finally notched another birdie. Two of them, First at 11, then another at 12. He’s back, baby. He moves to -9. Coming behind him is Tony Finau, who crashes his second into the middle of the 11th green. The 25-year-old from Salt Lake City is left with a 15-foot uphill eagle putt, but he lets it die to the right. Birdie is enough to take the big man into a share of the lead, though.
-12: Jones (9), Finau (11)
-11: Kaymer (17), Grace (17), Day (9)
-10: Rose (10)
But elsewhere, there’s big news: Kaymer rolling in a huge right-to-left curler from 50 feet on 17! He holds out both arms in celebration, a rare show of emotion for the big, quiet 2010 champ. He’s seven under for his round, and -11 overall! He’s just two off the lead! Actually, make that one, because Jones underhits his chip from the fringe, and can’t knock in the 12-foot saver. Two bogeys all week, and they’ve both come at this hole. He’s back to -12. And then Day knocks in his birdie putt. He’s out in 34, up to -11, and the picture suddenly looks very different. This is brilliant.
-12: Jones (9)
-11: Kaymer (17), Grace (17), Finau (10), Day (9)
-10: Rose (9)
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It’s beginning to look like Jones has decided to play the ball where it landed, from the hospitality stand. It’s a good lie on the beer-stained carpet, in fairness. This is wonderful, and somehow very Australian. While he gets everyone to shift, Day takes his shot, arrowing the ball to ten feet, a marvellous approach. Then Jones lashes his ball out of the marquee, and into the rough by the side of the green! That’s pretty damn good from there. The best shot played out of a public bar all week.
The leader Jones has hooked his drive at 9 into the hospitality stand. The ball nestles next to some happy reveller chugging on a tin of booze. He’ll get a free drop, but goodness knows where. Day finds the first cut down the left of the hole. Rose meanwhile is making a move, with birdie at 9. He’s out in 34, a pretty fine performance given that double bogey and egregious three putt at 4. He’s -10.
Kaymer bombs his second into the par-five 16th, 20 feet from the flag. A good look at eagle. But his putt slips by on the right. He’s tapping in for birdie, though, and he moves to -10. His partner Grace, meanwhile, matches his score on the hole. The birdie takes him into a share of second with Finau at -11. Meanwhile another birdie chance goes by the wayside for Horschel, this time on 14. His effort from 15 feet stays out on the left, when it surely should have gently kicked right and in. Strange. But he stays at -9.
A great up and down from the side of 8 by Day. He remains at -10. He’s three behind the leader Jones, who has made just one bogey all week so far, at the 9th hole on the opening day! That’s some going. Speaking of bogey free, here’s news of Jordan Spieth. He reached the turn in 35 shots. One under par, but the birdie came at 1. He would have been looking for more. Eight pars in a row, though. Nine, in fact, as he’s just parred 10. He’s got something of the Faldo in him, for sure. A metronomic brilliance. He’ll probably be a smidgen more popular in America, though.
But Jones, who has little experience in the majors, let alone in leading them, looks pretty calm himself. He sensibly hoicks a chip up from the dirt into the heart of the big green. He’ll have two putts to save his par. His playing partner Day is in more bother, though: from the centre of the fairway, he’s pulled his approach into thick hoo-hah down the left. Meanwhile Horschel sends his wedge at 13 to six feet, and should make it four birdies in a row, but he pushes his putt to the right. The par keeps him at -9.
Finau is in the thick stuff down the right of 9. He powers out and sends his ball scampering pin high, to eight feet. That’s a wonderful effort from there. Lahiri follows him in from the middle of the fairway. Both men will have good look at birdie. Lahiri leaves his left-to-right curler out on the high side. He stays at -8. But Finau gently caresses his birdie putt into the middle of the cup. Never missing. He looks calmness personified. He’s out in 32 strokes, and at -11 is just two off the lead. And Jones has just sprayed his drive into trouble down the right of 8. We live in interesting times.
Day flays his tee shot at 7 into thick nonsense to the left of the hole. But he smoothly bumps a chip up to a couple of feet, and will save his par. His playing partner Jones very nearly rakes home a 40-footer for birdie. His flat stick has been red hot this week. Par. Meanwhile it’s three birdies on the bounce for Horschel, who rolls in a 20-footer on the par-three 12th. He’s -9.
Rare Dyeabolical birdies? Pah! Birdie for Brooks Koepka on 18. He signs for an excellent 67, and goes into the final day at -7. And then his partner Rory, having creamed his second to six feet, matches the birdie. But he’s only - only! - shot 68. He’s -6. It could have been better. It could have been worse. Can Rory retain his title? Much depends on what the leaders do, and he probably needs Matt Jones to suffer a collapse. It’s all very unlikely, but he’s not quite out of this yet.
Justin Rose knocks his tee shot at 7 to ten feet, and pops in the birdie putt. He’s -9 now, and in credit for the day for the first time since that double at 4. Meanwhile up on 18, Ernie Els slides a long birdie putt across the green and into the hole. A rare Dyeabolical birdie! The Big Easy’s come back in 32 strokes, having plodded along the front nine in 37. He’s -5 overall, and flings his ball into the stand as the gallery show their appreciation for one of the game’s greats. It’s bedlam.
It continues to happen left, right and centre. Birdie for Kuchar at 12, following up the one at 11. He moves to -8. Matsuyama is close to raking in a huge eagle putt up 11, but birdie is good enough, and takes him to -8. Horschel had bogeyed 8, but back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 bring him up to -8. Lahiri bogeys 7 to drop to -8. And Jones and Day both wedge close at 6, but it’s only the leader who can convert for birdie.
-13: Jones (6)
-10: Grace (14), Finau (7), Day (6)
-9: Kaymer (14)
Finau, who has the air of a quiet, gentle, elegant giant, registers his third birdie of the day. This one comes at 7, an iron whooshed to 15 feet, the putt smoothly guided in. He’s -10, just a couple off the lead. Martin Kaymer should be in that group too. He’s just spun his approach at 14 to a couple of feet, nearly holing out for eagle. He knocks in the birdie putt to move to -9. But that short missed putt on the 13th, eh? Lingmerth is making a holy mess of the short par-four 6th. He’s down a bank by the green, chipping up in four. He’ll be playing five from the other side, having just thinned one straight across the putting surface. He ends up draining a 15-footer to save double bogey. He’s back to -6.
A 67 for Patrick Reed, by the way, to follow yesterday’s 69. He’s -5 overall, and will be thinking about that opening-day 75 right now. Not this year, but there’ll be a major for Reed sometime soon. Meanwhile birdie for Rory at the par-five 16th. He’s back to -5. And wasn’t too far from eagle. Fair’s fair, he’s playing brilliantly in fits and starts. But he’s seven off the lead, and surely has too much to do.
Another birdie for Branden Grace. That’s three in a row, this time at 13. He’s -10. Kaymer was inside him, but he lets his birdie effort slide by. He stays at -8, and has a look of grave disappointment spread all across his coupon. A similar look plays across Spieth’s boat, as he prods with great uncertainty at a very makeable birdie effort on 7. He needs to catch a fire. Meanwhile par for the leader Jones on 5, but his lead is now only two. Thanks to the aforementioned Grace, of course, but also Day, who blootered his second at the par-five 5th into the swale to the right of the green, but chipped up wonderfully to a couple of feet and tapped in for bird. He’s -10. Still no par for Day.
-12: Jones (5)
-10: Grace (13), Day (5)
-9: Finau (6), Lahiri (6)
A pulled wedge into 6 costs Spieth another chance of birdie. He’s not quite clicking yet. But you know how he rolls. Plenty of time to explode. Casey’s tee shot into 12 curls round from the left to eight feet, but the par putt stays out on the high side. Birdie for Lingmerth at 5, a 15-footer confidently rolled in from the back. And his partner Rose makes birdie too, which is quite a result seeing he nearly put his second into water, and was forced to play his approach in the style of Jean van de Velde, socks and shoes off, trousers rolled up, standing in the drink. And young Justin Thomas has made a move, with birdies at 11, 13 and now 14. He’s five under for his round, and -7 overall.
-12: Jones (4)
-9: Grace (12), Finau (5), Lahiri (5), Day (4)
-8: Kaymer (12), Coetzee (7), Rose (5), Lingmerth (5)
-7: Schwartzel (16), Smith (14), Thomas (14), Casey (12), Kuchar (11), Matsuyama (10), Spieth (6)
Rory, gent that he is, goes over to apologise to the chap he just clattered. A friendly scene. Smiles, and a clap on the back. His ball’s rebounded into the bunker, and he splashes out onto the green. But he’s not too close to the flag. He can’t make the 20-foot par putt, and he’s back to -4. Meanwhile George Coetzee is making a move. A 65 yesterday, and he’s far from finished. Birdies at 1, 5 and now 7, and he’s -8.
It’s all happening! Kaymer’s tee shot into 12 isn’t much to write home about. But he rattles in a 50-footer from the fringe, and that birdie takes him to -8. His playing partner Grace had guided his tee shot rather brilliantly to six feet, and he strokes in the deserved birdie effort. He’s -9! Paul Casey has had a rollercoaster day. Bogeys at 1, 2 and 4, birdies at 3, 5 and 6, and he was out in level-par 36. But he’s birdied 10, and now raked in a 30-footer for eagle on 11, and he’s -7! And the excellent young big-hitting prospect Tony Finau birdies 5, and moves into second place alongside his playing partner Anirban Lahiri, who pars. They’re both -9.
McIlroy, from the centre of the 15th fairway, pulls his second into the crowd. He hits some poor punter upside the head. His game’s nearly there, but not quite. Birdie for Grace on 11; he moves to -8. His playing partner Kaymer nearly stroked one in from the fringe, 40 feet away, but has to settle for par and stays at -7. Day drops another stroke at 4, a result of missing the fairway with his tee shot. Birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey. Phil Mickelson would be proud. So would Greg Norman, come to think about it. Par for Jones, who is three clear again.
So here are a couple of young men going along very well. Cameron Smith, the 21-year-old Australian who tied for fourth at the US Open, bogeyed 4, but then birdied 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 and now 13. He’s five under for his round, and -7 now, in a tie for fifth. Meanwhile Hideki Matsuyama has reached the turn in 33 with birdies at 5, 8 and 9. He’s -7 too. Jordan Spieth is at -7 as well, but isn’t so happy having just faffed around the green at the par-five 5th, failing to secure the birdie he clearly wanted. He’s not looking particularly pleased as he trudges off.
Rory has a fortunate bounce off a bank to the right of the 14th green, the ball breaking towards the pin, resting ten feet from the flag. A bonus look at birdie, but it’s not one he can take advantage of. He stays at -5. Trouble for Lingmerth, meanwhile, down 4. He’s chipping in three from thick rough, and sends it straight over the green into more bother. He chips back to 15 feet - then raps the bogey putt straight into the cup. He’s back to -7, but that’ll feel like he’s got away with it, so badly did he play the hole. Rose had bumbled up the hole too, and he left himself a long par putt from the back. He severely underhits it, then loses his temper after the bogey putt lips out. He ostentatiously prods at the green, but that three-putt was most certainly his fault. A double bogey, and he’s back to -7.
Well, if Day’s tee shot was stunning, then the sand escape of Jones is something else. It’s splashed up a 12-foot bank and dropped carefully onto the green, a couple of feet from the pin. There wasn’t much green to play with there. Delicate brilliance. He saves his par. What an up and down. Day slots away his birdie putt, though, and he’s back to -10, so the lead is now only two strokes.
Another birdie for Martin Kaymer at 10. He moves quietly, and elegantly, to -7. He’s been steady all week. If he can put a real burst of form together, 2010’s winner here could take a little beating. Schwartzel’s second at 14 hits the flag and spins back to six feet, but he can’t knock in the birdie putt. So close to eagle. But par it is. He stays at -7. Meanwhile back on 3, the leader Jones very nearly sails his tee shot into the drink on the left, but the ball catches the very last snatch of sand. He’ll have a hellish bunker shot up the bank. And there could be a bit of a swing at the top, because Day’s tee shot is a contender for the best of the week, arrowed straight at the flag, and stopping a couple of feet short. For a quick second, that looked as though it was heading in for a hole in one. Stunning shot. And an aggressive line, because that flag is quite close to the left-hand edge, by the side of the cliff Jones finds himself halfway down.
Day, both feet out of the bunker and leaning down, does well to blast out of the green. But he can only get to within 25 feet, and that’s a bogey six. He’s back to -9. Jones two-putts for his par, and at -12, now enjoys a three-shot lead. Rose very nearly repeats his long-putting antics of 1 on the par-three 3rd. He taps in for par. Lingmerth sent his tee shot to 12 feet, and strokes in the birdie putt. He’s -8 now. Birdie for Rory at 13; he’s back to -5. But he’s effectively been treading water since that eagle at 5. Up on 18, Rickie Fowler pars and signs for a 70; he’s -3. Like Rory, he had a better 2014 than 2015 in the majors.
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Pars for Lahiri and Finau at 3. Pars for Rose and Lingmerth at 2. Then Jones and Day both find a little trouble down the left of 2. They’re near the green at the par-five hole in two big booms, but well to the left of it, in tufty grass and sand respectively. Day thins his third through the green and into a bunker at the back - and he’s plugged, with no stance. Ulp. Jones manages to bump his ball onto the green, so should save par. But Day’s got quite a poser coming up. Meanwhile an uncharacteristically lame approach to 4 by Spieth. He leaves himself a 60 footer from the front of the green - and more characteristically, nearly drains it. Par will suffice.
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Rory is over. He’s just fired his tee shot at the short par-three 12th through the green. He chips up well from thick nonsense, to six feet, but misses the short putt. The bogey drops him back to -4. In the context of his return from injury, this is a superb performance - he’s only just off the pace in a hectic race for the season’s last major title - but at this rarefied level, he’s simply not tournament sharp.
A fast start by Billy Horschel, who is wearing some very strident strides. Day-glo green. He’d have cut quite the dash at nightclubs in 1992. Birdies at 2, 3 and 5, and he’s in the mix at -7. Birdie for Tony Finau at 2, then his playing partner Lahiri follows him in for a birdie-birdie start. And birdies for both Day and Jones on the opening hole, the pair not just peppering the flag but also dusting it with paprika and chilli. Both of them nearly hole their approaches! Wow. They mean business. A pair of statement birdies.
-12: Jones (1)
-10: Day (1)
-9: Lahiri (2), Rose (1)
-8: Finau (2)
-7: Schwartzel (12), Grace (7), Kuchar (7), Horschel (5), Spieth (3), Lingmerth (1)
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Everyone who is anyone is out on the course now. The final pairing of Jason Day and leader Matt Jones have teed off. Day makes a statement by crashing an absolute monster down the middle, then performing a little triple-step shuffle as he glides off the tee and away down the fairway. He looks like he means business. Only time will tell.
Rory bumbles his way up the par-five 11th. Never in control, he hacks from the rough on one side to the other, chunks a chip, and then nearly drains a long birdie putt. But that’s par at a hole that’s been cashiering birdies, and he permits himself a lovely rasping “fucksake”. Hey, it’s after the watershed. Spieth crashes his drive down the middle of 2, but isn’t long enough to reach the par-five green with his second. His chip into the green is extremely average. Par’s all he’ll get there, though he’s not far away from draining a 30-footer. He stays at -7. Kaymer rolls a 40-footer across 8 and into the cup for birdie. He’s -6. And what a start for Justin Rose! He can only find the front of the green with his second from the rough, but rolls a 50-footer straight into the cup! He’s -9, and that’ll annoy his playing partner Lingmerth, who sent his second to six feet, then missed the birdie putt. He stays at -7.
A birdie for Rory on 10. He really needed that after an average few holes. He’s -5 again. Another birdie for Grace, this time raking in a long putt across 7. He moves to the group at -7, which now also contains his compatriot Charl Schwartzel, who makes it three birdies in a row at 11. Meanwhile Justin Rose is out, and the very first thing he does is scream FORE RIGHT! But he gets a reasonable break, a lie in a little bald patch amid the rough. His playing partner David Lingmerth isn’t as wild, his drive only a little down the left, but he gets punished with a tight lie. Up on the green, Lahiri, coming off his best finish in a major at the Open, a tie for 30th, hopes to do very much better this weekend. A good start today, with birdie, having wedged to five feet.
-11: Jones
-9: Day
-8: Lahiri (1), Rose
-7: Schwartzel (11), Grace (7), Spieth (1), Lingmerth, Finau
Jordan Spieth is out and about, and wasting no time. His second into 1 isn’t that great, but he guides in a right-to-left slider from 2o feet for an instant birdie. He joins Lingmerth, Lahiri and Finau at -7. Meanwhile news of Big Dustin, whose approach to 1 wasn’t all that. He made par nonetheless, and followed it up with birdie at 2, despite driving into a little trouble. He’s not driven well this week, it’ll probably be his undoing. A tee shot was certainly his undoing at 3, an iron pulled down the bank to the side of the par three. He can’t get up and down, and the shot he picked up at 2 is handed straight back.
With Boo, Phil and Jason Bohn back in the clubhouse, we need a new Hot Property out on the course. Step forward Robert Streb, who has birdied 1, 3, 6, 11 and now 12. All of a sudden, he’s -6. Streb had a good US Open and an excellent Open. Perhaps he’s banking on that pattern continuing. Whatever happens, he’s announced himself as a major player this year. Charl Schwartzel meanwhile has just carded his fourth birdie of the day: 4, 5, 9 and now 10. He’s -6 too. As is Branden Grace, who came so close at Chambers Bay: birdies at 1 and 5 for him. The leaderboard is going to start seriously moving soon.
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Rory was in a bit of trouble down the right of 9. Halfway up a bank, he lashes his second into the green, though he still has a 55-footer facing him. He rolls it up to a couple of feet, a fine putt, and saves his par. A decent scramble considering where his tee shot left him, but he needs something more than this. He’s out in 34 strokes, -4 for the tournament. Meanwhile up on 18, Mickelson flops majestically to a couple of feet, and that’s a par for 66. He’s -5 overall. As is Bohn, who taps in to replicate his playing partner’s card. Sort of. He’s signing for 66 too, and is -5 overall as well. But he made six birdies and no bogeys. Phil made nine birdies and three bogeys. And six pars! Don’t forget the pars. What a round. What an entertainer.
The camera lied to us. As, by extrapolation, did Bucks Fizz. One for our international audience to ignore, there. Anyway, Mickelson’s drive at 18 is in fact on the fairway, down a dip near a bunker. But not in it. He can take a free shy at the green, but comes up short. He’s found trouble this time, some tufty grass near greenside sand. He could do with getting up and down from there for his 66. His playing partner Bohn is in bother too: he really did find sand down the right, and could only chip out. He’s playing three into the green - but he replicates Weekley’s wedge into the green, and will have a six-footer for par and his 66.
In fact, in honour of Weekley’s 65, here’s a first look at the third-round leaderboard:
-11: Jones
-9: Day
-8: Rose
-7: Lingmerth, Finau, Lahiri
-6: Weekley (F), Kuchar (3), Spieth, Piercy, Steele
Mickelson drives into sand down the left of 18. This is the toughest hole on the course, averaging nearly 4.5, though it’s playing easier than yesterday, when it was playing 4.8. This morning, Justin Rose described the par he secured there as “like a birdie”. Up the hole, the super-hot Boo Weekley chips out from the sand he’d driven into, but clips his approach to six feet and rattles in the putt. That’s great to see, it would have been heartbreaking for the big man to drop back at the very last hole. Eight birdies and one bogey, and he’s signing for a superlative 65. What Matt Jones, Jason Day and Justin Rose would pay for a card like that. He’s -6 for the tournament, and the early third-round clubhouse leader.
Did I say Rory was facing a 50-footer for his par on 8? Make it 90 feet. He severely underhits it, too, and wanders after it with his head in his hands. He’s still got ten feet to cover. He knows the jig might already be up. But he rolls in the bogey putt, and that may be a strange sort of momentum shifter. He did well to avoid a double in the end. But still, that’s the eagle on 5 gone within three holes. Not ideal if he wants to give the leading pack something to think about.
A fast start for Matt Kuchar, with birdies at 1 and 3. Now there’s somebody who’s due a major. He’s always there or thereabouts during the third round, and the first few holes of the fourth. But he so rarely finds himself involved in the real nitty gritty. He’s due a real run at a title. Maybe this is it. He’s -6.
Another birdie for Phil Mickelson. He’d dropped a shot on 15, and three-putted the par-five 16th, but he grabs it back at the par-three 17th by sinking a 25-foot putt up the hill. It brings him back up to -5. If Whistling Straits had a roof, etc. More trouble for McIlroy, meanwhile, who is in danger of laying waste his brilliant start. He’s driven into the sand down the left of 8 and, right up against the lip, can only lay up. And finds more sand! An up and down from distance is required to save his par, but he’s not prepared to be bold with the pin not far from the bank at the back-right of the green. And he doesn’t really hit it. He’ll have to sink a 50-footer to save his par, and in fact he’ll do well just to make bogey.
Here comes Big Dustin! He pumps a huge drive down the track, though it toys with the thick stuff for a second along the left. He hops around on one leg as he peers after it. On 3, Casey has only found the front of a large green, but he rakes in a 40-footer to reclaim one of the two shots he’s dropped. He’s back to -3. And up on 18, Tyrrell Hatton - who three-putted 17 to drop his first stroke of the day - pars the difficult last hole. He signs for an excellent 68. This is a brilliant Stateside major debut. He’s -3 overall, and well placed to enjoy the final round, if not to seriously compete.
While Casey was starting out with a couple of bogeys, his playing partner Hunter Mahan was making birdies. He’s already up to -6, alongside Boo Weekley, the highest placed duo out on the course. Weekley was a turn away from knocking in a long birdie putt from the fringe at 17, but par will do. McIlroy’s tee shot at the par-three 7th was bang average, only finding the front of the huge green, but he very nearly drained another monster putt. Not quite.
At 16 Jason Bohn has sunk another birdie. “Every time I hear his name I think of Matt Damon,” Monty says on Sky. Err! And on that note, I’m off in to the sunset to leave Scott take you through the remainder of what promises to be a wonderful evening.
Momentum checked by one of the deepest bunkers on the course: McIlroy’s putt is short and he drops a shot, taking the shine off that eagle a hole previous. Paul Casey has bogeyed the first two holes, meanwhile – he ran in to trouble on the second tee and his third was left short of the green for an incredibly tough par putt. That’s left short and he is now down to -3 in the passing of a few minutes..
Boo Weekley has birdied 8 to join McIlroy on -6, though the latter could well drop a shot with this testing putt having found himself in trouble at that bunker. Up on 11, Rickie Fowler has sunk an eagle putt. He is now -3.
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Temper those expectations McIlroy fans. His second on 6 is short to the right of the green and finds sand. He will require a deft touch with his wedge … but instead the Northern Irishman hammers it and gets a little lucky with the ball hitting the pin. It zooms about eight feet past the hole but without that deflection it would have been far, far worse. A little further back, Donald has birdied 5 to move to -4.
Having made it on to page one of the leaderboard with that attempt, McIlroy’s tee shot on the sixth is right down the middle of the fairway.
@alansmith90 Kucher to make a move on "moving day", I think it'll be a "moving JDay" he's got the game & he's chomping at the bit 4 a major.
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) August 15, 2015
Kuchar has just teed off and sits on -4. There have been lots of good scores on the front nine, so if that prediction is to be accurate, you sense he needs a strong start.
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Rory McIlroy eagles the fifth with a stunning putt! Absolutely everything about that was perfect – it’s the opposite side of the green and he sinks a perfectly-paced effort bang in the middle of the hole. He is -4 through five holes and is in a tie for seventh, -6 for the tournament. Victor Dubuisson, having three-putted to bogey 17, leaves a birdie chance short on 18 and finishes the round with a par. He went round -5 for the third round, -3 for the tournament.
Steve Stricker judges the slope perfectly on the sixth to climb to -3 having also picked up a shot on the first. On 4, Luke Donald sinks an absolute monster birdie putt – all of 40m, perhaps – to move on to -3.
Promising start for Rory McIlroy who birdies the fourth, one of the toughest holes on the course, to move to -2 for the day and -4 for the tournament heading for the par-5 fifth. Donald and Stenson, meanwhile, have parred 3 after those weak tee-shots. Up on 14, Mickelson’s approach sets him up for a 15-foot birdie attempt. It rolls over the left edge of the hole and about a metre and a half past – just a par. Just!
Bubba Watson birdies on the eighth – the hole posting perhaps the best scores on the course so far today – to move on to -2. Back on the third, Luke Donald and Henrik Stenson, donning bright pink and dark red trousers, find the green with their tee shots. It is, we should say, a very big green and both are at the opposite side to the pin and are looking at pars. Pink appears to be popular today – Jordan Spieth has emerged from a massage with a bright pink t-shirt, though it’s not a patch on Billy Horschel’s hi-vis green trousers. He’ll be instantly recognisable when he tees off in a little bit.
Hello! Are we all settling in for a pleasant evening of golf? Some beers cooling in the fridge, pizza delivery imminent? If so please send some to Guardian HQ. I’m getting hungry. Anyway, back to the golf … Phil Mickelson has not notched his EIGHTH birdie on the par-four 13th, moving to -5 for the tournament.
In what must qualify as seriously shocking news, Phil Mickelson has just made a par. It’s his third of the day, and it comes at the par-three 12th, the result of a bog-average tee shot into the heart of the green, nowhere near the flag. Two putts, and he remains at -4 for the tournament. His playing partner Jason Bohn has been going well, too, albeit in less ludicrous style. Birdies at 3, 6, 10 and 11, with no bogeys, and he’s -3 overall.
And with that bombshell, I’m off to have some bread and water. I’ll leave you in the warm and loving arms of Alan Smith. See you again in a little while.
Boo Weekley keeps on truckin’. Three more birdies for the big Floridian, at 10, 12 and now 13. He’s six under for his round, and -5 overall. Along with Victor Dubuisson, he’s the hottest thing out there right now. Tyrrell Hatton continues to impress: the 23-year-old, making his Stateside major debut, birdies 14, his fifth of the day, and he’s -4. And a birdie for McIlroy on 2, despite mishitting his drive and leaving himself with a longer approach than usual. He’s up to -3, and if he could have found that one extra joule of energy on his monster putt at 1, we’d be describing the perfect start.
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Also going along like a train: Victor Dubuisson. He’s just creamed his second shot at 15 straight at the flag, the ball rolling up to 12 inches. If that. He’ll tap that in for his sixth birdie of the day, and move to -4. And he’ll be alongside Phil Mickelson, who has just registered his fourth birdie in a row after crashing a long iron greenside at 11 and nearly scuttling a chip in for eagle. Another birdie for Louis Oosthuizen, too, this time at 5. He’s -3.
Nick Watney enjoys Whistling Straits. Most of the time. He led here going into the final round of the 2010 PGA, three strokes ahead of the field, before shooting a final-round 81. A complete collapse, though few remember it now thanks to Dustin Johnson’s club-grounding antics in the sand on 18. He probably owes the big man one for that. Anyway, he’s going nicely again: a bogey at 4, but since then, birdies at 5, 6, 10, 11, 13 and now 14. He’s five under for his round, and -3 overall.
Rory could only find the front of the big green at 1 from the sand. He’s left with a 60-foot putt, and he sends it 60 feet, less the width of one dimple. So close to a spectacular birdie, but par keeps him at -2. He really needs everything to drop today if he’s to have any chance whatsoever of retaining his title. And even then it’s a long shot. Koepka pars to stay at -2. Meanwhile Chesson Hadley continues to move up the leaderboard. A birdie at 8, his fourth of the day, after very nearly holing out from the fairway with his second, and he’s -4.
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Here comes a swashbuckling pairing: Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy. A huge cheer for McIlroy. The American crowds are always appreciative of him, even when he’s traipsing around after Jordan Spieth. He rewards them by flaying a monster drive into sand down the right. Meanwhile another birdie for Mickelson! This time at 10, having clipped his approach to five feet. Just the two pars so far today for Lefty. He’s -3 overall. And it would appear Sergio doubled 3, rather than your common-or-garden par. It’s possible he may have taken two to get up from down the bank. Or taken a drop. Or missed a tiddler. It’s all possible. Oh Sergio!
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Garcia does indeed do something stupid. He takes a needlessly aggressive line at the par-three 3rd, and sends his ball down the huge bank to the left. He can only chip up to 25 feet, and misses the par putt. Back to -1, and the brief hope that he was embarking on a wonderful birdie blitz is extinguished. Another birdie for Chesson Hadley, this time at 6; he’s -3. And Danny Lee is managing to keep things going despite bogey at 8. Having reached the turn in 33, he’s birdied 10 to send himself back to -3. Dubuisson, five under for his round through 13, is still the hottest property out on the course right now. He’s -3 too. It’ll still be a wee while before the business end of the leaderboard is bothered.
Mickelson smoothly arcs a 9-iron from 140 yards to three feet on 9. In goes the putt, and the birdie means he’s reached the turn in 33 strokes. He’s -2. Birdie for Sergio at 2; he’s -2 as well. But both men are surely too far back unless they do something stupid. No, not like that. Westwood rakes in a monster across 8 for birdie to move back to level par.
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Dubuisson was fairly quiet for a while. Four pars in a row to reach the turn in 32, then another at 10. But he’s finally chalked up another birdie, this time at 11, and he’s five under for his round, and -3 overall. Meanwhile Tyrrell Hatton was out in 33, and he’s birdied 10 after a gorgeous approach to six feet. This is magnificent stuff from the young Englishman, who joins Dubuisson at -3. Boo Weekley is out in 33, as well, having just birdied 9 to move to -2. With the benign conditions expected to remain, the late starters will be licking their lips. And perhaps smacking them as well.
Phil continues with the nonsense. He nearly hooks his drive into the Benjamin Jeffryes approved freshwater lake down the right of 8. His ball lodges above the lip of a bunker. So he lashes it over acres of filth and onto the green, to four feet. In goes the birdie, his fourth of the day. He’s two under for his round again, -1 overall, and we would not have him any other way.
Lee Westwood appears to be embarking on a round inspired by Phil Mickelson and David Lingmerth. Pars not a huge feature. He opened with a couple, to be fair, but since then he’s birdied 3, missed a tiddler for par at 4, stuck his approach at 5 into the water on his way to a double, and now birdied 6. He’s +1 for both round and tournament. Meanwhile big Carl Pettersson is going well. Pettersson was in the mix in this tournament back in 2012 at Kiawah Island, before he was felled by a leaf in a lateral hazard and Rory ran away with it. A tie for third was still his best showing in a major. He’s after another decent finish this week: birdies at 2, 5, 6 and now 11, with the only blot on his card coming at 4, and he’s three under for his round and -1 overall.
Before the start of this tournament, Louis Oosthuizen was second only to Jordan Spieth in terms of cumulative score at this year’s majors. Look!
-37: Spieth
-23: Oosthuizen
-20: Rose
-17: D Johnson
-16: Matsuyama
-15: Day
-13: Garcia
-12: Scott
-8: Z Johnson, Mickelson
But it hasn’t quite happened for him this week. A 72 followed by a 71. He’s started today nicely enough, though, raking one in across the opening green for birdie. He’s -2 overall.
Boo Weekley has never really been about the majors. One top-ten finish at Southern Hills in the 2007 PGA, and that’s your lot. He’ll always be the man who rode his driver like a horse down the fairway at Valhalla during the 2008 Ryder Cup, as the Americans put Europe to the sword. And that’s not trying to damn him with faint praise; it was showmanship of the highest order. Still, the 42-year-old Floridian wouldn’t say no to a nice finish this weekend, and he’s started out nicely today: birdies at 3, 5 and now 7, offset only by bogey at 4. He’s -1 overall. A shot better off than Phil Mickelson, who has just handed back the shot he earned at 6 with a three-putt bogey at 7. He walks off the green riding his putter like a horse with a look of sheer disgust on his face.
Phil is a couple of inches away from slam-dunking his wedge into 6, Calcavecchia-at-Troon style, straight into the cup for eagle. But it spins off to the right, ten feet away. No matter, in goes his third birdie of the day, and the great entertainer is up to -1. Meanwhile Benjamin Jeffryes would like to take me to task for referring to the water running down the side of 4 as ‘the briny’. “Remember it’s a lake! Not salty the last time I drank some of it.” Fair enough. Though is the local beer that bad that you have to resort to this?
On the par-five 5th, Mickelson lays up with a view to wedging close, then fails to reach the green. A total misjudgement. He can’t rattle in the birdie putt from the fringe, and stays at level par. Rickie Fowler sends his second at 1 to eight feet, but misses the birdie effort to audible angst from the gallery; he stays at -1. Lee lands his second into 6 five feet from the hole - and misses the birdie effort. What a shame, an inch wide left of his fifth birdie in six holes. He remains at -3. And Mikko Ilonen has started strongly: birdies at 2, 3 and 5, and he’s -2 through six holes.
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Tyrrell Hatton is beginning to make a name for himself. The 23-year-old English player was runner up at the Joburg Open and placed fourth at Scottish Open last season. This year, this week, he’s competing in his first Stateside major. Solid rounds of 73 and 72 have seen him through to the weekend, and he’s making hay while the sun shines: birdies at 1, 2 and 5, and now he’s a dimple away from teasing in a downhill right-to-left turner on 6. He’ll settle for a par as the ball unluckily lips out. He twirls his putter and mimes a gunshot at the ball, which earns a proper laugh from the gallery. He looks happier with the guffaws than the earlier birdies. A career in music hall awaits. Meanwhile another birdie for Lee, this time at 5, and he’s worked his way up to -3 already. A 20-footer for birdie on 1 for Patrick Reed, who moves to -1. And a birdie-birdie start for Chesson Hadley, who rakes in a monster across 2; he’s -2.
It’s been a typically preposterous start to Phil Mickelson’s round. His shoes didn’t touch a blade of grass on the 1st fairway, as he jumped down the hole from bunker to bunker like a character in a 1980s Konami game. He scrambled par there, of course. A birdie at 2, and a bogey at 3. And now he’s nearly driven into the briny down the left of 4, then clipped a mid-iron from a sand dune to two feet. It could only become Peak Lefty if he manages to four-putt from there. But it’s the birdie that shot deserved. That’s his 1,119th birdie in a major, which is either a very random stat thrown up by US television, or something laden with meaning. I’ll level with you, I’m none the wiser. But 1,119, huh? I kind of hope he’s made just as many bogeys. That’s part of the thrill of Phil. We’ll miss him terribly when he’s gone.
The young New Zealander Danny Lee had a nightmare end to his second round. Triple-bogey at 5, a double at 7 and another bogey at 8. Six shots gone in three holes. He signed for a 77, a miserable affair after his magnificent first-round 68. But he’s come out swinging again today, with a birdie-birdie-birdie start. Barring Dubuisson, he’s the hottest property out on the course right now. He’s -2 overall, and if he keeps going like this, will live to regret that costly horror stretch.
Here we go, then. The first round was merely exciting. The second round was a sheer rollercoaster. There’s a pattern of ever-expanding brilliance unfolding here, so today could be something else. Which means we might not be able to cope with anything tomorrow. We can’t take it! But let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, it’s Moving Day. And expect a lot of moving. And strutting, striding and sashaying. There could be a fair bit of low scoring, see, thanks to that storm last night. It’s softened up the course. And the wind’s blown itself out. So there’s a lot of golf out there for the taking. You want early evidence? We got early evidence. And it comes in the shape of Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d’Artagnan, who you may know better by his stage name, Victor Dubuisson. “He looks like he could reach into his golf bag, pull out a rapier and engage in some Errol Flynn-style fencing right in the middle of the fairway,” opines Steve Buist, and he’s not far wide of the mark. Our swashbuckling hero eagled 2, birdied 3, then from the centre of the zig-zagging par-five 5th, nearly slam-dunked his second straight into the cup for an outrageous albatross. But the ball bounded 15 feet past the flag, he missed the return putt for eagle, and birdie had to do. Still, he’s four under through five holes, and -2 for the tournament. If a few more of these lads come out with Victor’s attitude, this is going to be some ride.
Here are the tee times for today’s delayed third round ...
9.15am CDT (3.15pm BST): Morgan Hoffmann
9.24am CDT (3.24pm BST): Keegan Bradley, Carl Pettersson
9.33am CDT (3.33pm BST): Nick Taylor, Victor Dubuisson
9.42am CDT (3.42pm BST): Nick Watney, Jason Dufner
9.51am CDT (3.51pm BST): JJ Henry, Koumei Oda
10am CDT (4pm BST): Marc Warren, Tyrrell Hatton
10.09am CDT (4.09pm BST): Mikko Ilonen, Danny Lee
10.18am CDT (4.18pm BST): Boo Weekley, Bill Haas
10.27am CDT (4.27pm BST): Phil Mickelson, Jason Bohn
10.36am CDT (4.36pm BST): Lee Westwood, Francesco Molinari
10.45am CDT (4.45pm BST): Thomas Bjorn, Vijay Singh
10.54am CDT (4.54pm BST): Brian Gaffney, Chesson Hadley
11.03am CDT (5.03pm BST): Troy Merritt, Danny Willett
11.12am CDT (5.12pm BST): Patrick Reed, Kevin Streelman
11.21am CDT (5.21pm BST): Rickie Fowler, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
11.30am CDT (5.30pm BST): Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk
11.39am CDT (5.39pm BST): Louis Oosthuizen, Ryan Moore
11.48am CDT (5.48pm BST): Sergio Garcia, James Morrison
11.57am CDT (5.57pm BST): Sangmoon Bae, Robert Streeb
12.06pm CDT (6.06pm BST): Brendon de Jonge, Steve Stricker
12.15pm CDT (6.15pm BST): Emiliano Grillo, Sean O’Hair
12.24pm CDT (6.24pm BST): Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els
12.33pm CDT (6.33pm BST): Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy
12.42pm CDT (6.42pm BST): Luke Donald, Henrik Stenson
12.51pm CDT (6.51pm BST): Webb Simpson, Cameron Smith
1pm CDT (7pm BST): YE Yang, Justin Thomas
1.09pm CDT (7.09pm BST): Kevin Chappell, Brandt Snedeker
1.27pm CDT (7.27pm BST): Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace
1.36pm CDT (7.36pm BST): Paul Casey, Hunter Mahan
1.45pm CDT (7.45pm BST): Charles Howell III, Matt Kuchar
1.54pm CDT (7.54pm BST): Marcel Siem, Hideki Matsuyama
2.03pm CDT (8.03pm BST): Hiroshi Iwata, Billy Horschel
2.12pm CDT (8.12pm BST): Dustin Johnson, JB Holmes
2.21pm CDT (8.21pm BST): Russell Henley, Harris English
2.30pm CDT (8.30pm BST): Brendan Steele, George Coetzee
2.39pm CDT (8.39pm BST): Jordan Spieth, Scott Piercy
2.48pm CDT (8.48pm BST): Tony Finau, Anirban Lahiri
2.57pm CDT (8.57pm BST): Justin Rose, David Lingmerth
3.06pm CDT (9.06pm BST): Matt Jones, Jason Day
It’s been a strange, staccato start to the third day, thanks to that second-round overhang. This report will get going at 5pm BST, when things start hotting up again.
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And while we’re wrapping things up from the second round, here’s a selected list of big names joining Tiger Woods on the bus home, having also missed the cut: the current Open champion Zach Johnson; former PGA champs Shaun Micheel, Padraig Harrington, Rich Beem, Davis Love III, David Toms, John Daly and Mark Brooks; last week’s WGC-Bridgestone winner Shane Lowry; the 2010 US Open champ Graeme McDowell; the 2006 US Open champ Geoff Ogilvy; the 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, anchoring his long putter for the very last time; the 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke; and Ian Poulter. “Perhaps Tiger could use the services of Stan the Caddy (in the spirit of Seinfeld, you know...),” suggests Steve Buist. Perhaps, though remember his advice scuppered Kramer’s lawsuit against Sue Ellen Mischke, much to the displeasure of his eternally put-upon attorney Jackie Chiles. But Tiger does need to make some changes. His performances in the majors recently have been outrageous, egregious, preposterous.
Justin Rose, who came close to the WGC-Bridgestone last week, is clearly in form. Tucked in behind the leading Aussie duo in third spot, he made sure of his 67 this morning by getting up and down from the best part of 90 feet on 18 to par the only hole he had to play. He’s -8. Going the wrong way this morning: Russell Henley, who bogeyed 9 and dropped to -5; JB Holmes, who bogeyed 8 and finishes at -5; and Harris English, who is also at -5 after dropping shots at 7 and 8.
Jason Day came out this morning holding a share of the lead, and quickly grabbed it all to himself with birdie at 16. But he three-putted from distance on the Dyeabolical 18th, settling for a fine 67 to go with the 68 he shot on Thursday. He’s -9, but that’s not good enough for the lead at the halfway stage, because his compatriot Matt Jones carded birdies at 6 and 8, signing for a 65 that has only been equalled this week by George Coetzee, and bettered by Hiroshi Iwata with his record-equalling 63. Jones, at 35 and with no real record in the majors to speak of, is something of a journeyman. But he’s had a decent-enough season on tour, with a couple of third-place finishes to his name, and won his maiden tour event last year at the Shell Houston Open. A late bloomer, it’s fair to say. He’s come good early on in this tournament, though. Here’s how the leaders stand at the 36-hole mark:
-11: Jones
-9: Day
-8: Rose
-7: Lingmerth, Finau, Lahiri
-6: Spieth, Piercy, Steele
-5: Coetzee, Henley, English, D Johnson, Holmes
-4: Iwata, Horschel, Siem, Matsuyama, Howell III, Kuchar, Casey, Mahan, Kaymer, Grace
As for the business end of the leaderboard? The big stories of the morning concerned Anirban Lahiri, Tony Finau, Jason Day and Matt Jones. Lahiri first. The 28-year-old Indian has been making a name for himself this season, with decent showings at the Masters and particularly the Open. He goes again here. Three birdies in a row, at 5, 6 and 7, propelled him up the leaderboard to -7, where he finished after signing his name at the bottom of a 67. Finau, meanwhile, a superstar in the making, had been going great guns yesterday. Six under for his round when the klaxon went, he came out this morning and birdied 8 too. But a three-putt bogey at 9 saw him sign for a 66. He’s -7 for the tournament, too, in a tie for fourth at the halfway mark with Lahiri and David Lingmerth. A mighty impressive trio there, all threatening to make the breakthrough this weekend. As for the aforementioned Australians ...
So Tiger made it to the weekend after all. He’d got yesterday’s storm to thank for his Saturday involvement. But that involvement was destined to be brief. He was last spotted yesterday evening down the back of 14, with a face on, marking his ball as the weather klaxon went off. He couldn’t get up and down, and the bogey dropped him back to +5. Birdie at 17 was never going to be enough to save him, with the cut sending those at +3 or worse off home. That’s three missed major-tournament cuts in a row. Uncharted waters for Tiger. The only way is up in 2016.
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Welcome to the third day of the 97th PGA Championship
Some storm tearing across Whistling Straits yesterday afternoon, huh. Such a shame the second day came to a close prematurely, before all second-round business had been completed. Still, the golf that did get played was something else. Hiroshi Iwata’s 63, for a start. The first 63 at a major since Jason Dufner carded one at this event two years ago, and only the 27th since Johnny Miller first managed it at the US Open in 1973. Iwata is the 25th name on an elite list - Greg Norman and Vijay Singh both did it twice - and only the second Japanese player to card one after Isao Aoki.
Then there was David Lingmerth’s absurd two-under 70: eight birdies, four bogeys, a double bogey and just five pars. Not to mention some serious charges up the leaderboard by Jordan Spieth, George Coetzee, Henrik Stenson, Tony Finau, Justin Rose, Matt Jones and Jason Day. All that already, plus another hour or two’s worth of second-round action this morning before Moving Day begins in earnest.
It’s expected to be sunny and humid all day. The players will be getting hot and heavy, like Elaine Benes and the jazz saxophonist. Umbrellas down! Surf’s up! It’s on!
News of how the second round finished coming right up. But this was the state of the leaderboard as the players took to the course early this morning ...
-9: Day (14), Jones (12*)
-8: Rose (17)
-7: Lingmerth (F), English (15*), Finau (13*)
-6: Spieth (F), Piercy (F), Steele (F), Henley (17*), Holmes (14*)
-5: Coetzee (F), D Johnson (14), Lee (13*)
-4: Iwata (F), Horschel (F), Siem (F), Matsuyama (F), Howell III (F), Kuchar (F), Snedeker (17), Casey (16), Lahiri (13*)
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