LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It was moving day at the PGA Championship. And there were plenty of top golfers that made a move up the leaderboard during the third round of the event on a sun-drenched day at Valhalla Golf Club.
Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are at the top of the leaderboard at 15-under-par, but six players are within two shots of the lead and 15 will begin Sunday’s round at 10 under or better.
Schauffele overcame a double-bogey at No. 15 and finished his round with back-to-back birdies to post a 3-under-par 68. He’s tied with Morikawa, who shot a 67.
“A lot of guys took it low to climb their way up,” Morikawa said. “I assume tomorrow is going to be the same.”
Sahith Theegala shot 67 and is one shot back at 14 under, while Shane Lowry tied the course and PGA record with a 62 and is at 13 under along with Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland. Another shot back at 12 under heading into the final day are Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre.
“There’s blood in the water,” said Schauffele, who led after his opening round 62 and after the second round.
“There’s so many guys on that leaderboard there,” Hovland said.
The third round will begin at 7:45 a.m. local time on Sunday, and the final pairing of Schauffele and Morikawa will tee off at 2:35 p.m.
It marks just the second time since 2005 that six players were within two shots of the lead at the PGA. There were also six players within two shots after 54 holes during the 2020 event at TPC Harding.
And, according to Elias Sports Bureau, it will mark the most players to start the final round of a major that are double digits under par. The previous record was seven, which was done three times, the latest at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
“Look, I’ve played against all these guys; it’s not like any of these guys are new,” Morikawa said. “They all have their accolades within themselves, and really anyone can go low.”
Schauffele, who had nine birdies during his opening-round 62, had it to 15 under with three birdies in his first 14 holes. But he flew it over the green on the par-4, 15th hole and into the deep rough.
It led to a double-bogey 6, but he recovered with a wedge shot to about 2 feet for birdie on No. 17. A third shot chip on the par-5 18th hole led to another birdie.
“I mean, you summed it up for me; it was easy going there the first round,” he said. “Everything felt super easy. Felt like I’ve had to work for a lot of my birdies the last two days. Haven’t been able to make many putts. I feel like I’m still hitting the ball pretty nice. If I can just get the putter going a little bit, it should free me up.”
Morikawa got his one bogey out of the way on the second hole. He then made birdies on Nos. 3, 5, 10, 15, and 18. The two-time major champion had a chance at the Masters last month but finished tied for third.
“I’m going to tap in just kind of that mental state I’ve been in, not only those two, but in other tournaments I’ve played well in,” he said. “I think the goal for me tonight before my tee time is just to be as mentally sharp by that first hole. I think looking back at a month ago at Augusta, I felt sharp in everything, but I feel like I could have had a little bit of self-talk before I went out on that first tee and really just not got ahead of myself. Not that I did, but two holes really cost me back there. Tomorrow is just going to put everything I have out there and see how it plays out.”
Theegala made bogey at Nos. 5 and 6 but recovered. He made six birdies in his final 10 holes to post a 67. His birdie at No. 18 pulled him to within one shot of the lead.
Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, matched the lowest round ever in any of the four majors. Four players had previously posted 62s in the majors, including Schauffele, who did it in the U.S. Open last year and the first round this week.
Lowry was 29th heading into the third round and quickly jumped up the leaderboard. He shot a 29 on the front nine, reeling off four straight birdies at Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5. It was the first time anyone had shot a 29 over nine holes at Valhalla during four PGAs.
But the round could have been better. He had three birdies on the back nine and could have added another at 18. Lowry hit his drive into the right rough at the par-5 hole and then his second shot went to the left rough. He then missed an 11-foot putt for a birdie that would have given him a 61.
“Yeah, it was pretty good; I enjoyed it,” Lowry said. “I enjoyed every minute of it, obviously. … Look, I went out there with a job to do today, and my job was to try to get myself back in the tournament, and I definitely did that.
“Probably the most disappointed anyone can ever be shooting 62. I knew what was at stake (at 18). Just didn’t hit the ball hard enough. Had it on a good read and just broke away from the hole.”
DeChambeau chipped in for eagle at No. 18 to get to 13 under, while Hovland made birdies at Nos. 17 and 18.
The weather is expected to be in the 80s and sunny on Sunday, setting the stage for a frantic finish.
–By Jody Demling, Field Level Media