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McIlroy makes his first move of the day. An almost casual birdie at 2. He joins the group at -5. Meanwhile back on 1, in the penultimate match, Nick Taylor and Jon Rahm take turns to set up birdie chances from Rai Distance. This is going to get quite hectic. Buckle up, and I might need you all to cut me some slack. Let\u2019s go for a ride!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Aaron Rai did well to scramble a bogey on 18 last night. That effort\u2019s been rewarded immediately this afternoon, as he screeches his iron into 1 to five feet, and makes the birdie putt! He becomes the first player to eat into Alex Smalley\u2019s two-stroke lead at the top, moving to -5.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Back-to-back bogeys for Hideki Matsuyama, at 7 and 8, illustrate how quickly things can go south here, west of Philly. He\u2019s back to -2. Joaquin Niemann also takes a step backwards, thinning his approach at 3 through the green then duffing the chip back. He does well to limit the damage to bogey by making an eight-foot putt, and he\u2019s -3.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A couple of big putts by big players drop. Justin Thomas rolls in a 30-footer on 15 to join the pack at -4. Meanwhile Rory McIlroy tickles in a very missable ten-footer on 1, having muscled his second from the thick rough to the edge of the green, only to leave his bump up well short. That\u2019s a big save and he remains at -3. But he doesn\u2019t half like making a meal of these 1st holes at the majors, does he?<\/p>\n -6: Smalley Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ben Kern was the only one of the 20 club professionals to make it to the weekend. A superb second round of 67 allowed him to bodyswerve the cut, and the 41-year-old general manager from Hickory Hills GC in Ohio finishes his week with a very respectable 72. He finishes the week at +10, and while that\u2019s in 80th place of the 82 who made it through to the weekend, it\u2019s a full eight shots better than the 82nd-placed Brian Campbell, a player good enough to win twice on the PGA Tour<\/a> last year and has just finished in a tie for 24th at the Masters \u2026 so that\u2019s no mean feat. Hats off to Ben \u2026 but then he\u2019s finished as the Low PGA of America Golf Professional in this tournament once before, at Bellerive in 2018, so he\u2019s an old master at this.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Scottie Scheffler sends his second at 10 to eight feet. A chance to make back-to-back birdies and send a message around the course. But it\u2019s the same story as it\u2019s been for the rest of the week, with the flat stick letting him down. This time it\u2019s an overly conservative prod that never looks like reaching the cup. He taps in sadly, knowing the sands are running out. He remains at -2, and unless he can somehow gain and, for the first time this week, maintain some momentum, and go on a heater very soon, it could be all over for the pre-tournament favourite.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here comes Rory! The reigning Masters champion is looking to become the only the fourth player in history to win a Green Jacket and lift the Wanamaker Trophy in the same calendar year. For the record, the others are Sam Snead (1949), Jack Burke Jr (1956) and Jack Nicklaus (1963 and 1975). Could a 51-year wait come to an end in the next few hours? Well, maybe, though McIlroy sending his opening tee shot into thick oomska down the right of 1 isn\u2019t the idea start. Meanwhile up on the green, Maverick McNealy walks in a monster from downtown to move up to -4 immediately. One thing is sure about Maverick: he\u2019s not going to die wondering. Attack, attack, attack. Promises some wild-driving fun.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Cameron Smith had missed the cut at his previous six majors. The LIV tour seemingly blunting his edge. But he snapped that miserable run this week, and he\u2019s now officially back, baby, with birdies this morning at 2 and 4. Smith shot 64 at the Old Course to win his Open Championship four years ago, so he knows how to get it done on day four. Smith is too good to have been out of form for this long; is he about to return to the winner\u2019s circle today? He joins the lads at -4.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Scottie Scheffler finally finds some forward momentum. But he needs the generous par-five 9th to source it. It\u2019s played the easiest hole on the course this week, so the world number one will have expected the birdie he makes. As such, there\u2019s no real celebration as he hits the turn in 34, moving up the standings to -2. Meanwhile it\u2019s back-to-back birdies for Hideki Matsuyama, at 4 and 5, and he really should make it three, but tugs nervously at a short putt on 6. Still, that\u2019s whipped the 2021 Masters champion up to -4, where he\u2019s joined in short order by Joaquin Niemann, who birdies 1 and 2.<\/p>\n -6: Smalley Share<\/a><\/p>\n Parish noticeboard. Shane Lowry finished his week as he started it, with a fine round of 68. He never really got over the top into the water at 17 on Friday; that Cognizant Classic collapse cuts deep. He\u2019s +2 for his week\u2019s work. Matt Wallace won\u2019t become the first Englishman to win since Jim Barnes in 1919, but he ends his tournament with a 68 as well; he\u2019s +2 too. A final round of 74 for last weekend\u2019s nearly man at the Truist, Alex Fitzpatrick, who departs his maiden Stateside major at +8. And Europe\u2019s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald finishes a very respectable week in style, with a 69 that puts the 48-year-old veteran at +7.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n While we\u2019re on the subject of tournament records, let\u2019s give fair measure to Kurt Kitayama. His round of 63 ties the lowest final-round score at any PGA Championship, set by Brad Faxon at Riviera in 1995. Faxon stays top of the list, however, on account of Riviera being a par 71, so his round was eight under par, compared to Kitayama\u2019s seven. But we\u2019re splitting hairs here. Kitayama deserves his flowers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Justin Thomas knows a thing or two about chasing down a big 54-hole lead at the PGA Championship. He won from seven back at the 54-hole mark in 2022, breaking the heart of Mito Pereira and tying a record set by John Mahaffey, who overhauled Tom Watson in 1978. He only had six players between himself and glory that day, mind; Mahaffey just had four. JT started just six back today at level par, but would have to scoot past 31 players if he\u2019s to win. So statistically that\u2019s pretty unlikely. But still, a stat\u2019s a stat\u2019s a stat, ain\u2019t that the truth. Anyway, after bogey at 3, he\u2019s bounced back with birdies at 5, 7, 9 and 11 to move into a tie for seventh, whatever that\u2019s worth currently, at -3. Yesterday\u2019s 72 almost certainly going to cost him on a week of small margins.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Matt Fitzpatrick cards 65<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t quite click for the 2022 US Open winner and reigning Heritage champion on the first three days. Never quite in it, never completely out of it, with rounds of 70, 72, 71, a slightly underwhelming performance by one of the pre-tournament favourites. But he\u2019s found some form just in time, if not for a tilt at the title, then a good wheech up the leaderboard. A blemish-free final round of 65, with birdies at 6, 7, 10, 13 and 16, and Sheffield\u2019s finest (sorry Danny Willett, apologies Brother Alex) ends the week at -2.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Harris English was one of the form horses in the majors last year. Second place at the Open, a tie for second in this Championship, both behind Scottie Scheffler, both admittedly a fair distance back. But second place is second place, and you can throw in a tie for 12th at the Masters as well. This year he tied for 30th at Augusta, and he\u2019s keeping this pleasing trend going here. Early birdies at 2 and 3, and now on 6 he sends his drive down the left of the fairway, allowing him the opportunity of attacking a pin tucked away on the right. Which he does, stroking an iron to five feet. It\u2019s something of a disappointment when he then misses the putt, and yes I did start writing this entry in full expectation of his making it, and joining the group in second place. As is, he tidies up for par and remains at -3. But it\u2019s nevertheless still a fine start from the 36-year-old from Georgia.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Scottie Scheffler hasn\u2019t had the start he wanted. The world number one started the day at -1, in a tie for 23rd, and no player has ever won a major from outside the top 20 after 54 holes. A flyer out of the blocks was almost essential, and birdie at 2 helped his cause, but his tee shot at the par-three 5th toppled into the fringe at the back of the green, and he hit a slightly hot chip coming back out. The ball rolled ten feet past, and he couldn\u2019t make the par saver coming back. He\u2019s now level for his round through 6, still at -1 with a third of his round \u2013 and two-thirds of the theoretically easier nine \u2013 gone.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026 so this is where Kitayama currently sits on the current leaderboard. A fine morning\u2019s shift.<\/p>\n -6: Smalley Share<\/a>Kitayama shoots 63<\/p>\n It was once the holy grail in the majors. Now it\u2019s one off the men\u2019s record of 62. But it\u2019s still quite the feat, even if Aronimink is only a par 70. Kurt Kitayama went out in 30 this morning, illustrating the aforementioned benefit of an early start in calm conditions, then came back in 33, a birdie at the last the final flourish. Finishing his week at -4, it\u2019s probably not going to be enough to better his PGA Championship best, a tie for fourth in 2023, but it\u2019s been a great week for the 33-year-old Californian, who has an outside chance of finishing in the top ten at a major for only the second time. How he\u2019ll rue yesterday\u2019s collapse around the turn: a run of 7-5-5-6 between holes 9 and 12 that cost him six strokes. The ifs and buts of a major championship.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the weather report. It\u2019s going to be the warmest day of the week, so expect the course to get firmer and faster as the day goes on. Given the contours and kinks of the fairways and greens, that\u2019ll be a double-edged sword. The wind has been pretty benign so far today, but it\u2019s expected to get up as we progress, so the earlier starters have had an advantage. All in all, similar to yesterday, when scoring became progressively harder. Goodness knows how this is likely to pan out as a result, but if someone breaks from the pack and posts a score mid-afternoon, things could get interesting for the final pairings.<\/p>\n
-4: Thomas (15), Smith (5), McNealy (2), Rai, \u00c5berg, Taylor, Rahm, Schmid
-3: Kitayama (F), Matsuyama (7), Gotterup (7), Rose (4), Niemann (4), Reed (2), McIlroy (1), Schauffele (1)<\/p>\n
-4: Matsuyama (6), Niemann (2), Rai, \u00c5berg, Taylor, Rahm, Schmid
-3: Kitayama (F), Thomas (13), Gotterup (5), Smith (3), Rose (2), Reed, McNealy, McIlroy, Schauffele<\/p>\n
-4: Rai, \u00c5berg, Taylor, Rahm, Schmid
-3: Kitayama (F), English (4), Lindberg (2), Matsuyama (2), Reed, McNealy, McIlroy, Schauffele
-2: M Fitzpatrick (16), Thomas (10), Hillier (8), Gotterup (2), Lee (1), Greyserman (1), Griffin, Smith, Kaymer, Cauley, Rose, Niemann, Reitan, Kirk
-1: Young (9), Harrington (7), Scheffler (5), Puig (5), Fowler (5), Burns (3), Harman (2)<\/p>\n