That was glorious. In more ways than one, a PGA Championship for the ages. A record-breaking story of redemption, and the sort of thing that is only ever achieved by the very special, the living legends. Congratulations to Phil Mickelson for winning his sixth major, his second PGA title, and becoming the oldest men’s major champion ever. Ewan Murray’s verdict is in, and you can click on it below this final leaderboard. Thanks for reading these live blogs. See you for Torrey Pines next month?
-6: Mickelson
-4: Oosthuizen, Koepka
-2: Harrington, Lowry, Higgs, Casey
-1: Ancer, Rose, Morikawa, Rahm, Zalatoris, Scheffler, Finau, Fowler, Streelman
Phil talks to Sky Sports. “This is amazing. I believed I had the ability to do it. I had not played the way I knew I could. With the help of my wife, my brother and my coach, I’ve been able to get back playing golf at the highest level. It is so fulfilling and rewarding, and these are moments I will cherish forever. The fans have given me and all the players an incredible experience. As you get older, people say you can’t do it. Sure it’s a little harder, but there’s no reason why it can’t be done. It’s been a little bit of extra work physically, but there’s no reason it can’t be done and this proves it!”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience like that, so thank you for that. Slightly unnerving, but exceptionally awesome! Thank you to everyone at Kiawah Island and in South Carolina!” At which point he hoists the Wanamaker Trophy, something he last did in 2005 as a mere 34-year-old whippersnapper!
More from Phil the Thrill. “I love the challenge of competing against great players. What an incredible competitor Brooks Koepka is, and to have a chance to play in the final group with him was an exceptional honour. It was a really difficult task for me to go head to head with him and come out on top.”
Then Phil Mickelson takes the microphone as he prepares to lift the Wanamaker Trophy. He thanks the crowd for the “incredible environment”, his wife, Tim, his brother and caddy, and his swing coach Andrew Getson. He then looks extremely proud as he’s announced as the oldest major winner in history. “This is just an incredible feeling. I believed this was possible, even though everyone was saying it wasn’t. It might take a little extra work, but gosh it’s worth it!”
Ben Cook, the 27-year-old club pro from Wayland, Michigan, shot 72-77-69-74 this week. The best of the PGA’s Team of 20 smiles broadly as he raises his vase.
... and here’s his place on the PGA Championship roll of honour.
5: Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus
4: Tiger Woods
3: Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead
2: Jim Barnes, Leo Diegel, Denny Shute, Paul Runyan, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Dave Stockton, Ray Floyd, Lee Trevino, Larry Nelson, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson
... and where he now stands in the all-time pantheon of majors won ...
18: Jack Nicklaus
15: Tiger Woods
11: Walter Hagen
9: Ben Hogan, Gary Player
8: Yom Watson
7: Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer
6: Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson
This is a genuinely historic moment, so here’s the newly revised list of oldest major champions ...
1. Phil Mickelson (2021 PGA, 50 years 11 months)
2. Julius Boros (1968 PGA, 48 years 4 months)
3. Tom Morris Sr. (1867 Open, 46 years 3 months)
4. Jack Nicklaus (1986 Masters, 46 years 2 months)
5. Jerry Barber (1961 PGA, 45 years 3 months)
6. Hale Irwin (1990 US Open, 45 years)
Mickelson and Koepka embrace. Rickie Fowler’s there somewhere. He makes his way through the throng towards the marker’s tent. An awful lot of hugging going on. Everyone wants a piece of him, and no wonder: he’s just won his second PGA Championship, his sixth major, and in doing so has become the oldest man to ever win a major championship, eclipsing the long-standing record of Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won this championship in 1968!
Phil Mickelson wins the 2021 PGA Championship!
... it doesn’t go in, but it really doesn’t matter. Par! He taps in. Kiawah erupts! Mickelson raises both arms in triumph, then hugs his brother, his caddy. At 50 years and 11 months, he’s the 2021 PGA champion!
-6: Mickelson
-4: Oosthuizen, Koepka
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Koepka sportingly putts first, in order to leave the stage clear for Mickelson. Two putts, a par, and a 74. He finishes joint second at -4. The final act coming up. Mickelson lines up his birdie and ...
Koepka sends his second inside Phil, but he knows this is over. The crowd swarm them both as they walk up the fairway, Mickelson eventually emerging with a triumphant fist raised into the air. A thousand-strong sea of punters surround the green. This is bedlam. Beautiful bedlam!
Mickelson, chewing hard, takes aim ... and it’s one last act of genius. He seizes the day by swatting a 9-iron from 174 yards into the heart of the green. Pin high! He’ll have a look at birdie from 16 feet, but it shouldn’t matter either way, because history is so close now! A smile threatens to play across his face as the crowd simmer down, allowing Koepka to take his turn, but he quickly calms himself in the professional style, then sportingly motions for the crowd to hush.
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As Mickelson walks up the 18th towards his ball, he’s followed by hundreds of fans who have jumped the ropes. Astonishing scenes, shades of Tiger at East Lake at the denouement of the Tour Championship in 2018!
... sends his drive into the punters down the left! His lie looks decent. Nobody’s picked his ball up this time. Koepka really needs to make birdie here, though only six players have managed one today. A reminder that if he does, and Mickelson drops a shot, we’ll be going to a three-hole play-off. As history beckons, so near but yet so far, good luck with your nerves.
Close your eyes, and there could be a million folk around the 18th tee box, such is the noise that greets Mickelson. Huge tee shots coming up. Koepka finds the first cut down the right. Perfectly placed to attack the pin. Then Phil’s up. He draws the driver back, and ...
Koepka takes two putts for his par. Mickelson meanwhile sends a bobbly, slightly excitable, putt down the green and three feet past. He tidies up for a most acceptable bogey. Meanwhile up on 18, Oosthuizen’s second goes over the back. He gives the long birdie putt a good chance, but the ball stops one turn short. He’ll tap in to sign for a 73, ending the week at -4. Phil Mickelson will come up the last with a two-shot advantage.
-6: Mickelson (17)
-4: Oosthuizen (F), Koepka (17)
Mickelson, with three shots in pocket, isn’t of a mind to risk getting a flyer and sending his ball back across the 17th green and into the water. He clips out to the side, finding the top-right of the green. Percentage golf. Not something he’s particularly known for, or enjoys, but needs must when the devil drives.
Oosthuizen larrups his 72nd tee shot of the week straight down 18 ... but his ball takes an unlucky bounce to the left and disappears into the second cut. Up on 18, his compatriots complete disappointing final rounds: Christiaan Bezuidenhout with 77, Branden Grace with 78. They finish the week at +2 and +3 respectively.
... seems happy with his shot, twirling the club in satisfaction. But the ball bounds a little further than Koepka’s disappearing into the thick stuff at the back. That won’t be an easy chip at all ... but hey, this is Phil Mickelson we’re talking about. One more successful wave of that magic wand and he’ll be very, very, very close to making history!
... steps away from the ball. A swirl of wind. Take two. He pulls the trigger, and ...
One of the shots of Phil Mickelson’s life coming up, at the evil par-three 17th. The wind flickering hither and yon. But first up it’s Koepka. He sends his 7-iron inches over the back-left portion of the green, with the flag back-right. Not bad, not great. And so here comes the shot which may well decide the outcome of this championship. Phil to take 6-iron. He pulls the trigger, and ...
Koepka chips up from the deep “bunker” to eight feet. That’s decent, but not a patch on Mickelson’s chip from hardpan at the back. He bundles gently to kick-in distance, and that birdie stops the rot, such as it was. Koepka makes his birdie putt too, but with Oosthuizen only able to make par from the back of 17, Lefty’s lead is suddenly three again!
-7: Mickelson (16)
-4: Oosthuizen (17), Koepka (17)
It didn’t happen for Bryson DeChambeau today. The US Open champion came home in 40 strokes, eventually signing for a five-over 77. He ends the week at +3. His partner Joaquin Niemann had an equally miserable time, give or take a stroke. His 76 means he topples down the standings to +2.
Oosthuizen reaches the nerve-jangling 17th. After long deliberation, he whipcracks his tee shot over the flag ... and over the back of the green. But he’ll chip back into the wind, so that’s not the end of the world. Back on 16, Koepka, whose 361-yard drive was the longest on the hole today, finds the sandy area guarding the front-left of the green with his second. Phil, who creamed his drive 366 yards, the day’s best, launches his second at the flag. The ball skips past the flag and off the back, but he’s in good nick there. With the chasing pack closing, this is one hell of a reply!
Koepka batters a big drive down 16. He’s after that eagle! Mickelson follows him yard for yard. What a response! Up on the green, Oosthuizen’s eagle putt shaves the hole but refuses to drop. He holds his head in his hands, but gathers himself and taps in for birdie. And on 18, it’s par for Paul Casey, and that’s a 72. He joins the clubhouse leaders at -2.
-6: Mickelson (15)
-4: Oosthuizen (16)
-3: Koepka (15)
-2: Harrington (F), Lowry (F), Higgs (F), Casey (F), Streelman (15)
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Mickelson sends his putt straight at the hole ... but forgets to hit it! Just a par. Koepka tidies up for birdie, and suddenly he’s only three behind. This was veering towards done-deal territory but now it’s very much a live one. And this is before we get to Oosthuizen’s eagle putt from the fringe at 16!
-6: Mickelson (15)
-3: Oosthuizen (15), Koepka (15)
Mickelson takes his time to work out the best angle of attack. It was worth the wait. From 100 yards, he throws up a wedge to 12 feet. Safely on, with a good look at birdie coming up. Koepka eases his to four feet. Up on 16, Oosthuizen lashes a golden second just off the back of the green ... but only just, and the flag’s close by. He’ll be thinking a lot about eagle!
Mickelson works a few things out by battering his drive at 15 down the middle. Koepka finds the short stuff as well. And up on 16, Oosthuizen, who needs birdie at the very least on the par five, blooters a fine tee shot down the track.
Oosthuizen’s birdie putt on 15 looks in, all the way, but suddenly dies to the right, an inch before the hole. He remains three behind at -3. Meanwhile on 18, bogey for Fowler, who nevertheless ends the week in the top ten at -1. His partner Jordan Spieth has to wait at least 12 more months if he’s to complete the career slam; he signs for 74 and ends the week at +2, having never quite got going.
Koepka flips out from the bunker to the left of the 14th green, his ball screeching to a halt three feet from the cup. That’s a fine shot. Too little, too late? Up on 15, Oosthuizen sends his approach over the flag; he’ll have a 15-foot look at birdie coming back. And back on 14, Mickelson clips his chip off the top of the bank, landing his ball softly on the green and rolling it to four feet. That’s a quite sensational effort from where he was, though it’ll mean nowt if he doesn’t make the putt ... and he pulls it right. There goes another shot, and suddenly the gallery is very quiet. Par for Brooks, who remains at -2.
-6: Mickelson (14)
-3: Oosthuizen (14)
-2: Harrington (F), Lowry (F), Higgs (F), Casey (16), Streelman (14), Koepka (14)
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Mickelson arrows his tee shot at the par-three 14th straight at the flag ... but the breeze holds it up, the ball toppling back down the big slope at the front. The flag’s at the front, too, so there won’t be much green to work with chipping up. A poser. Koepka, perhaps spooked by Phil’s miss to the right, hoicks his tee shot wide left. Meanwhile on 15, Oosthuizen bombs one down the middle. This isn’t over. Not yet.
He can’t quite make it. But he lags it to kick-in distance, and despite dunking his ball in the drink, it’s just a bogey. Koepka also makes a five, slipping to -2. Oosthuizen has sole ownership of second spot again, having parred 14. The tension at Kiawah is palpable, and no wonder. This tournament should be over. Most other weeks it would be. But major championships are never in the bag until the final putt drops. That’s especially true when you’re striving to make history!
-7: Mickelson (13)
-3: Oosthuizen (14)
-2: Harrington (F), Lowry (F), Higgs (F), Fowler (17), Casey (16), Streelman (14)
Phil trudges up the fairway, trying to look as unflustered as possible. Penny for the transcript of his inner monologue. As he works out where to drop, Koepka is forced to bump out sideways, but then chips deliciously to a couple of feet. That will limit the damage to bogey. Mickelson, meanwhile, is able to drop on the green, so will putt from 30 feet for the most unlikely par!
Koepka pulls his second into more trouble down the left 13. He looks done. But then Mickelson makes his biggest mistake of the day! From the centre of the fairway, he pulls his second into the water on the right! He’ll be dropping close to the green, so the damage shouldn’t be too great, but still. That’ll start the nerves jangling. Meanwhile up on 16, birdie for Casey, who joins the ever-growing group at -2.
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Mickelson hooked his drive at 13 into the drink yesterday. Today, after a long period of consideration, he sends a gentle fade into the middle of the fairway. Koepka lashes his drive into the rough down the left, but the punters have trampled it down, and it looks like he’ll get a good break with a decent lie. Up on the green, Oosthuizen, his ball having got wet, ends up with a double. Bogey for Streelman, too. Phil Mickelson, 50, has a five-shot lead with six to play!
-8: Mickelson (12)
-3: Oosthuizen (13), Koepka (12)
Phil Mickelson’s closest challenger, Louis Oosthuizen, is about to fall away. Having sent his tee shot at 13 wide left, he’s forced to take his medicine and chip out ... and then he carves his third into the drink. He’ll be dropping shots here. Meanwhile on 12, Phil takes two easy putts for par; he stays at -8. Brooks misreads his putt up from the bank, the ball breaking four feet right, but he tidies up to remain at -3.
Mickelson bashes his 2-wood straight down the track at 12, then draws a gorgeous iron into the heart of the green. Koepka, having sent his tee shot into the thick stuff down the left, scythes his second onto the dancefloor as well, though he doesn’t have the control, and it topples off the back. Not dramatically so, mind you; he’ll be confident of getting down in two, and should give his chip or putt from the bank a good run at the hole for birdie.
Harry Higgs, as the eagle-eyed will have spotted, has joined the clubhouse leaders Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington at -2. His 70 is a thing of beauty, blemish-free. He deserves a large pour of Tito’s and water this evening. Meanwhile the sharp will have also noticed Rickie Fowler creeping onto the leaderboard. Birdie at 16, his second of the day, takes him to -2. Here’s hoping he hangs on in there, because it’s not been pleasant to see him struggling of late. Whatever happens on 17 and 18, confidence is surely in the process of restoration. He’s back, baby!
Koepka chips up gracefully to three feet, but then watches in horror as his par putt horseshoes out. Another bogey, and this is getting away from the two-time winner, because Mickelson, having nearly drained a monster birdie putt, tidies up for par. Meanwhile up on 12, Oosthuizen rolls in his birdie putt, and suddenly he’s Mickelson’s closest challenger.
-8: Mickelson (11)
-5: Oosthuizen (12)
-3: Streelman (12), Koepka (11)
-2: Lowry (F), Harrington (F), Higgs (F), Cantlay (16), Fowler (16)
Up on 12, Oosthuizen and Streelman take turns to perform on a high wire. They know they have to seize the day, so both men take on the flag, and the water, with their approaches. Streelman comes in from the right, firing straight at the flag, Oosthuizen feels his way in from the left, judging the distance perfectly. Both will have looks at birdie on a very difficult and dangerous hole.
Mickelson, perhaps out of his Special Zone for the first time today, pulls wide right of the green from 100 yards. That’s by far his worst shot of the day. Time to refocus. Though the same could be said for Koepka, who having carelessly found the sandy area, leaves his chip short of the green, the ball spinning back off the false front. Meanwhile up on 16, it’s a miserable par for Patrick Cantlay, who misses his birdie chance from five feet. He remains at -2, and he knows it’s over.
Turns out someone in the gallery picked up Mickelson’s ball. Over comes the referee, and Mickelson asks the crowd where it landed. “It landed on a tee,” quips some smart-alec, providing proof, if you really needed it, that pretty much everyone at Kiawah is pro-Phil today. Everyone agrees on a spot, and Mickelson, relaxed after some badinage with the fans surrounding him, whips his second up the track. Poor Koepka, isolated and relatively unloved in the centre of the fairway, pulls carelessly into a sandy trap.
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Up on the green, Oosthuizen runs a 20-foot birdie putt straight at the hole. But he doesn’t give it enough. One more turn. He remains at -4. Streelman however makes his birdie putt from similar range, and that’s stopped the rot. He’s back up to -3.
Mickelson sends his drive at the par-five 11th into the gallery down the left. No going for the green in two from there. Koepka however stripes one down the middle. Up on 13, Casey misses a seven-footer for par, and trudges off with a face on. He’s -1.
Mickelson sends his birdie putt straight into the cup! That’s a fine roll, though that was all about the sensational approach. Koepka meanwhile, having splashed out from the sand to six feet, lets his par putt slide off to the right. Another big swing, and suddenly the destiny of this tournament is firmly in 50-year-old Phil Mickelson’s hands!
-8: Mickelson (10)
-4: Oosthuizen (10), Koepka (10)
-2: Harrington (F), Lowry (F), Higgs (16), Cantlay (15), Casey (12), Streelman (10)
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The stretch between 10 and 13 will be crucial. These are holes that played easy - hey, it’s all about context - during the first three days, but now the wind has switched, they’re completely different propositions. The flip side, of course, is that the hellish closing stretch should, in theory, be less of a nightmare. We’ll see about that when the pressure’s on!
Koepka tugs his second at 10 to the left. He’s shortsided in one of those sandy areas. Mickelson spots the door ajar, and slips through it. He sends his approach over the flag, the ball screeching to a halt eight feet from the cup! A big matchplay moment coming up. Meanwhile up on 16, Charley Hoffman eagles to move to -1. He’s now in the top ten, albeit a top ten that contains 21 players. A lot of folk at -1.
Welcome to the start of the 2021 PGA Championship everyone! Yes, the final Sunday pairing has reached the back nine! Mickelson and Koepka are both content with their drives. Up on the green, Streelman goes super-close with a confidently hit par putt, but he’ll have to settle for bogey. He’s heading in the wrong direction at warp speed: that’s his third bogey in four holes, and he’s -2. Oosthuizen, having gone to school on Streelman’s putt, proves that he’s learned nothing. His effort sails by the right lip, just as Streelman’s did, and he slips to -4.
-7: Mickelson (9)
-5: Koepka (9)
-4: Oosthuizen (10)
Oosthuizen whips a short iron high into the air, sending his third pin high. He’ll have a chance to scramble par from 20 feet. Streelman wedges to a very similar spot. Meanwhile birdie for Paul Casey on 12; he moves to -2, his very faint flame flickering still. Bogey at 14 for Patrick Cantlay, though; he slips to -2 with holes and hope running out.
Oosthuizen sends his drive at 10 into a deep sandy area to the right of the fairway. He’s right up against the face of it, almost plugged between the sand and the grass. All he can do is hit and hope. He does that well, punching back out onto the fairway. His partner Streelman also takes his medicine, chipping out from a very filthy lie on the other side of the hole.
News of Gary Woodland, who has continued to tumble since that double-bogey seven on 7. Bogeys at 9 and 10, followed by another double now at 11. Having threatened to bother the leaders early in the round, the 2019 US Open champ has collapsed to +2. Meanwhile pars for Mickelson and Koepka on 9. Phil out in level-par 36, Brooks out in 37.
The 2008 champ Padraig Harrington finishes with a par, and signs for a 69. He ends the week at -2, some performance by the 49-year-old Dubliner. He was going around today with his compatriot Shane Lowry, whose late-round heroics were largely ignored by the cameras: birdies at 9, 12 and 16 en route to 69. He really should have been signing for a 68, having sent his second from 140 yards to six feet, but he couldn’t make the putt. He also ends the week at -2, and there’s a good chance both Irishmen will finish in the top ten.
Streelman and Oosthuizen both find themselves out of position at 9. The former can’t get up and down from a pot “bunker” at the back, but Louis manages it from the front to scramble his par. Streelman, having started fast, has hit the buffers, turning in 37, one over for his round.
-7: Mickelson (8)
-5: Oosthuizen (9), Koepka (8)
-3: Cantlay (13), Streelman (8)
Patrick Cantlay leaves his birdie putt at 13 high on the right. He remains at -3, and his hopes recede. But at least they’re not totally extinguished: Im Sung-jae sends his second at 12 into the drink down the right of the hole, and he runs up a double-bogey six that drops him to -1.
Mickelson and Koepka both find the green at the par-three 8th. The latter a lot closer than the former. Mickelson cradles his putt to a couple of feet and tidies up for his par. Koepka misreads a 15-footer that doesn’t break right as expected. No real drama at this hole, which given the way everything’s been going, is news in itself!
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A strong finish / salvage job by Hideki Matsuyama. Birdies at 15 and 17 mean he signs for a level-par 72. He finishes the week at +1, though for a while yesterday he must have been thinking about back-to-back majors. On that subject, here’s Ivan Todd, writing from the middle of the night in the Masters champion’s home country of Japan: “Amazing how Hideki’s collapse yesterday was a perfect mirror image of his Day 3 at the Masters. At Augusta he came back after the lightning delay to play his ball from the trees at the 11th. He hit that great approach shot and picked up six shots in the last seven holes. It was the surge that won him the title. Yesterday he came to the 11th looking a good bet for a second major in a row, then dropped six shots in the last seven.”
Mickelson knocks in his birdie putt! Up goes the gallery. Koepka, under the circumstances, does extremely well to tidy up for bogey. The dance continues. Meanwhile on 13, Cantlay cries “Oh no!” as his second seriously skirts with the water to the right of the green. But it holds on and ends up pin high, eight feet from the flag! He’ll have a superb chance for birdie that’ll get him right in the mix.
-7: Mickelson (7)
-5: Oosthuizen (8), Koepka (7)
-4: Streelman (4)
Mickelson, unencumbered by forestry, bumps straight onto the green. He’ll have an eight-foot look at birdie. Koepka first, and in fact his putt is more like 25 feet. He nearly drains it, but the ball skids four feet past. That is no gimme.
Koepka was extremely lucky not to find the water to the right of the tree, his ball snagging in some reeds. He punches it under the branches and towards the dancefloor, but it snags on the thickly covered slope on the other side of the tree. It’s still his turn, and out comes the lob wedge. He finds the green, though the ball only just stops on the fringe at the back, momentarily threatening to topple off and down the bank. He’ll have a 15-footer to save par.
Ben Cook signs for a 74. He ends the week at +4, the best-placed PGA club professional of the week. Brad Marek, the only other club pro to survive the cut, shot 76 today and finishes very respectably at +12. Congratulations to the pair of them!
Koepka’s drive at 7 finds the thick stuff down the left. From there, he sends his second way right, to Streelman Country. He’ll be stymied by that tree. Mickelson, from the centre of the fairway, goes straight for the flag but sends his ball right as well. His ball manages to squeak past the tree, so he’ll have a good view of the green from there. This continues to ebb and flow in the grand style.
Streelman’s playing partner Oosthuizen elegantly sends a 40-yard bunker shot to four feet. In goes the birdie chance - no gimme the way he’s been putting this week - and he moves back to within a shot of the lead at -5. Streelman meanwhile whips up to three feet ... but then jerkily tugs at the putt, missing left. A bogey, and Brad Faxon’s analysis suddenly looks bang on. He slips to -4.
It’s all happening on the par-five 7th. Up on the green, Christiaan Bezuidenhout birdies to bring himself back to -3. His compatriot and playing partner, Branden Grace, runs up a double after visiting a native area. He drops to -1. Then Kevin Streelman sends a wild slice miles right, snookering himself behind a tree. It’s not the worst fate, given a penalty area is nearby, but he can only punch back towards the bottom of a greenside bank. Big up-and-down here.
Mickelson’s bump down from the bank at 6 isn’t very good at all. Most unlike Lefty. He nearly drains the par saver, but the ball stubbornly refuses to drop in from the right. And so it’s another two-shot swing, as Koepka cleans up for birdie, and helps himself to a share of the lead!
-6: Mickelson (6), Koepka (6)
-5: Streelman (6)
-4: Oosthuizen (6)
-3: Cantlay (11), Im (10), Bezuidenhout (7)
Another player coming up on the rail: Harry Higgs. The Seinfeld-quoting Fleetwood Mac fan played the front nine in 34, and he’s since parred his way through 12. The vodka-loving Texan everyman is surely too far off the pace at -2, but he’s currently good for a top-ten finish in his very first major. Great to see him break through.
Mickelson’s tee shot has ended up in thick filth. He’ll have to give this some welly if he’s to reach the green. He pulls it right as a result, though there’s green to work with from there. And then, with Lefty’s par uncertain, it’s Koepka’s turn to turn the screw, matchplay style: he wedges from 120 yards to six feet, and will have a great look at birdie. Meanwhile so much for the Harrington dream, surely: he bogeys 15 to slip back to -2. Ah well, it was always a long shot, and fun while it lasted.
Mickelson’s drive at 6 takes a kick right and disappears into the rough. Koepka splits the fairway. Up by the green, Streelman, having come up short on a downhill sandy slope, bashes bunker-style from 40 yards to six feet. A great chance to save his par ... and in it goes! A top-drawer scramble, and it looks as though that flat stick, so often his nemesis, is holding up well.
Mickelson chips in from the sandy area! He’s got a bit more green to work with than Oosthuizen had before him. He flips his ball off the top of the trap, lands it four feet in front of the hole, and sets it rolling into the cup. Koepka can’t respond by making his birdie putt, and Phil’s landed a huge matchplay-style blow there! Walking to the next tee, he gifts the ball to a young fan, whose smile lights up the earth! What a souvenir that is for the happy little lad!
-7: Mickelson (5)
-5: Streelman (5), Koepka (5)
Koepka fires his tee shot at 5 straight at the flag. Pin high. He’ll have a look at birdie from 15 feet. The pressure’s on Mickelson, who sends his iron into Oosthuizen’s bunker. Meanwhile Patrick Cantlay is coming up on the rail. Just off the radar all week, he’s quietly shot a pair of 73s and then a 70 yesterday, and now he’s hit the turn in 34, following up with birdie at 10. At -3, he’s right in this. Somebody’s going to post a score, you know, and with conditions getting harder and the pressure on, it’s not a given that those in front will stay there.
-6: Mickelson (4)
-5: Streelman (5), Koepka (4)
-4: Oosthuizen (5)
-3: Harrington (14), Cantlay (10), Im (9), Casey (7), Grace (6)
Pars for Mickelson and Koepka at 4. Meanwhile no such luck for Oosthuizen on 5. He chips up to six feet, but can’t complete the escape. He’s missed some putts this week. His flat stick is ice-cold. Up on 9, Im hits the turn in a flawless 34. He’s -3.
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An absolute nightmare for Gary Woodland on the par-five 7th. Having got himself into contention with early birdies at 2 and 3, he hands everything back with a slapstick double-bogey seven. A duffed wedge from some woodchip. Another sent down the back of the green. A heavy handed one coming back up. He slips back to -2.
So having said that, Oosthuizen tugs his tee shot at 5 into a bunker on the left, shortsiding himself. If he gets up and down from par from there, he’ll be doing rather well. Meanwhile news of the 2008 champ Padraig Harrington, who having played the front nine in 33, chips in from the side of 14 to move to -3! You know, if he keeps going, and the wind picks up, and the course gets firmer and firmer ... no, let’s not go there. Not yet. But he might! And you can tell by his wide smile, he’s thinking about it. God speed, Padraig!
It’s been a steady-eddie start by Louis Oosthuizen. Par-par-par-par. Not much to report, really, but this sort of behaviour has landed major tournaments on hellishly tough courses before. Just ask Nick Faldo, who shot 18 pars on Sunday at Muirfield to win the 1987 Open.
Streelman looks to have grabbed a share of the lead up on the 4th green ... but his 20-foot uphill putt, that looks dead straight, in fact kinks left at the last. He remains at -5. Meanwhile up on 18, Collin Morikawa signs for a fine closing 68. He ends the week at 1-, and that’s a fine defence of his title.
In fact the putt is 29 feet and 11 inches. Good guess, huh? Mickelson sends it dead on line. It travels 29 feet and 10-and-a-half inches. A bogey five on a drivable par four. He’s back in a tie for the lead as Koepka tidies ... STOP THE PRESS! He shoves right from a couple of feet, to audible disbelief from the gallery! Mickelson still has sole ownership of the lead, despite it all!
-6: Mickelson (3)
-5: Streelman (3), Oosthuizen (3), Koepka (3)
-4: Woodland (6)
-3: Im (7), Bezuidenhout (4), Grace (4)
Phil suffers a rush of blood and batters his chip into the face of the hill. His ball balloons up and holds the green, but it flies 30 feet past the flag. He’s making a royal mess of this hole. This is promising to be one heck of a to-and-fro tussle!
Mickelson tries to bump up the slope from the thick rough. He doesn’t give it enough, and his ball rolls back down into a swale. Koepka by contrast is able to whip up from the short stuff, and does so to kick-in distance. He’ll be back to -6; so will Mickelson if he can’t get up and down from the bottom of the hill.
Neither Mickelson nor Koepka can find the risk-and-reward 3rd with their tee shots. But both will have routes in with their wedges. Phil’s task might be a little trickier, on account of the thick rough he’s left himself in, but you know how he rolls, so count nothing out. Meanwhile birdies at 2 and 5 for Im Sung-jae, and last year’s Masters runner-up is making a late charge. He’s -3!
Streelman is very fortunate to see a weak wedge get to the top of the bank at 3 and hold the green. But two putts later, it’s a bogey, and suddenly Phil has a two-shot lead!
-7: Mickelson (2)
-5: Streelman (3), Oosthuizen (2), Koepka (2)
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From the back of 2, Mickelson whips up to kick-in distance. That’s some chip. A bounceback birdie, and Koepka can’t make his bogey putt! A double-bogey 7. A two-shot swing at the first, then a three-shot swing the other way at 2. Buckle up, everyone!
-7: Mickelson (2)
-6: Streelman (2)
-5: Oosthuizen (2), Koepka (2)
Koepka, up against the collar of the sandy area and shortsided, chunks his chip. It rolls five feet forwards. Take two sees him send his chip 12 feet past the flag. Similar problems for Streelman on 3; he’s in the sand at the bottom of the tree, and can only advance his ball a few yards forward. He’s still in the second cut.
So having said that, Streelman goes for the green at the short risk-and-reward par-four 3rd, and clatters the tree guarding it. Much will depend on where that ball falls. Back on 2, Koepka is forced to chip out from sand down the left, then sends his wedge over the green. He’s got a task to get up and down to scramble his par, while Mickelson is through the back in two. Elsewhere, bogey for Casey at 5, and he drops back to -2, while DeChambeau rattles in a monster putt on 4 to move up to the same mark.
Another birdie for Kevin Streelman! The 42-year-old has just two wins on the PGA Tour to his name, the last at the Travellers seven years ago. A win here would change everything, and he looks in the mood to do it. He follows birdie at 1 with another at 2, having clipped a fine third off the sand to six feet. He’s -6, just one off the lead, and looking to join a list of shock PGA champions that includes the likes of Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem and YE Yang.
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Of course, with 17 holes still to play, Koepka hasn’t won this yet! To illustrate this rather obvious fact, he pulls his tee shot at the par-five 2nd towards a tree down the left. Not sure whether that hit the branches, or where it landed. There’s water down there. Mickelson flirts with the same tree, but his ball stays in the second cut. He’ll be OK from there.
A third birdie of the day for Matt Fitzpatrick, taking a late run towards the top of the leaderboard. This one at 7 brings him to -3. He’s one behind Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who birdies 2 to move to -4. And the defending champ Collin Morikawa seems determined to go out with a bang; birdie at 15 takes him to five under for his round and -2 overall.
That’s silenced the gallery a wee bit. Phil’s fans would do well to remember the crowds at Bethpage Black two years ago. They stood four-square behind Dustin Johnson, as he threatened to overhaul Koepka’s big 54-hole lead. Later that evening, Koepka, upon lifting the Wanamaker Trophy, explained that the partisan support helped him focus, in the grand I’ll-show-you-buggers style. He’ll be tapping into the same stubborn mindset this afternoon, I’ll be bound.
Mickelson can’t make his par putt. Koepka then puts the boot in by curling in his right-to-left 12 footer. Perfectly judged, perfectly paced. A two-shot swing, and now look!
-7: Koepka (1)
-6: Mickelson (1)
-5: Oosthuizen (1), Streelman (1)
-4: Woodland (3)
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Justin Rose signs for a 67. He joins Abraham Ancer in a share of the clubhouse lead at -1. He was going round with his compatriot Lee Westwood, who came back in 41 en route to a 77. The Worksop wonder ends the week at +9.
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Koepka sends his second at the opening hole to 12 feet. Mickelson is up next; he finds the green from the rough, 100 yards out, but only just, his ball squeaking onto the front, leaving a long two putts for his par. He leaves the first well short, and bits his lip anxiously. Not the ideal start for Lefty.
Up on the green, it’s an opening birdie for Kevin Streelman, reward for his knocking an approach from 115 yards to ten feet. In goes the putt, and that achilles heel hasn’t revealed itself yet. Par for Louis. Meanwhile back-to-back birdies for Gary Woodland at 2 and 3, while his partner Paul Casey takes two putts for birdie. He’s
-7: Mickelson
-6: Koepka
-5: Oosthuizen (1), Streelman (1)
-4: Woodland (3)
-3: Casey (3), Bezuidenhout (1), Grace (1)
Heeeeeeeeeere’s Lefty! A huge roar, pretty much as you’d expect. All eyes will be on the old boy today. History beckons. He acknowledges the crowd, smiles and waves, then retreats into The Zone. His drive isn’t perfect, squeaking into the second cut down the left, but it looks to be sitting up OK, and he nods as he peers down towards it. Brooks Koepka, his partner, receives a couple of pantomime boos, but they’re smothered out by some warm applause. He hits a monster down the right side of the fairway. This is on!
Any slim hopes of Jordan Spieth completing his career slam this week are gone. He misses a short par putt on 4, then leaves his tee shot at the par-three 5th miles short of the flag. He’ll do well to get down in two putts from there. He’s +1. Meanwhile a decent start to the round for Paul Casey, throwing a hail Mary in the hope of landing that elusive major. He’s birdied 2, and now found the green with his tee shot at the now-drivable par-four 3rd, the tee box having been moved up considerably. If he sinks the eagle putt from 30 feet, we’ll talk.
The penultimate pairing takes to the tee. Louis Oosthuizen, who would be in charge of this tournament right now had he not missed three very short putts yesterday, bashes his opening drive down the middle. He’s going round with the underdog of the leading pack, Kevin Streelman, who also splits the fairway. On Sky, their excellent new commentator Brad Faxon explains that Streelman’s achilles heel is his putting from inside ten feet - but he’s been in the top 20 on the greens this week. If he keeps that up, he’ll have a real chance today, because the rest of his game is top-notch.
Bogey for Reed at 10, the result of sending his approach down the bank at the back. He slips back to -1. Moving up to that mark: Jon Rahm. Out in 34, he’s added birdies at 11 and now 13, the latest the reward for a sensational iron into the green, paying no heed to the water on the right and rolling his ball to six feet.
DeChambeau whips his third pin high at 1, but he’s 20 feet from the cup, and can’t make the par saver. Exactly the start he didn’t want. Five back becomes six; he’s -1. Par for Niemann, though, and the young Chilean remains at -2.
Birdies for Padraig Harrington at 7 and 9, and the 2008 champion turns in 33. He’s -2. Back on 1, DeChambeau hasn’t got much of a lie in the desert, and chunks his chip into thick grass 30 yards up the hole. And the 2011 winner Keegan Bradley drains a putt on 5, his second birdie of the day, to move to -2. Things are beginning to happen, and quickly ... with the leaders due out soon!
Spieth needn’t have worried. He makes a sensational up and down from the bottom of the bank at 3, bumping his chip up the hill and just over the top - pretty much the only way to hold the green from where he was - then drilling home the 12-footer for par. He remains at level par. A birdie for his partner Rickie Fowler, though, and he’s -1.
Here comes Bryson! His first shot is trademark DeChambeau: a blooter that’s miles off line. He’s in a native area away to the left. His partner Joaquin Niemann splits the fairway. Meanwhile birdies at 2 and now 4 for Matt Fitzpatrick, who rises to -2. And there’s the first “Aw Jordan!’ of the day, as the one-man running commentary that is Mr Spieth skulls a chip across the short par-four 3rd and over the back. We’ll hear a few more yelps from a few more players before the day is out.
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Time for our first update of the leaderboard, then. Before the leaders start getting busy.
-7: Mickelson
-6: Koepka
-5: Oosthuizen
-4: Streelman
-3: Bezuidenhout, Grace
-2: Reed (10), Conners (1), DeChambeau, Niemann, Woodland
-1: Ancer (F), Morikawa (12), Harrington (8), Higgs (5), Werenski (5), Hoffman (4), Bradley (3), Fitzpatrick (3), Im (1), Casey
So much for Justin Rose’s bounceback birdie on 13. He hands the shot straight back after missing the green at the par-three 14th. He’s level par again. A great start to the day for the first-round leader Corey Conners; the 29-year-old Canadian rattles in a 20-footer on 1 to move to -2. And the 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed is going along nicely: out in 33, an eventful run sparked by eagle at 2, and he’s followed it with birdie at 10. Captain America is -2.
It’s not been Rory McIlroy’s week. Not at all. The pre-tournament favourite bogeyed his opening hole on Thursday morning, a harbinger of things to come. He finishes how he started, dropping a shot, this time at 18, to sign for a level-par 72. The procession of 2012 seems an awfully long time ago.
The defending champion Collin Morikawa is shaping up to go out in style. He’s shot 33 going out, and has just birdied 11 to move to four under for his round, and -1 overall. Meanwhile a nice bounceback birdie for Justin Rose, who sends his second at 13 to 15 feet and rolls in the straight putt. He’s back in red figures at -1.
They’re not quite up there with Abraham Ancer’s 65, but there have been a couple of other fine rounds this morning. Cham Kim shoots a 67 that will ensure a best-ever finish at the PGA for the 31-year-old Korean, wherever he ends up. A 68 for the veteran Aussie Matt Jones, a decent showing at the PGA following his recent win at the Honda Classic. And 68 for An Byeong-hun. There were scores to be had out there this morning. Will the wind get too fresh for any of the late starters to match them?
Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler take to the tee. They’re both level par, seven off the lead, so it wouldn’t be unprecedented if one of them lifted the Wanamaker Trophy today, would it? After all, as mentioned in the preamble, John Mahaffey hauled in Tom Watson from seven back to win in 1978. Ah but. Watson was five clear going into that final round, only to have an off day, bringing the field back into it. Also, there were only four players ahead of Mahaffey after 54 holes. For one of these lads to win, they’d need to gain shots on a dozen players ahead of them after round three. Payne Stewart’s win in 1989 may be a better guide; he was tied for 10th after 54 holes that year. Anyway, after all that, it’s a pair of opening pars for Rickie and Jordan. Not the fast start they needed.
So in theory, with the change in wind direction from easterly to south-westerly, holes 1 to 4, then 14 to 18 should play a bit easier today. The breeze at your back. The stretch between 5 and 13 not so much. Effectively a completely different course ... in theory. Let’s see how this pans out, then. There will drama nonetheless over that hellish closing stretch, I’ll be bound.
As quickly as shots come, so they go. Justin Rose, six under for his round, gets a lucky break after sending his drive at 12 towards a hazard down the right. A good lie and a shot out. But he sends his second down the same side of the hole, and into the water. The gift horse having had its dental records thoroughly examined, he ends up with double bogey. That’s sent him crashing back down to E for even par, E for earth.
Abraham Ancer is in for his 65! That’s the lowest round of the week, and the 30-year-old Mexican, who has some high finishes on his Tour resume this season, will end his week at -1.
The bad news for the leading pack is that the wind is slowly picking up. It’s expected to get back to the more troublesome speeds of Thursday and Friday this afternoon, and with the course also firming up as the day goes on, the Ocean Course will set quite the challenge towards the business end of the day. The first few holes have been playing significantly easier with the predicted change in wind direction, though, so there may still be chance to make a little hay.
Here we go, then. The wind’s been down this morning, and there’s been some pretty low scoring. Take Justin Rose, for example, who started the day at +4, but has gone out in 31 strokes. He’s just rolled in a 20-footer on the par-five 11th to move to -2. He’s joined there by Padraig Harrington, who has eagled 2 and birdied 3. But the round of the morning has come from the in-form Abraham Ancer. He went out in 31 strokes as well, and has since made birdies at 15 and 16. If he makes his way up 18 unscathed, he’ll be signing for a seven-under 65. God speed!
Preamble
Welcome to our coverage of the Awe on the Shore, in which Phil Mickelson attempts to win the 103rd PGA Championship at the Ocean Course, Kiawah Island. If he pulls it off, the 50-year-old from San Diego will become the oldest ever winner of a men’s major golf championship, beating a record held for 53 years by Julius Boros. This literally could be one for the ages.
Boros was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship at sweltering Pecan Valley, San Antonio. He shot a final-day 69 under a mean old Texas sun, making a chasing pack featuring Arnold Palmer, Bob Charles, Billy Casper, Al Geiberger, Bob Goalby, Lou Graham and Doug Sanders dizzy, dizzy, dizzy in their heads. He refused to smile for photos, having chipped a tooth.
“The most relaxed swinger on tour,” noted the Guardian’s Alistair Cooke of Boros. “He swept his drives, flicked his irons, and smartly stroked his putts … He putted with the nonchalance of an old gentleman practising on the living-room rug.” Remind you of anyone? Except for the bit about the putting, that is?
Other talent is available. Also very much in contention: the two-time winner Brooks Koepka, the 2017 runner-up Louis Oosthuizen, Branden ‘Mr 62’ Grace, reigning and former US Open champions in Bryson DeChambeau and Gary Woodland, rising talent such as Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Joaquin Niemann, Im Sung-jae and Corey Conners, and a couple more old-timers in forty-somethings Kevin Streelman and Paul Casey.
So here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked after 54 holes. Anyone outside this lot would break a different sort of record: the biggest comeback to win after 54 holes. That currently stands at seven shots, set by John Mahaffey in 1978.
-7: Mickelson
-6: Koepka
-5: Oosthuizen
-4: Streelman
-3: Bezuidenhout, Grace
-2: DeChambeau, Niemann, Woodland
-1: Casey, Im, Conners
E: Spieth, Fowler, Finau, Cantlay, Bradley, Fitzpatrick, Hoffman, Kokrak, Higgs, Werenski
... and here are the fourth-round tee times (all local, add five hours for BST). Plenty of early groups out already, so we’ll have news of the morning movers and shakers coming right up.
07.30 Brian Gay (USA)
07.40 Garrick Higgo (Rsa), Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den)
07.50 Lucas Herbert (Aus), Brendan Steele (USA)
08.00 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
08.10 Adam Hadwin (Can), Brad Marek (USA)
08.20 Harris English (USA), Matt Wallace (Eng)
08.30 Cameron Davis (Aus), Robert Streb (USA)
08.40 Tom Hoge (USA), Bubba Watson (USA)
08.50 Abraham Ancer (Mex), Jimmy Walker (USA)
09.00 Daniel Berger (USA), Russell Henley (USA)
09.10 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Matt Jones (Aus)
09.20 Sam Horsfield (Eng), Danny Willett (Eng)
09.30 Chan Kim (USA), Tom Lewis (Eng)
09.40 Stewart Cink (USA), Rory McIlroy (NIrl)
09.50 Jason Day (Aus), Wyndham Clark (USA)
10.10 Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Denny McCarthy (USA)
10.20 Justin Rose (Eng), Lee Westwood (Eng)
10.30 Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Jason Scrivener (Aus)
10.40 Harold Varner III (USA), Aaron Wise (USA)
10.50 Viktor Hovland (Nor),Daniel van Tonder (Rsa)
11.00 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Collin Morikawa (USA)
11.10 Talor Gooch (USA), Jon Rahm (Spa)
11.20 Alexander Noren (Swe), Cameron Smith (Aus)
11.30 Carlos Ortiz (Mex), Patrick Reed (USA)
11.40 Ben Cook (USA), Webb Simpson (USA)
11.50 Martin Laird (Sco), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
12.00 Padraig Harrington (Irl), Shane Lowry (Irl)
12.10 Ian Poulter (Eng), Will Zalatoris (USA)
12.20 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Steve Stricker (USA)
12.30 Joel Dahmen (USA), Billy Horschel (USA)
12.40 Harry Higgs (USA), Richy Werenski (USA)
12.50 Charley Hoffman (USA), Jason Kokrak (USA)
13.00 Keegan Bradley (USA), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)
13.10 Patrick Cantlay (USA), Tony Finau (USA)
13.20 Rickie Fowler (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA)
13.40 Corey Conners (Can), Sung Jae Im (Kor)
13.50 Paul Casey (Eng), Gary Woodland (USA)
14.00 Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Joaquin Niemann (Chi)
14.10 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Branden Grace (Rsa)
14.20 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Kevin Streelman (USA)
14.30 Brooks Koepka (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA)
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