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The clouds opened up the bright sunny skies over Wisconsin to arguably one of the best for the Third Round of the 97th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Words could not describe how incredible this round was by all 77 golfers that made the cut, putting on a show that was arguably the most amazing round to watch at a major championship. You could say the odds were in their favor, especially for those looking to climb up the leaderboard and/or shoot remarkable personal scores.
Just as the sun nestled on the horizon, the final pairing of the day between Aussies Jason Day and Matt Jones came upon the 18th green. Day nearly holed a 20-foot putt for birdie that would have given him a three-shot lead going into Sunday morning, but the ball could not enter through the side door of the cup, sealing a third round score of 66 and two-shot lead at 15-under for the 28-year-old.
Jones would tap-in for par after attempting a birdie putt from the front fringe of the green concluding his round with a score of one-over; he was three-under through 14 holes before going four-over on his final four homestretch.
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Well, he is certainly no stranger to being near the top of the scoreboard at a major championship this season and once again, Jordan Spieth will appear in the final group and looking to win the ‘American Slam‘ (three of four majors, all played on American soil). The 21-year-old concluded an exciting Saturday round of 65, moving him up five spots and two shots behind Day.
He recorded just a single birdie on the first hole before shooting par on the rest of the front nine, but followed dramatically with two consecutive three-birdie streaks (Holes 11-13, 16-18). If Spieth wins, he will become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2000 to win three of the four majors in a single season.
Biggest Movers:
There were a number of miraculous rounds today by the world’s best golfers, but a few stood out from the rest and have put themselves in contention to win as well.
Martin Kaymer won at Whistling Straits back in 2010 and after Saturday’s performance, he may very well have a good shot at lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for a second time. The German shot a bogey-free round of 65 that pushed him up 10 spots on the leaderboard and only four shots behind Day. If the 31-year-old wants to win again, he’ll have to keep up with the players above him and hope for some poor play from them too.
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Phil Mickelson has always been the crowd favorite no matter what tournament he competes in. At a major championship, fans want to see him in contention to win, especially when he had a round like he did today. The San Diego native had a roller-coaster round that included nine birdies, but three bogeys would prevent him from moving further up. The 45-year-old completed a round of 66, ascending him up 37 spots to a tie-for-24th position. Although age might be catching up to the five-time major champion, he can certainly feed off the crowd’s energy and work the bunkers of Whistling Straits to have that opportunity at another fantastic Sunday finish.
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Victor Dubuisson; ‘Who?’ you may ask. Well first of all he’s a member of the European Tour, so that’s why you may not recognize the name, but the Frenchman made a significant jump in the third round to have a chance for his first major title. The 25-year-old eagled the Par-Five Second hole and followed with four birdies before making a bogey on 17, completing a round of five-under 67 and a 34-spot ascension. A member of the 2014 European Ryder Cup team, Dubuisson sits tied-for-36th; not quite near the top, but he can charge at the right moment to put him in a championship-clinching position.
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Perhaps the biggest mover of the day, Boo Weekley hopped up 44 spots on the leaderboard by shooting a round of 65. The 42-year-old from Florida made eight birdies and a bogey on Saturday and finds himself nine shots back of Day. Weekley will likely have to pull off the exact same round in order to have a shot at winning the PGA Championship.
Shot(s) of the Day:
We have a tie for the Third Round Shot of the Day! First, Branden Grace finished off his eight-under round of 64 in style with a chip-in birdie from a very difficult position. But then again, South Africans are known for their incredible bunker-game. Grace sits tied for third at 12-under and will tee-off in the second-last pairing with Justin Rose.
Branden Grace bunker hole-out on final hole for a share of the lead. That’ll work. #SapphireOnLocation #PGAChamp http://t.co/c1D19q9Erc
— PGA.COM (@PGA_com) August 15, 2015
Finally, for your consideration, Australian Matt Jones drove his tee-shot on the ninth hole into he hospitality tent along the left-side of the fairway; he had a decent lie, but an amazing escape that put him next to the green. Take a look and decide your favorite:
Matt Jones hits it from the hospitality tent at PGA Championship, actually hits a great shot. #PlayItAsItLies https://t.co/NQ60dy8c2p — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 15, 2015
The final round begins Sunday morning with coverage from CBS; the final pairing of Day and Spieth will tee-off at 1:45 PM local time (2:45 PM Eastern time).
