If you watch coverage of the 107th PGA Championship over the next few days, you might hear commentators mention the term ‘Moving Day’.
Here at SportsLens, we are on hand to explain everything there is to know about ‘Moving Day’ and what it means in golf circles, including at major tournaments such as the PGA Championship.
What Is ‘Moving Day’ In Golf?
If you’re a golf fan tuning in to a tournament and hear someone mention ‘Moving Day’, you might not know exactly what this means. This is why we are on hand to explain what the term means in golf circles and how important it is in major championship events.
In short, ‘Moving Day’ is another name given to the third round of a golf tournament. This typically falls on a Saturday and is a term you will probably hear in the biggest major tournaments such as The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and Open Championship.
When it comes to professional PGA Tour tournaments, LIV Golf events or DP World Tour events, ‘Moving Day’ can be vital in the final outcome of a tournament. More on that later.
Why Do People Call Call Saturday At Major Championship ‘Moving Day’?
Now that we have outlined exactly what ‘Moving Day’ is in golf, you might be wondering where the term actually comes from and why people call Round 3 at a major championship ‘Moving Day’.
The third round at a major championship often provides some of the most exciting action across the PGA Championship as a whole.
Golf commentators call Saturday at a major tournament ‘Moving Day’ as it is the day where golfers often make their move up and down the rankings most prominently.
Shooting a low score on moving day will set players up perfectly for the final round on Sunday, giving them a chance to win the tournament. In the case of the PGA Championship, a big ‘Moving Day’ performance could go a long way in helping a player go on to lift the coveted Wanamaker Trophy.
Sometimes there are various different approaches taken to ‘Moving Day’. Some of the leaders from the first two rounds might go out hoping to consolidate their position on ‘Moving Day’, with others playing a far riskier game.
If a player needs a big third round to bring themselves into contention on Sunday, they might climb the leaderboard significantly with a stellar ‘Moving Day’ round after a slow start over the first two days.
However, this can often go the other way too. Some players might fall out of contention after a strong start on Thursday and Friday, with ‘Moving Day’ proving their downfall. This has certainly happened before.
How Significant Is ‘Moving Day’ To The Final Outcome?
At the PGA Championship, six of the last 10 years has seen a golfer go on to lift the Wanamaker Trophy who did not sit at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds of major action.
Another way of looking at this is that six of the last 10 PGA Championship victors made their move on ‘Moving Day’ to go on and win the tournament.
The only four players who sat at the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard after two rounds and went on to win the overall event were Xander Schauffele last year, Phil Mickelson in 2021, Brooks Koepka in 2019 and Jimmy Walker in 2016.
Looking at the statistics of players who sat top of the leaderboard after ‘Moving Day’ is a different story. Of the last 10 players who were top of the pile after ‘Moving Day’, seven of them went on to win the PGA Championship.
The only players who led after three rounds at the PGA Championship in the last 10 years but didn’t go on to win the Wanamaker Trophy were Kevin Kisner in 2017, Dustin Johnson in 2020 and Mito Pereira in 2022.
Best ‘Moving Day’ Performances In The Last 10 Years At The PGA Championship
One of the best ‘Moving Day’ performances in recent years was Collin Morikawa’s move in 2020 en route to winning his first major. Morikawa went from outside toe Top 20 to T-4 on ‘Moving Day’, before following that up with a stellar Sunday performance to win the PGA Championship.
Another was Brooks Koepka’s triumph in 2018. Although he only jumped from third to first after ‘Moving Day’, he shot a -4 par round on Saturday to give him a two-shot lead heading into Sunday.
Jason Day’s -6 ‘Moving Day’ round at the 2015 PGA Championship also ended up being pivotal.
In short, more often than not the player that is top of the pile coming out of ‘Moving Day’ goes on to lift the coveted Wanamaker Trophy.
How Two Round Leaders Fared At The PGA Championship – Last 10
| Year | Leader Going Into ‘Moving Day’ | Finish | Winner |
| 2015 | Matt Jones (-11) | T-21 | Jason Day (-20) |
| 2016 | Jimmy Walker/Robert Streb (-9) | 1/T-7 | Jimmy Walker (-14) |
| 2017 | Kevin Kisner/Hideki Matsuyama (-8) | T-7/T-5 | Justin Thomas (-8) |
| 2018 | Gary Woodland (-10) | T-6 | Brooks Koepka (-16) |
| 2019 | Brooks Koepka (-12) | 1 | Brooks Koepka (-8) |
| 2020 | Li Haotong (-8) | T-17 | Collin Morikawa (-13) |
| 2021 | Phil Mickelson/Louis Oosthuizen (-5) | 1/T-2 | Phil Mickelson (-6) |
| 2022 | Will Zalatoris (-9) | T-1 | Justin Thomas (-5 playoff) |
| 2023 | Viktor Hovland/Scottie Scheffler/Corey Conners (-5) | T-2/T-2/T-12 | Brooks Koepka (-9) |
| 2024 | Xander Schauffele (-12) | 1 | Xander Schauffele (-21) |
How ‘Moving Day’ Leaders Fared At The PGA Championship – Last 10
| Year | Leader After ‘Moving Day’ | Finish | Winner |
| 2015 | Jason Day (-15) | 1 | Jason Day (-20) |
| 2016 | Jimmy Walker/Robert Streb (-9) | 1/T-7 | Jimmy Walker (-14) |
| 2017 | Kevin Kisner (-7) | T-7 | Justin Thomas (-8) |
| 2018 | Brooks Koepka (-12) | 1 | Brooks Koepka (-16) |
| 2019 | Brooks Koepka (-12) | 1 | Brooks Koepka (-8) |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson (-9) | T-2 | Collin Morikawa (-13) |
| 2021 | Phil Mickelson (-7) | 1 | Phil Mickelson (-6) |
| 2022 | Mito Pereira (-9) | T-3 | Justin Thomas (-5 playoff) |
| 2023 | Brooks Koepka (-6) | 1 | Brooks Koepka (-9) |
| 2024 | Xander Schauffele/Collin Morikawa (-15) | 1/T-4 | Xander Schauffele (-21) |
