Jason Day of Australia, bidding for his first major victory, posted a 6-under-par 66 in the third round and took a two-stroke lead over Jordan Spieth into the final round of the 97th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis.
Day, who has finished in the top 10 nine times in the Grand Slam events without winning, overcame a double bogey 6 on the 16th hole with eight birdies and a 13-foot eagle putt on the 11th hole. That was one of only 24 putts he needed in the round.
“I said it earlier in the week, it feels like every time I get on the green, I get excited,” said Day, who has claimed two of his four PGA Tour victories this season. “Whether it’s a birdie putt, par putt or bogey putt, doesn’t matter what it is. I get excited because I feel like I’m going to hole it.
“That’s the stuff I need to do tomorrow, even though Jordan might be holing putts on me. If he goes out and wins tomorrow from him putting well, then he deserves it. But I’m going to give him a fight.”
Spieth, the Masters and U.S. Open champion who is trying to join Ben Hogan (1953) and Tiger Woods (2000) as the only players to win three men’s professional majors in one year, birdied six holes while shooting 30 on the back nine to cap a bogey-free 65.
After starting with a birdie on the first hole, the made nine straight pars before making three holes in a row through No. 13 and the birdied the last three.
“I realized we don’t get to play another event like this until April of next year,” said Spieth, who finished one stroke out of the playoff won by Zach Johnson in the Open Championship at St. Andrews. “And that makes you think, wow, there really only are a few of these, and they are precious, and you need to make the most of them. When I think of this being the last major of the year, it’s a little bit of a sad feeling because I really thoroughly enjoy playing in majors.
“You want to make the most of it because even though it has been a great year, we’ve won two this year. At the same time, when you look back on your career years and years from now, you may not remember exactly what happened within a year, but you’ll remember how many you’ve won and how many got away from you.
“So you look at it as a single major, as a chance to win this major, and in that there’s enough fight left in us to finish this one off, I believe.”
Branden Grace of South Africa holed a bunker shot on the final hole to close out a bogey-free 64 that left him three shots back in a tie for third with Justin Rose of England, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, who posted a 68.
Martin Kaymer of Germany, who won the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits in a playoff over Bubba Watson, was another shot behind in solo fifth after a bogey-free 65, while rookie Tony Finau carded a 69 and was one more stroke back in a tie for sixth with Matt Jones of Australia, the 36-hole leader, who had a 73.
Dustin Johnson, who missed the playoff in the 2010 PGA when he was assessed a two-stroke penalty on the final hole of regulation, shot 68 and was six shots back in a tie for eighth with Anirban Lahiri of India, who came in at 70.
Matt Kuchar recorded a 68 and was another stroke behind in a tie for 10th with Billy Horschel, who also had a 68, and J.B. Holmes, who totaled 69.
